Cemeteries

Mt. Olivet Cemetery is located at 288 Goodfellow Road, Brighton, in Concession 7, Lot 35, Brighton Township. 

Richard Dale and family, on May 28, 1873, sold to the Trustees of the Belford Congregation of the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Canada, an acre of land for $4.00.

This land is adjacent to the school lot and lying along the concession line. On this land, the trustees are permitted to build a Church to be used by the Wesleyan Methodists, to permit a dwelling house to be used by the minister in charge and to sell graves and tombs.

The trustees in 1873 were Henry Belford Sr., William Cullis, Thomas Adams, Philander Orser, William Belford, Alfred Richards, George Ames and William McArthur, all of the Township of Brighton.

Mount Olivet Cemetery 

Shawn Sheppard 
Tel: 416-809-8475 

Carl Clitherow

Tel: 613-391-8290

Located Concession 5 Lot 24 Brighton Township, Old Wooler Codrington Road.

Wooler cemetery was established around 1842. The Arthur family gave a portion of land and the board purchase more property. Plots sold at $5.00. This cemetery is full.

Wooler -Friends Cemetery 
Dale Nelson 
Tel: 613-475-0779

Located Concession 5 Lot 30 Brighton Township, Old Wooler Road Codrington.

McPhail's Cemetery was established as a family burying ground on land purchased by John McPhail in 1832.

Originally in Murray Township, the 200 Acres of Lot 30 Concession 5 became part of the newly established Brighton Township in 1851.

By 1858, the land records indicate a specific provision for reservation of 1/2 acre of burying ground. The cemetery was later enlarged.

Please visit the McPhail's Cemetery website for more information. 

Carman cemetery is located at Concession 3 Lot 27 Brighton Township, on Carman Road, and established in 1855.

Mr. Peter Maybee buried his young daughter, Susanna, in one corner of his field and put a marker in her memory in 1855. In 1865, an indenture was drawn up between Peter H. Maybee and seven trustees from the church board. Peter Maybee gave one quarter acre of land for the sole purpose of a public burying ground. In January 1878, another parcel of land east of the old burying ground was purchased from Peter Maybee for $30.00. In April 1899 a further parcel of land was purchased from John M. Maybee for $28.00. Although the trustees of the burying ground were all members of the Carman church, the cemetery was not a part of the church property. On July 3, 1922, the Carman Methodist board and the cemetery board held a joint meeting and decided to transfer the cemetery to the church property. Joel Maybee was the director and salesman and George Adams the treasurer. July 26 was agreed upon as a clean up day for the cemetery, but not much action was taken.

Finally in 1948, a bee was held for two days to clean up the cemetery. In 1964 when the school was closed part of the school grounds was purchased to enlarge the cemetery. In 1967 Mr. & Mrs. P.D. Stewart presented the new gates to the cemetery. In 1977 another bee was held and a new fence built part way around the property. A regular caretaker was hired for the grounds.

Contact : 
Bruce Stewart 
Tel: 613-475-3184 
Email: stirlanefarm@xplornet.com

Decoration Day :

2nd Sunday in June @ 11:00 AM 
For further information, go to www.cemsearch.ca

The Codrington Roman Catholic cemetery is located at 399 Old Wooler Road, in Concession 5, Lot 34, in Brighton Township.

In 1884, Bishop Jamot of the Diocese of Peterborough blessed the separate school building at Codrington and dedicated it as a church under the title Queen of the Most Holy Rosary. The next year, Bishop Jamot administered the sacrament of confirmation to seven people in Codrington and blessed the new cemetery at this mission.

Land records show that Miles and Mary Cowan sold on acre of land in lot 34 concessions 5 of Brighton Township to the Diocese in 1884. As late as the 1920's the Ontario death registrations often refer to this burying ground as "Cowan's Cemetery". Today, a sign on the fence indicated this cemetery is part of the Parish of St. Alphonsus, Wooler.

Codrington Roman Catholic Cemetery 
Annex of Wooler Church & Cemetery 
Tel: 613-397-3189

Annual Fathers' Day Service is held at the cemetery.  Donations are accepted at this service or by calling the cemetery board.

The Greenwood cemetery is located at 1079 Whites Road, in Concession A, Lot 23, in Brighton Township. 

Located at 1079 Whites Road, Smithfield. We believe that this cemetery started around 1873, as it is the first burial that we have recorded. Orman and Marg Griffiths donated 2 acres of land in 1967 for $1.00. In the same year a new gateway to the entrance was also put in.

Linda and Bill Swartman
Email: l.swartman@sympatico.ca
613-475-4484 or 613-848-7715

Decoration Day: Second Sunday in June 

The Hilton cemetery is located at 1116 County Road 30, in Concession 4, Lot 4, in Brighton Township. 

The land was donated from the Langdon property. It probably dates from 1829 but there are no complete records for the oldest section. In the early 1900's Mrs. Stanley Thompson was secretary and Mrs. George Little was treasurer. In 1920 it was decided to close the cemetery and all books were subsequently lost.

In 1933 Mr. Jay Langdon and Mr. Roy Morrow re-opened the cemetery and cleaned it up.  When Hilton United Church was closed in 1966 and torn down, the Hilton cemetery came under the care of Trinity St. Andrew's United Church, Brighton. Memorial gates were made and dedicated.

Lynda Douglas

Office Administrator

Trinity St Andrew's United Church

56 Prince Edward St

PO Box 1052

Brighton, Ontario   K0K 1H0

Phone: 613-475-1311

The Covell Grove Pioneer Cemetery has established dates found from proven burials from 1828 to 1947. The cemetery has had its name changed a few times over the years. The names were, The Pioneer Cemetery, The Covell Grove Cemetery, The Butler Burial Ground and Gosport Cemetery. The Covell name has been used the longest. The Covell family purchased the property in 1881 and owned it until the late 1960's.

Amongst the community that used this cemetery there were children who died of diphtheria and Lake Captains, sailors and passengers from ships that sank in the area. James Covell's plot is the only marked grave left.

One of the first civic issues to come before the newly incorporated Village of Brighton in 1852 was the choice of a suitable site for a new cemetery. At the time there was a small cemetery south of the village north off Harbour Street which was used as a community cemetery. This is located in the area north of Harbour and east of Cedar.

Evidence was sent to the Ministry in support that the Covell Grove Cemetery was not just a family cemetery but a community cemetery. With the changes made with the Ministry the name was officially changed to the Covell Grove Pioneer Cemetery.      

In 1983 monuments were removed as the cemetery was being vandalized and monuments smashed on the road. These monuments were to be put back at a future date. Only a few monuments remain which are on the back of the new monument. The property was sectioned off and cleaned up.

A monument was installed in June 2006 with the names of known burials with room for more names to be added. Research is still being conducted for additional names. A fence was installed in 2010 surrounding the perimeter. In 2011 a tree and plaque was dedicated to the cemetery.

The VanSicklin cemetery is located at 392 County Road 64, in Concession B, Lot 28 Brighton Township, cairn on Boes Road.

This cemetery was closed in 1952 in need of repair. When death came to Lawson Settlement Ferdinand Vansicklen donated acre on the knoll south of the road, by the water, for a burial ground. This cemetery represented three families Vansicklen, Lawson and Wright.

Alpha Peister, who has relatives in the cemetery, approached Brighton Township council about the cemetery. It was agreed to that the stones would be moved to a chosen location.

The farm of Mr. Arnold Boes was chosen. Mr. Boes donated the land for the proposed memorial site. In August 1972 Arnold Dudley, Warkworth stonemason did the work for council.  Jack Scriver, road Superintendent moved the monuments by using old tires in the Township loader bucket to prevent damage.  Alpha Peister paid $250.00 for the historical plaque with suitable wording.  The survey for the legal deed to the Township was the most expensive of $700.00.  At the same time the Smith cemetery was done and it was suggested that the Covell Grove cemetery could also be done but nothing was accomplished for the Covell cemetery.

Body snatching was popular. Steve Vansicklin lived on the family farm, presently Dr. McQuoids. Alpha Piester wanted to know why Steve's uncle did not have a monument. His reply was why bother putting a monument in when he is not there.  Steve was a young boy when his uncle died.  It was customary to guard the grave for two weeks after a burial.  Steve and his father would go to the cemetery around supper time to make sure grave robbers did not get the grave.  One evening Oscar Lawson, whose farm they pass, came out as they were going to the cemetery and said, "Well boys you might as well go home, the grave robbers got him today.  Bodies were taken from the graves and sold to medical schools for student to practice on. 

The Smith cemetery is located at 837 Smith Street, in Concession 24 Lot 24, Brighton Township.

This was the property of John Drummond Smith who donated this property for a burying ground. The cemetery had become neglected and in need of repair.

In 1972 the stones were collected and put into a wall the same time as the VanSicklin cemetery. In some cases the remains have been removed to the cemetery on the hill Greenwood Cemetery.

The Clark cemetery is located at 3654 County Road 30, Codrington, in Concession 10, Lot 3, Brighton Township.

This cemetery is a private plot believed to have started around the 1830's. The last burial was in 1957. 

In 2010 the north fence line and monuments were repaired. In 2012 a sign was installed.

Presqu'ile Point has found Indian artifacts and old graves indicate that it was once an Indian burial ground. It is not generally known that there is a pioneer cemetery at Presqu'ile Point, never the less visitors drive within a stone's throw of it when they travel the road into the park.  No visual evidence remains of its existence.  One or more members of the Selleck family who were pioneer settlers at Presqu'ile around 1800 are buried there.  It is understood that the remains of some of the pioneers buried there were later removed and interned to the old Covell Cemetery, Mount Hope in Brighton and some believe Woods Cemetery.

The Brighton Independent, April 17, 1974 had an article about the cemetery. One stone remained of the Presqu'ile cemetery now gone.

In Memory of Parmelia, wife of Alex R. Sutliff, died Sept. 1, 1865 age 34 yrs. 1 mo. 3 days. The verse accompanying it was:

Farewell my friends and children dear, I am not dead but sleeping here, As I am now so you must be, Prepare in time to follow me.

The original 1869 map of Presqu'ile shows near the main lighthouse two different areas of monuments besides the main cemetery.

A sign has been installed at the campground parking lot with a trail leading to the cemetery were an engrave stone marks the location of the cemetery.