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History of the North Buxton Community Church Cemetery

Formerly the Bethel Congregation

of the British Methodist Episcopal Church Cemetery

With Thanks to Bryan and Shannon Prince

Author Bryan Prince tells us

Quote "This cemetery is located on the main street (A.D. Shadd Road) beside the museum/park grounds. The church separated from the BME conference about 8 years ago (Written in 2012) and is now named North Buxton Community Church –therefore the grounds are North Buxton Community Church Cemetery. It is still used for burials and there are no restrictions on people who can be buried there. The earliest set of rules about the cemetery that I can find is an undated but is probably circa 1870 states that all church members and their dependent children could be buried for free; any person who was once a member but lost their membership because of “neglect or immoral character…forfeit all rites to the said burying ground and shall be interred as non members of the said church”; persons who want to bury their friends who are not members must pay $1 for an adult or 50cents for children under 12. Another later church by-law confirmed April 15, 1876 that stated that members of the church could be interred for free; no burials allowed on the Sabbath “unless the nature of the case require the same to be interred in said burying ground”; in the case of dispute in regard to someone’s membership and their right to be buried here a majority of the trustees will decide.

The cemeteries origins are a bit confusing. The earliest deed states that the sale by Jacob and Hannah Gunn was made to the trustees of the Bethel Congregation of the British Methodist Episcopal Church for 9 ½ acres on Feb 21, 1866. The confusing part is the late Arlie Robbins who was an historian extraordinaire stated that Enos and Sarah Johnston donated the land for the cemetery. I think that the registry office records state that the Johnstons bought the neighbouring 40 acres from Jacob and Hannah Gunn that comprised the 50 acre lot and Jacob and Hannah Gunn sold the remaining 10 acres for the church and school grounds. I respect Arlie’s work so much that I suspect she knew something about the cemeteries origins that I have not yet discovered." End of Quote

Web Site for the Buxton Museum Complex.

Please note. The following is a historical document showing the cemetery rules around 1876. To make the text larger use Control and + keys. To return to normal use Control and zero.