PIONEER CEMETERY HERITAGE SOCIETY

of St. Margaret's Bay

 

THE SOCIETY, WHO ARE WE?  WHAT DO WE HOPE TO DO?

The Society was formed in March, 2002 by a number of local residents interested in preserving the Pioneer Cemetery which was established at French Village, Halifax County, N.S. in 1794.  We also have a great number of out-of-town members from all over Canada and the United States.  We became a registered Society July, 2002.

The objectives of the Society are to restore and maintain this historic site, in honor of our ancestors, raise funds to repair the damaged stones, fence the front of the property, erect a sign for the cemetery, erect interpretive signing at the cemetery and research and record the genealogy of those interred there.  We will arrange to have library shelf space at the Tantallon Public Library where you can go to see this research.

If you believe you have relatives buried there but they are not found in any of the listings on this site, please contact us, so we may add them to our list.

Please, help in our efforts.  If you have ancestors that moved into St. Margaret's Bay (Aspotogan to the Dovers) in the late 1700's or early 1800's, you probably have kin at this cemetery.  Membership dues $10.00 per year - March to February.  If you join after November, you get four months free!  Membership entitles you to regular updates as to what is happening, and access to our genealogical  research via e-mail.

We applaud and thank the following local businesses and community organizations that have supported us in our efforts:  The Masthead News, Ranger Tree Services, Pierceys, Bay Equipment Rentals, Atlantic Superstore, Tim Hortons, and  the Sea Scouts under the command of Mike Covey.

JOIN THE SOCIETY

VISIT THE CEMETERY ON LINE

VISIT OTHER HALIFAX COUNTY CEMETERIES

VISIT LUNENBURG COUNTY CEMETERIES

HISTORY OF THE PIONEER CEMETERY

TRANSCRIPT OF THE DEED

HISTORY OF ANGLICAN CHURCHES ON ST. MARGARET'S BAY UP TO 1966

1792-93 POLL TAX LIST OF ST. MARGARET'S BAY

LIST OF THOSE INTERRED WITHOUT STONES - from church records

OTHER SITES I LIKE TO VISIT

 

HISTORY OF THE PIONEER CEMETERY

During the 1780's a number of "Foreign Protestant" families began leaving Lunenburg to seek their fortunes elsewhere.  Governor John Parr encouraged many settlers to come to St. Margaret's Bay. People took up land first on  the Eastern side of the Bay and a few years later some moved to the North and Western Shores. They worked hard to establish homesteads, in total wilderness, where natives still camped along the shores.  It is said they rowed and/or sailed to Halifax, Lunenburg, and Chester to acquire supplies, be married and baptize their children.  The burial of their dead was another matter.  In the beginning, family members would be buried on the homestead.  Being religious people, this did not seem fitting.

In 1794, a group of settlers got together and purchased an acre of land from one of their number, James Boutilier, Yeoman and his wife Susanna Elizabeth.  Those that purchased the land were:  David Jr.,  Jacque (James), James, James Frederick, John, John James, Frederick and George Boutillie, Christopher, John Christopher, George, and Joseph Dophinee, James and George Jollemois, Robert Keddy, Henry Lewis (son-in-law of Jacques Boutillie), George Mason, Peter Merriott, and Jacob VanWhit.  The land was located in what was known as the "French Village" because most of the early settlers that had come into the Bay were French.

This cemetery was nondenominational and the first cemetery in St. Margaret's Bay.  Even settlers that had not purchased shares in the land were buried here.  No early record of burials has as yet surfaced.  Elderly locals state that the Pioneer Cemetery was filled to capacity and people were even buried outside the original boundaries.

I have extracted some entries from the church records that stated that so and so was buried in the OBG (Old Burial Ground).  Of course, in 1834 when the first records begin, they were not calling it the OBG.   The latest recorded burial in the OBG that I have found is Hannah Mason in 1964. A one acre property can and contain 400 plots, so it is conceivable there were that many interments here.

The first church of the Bay was constructed in 1824, St. Paul's Anglican Church, French Village.  This church was not consecrated until October 21, 1832 and did not receive its first resident minister, Rev. John Stannage, until 1834.  Traveling missionaries ministered infrequently to the settlers until this time.

Other early Anglican Churches at the Bay include Hackett's Cove 1840, Boutilier's Point 1846, Hubbards 1848/49, Peggy's Cove 1852, Northwest Cove 1882 and West Dover 1892.  The deed for the Hackett's Cove Cemetery is dated 1810 but it is conceivable people were buried there even earlier, as a hand-carved stone in that cemetery bears the date 1789. The earliest stone remaining at French Village is dated 1849.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________ Research by S. A. Wooden

Sources:  Registry of Deeds and church histories of St. Paul's, French Village and St. James', Boutilier's Point.  Thanks to Gary Meade who did the church histories and who confirmed for me that the Pioneer Cemetery established in 1794 at French Village, to his knowledge, is the oldest burial ground in St. Margaret's Bay.

 

TRANSCRIPT OF THE DEED OF THE PIONEER CEMETERY

James Boutillie to John Boutillie & Others  - Reg'd. on the 21st day of December 1796 -
on the Oath of Thos. Stanley

Know all men by these presents, that I James Boutillie of St. Margarets Bay in the County of Halifax and Province of Nova Scotia yeoman for and in consideration of the Sum of Six pounds Current Money, to me in hand well and truly paid by John Boutillie, John Christopher Daphinee, George Boutillie, Jacques Boutillie, George Daphinee, Henry Lewis, Christopher Daphinee, Joseph Daphinee, John Peter Marriett, John Andrews, James Frederick Boutillie, Adam Frederick, James Boutillie, Robert Keddy, John James Boutillie, David Boutillie Junr., Frederick Boutillie, George Jollemoi, James Jollemoi, George Mason of the County and Province aforesaid Farmers, the Receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge and thereof do also hereby release and forever acquit them their Heirs Executors and Administrators.  Have Given, Granted, Bargained, Sold, Alliened, Enfeossed, released and confirmed, and by these present, do Give, Grant, Bargain, Sell, Alien, Enfeossed, release, convey and confirm, unto the said John Boutillie, etc. etc. etc. their Heirs, Executors, Administrators a certain Tract of Land Situated and laying in St. Margarets Bay aforesaid, next to the Lot of John Peter Marriett, now in the occupation of Thomas Stanley, Containing One Acre, (which Acre of land is to be a Burial Place) Together with all and Singular the Profits and Appurtenances thereof and thereunto belonging To have and to hold, all and Singular the premisses and Appurtenances and every part and parcel thereof unto the said John Boutillie etc. etc. etc. their Heirs, Executors, Administrators forever, And I the said James Boutillie for myself my Heirs, Executors and Administrators do hereby Covenant and agree to defend the said Premisses and and Appurtenances, and every part and parcel thereof and the quiet and peaceable possession of the same to the said John Boutillie etc. etc. etc., their Heirs and Assigns forever, of from and against all lawful Claims, demands & Interruptions of all and every other person or persons whatsoever - lawfully Claiming or Pretending to Claim the same.  In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal this Fifteenth day of November 1794 and in the thirty fourth Year of His Majesty's Reign.

Signed, Sealed & delivered in the presence of -                                                         his
Thomas Stanley                                                                                                  James  X  Boutillie
Hugh Caldwell                                                                                                              mark

SUBSCRIBERS

John X Boutillie	James Frederick X Boutillie
John Christopher X Dufney	John James X Boutillie
George X Boutillie	Robert X Keddy
Jacques X Boutillie	James X Boutillie
George Dophinee	Frederick Boutillie
Henry Lewis	Jacob Van Whit
Christopher Dophinee	David Boutillie
Joseph X Dophinee	James Jollemois
Peter X  Merriott	George X Mason
George X Jollimois

Each subscriber with the exception of David Boutilier paid .7. pounds.

Names, misspellings and capitals have been typed as recorded.

 

ANGLICAN CHURCHES OF ST. MARGARET'S BAY TO 1966

The first Anglican church built in St. Margaret's Bay was St. Paul's at French Village.  St. Paul's was the Parish Church of the historic St. Margaret's Bay Parish which extended from Boutilier's Point to Dover.

The church property was purchased August 26, 1823.  By the fall of 1824, the building was erected, boarded in, and windows installed.  There was no heat in the building and in January of 1825 Bishop Inglis preached to the people at the schoolhouse in the morning and at Moore's in the evening.

The church was consecrated on October 21, 1832 and on June 22, 1834 Rev. John Stannage was ordained and became the first resident minister. Bishop Inglis visited Hubbard's Cove on June 23, 1834 where he met twelve families, all professing to being members of the Church. St. Paul's Churchyard was not consecrated as a burial ground until February 9, 1889 but the oldest stone there is dated 1849.

In 1840 a Chapel, known as St. Peter's, was built at Hackett's Cove, consecrated by Bishop John Inglis in 1842. The current church was erected around 1870 and consecrated November 6, 1872. The burial ground for St. Peter's was purchased in 1810 from James Butilier and his wife Barbara by the following: William Buie, John Corney, James and William Covey, James Croucher, George, John and William Eisenhauer, John Fraser, Christopher and George Grono, John Keyser, Hugh MacDonald, John Moore, William Mullens, Samuel Murphy, John Potts, Alexander Renfrew, Lewis Strum, John Troop and Peter Wambolt. A stone erected in St. Peter's Graveyard indicates that Jannet McDonald, who died June 3, 1789, was buried here. It would appear that people were buried, in a designated spot, at Lower Ward prior to the time of the Pioneer Cemetery but I could find no deed earlier than 1810.

It is known that the Pioneer Cemetery, established in 1794, was used for many years by people on the East, North, and Western shores of St. Margaret's Bay. Elderly locals say it is full and people were even buried outside the boundaries of the Old Burial Grounds (OBG as the minister called it). The latest stone, dated 1964, at the OBG is that of Mrs. Hannah Mason.

St. James' Church, Boutilier's Point (first known as the North Shore Chapel) was erected in July of 1846 on land purchased from John Martin and Mary Catherine Boutilier the 4th of June 1845. On November 15, 1846 the first service was performed (exterior only having been completed) by Rev. John Stannage. The Church was consecrated in January of 1848.

The cornerstone for St. Luke's Hubbards was laid in 1848 by the Rev. James Shreve, then Rector of Chester, Hubbards being one of the missions of that Parish. Today, the Parish of Hubbards includes St. James' at Fox Point dating from 1910, St. John's Queensland on land deeded from Leonard Snair in 1905, and St. Mark's at Mill Cove, built in 1878. St. Luke's is the Parish Church.

From 1858 until 1893, the Rector at Hubbards administered to the flock at the North Shore Chapel. This came about by a private arrangement between the minister of St. Margaret's Parish and the minister at Hubbards. It is for this reason that the records for St. James' can be found with the records of St. Luke's for that time period.

In 1895, Bishop Courtney put a stop to the private arrangement between the clergy at St. James' and St. Luke's and the new Parish of French Village was created. The old historic Parish of St. Margaret's Bay no longer existed.

Today, the Parish of French Village includes St. Paul's at French Village (Parish Church), St. James' at Boutilier's Point, St. Margaret's at Tantallon, built in 1902, consecrated in 1906, and St. George's at the Hd. of St. Margaret's Bay, built in 1925.

The Parish of Indian Harbour, formerly part of the Parish of St. Margaret's Bay, includes St. Peter's at Hackett's Cove (the Parish Church), St. James' at West Dover 1892, and St. John's Church, Peggy's Cove, erected in 1852 which served the people of Indian Harbour and Peggy's Cove until the Church of St. Andrew was built in 1953.

The Parish of Blandford is made up of All Saints', Bayswater 1865, and St. Barnabas, Blandford 1867, both built by Rev. Richard Payne, Rector who lies buried beneath the Chancel Floor of St. Barnabas. Included in the Parish is St. Cuthbert's, North West Cove, begun as a Chapel School in 1882, at the time of the Rev. John Manning.

---

Researched by S. A. Wooden:

Sources: Registry of Deeds; THE DIOCESAN TIMES; the book 250 YEARS YOUNG - Our Diocesan Story 1710-1960; the church  histories of St. Paul's French Village, St. James' Boutilier's Point, and St. Margaret's Tantallon by GARY MEADE.

 
 

INTERMENTS, NO STONE FOUND

NAME                           ABODE                        IDENTITY                      AGE                BURIED

 

AWALT, Henry	Glen Haven		62 y 1 m 16 d	12 July, 1928
AWALT, Matilda	Seabright		86 y	27 Feb., 1897
AWALT, Susan	French Village	nee Burgoyne, w/o John	78 y	30 Dec., 1915
BOUTILIER, Joseph	French Village		54 y	21 Oct., 1916
BOUTILIER, Peter G.			84 y	16 Apr., 1916
BOUTILIER, Mrs.   Stanley		nee Katie Corney	16 y	10 Mar., 1928
CONRAD, Francis	Halifax		02 y	20 Feb., 1916
CONRAD, Thomas	Halifax		01 y	14 Dec., 1921
CONROD, Elsie L.	Halifax		01 y	30 Aug., 1909
DAUPHINEE, David Meldrum	Indian Point		05 y	03 Jan.,  1895
DAUPHINEE, William	Seabright		82 y	26 Jan.,  1933
DEAL, Robert	Seabright		71 y	16 Apr.,  1934
DEAL, Willis			64 y	09 May,  1932
MacDONALD, William H.	Eastern Passage		79 y 03 m	15 Feb.,  1945
MOORE, Stephen	Old Halifax Rd.		19 y	26 Mar.,  1970
MORASH, Martha	West Dover		22 y	20 Dec.,  1932
SEALS, George Joseph	Halifax		03 y	27 July,   1898
SLAUENWHITE Infant	Head Harbour	c/o Arabella and James	09 hrs	12 Feb.,  1897

 

1792-93 POLL TAX LIST FOR ST. MARGARET'S BAY

Annotated by Terrence M. Punch, DLitt. CG(C)

 

ADAMS, William	farmer, 4 cattle	Loyalist
ANDREWS, John	farmer, 2 cows	Foreign Protestant
BARRY, William
BOUTILIER, George	farmer, 6 cattle	Foreign Protestant
BOUTILIER, Jacques	farmer, 6 cattle	Foreign Protestant
BOUTILIER, James	master of trading vessel, 6 cows	Foreign Protestant
BOUTILIER, James Frederick	boat master, 8 cattle	Foreign Protestant
BOUTILIER, John	farmer, 6 cows	Foreign Protestant
BOUTILIER, John		Foreign Protestant
BOUTILIER, John George	farmer, 3 cows	Foreign Protestant
BUCKLEY, J. F. Esq.	farmer	Irish
CADEY, Robert	farmer, 5 cattle
CALDWELL, Hugh	farmer, 2 cattle
CLOYNE (Klein?), John		Hessien Veteran
CORNEY, Weldron	farmer, 2 cows
COULEN, William	labourer	Newfoundland Irish
CROUCHER, James	farmer, 6 cattle, 20 sheep	Newfoundland Irish
CROUCHER, Samuel		Newfoundland Irish
DAUPHINEE, Christopher	farmer, 6 cattle	Foreign Protestant
DAUPHINEE, George	master of trading vessel, farmer, 6 cattle	Foreign Protestant
DAUPHINEE, John	farmer, 3 cows	Foreign Protestant
DAWSEY, Matthew	labourer
FOLEY, Nicholas
FREDERICK, Adam	farmer, 2 cows	Foreign Protestant
GRIFFITHS, James	labourer
HARNISH, Gutlip	farmer, 10 cattle	Foreign Protestant
HEMLOCK (Umlah), James	boat master, 8 cattle	Scottish
HEMLOCK (Umlah), James	boat master	Scottish
HEMLOCK (Umlah), John Jr.	farmer, 10 cattle	Scottish
HEMLOCK (Umlah), William	farmer	Scottish
HORNSBY, John	farmer, 3 cows
JANPARIEN, Christopher		Foreign Protestant
JOLLYMORE, George	boat master, 3 cattle	Foreign Protestant
JOLLYMORE, James	farmer, 2 cows	Foreign Protestant
JOUDRAY, James	farmer, 20 sheep	Foreign Protestant
KELLY, Hugh	farmer, 1 horse, 4 cows	Loyalist
LEWIS, Henry	farmer	Loyalist
LORING, John	labourer
McDONALD, Hugh	farmer, 4 cattle	Loyalist
McGUIRE, Patrick	labourer
MARCHAND, George	3 cattle
MARRIOTT, Peter	farmer, 6 cattle	Foreign Protestant
MARSHALL, Nicholas	farmer, 2 cows
MINGO, John		Foreign Protestant
MOLLIER, George
MOLLIER, John
MONTGOMERY, William	farmer, 1 cow
MOORE, William	farmer
O'BRIEN, John	planter	Irish
PHELON (Whalen?), John	labourer	Irish
PHILKES, Barney	labourer
SLAUENWHITE, John Jacob	5 cows	Foreign Protestant
STUDARDS (Stoddart?), James
TROOP, John	farmer, 3 cattle
WAMBOULT, Adam	farmer, 2 horses, 6 cattle	Foreign Protestant
WESTHAVER, Conrad	farmer, 2 cows
WOODIN, William	farmer, 4 cattle	Loyalist

 

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