Page 7 - Dictionary of Heraldry and Related Subjects

A History of the Old Methodist Burying Ground
Perth, Lanark County, Ontario
This is the smallest or the four ceneteries in or near
the town of Perth, Ontario. It is listed in the Hay 1974
issue (Yolume 5, num>er 5') of the Ottawa Branch News as "St.
Paul's United (Old El:ethodist) Cemetery" located on "Robinson
Street Southside, Perth" in Dr~tn:mond Tovmship, Lanark County,
The location is indicated on the accorlpanying tom plm, taken
fro!r- Walling's map of the Counties of Lanark and Renfrew, 1863
(made available through the courtesy of the Julap Division,
Public Archives a? Canada), This plan was pcnbably drafted
about five years before publication, since the only rvlethodist
minister apparent on it is '"ev. Mr. Lanton"! Henry lanton
lived in Perth in 1857-58, in Feterboro (sic) in 1859-60, in
Bath (near Kingston) in 1861-62, and in England in a863 (1).
Although the cerneter~. already contained nearly thirty graves
at that the, it is straneely ignored an this and many later
maps, but it is marked on rodern 1150 000 - scale maps of the
Department of Energy, Tilines and Resources (11). Ey 1878 the
tovm had spread past the burial ground on three sides, md a
puhlic campground has been developed on the fourth. Regrettably
many of the hundred-odd stones have suffered alarming degrees
ar depredation, Nearly half cf those remaining in 1978 were
broken, fallen or displaced fro~r their bases1 others are worn
or chipped to marginal legibility.

According to local historians, a number of graves and
markers fram pioneer cemeteries in Terth were moved to Elmwood
Cemetery near Highway 71 perhaps some of these include early
Methodists fram the Robinson Street burial ground, but nore
thar. 21Ii persons are still buried here, and about two dozen
more relatives axe named on the stones.
The history of' Lie cemetery is of course tied closely to
that of Methodism in Perth and its environs. In 1817 tve
itinerant William Brown held a service in Joshua Adas house
(1, 2) and Ezra Kealey from Tdontague, Eeckwith and Goulbourn
visited the town (31, but the first hlethodist preacher
stationed at Perth was John (23 or James (I, 2) Griggs Peale,
According to Rev. Richard Jones (31, pastor in 1827, "Peale
was the first to scour the woods and establish reg~ldr
preaching places, which he had to do on foot, Such was the
character of' what were caller! roads as to render it impossible
to use the horse in sumr~er, and in the winter -the great
difficulty was to gel provender .... His work was truly
pioneering - preparing the way far those who were tc come after
him and who were to be more sziccessrul in -forming societies.
He however gathered in some ..., such as the Pooles and Jones
and Boltons and Rkcheys and Boyds and Bradens md Plansells and
Greenleys and lvlcGraths and Stedmans " E3).

It must have been during this time that contribution^
were collected for building the log chapel. The list of donors
"beginning 1st June 1821" (3), included public figures of
Perth as well as ?R~thodistsr Samuel Woods, James O*Hara, John
Jackson, William Richey, John Greenley, Arthur Clendennan,
William RcGrath, Alex Matheson, James Richey, Archibald Scott,
James Leach, James Cannon, William S'cedman, Benj, Radwell,