Abandoned Cemetery, Lot 18, Concession 2, Ops Township, Victoria County, Ontario

One of the first abandoned places I ever discovered was an old cemetery, now known as Buckley Cemetery, although no Buckley’s are buried there (but that family currently owns, or at least owned the land when the name was given). My Great Uncle told me about it a few years back, as it is where my Great Great Great Great Grandfather, Thomas McNabb, is buried.

My Great Great Great Great Grandfather, Thomas McNabb

The cemetery had been abandoned for decades, and because it was located in the middle of what used to be a cow pasture, it was in horrible diss-awry. Stones were knocked over and broken, many unreadable, some possibly missing. Trees and weeds had overgrown, further damaging the stones and making them hidden from passersby on the road (though perhaps that part isn’t a bad thing). I thought there was something inherently sad about a cemetery in such rough shape, especially because, on a personal level, that was the final resting place of the patriarch of one branch of my family.

So last summer I decided to head out with my father and best friend Matt, armed with shovels, weed clippers and various gardening tools, in hopes of cleaning up the Buckley Cemetery. Unfortunately, when we got there we found it to be a much harder task than we had initially anticipated; the weeds were so thick we could barely hack through them. When we went to clean off some fallen stones we saw that the parts covered under the dirt were actually better preserved than the ones still standing, and the high winds that day made everything twice as hard. In the end, all we managed to do is clean out the weeds that were directly interfering with the stones, take photos of each and do our best to transcribe what was written on them. Here is what we came up with:

 

Stone Inscriptions: (numbers used correspond with the work previously done by Stephen E. Negus for the Ontario Genealogical Society – I have added to his work. Also, please note that __________ stands in place of unreadable writing)

1. ____________/Also/his wife/ Mary Boyd/ died Oct 1842/aged 24 years/native of Dobalie, Dumfarshire, Scotland
2. In memory of/Sarah____________
3. In memory of/Henry Armstrong/ who died Feb 12, 1852/AE 52 y’s/ Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord
4. Meet me/In memory of/Sarah/ daughter of Henry and Ellen Armstrong/ died Feb 6, 1864/aged 2 (8?) yrs & 2 mons &_____________
5. Rest, Sarah, thou has left us now, they loss we deeply feel. But tis God that has bereft us, He can all our sorrows heal/Yet again we hope to meet when the day of life is fled/ When in Heaven with joy to greet thee/Where no sorrowful tear is shed
6. John Ray/died Feb. 21, 1837/aged 12 mo 12 days
7. In memory of/Margaret Gray/native of Banff, Scotland/wife of Francis W. Hook/died Aug 21, 1842/AE 42 years & 2 mos
8. _________/________ Samuel and Margaret Sheridan/died Feb 6, 1877/aged 5 years/________ Lord give and he take away
   EDIT: after searching through death records online, I think I’ve discovered that this is James Arthur Sheridan, son of Samuel Sheridan and Margaret Sheridan (nee McNabb), who died of Diphtheria. This child is my 1st cousin, 4x removed.
9. _________/of_________ Arthur/___________ n of __________–
10. Catharine (Ru? Ruth?) _________/ died April 9, 1850/ aged 3 yr’s 9 mos
11. In memory of / Jane/ beloved (wife) of/ Thomas McNabb/who died Jan 22, 1875/ aged 22 years 7 mos/_________
    EDIT: another death records search online revealed this to be Jane McCollough, born circa 1852 in Ops Township, Ontario, Canada. She married Thomas McNabb II (1829-1913), making her the wife of my Great Great Great Grand Uncle. They married December 25, 1874. She died January 22, 1875, of “perpetual convulsions: 14 days”.
12. In memory of/ Thomas McNabb/ who died Sep 8, 1859/AE 58 yrs / Husband, father, thou hast left us/now thy loss we deeply feel/ but tis God that has bereft us/ (he can?) all our sorrows heal
13. In memory of/ Robert Graham/ who died Oct 9, 1849/ AE 10 y’s & 2 mos/ ___________
14. John C. Graham/ who died May 30, 1850/ AE 59 yr’s
15. (Ro)bert Graham/who died/Aug 30, 1850/AE 50 yrs/ readers in health and strength/death may be near thee/let my removal warn thee /to prepare

I’ll edit this as I find out more. I plan on going back this summer an giving it another go. My goal is to eventually have it cleaned up well enough that no further damage will be done, and in an ideal world, I would like to get a fence around the whole thing, and a plaque at the front with names of those buried there, both so that it is recorded should the stones eventually wear away completely, and also so that those looking for it see there is a cemetery there (by then, protected) and not just a patch of trees in a field. Of course, all this requires money, so it may be a-ways-away, but still, one for the bucket list.

-E.