A History of Carlisle United Church
The Cemetery
Although John Eaton was the first permanent settler to live in Carlisle,
he was not the first to be buried there. That distinction belongs to an
Irish immigrant named Alexander Kerr, who was killed on July 10,1836 when
a tree fell on him. Land for the first Christian cemetery was being cleared
about this time and Mr. Kerr became its first occupant. "Bees"
would have been held to clear the land, first cutting off the timber,
then stumping the land and levelling it - an awesome task when all power
had to be supplied by men and oxen.
Since then, the cemetery at Carlisle has been enlarged three times and
is one of the last under the direct care of the United Church.
John and Catherine Eaton are buried in Carlisle Cemetery. So is Freeman
Green, thought to be the first person born in Carlisle and a descendant
of Billy "the Scout" Green, a hero of the War of 1812. (Some
further descendants of Billy's run Bates and Green Garage.) Two people
whose lives span more than a century each - Nehemiah Wheeler (1774-1880)
and Melvina Bennett Eaton (1874-1977) - are also buried there.
On the original layout of graves, which cost $4.00-$6.00, names were
hand written on four wooden boards nailed across the back. The layout
was kept in a handmade wooden type of envelope "keeping it dry and
secure from all possible danger"
From: A History of the Carlisle United Church: From Its Beginnings to
1991
|
Find
Surnames
Bookmarks
Places
Dates
Cemeteries
Search People
Search Families
Photos
Documents
Histories
Albums
All Media
Reports
Notes
Sources
Contact Susan and Barry Reynolds
Print