The Millgrove Cemetery is one of several early burial grounds in the former township of West Flamborough, with interments dating from the 1830s. The land the cemetery is located on is part of Lot 19, Concession 5 and was originally referred to as the Gore of Millgrove because of its triangular shape. The cemetery is unique in that it has never been associated with a church and has always been a public burying ground or municipal cemetery – still open for burials to those owning or purchasing property within the cemetery, and being maintained and governed by its own Cemetery Board.
The lot was still unsold Crown land when the first seven burials occurred – the earliest one recorded on a monument is that of Jane, daughter of William and Isabella Finlay, who died July 26, 1837, aged 23 years, seven months and 29 days, followed by another young woman in 1838 and then five children in 1841, possibly the result of an epidemic, such as typhoid fever.
Lot 19, consisting of 42 acres, was purchased by Albert B. Palmer on July 13, 1841 – making it one of the last pieces of Crown property in the township to be sold. On March 17, 1848, Palmer sold an acre of this lot, that included the early burials, to the Trustees of the Millgrove Cemetery Board for £4. The Trustees signing the transaction were known as “The Three Johns,” John Cummins, John Keen Crooker and John Warren Ryckman.
Maintenance of the Millgrove Cemetery during the last years of the 19th century was by an appointed caretaker. Beginning in 1898, this was William Shelton, whose main duty was to cut the grass twice a year for which he was paid the annual sum of $4.23.
During the early years, many of those who purchased burial plots planted lilac bushes to mark them, other plots were surrounded by metal posts and chain fences. Almost all of the lilacs have been removed and the fences were taken down as they became a problem when caretakers began using lawn mowers.
Originally, wooden posts and woven wire fencing surrounded the oldest section of the cemetery, which over the years has been enlarged to serve the community’s needs. In 1914, a stone fence was built and two iron gates installed along the entranceway on Millgrove Side Road. The commemorative plaque states the project was in memory of Millgrove residents, John Ira Flatt and his wife, Rachel Cummins.
Sylvia Wray is the former archivist with the Flamborough Archives. She can be reached through the Archives at archives@flamboroughhistory.com.
This article was originally published in the Flamborough Review, 11 June 2015.
