Description

CEM 364-Rev_nt_albion_cemetery

Other Known Names: Possibly ‘Auld Scotch Kirk Cemetery’

Street Address: 225 Upper Mount Albion Road

Location: Lot 32, Concession 7, Saltfleet Township

Type of Cemetery: Religious (Presbyterian), Municipal

Responsible Agency: City of Hamilton

Status for Burials: Closed for burials        Plot Plan: None

Size:         Small, 141 monument

Signage: No Signage Fencing: Chain link

Monument Types:      Flat, upright and column Monuments of: Marble and granite

Opened in 1847

History:

This property was granted to Elizabeth Murray, daughter of Lt. Murray of the 84th Regiment in 1805. It is believed that John Davis, a later owner, transferred this site to the Presbyterian Church of Canada in 1849. The ‘Auld Scotch Kirk’ church also stood on this site from the 1840s to 1878.

Apparently the cemetery was not established early enough to look after the needs of the community, with some burials taking place at the Pearson Farm on the east side of Mount Albion Road. The Saltfleet Township Cemetery Board planned to re-locate the graves to the Mount Albion Cemetery, but no records confirm this.

The earliest known burial occurred in 1847 for John Dickson. It appears that the cemetery property was eventually abandoned became the responsibility of the City of Hamilton. Located across Upper Mount Albion Road on the east side exists the small Van Duzen Cemetery. The burials here were at one time also to be transferred to the larger Mount Albion Cemetery, but this proposal did not take place.

Some of the markers are broken and some ground has been disturbed indicating recent use.

 

The Mount Albion Cemetery is located on the west side of Mount Albion Road just a bit South of Mud Street .
The crown patent for this area (known back in the year 1805 as Con:7 Lot 33 in the Township of Saltfleet) was granted to Elizabeth Murry, Daughter of Lieut. Murray of the 84th Regiment, dated the 16th of January 1805.

The land then was given to Jonathan Davis who in turn gave the land to the trustees of the Synod of the Presbyterian Church in Canada, in connection with the Church of Scotland and it was registered in the year 1844.

The earlier settlers of this area were made up of mostly Scottish descendants that more than likely worked at the mill or black smith shop of Mount Albion……
The walls of the blacksmith shop can still be seen, standing inside a chain link fence on Mud Street just west of Mount Albion Road.

The land in this area was believed to be the site of the Auld Scotch Kirk which was established before the year of 1843 and taken down in the year 1878….

The first body to be buried at the cemetery was that of John Dickson in the year 1847. The second to be buried was Thomas Aitken in the year of 1847. The Cemetery itself is only about one-quarter acre in size.

In 1871 the census showed many names were of Presbyterian adherents. At that time the property was recorded as the Pearson Property on the east side of Mount Albion Road right across from the Mount Albion Cemetery…..

There is a small cemetery on a hill across from the main cemetery. This was on the Pearson Farm Property. The few graves on this lot were not part of the Mount Albion Cemetery, therefore the graves are unattended. The Cemetery Board is considering re-locating the graves across the road into the official burial grounds. However this has not yet been done. The graves are still located on the old Person Farm across from Mount Albion Cemetery…..

After hearing from Judith (a friend of Hamilton Paranormal) that she got some pictures that could not be explained away, we headed out to conduct an investigation at the Mount Albion Cemetery…..

At first glance you can see that this Cemetery has fallen victim to vandalism over the years. A lot of tombstones smashed to pieces, the sign pulled down etc……

You cannot help but wonder why some people would do such a thing….. Below you will see some photos that we have taken and what we had experienced there.