From an article, by the late James Cutting, in the 31 May 1978 issue of the Port Hope Evening Guide
Nestled against a hillside along the south side of Bruton Street, two or three houses east of Julia Street, lies an acre or so of land overgrown with bushes and shaded by quiet trees. You have to hop over an old iron farm gate to get a closer look at this property. This serene spot used to be a graveyard. It still is, but you would hardly know it. Vandals have toppled most of the stones which date back to the 1820s up to the 1870s and a number are broken into pieces.
Immediately to the southern rear of this forgotten graveyard is a converted apartment building, facing along Baldwin Street, which was once one of the original Presbyterian churches built in Port Hope in 1831. The three tower-like spires that used to jut from the front of it are now gone, but there is still a semblance of the original church in the building that remains there.
Just exactly when this graveyard first came into existence isn't known, but it, at one time, was the last resting place of the most distinguished pioneer families of the town. While several of the finely-inscribed grave stones still remain at the site, overturned though they may be, some have been smashed and the tops of others have been removed from the graveyard and are probably patio stones in some neighbour's back yard.
The church records of who actually is buried in this cemetery have also been lost in the past, and only the larger grave markers provide a few clues as to the pioneer families that buried their loved ones in this site. Apparently most of these families have since disappeared from the community and there is no one left to care for the long-abandoned plots. According to the Ontario Cemeteries Act, the municipality is responsible for maintaining abandoned cemeteries, and, occasionally once a year, a town works crew enters this sacred ground to clean up any trash and set up the fallen grave stones.
An ornate iron fence which once surrounded this cemetery has also been pulled apart and is now used as a cover for a children's hideaway in a hole at the north end of the graveyard. If something isn't done soon to retrieve what stones still survive, this valuable historic segment of our past pioneers wil be gone forever.
The following excerpts are taken from a booklet prepared by dedicated members of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church who were instrumental in initiating the restoration of this lovely cemetery in 1980.
On Bruton Street, in a quiet residential area of Port Hope a short distance north of Walton Street and two blocks west of Pine Street, there is a Pioneer Cemetery. It is on a sandy hillside, where the terrain commences its western descent into the Ganaraska River Valley. About sixty early pioneers of the area are known to be buried in this tranquil shaded site.
The first church, a small frame structure, was completed in 1831 and was located to the south of the cemetery. It stood in a pathless wood separated from Walton Street by a deep gully which necessitated a long detour to the west for the worshippers to reach the church. After a time a bridge was built across the ravine which was later filled in and is now Church Street.
From the following list of those buried in the cemetery, it is indicated that the first burial took place in 1829 and the last in 1873 about the same time the Union Cemetery on Toronto Road was established.
God bless all who visit this historic cemetery and commemorate the contribution of these pioneers to our community.
Names and particulars of those known or alleged to have been buried in this cemetery:
| Name | Birth/death dates | Age | Notes |
| ALEXANDER, Agnes | Nov 1859-28 Jun 1860 | 7 months | D/o William & M. Marker in cemetery wall. |
BARKWELL, Thomas | 18 Jan 1852 | 51 | Born England, died Hope Twp. 1851 census: "Living on Charity." Marker in cemetery wall. |
| BARRIE, Hannah Catherine (nee Clark) | 1833-14 Oct 1861 | 28 | Married Alexander Barrie Mar 1861. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| BRAND, Daniel | 1792-17 Mar 1872 | 80 | Born Suffolk, Eng.; migrated to Canada 1819 and settled on a farm 2 miles west of Port Hope, purchased from Jonathan Sexton; married Elizabeth Marsh Sexton (r/o Jonathan Sexton) and had 3 sons, 8 daughters. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| BRAND, Elizabeth (Marsh) | 1801-09 May 1870 | 69 | W/o Daniel. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| BRAND, Aletta Ann | 04 Oct 1839-03 Oct 1868 | 2 | Unmarried d/o Daniel & Elizabeth (Marsh). |
| BRAND, William | 26 May 1820-27 May 1850 | 29 | Unmarried s/o Daniel & Elizabeth (Marsh). Marker. |
| CAMERON, E.K. (Mr.) | 1823-27 Dec 1847 | Native of Scotland; funeral held 05 Jan 1848 and attended by Odd Fellows; stores closed at the hour of the funeral as a mark of respect. | |
| CAMERON, Margaret McAlpine | 1802-18 May 1855 | 53 | D/o James. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| CASSIE, Reverend John | 1807-19 Jun 1861 | 54 | Also infant d/o Reverend John & Pamela, died 08 August 1842 (10 days). |
| COLBY, Ella Gurtrude | Died 18 Jul 1854 | 2 years, 10 months | "Of cankered throat." D/o Enoch & Eliza Ann. |
| COLBY, Eva | 1854-14 Mar 1855 | 8 months | D/o Enoch & Eliza Ann. |
| CORNETT, Joseph | 04 Jun 1811-29 Jul 1854 | 43 | Born Co. Armagh, Ireland. Monument. |
| CRAIG, Henry J. | 07 Feb 1854-18 Aug 1854 | 6 months, 11 days | S/o William & Hannah (Dixon). |
| CURRY, John | Sep 1866-30 Mar 1868 | 18 months | |
| CURRY, Mary Ann | |||
| DODDS, Nichol | Died 29 Apr 1873 | 75 | Died Osaca. S/o Peter & Margaret. Presumed h/o Jacobenia. |
| DODDS, Peter | 1830-22 Mar 1865 | 35 | Presumed s/o Nichol & Jacobenia. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| DODDS, William | 1828-11 Jan 1863 | 35 | S/o Nichol & Jacobenia. |
| DOUGLAS, Georgie | 1864-08 Sep 1866 | 1 year, 8 months, 11 days | S/o William & Susan (Johnston). Marker along staircase. |
| FERGUSON, ... | Died 1867 | W/o Donald. | |
| GIBBS, Eliza | 1803-22 Mar 1859 | 56 | W/o John. |
| GIBBS, George | Died 08 Aug 1859 | ||
| GRANT, Maryett | 1829-1839 | 10 | |
| HALLIDAY, Elizabeth | Died 26 Jul 1845 | W/o John Halliday. Marker in cemetery wall. | |
| HENRY, Samuel | 1812-08 Mar 1871 | 59 | Presumed h/o Margaret. Born Ireland. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| HOUSTON, Daniel | 1784-27 Mar 1858 | 74 | Marker in cemetery wall. |
| HOUSTON, Ellen | 1840-30 Dec 1861 | 21 | Marker in cemetery wall. |
| KNIGHT, Sarah (nee Sleeman) | 1823-06 Jul 1870 | 47 | Born England; to Canada before 1865 with husband Charles and children Charles Jr., John, & Mary. Daughter Sarah born in Ontario. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| L'ESPERANCE, John | Died 1857 | 45 | H/o Clarissa Brand (d/o Daniel & Elizabeth); came from Montreal as a lumber buyer and was in Peterborough in 1849; later owned the American Hotel. |
| LYALL, John | 1780-11 Nov 1851 | 71 | One of 186 elders in the Presbyterian Church ordained in 1827 by Rev. Jenkin. |
| MAITLAND, Mary Jane | 1834-01 May 1859 | 25 | D/o James. |
| MATHER, Margaret | 1843-20 Feb 1859 | 16 | D/o John Jr. & Jane. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| MAYBEE, Elizabeth | 1794-07 May 1839 | 45 | W/o Benjamin. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| McCONKEY, Matthew | c1805-1847 | 42 | Of malaria while constructing a mill. H/o Margaret Horner (married James Robinson 1847). Info per Hugh MacMillan, descendant (Ancestry.ca) |
| McELROY, Samuel | 1805-15 Aug 1840 | 35 | Br/o Sarah Vint. |
| McNEILLIE, Janet (nee Richardson) | 1794-23 Mar 1863 | 69 | W/o Thomas McNeillie. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| McSPADDEN, Charles | 1826-01 Jan 1871 | 44 years, 2 months, 28 days) | Died Port Hope. Presumed s/o Dr. John. H/o Matilda. Monument. |
| McSPADDEN, James | 1824-09 May 1838 | 14 | Eldest s/o Dr. John & Mary Ann. [If birthdates are correct, Mary Ann must be a second wife of Dr. John.]. Died as a result of a very sad accident. He had left his home on Walton Street to retrieve something from the Presbyterian Church on Baldwin Street. A friend happened to pass the rear of the church, saw a ladder to one of the windows and the form at the top was that of James hanging from the window which had fallen upon him as he attempted to enter. Monument. |
| McSPADDEN, John (M.D.) | 1794-12 Mar 1843 | 49 | H/o Mary Ann. Monument. |
| McSPADDEN, Mary Ann | 1813-28 Sep 1872 | 59 | R/o Dr. John. |
| MILLER, Ellen | 1857-07 Feb 1858 | 1 | D/o John A. & Sarah (Marshall). Marker in cemetery wall. |
| ORR, Jane | 1795-15 Oct 1873 | 78 | Born Scotland. R/o John. Monument. |
| ORR, Jean | Aug 1835-09 Oct 1842 | 7 years, 2 months | D/o John & Jane. |
| ORR, John | 1785-23 Jun 1866 | 81 | Native of Ayrshire, Scotland. |
| ORR, Mary | Jun 1837-23 Sep 1842 | 5 years, 3 months | D/o John & Jane. |
| QUAY, Thomas | Oct 1786-10 May 1849 | 62 years, 7 months | H/o Ann. One of first elders ordained in 1827; stone erected in Union Cemetery; also stained glass window [manufactured by the N.T. Lyons Company] in St. Paul's Presbyterian Church, Walton Street. Also a memorial window for Ann. |
| ROBERTSON, Peter | 1826-07 Mar 1868 | 42 | Br/o John. Monument. |
| ROSS, Crawford | 1827-25 Nov 1853 | 26 | Native of Ross-shire, Scotland Perhaps s/o Christian & Margaret? Marker in cemetery wall. |
| SCOTT, Mary | 1806-27 Feb 1841 | 35 | W/o John. |
| STEELE, Grace | 23 Mar 1852-06 April 1853 | 1 year, 15 days | Twin/o Gratian. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| STEELE, Gratian | 23 Mar 1852-06 Apr 1852 | 15 days | Twin/o Grace. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| STEELE, John | 1797-17 Sep 1872 | 75 | Native of Greenock, Scotland; 50 years in the province; published the Watchman in Port Hope from 1850-1855. H/o Mary Spalding of Grafton. |
| STEELE, Mary | 1804-19 Jul 1854 | 50 | Died Port Hope. W/o John, editor of the Watchman. |
| STEELE, Mary | 1831-29 May 1851 | 20 | Cousin/o Gratian & Grace. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| TISDALE, Mary Ann | Jul 1836-28 Apr 1864 | 27 years, 9 months | W/o William. |
| VINT, Esther J. | 1846-05 Jan 1870 | 23 | D/o James & Sarah (McElroy). |
| VINT, Mary Elizabeth | 1845-10 Oct 1871 | 26 | D/o James & Sarah (McElroy). |
| WALLACE, John | Died Apr 1866 | Native of Ayrshire, Scotland. Monument. | |
| WALLACE, John | Jul 1827-03 Oct 1829 | 2 years, 2 months | S/o John & Jane. |
| WALLACE, James | Nov 1829-05 Sep 1830 | 9 months | S/o John & Jane. |
| WALLACE, Elizabeth | Sep 1833-26 Jan 1834 | 4 months | D/o John & Jane. |
| WALLACE, James | Jul 1831-12 Oct 1837 | 6 years, 3 months | S/o John & Jane. |
| WALLACE, Thomas | Nov 1815-25 Jul 1817 | 1 year, 8 months | S/o John & Jane. |
| WALLACE, John | Mar 1835-01 Jul 1855 | 20 years, 3 months | |
| WALLACE, Jane | Jun 1841-29 Aug 1863 | 22 years, 2 months | |
| WHITE, John | 1791-07 Jan 1866 | 75 | H/o Dorcas. Marker in cemetery wall. |
| WHITE, Dorcas | 1789-10 Jun 1866 | 77 | R/o John. Marker in cemetery wall. |
Peter and Barbara Bolton - Port Hope, Ontario
alivingpast.ca