[Welland Tribune June 18, 1897]
A sad death occurred at Air Line Junction, Humberstone, on Sunday last, when Justina Matthews, wife of Mr Eli Horton, departed this life at the early age of 38 years. Death was caused by lockjaw, the result of blood-poisoning produced by a female ailment. Mrs. Horton was a daughter of the late Abner Matthews of Welland. She leaves a husband, a mother, and five children, the eldest of whom is ten years of age. The funeral took place on Tuesday, interment at Fonthill cemetery; services by Rev. W.H. Swayze. Mrs. Horton had a wide circle of friends, and her untimely death will be deeply mourned, and the sympathy of the community goes out fully to the bereaved ones.
[Welland Tribune June 18, 1897]
Hamilton, June 10- Nicholas Awrey, registrar of the county of Wentworth, died at his residence, East Hamilton, this evening. He had been ill for months with a complication of diseases, and for several days was unconscious. He was 46 years of age, and leaves four children to mourn his death. The deceased was M.L.A. for South Wentworth for many terms, having been first elected when but 27 years of age.
He retired from public life in 1896 to the position he held at his death. The funeral took place on Sunday afternoon, in charge of the Masonic order. Mrs. Awrey died about a year ago.
[Welland Tribune November 26, 1897]
Peter Herman Ball, ex-police magistrate of Merriton, died on Saturday night, at the advanced age of 80 years. He was a pioneer resident of the county, and was the son of a U.E. Loyalist, who came to this part of the country during the revolutionary war. The deceased was a farmer before being appointed magistrate, an office he filled for many years until his retirement about one year ago. He was born in the house where he spent his lifetime, and from where he passed away to his home of rest. At one time he owned a large farm around that part of the country where he resided. As the town became populated many acres were sold, but up to the time of his demise twenty-three acres were still in his possession. He leaves a sorrowing wife and daughter to mourn their loss, two sons (John and Bernard) having died some time ago.
[Welland Tribune November 26, 1897]
Charlotte, widow of late Edward Carter of the township, died at the residence of her son-in-law, George Newman, St Catharines, on Saturday last, at the advanced age of 79 years. She leaves two sons and two daughters to mourn her death, viz., Nelson Carter of British Columbia, Lachlan Carter of Thorold township, and Mrs. George Newman and Mrs. Joseph Newman, St Catharines.
By Paul Bagnell
Tribune Staff Writer
[Welland Tribune, 29 April 1987]
WELLAND- The future of the 145-year old Price Cemetery is still in doubt, despite a recently completed search of its ownership.
The cemetery, on the bank of the Welland River off Colbeck Drive, is the burial site of at least eight descendants of David Price, said to be the first white settler in Welland.
City solicitor Barbara Moloney has presented the results of title search on the cemetery and has concluded it is split between two owners-the Toronto, Hamilton and Buffalo Railroad Company and Lindel Investments Ltds., a Welland firm.
However, Anthony Whelan, a local amateur genealogist, disputes Moloney’s reading of the title search and says he plans to continue pressing the city to restore the cemetery from its unkempt and neglected condition.
Whelan says the cemetery belongs exclusively to Lindel Investments. Lindel is willing to sell it to the city for $1, and Whelan says the Ontario Cemeteries Act obliges the city to take over the cemetery and maintain it.
The surveyor’s document produced by the title search shows the area of the cemetery once bounded by a wire fence to be entirely on Lindel’s property. Moloney and Whelan differ on a small triangular section of land between the fence line and the road, owned by the railroad. Moloney’s report to council says it is part of the cemetery. Whelan says it is not.
The issue hinges further on differing interpretations of the Cemeteries Act, which makes municipalities responsible for cemeteries within their boundaries “where the owner of a cemetery cannot be found or is unknown or is unable to maintain it.”
A spokesman for Lindel Investments says the company “isn’t in the cemetery business,” and is willing to give the small plot of land to the city.
Ald. George Marshall, chairman of the parks, recreation and arena committee, says the cemetery “will be maintained,” but isn’t so sure the responsibility falls to the city. He said the committee will decide its position after discussing the matter in an upcoming meeting.
If the city decides it has not responsibility to maintain the cemetery, it will urge its owner-or owners to do so, he said. Marshall calls the possibility of dual ownership “the worst case scenario,” from the city’s point of view.
The Lindel spokesman, who asked not to be named, said the firm offered to give up its interest in the cemetery 10 years ago. The city expressed interest but never followed through.
“It’s not the guy who bought the land,” who is responsible for the upkeep of the cemetery”, the spokesman said. “We never buried anyone there.”
Marshall, however, felt the act was clear in stating that an owner capable of taking care of a cemetery must do so. He also said the committee is reluctant to set a precedent in this case that would force it to take on other, larger cemeteries in the future.
The city has been asked to maintain the Smith Street Cemetery by the cemetery’s board of trustees, but has resisted in doing so.
“We’re not in the business of looking around for more things to keep up,” he said. “It’s my understanding that the (Price) cemetery will be kept up-it’s just a matter of who.”
Whelan agrees with the Lindel spokesman that the company is not in a position to take care of the cemetery. He says the fact the cemetery is abandoned makes it a municipal obligation.
The cemetery sits on the west bank of the Welland River, on Colbeck drive south of Webber Road. The only visible headstone bears the name Sarah Hutson, a member of the Price family who married a man named James Hutson.
Whelan has investigated the cemetery’s history and says at least eight and possibly ten members of the Price family are buried there.
The first recorded burial on the site, Whelan says, took place in 1842. He suspects, however, that Elisha Price-the first member of the family to own the property on which the cemetery sits, is also buried there, along with his wife.
David Price himself is not buried there. In the mid-1960s, his tombstone was found near Denistoun Street and the Welland River. Whelan believes his body may have been moved for the Colbeck Drive site at one point.
The Welland Historical Society is also concerned about the cemetery’s condition. Whelan has visited similar tiny cemeteries in Ancaster and Clinton which are maintained by municipal authorities. Neither are accessible by road, he says.
By Cathi Bruno
Tribune Staff Writer
[Welland Tribune, 6 May 1983]
WELLAND-It is a small unkempt cemetery on the north bank of the Welland River near the old railway bridge in Thorold and it just might be a landmark in the history of this part of the Niagara Peninsula.
Why is it so unkempt? No one knows who the owner is. But under the provisions of the Cemetery Act, the municipality has the right to take over the property.
Section 62 of the Act reads: “Where the owner of a cemetery cannot be found or is unknown or is unable to maintain it, the council of the local municipality in which the cemetery is situate shall maintain it and the corporation of the local municipality shall for the purposes of this Act be deemed to be the owner of the cemetery.”
So what’s the big deal about this cemetery?
For starters, it’s a link to the price family, and in particular, the first white settler in Welland, David Price.
A look around the cemetery shows overgrown weeds, a broken fence, sunken tombstones and sodden trenches. There’s no evidence that human hands have touched this parcel of land in many years, yet the Cemetery Act clearly states that the duties of the owner of a cemetery are: to keep and maintain fences about the cemetery sufficient to prevent dogs, cattle, and other animals straying there in; keep the cemetery and the building and the fences thereof in good order and repair…
The Act goes on to say that it is the duty of the local board to see that “every cemetery is properly fenced, kept clear of weeds and otherwise cared for in a proper manner…”
A look through the collection of Dr. W.G. Reive on cemeteries and graves in the Niagara District done between 1920-1930 gives clues as to who was buried in these forgotten plots.
Several members of David price’s family lie here, but Price’s tombstone was unearthed at an excavation site at the northeast end of Denistoun St., just past Welland High back in 1968. His epitaph reads: “In memory of David Price of the Township of Crowland, who departed this life 26th February 1841, aged 91 years.”
An historical account states that David Price, his wife Margaret Gonder, and his family were buried on the original Gonder farm near Welland, later to be known as the Stoner farm. Was this farm located in the vicinity of the high school? Nobody knows.
A spokesman for the Ministry of Consumer Relations, Cemeteries Branch, says there has been a lot of discussion as to who the owner of the abandoned tract is, but no names have turned up as of yet. “But we can’t just let it disappear, we have to find out who the owner is.”
He says that under the Cemetery Act, if no owner can be found, the property becomes the responsibility of the municipality it is located in. However, he says, in the rightful owner can prevent the city from initiating repairs. “This cemetery is on private property and we can’t decide who owns it.”
“All we can do is make sure we are aware of the cemetery and so is the municipality. And make sure nothing happens to it,” he says. “I’m just afraid in cases like this that someone forgets about it and ploughs over while building.”
A Welland Tribune article headlined “Who Owns This Cemetery?” (20 March, 1975) states the provincial consumer relations ministry had ordered the city to “maintain and clean up” the abandoned land parcel. In that same article, Dan Ryan, city parks superintendent at the time said,” We don’t know if we own it or not. But we must take over any abandoned cemetery and we don’t know where the boundaries are.”
He also said the city could not be expected to maintain the cemetery grounds if the boundaries could not be found. It was suggested to have a land survey be conducted, but it was never carried out.
Attorney Jim Swayze who was city solicitor in 1975 agrees with the Cemetery Act. He says that by law the city should have taken over all cemeteries and Ownership of the land can be traced to the Price family as far back as 1814 when it was owned by a Joseph Price, said to be the uncle of David. Land registry records have shown that various lots on the land off the Welland River have belonged to different Price family members but trying to find anything recent leads to a dead end.
Robert Funk, a land surveyor in Welland, says the city owns the property because of the Cemetery Act. He says he bought some of the property in that area some 40 years ago and owned the land for a long time before the Lincoln Street extension was constructed. But Funk says he sold the property quite a while ago.
So, who owns it now?
Maybe we’ll never know…
[Welland Tribune April 23, 1897]
Died at his late residence in the township of Gainsboro, April 18, 1897, Cyrus Robins, of heart failure, which for many years had rendered his life more or less unpleasant, and death a long expected calamity that became a sad reality in the early hours of Easter Sunday a day well befitting the occasion of the death of one whose exemplary life and christian integrity had served to stamp upon the minds of his acquaintances an image which the hand of time cannot efface. To the church of his adoption (Canada Methodist) he was a living epistle, read and known of all men. He had no fear of death, at the very door of which he could exclaim; “Oh death where is thy sting; oh, grave where is thy victory!” “May my last end be like his!” “And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors and their works do follow them,” The subject of this obituary was born in the township of Wainfleet in 1834. His birthplace was approximate to the scene of his demise. His wife previous to their marriage, was Miss Huldah Putman (daughter of the late Albert Putman of Wainfleet), who with seven sons and daughters survive him, as follows; Orlando, Amos P., and Mrs Wm Goss of Gainsboro; Alvin A. And Mrs. Cyrus E. H. Brown of Pelham and Mrs. N.F. Johnson of Wainfleet. In politics Mr. Robins was a staunch Liberal, but always willing to accord due regard for the opinions of those whose views of the situation placed them in the ranks of his opponents. He served his municipality more than a score of years as councillor and deputy-reeve, with few intermissions, having been elected almost continuously during that time.
His funeral at Salem church on the 20th inst. was largely attended. His friends in the locality where his whole life had been spent were legion, his enemies few. Thus terminates the life of a kind father, a faithful and affectionate husband, until the last trump of God shall sound to call forth the dead from their graves to judgment. We will all be there.
[Welland Tribune April 22, 1897]
A Prominent Resident of St Catharines who has lived 89 years
St Catharines, Ont., April 22 – One of the oldest residents of St. Catharines passed away this morning in the person of Charles W. Hellems. He was about 89 years of age. Mr. Hellems was at one time one of the most successful business men in St. Catharines and his name was a household word for years. He was of German descent and came here in his early life from Pennsylvania, He was identified with the building of the old Welland canal, and it was he who sank the first mineral well in this city. He had an extensive industry and from the success of the enterprise he was enabled to acquire considerable property, An aged widow survives but deceased leaves no children. He was a brother to late Squire John Hellems, a prominent pioneer of Welland town and father of police Magistrate Hellems.
[Welland Tribune November 5, 1897]
Mrs David Magwood died at her home near Lowbanks on Monday, Oct. 25Th, 1897. She leaves a husband, one son and two daughters to mourn her departure. She was doubly afflicted; with consumption and cancer in her mouth. She was a loving companion and mother, and a patient sufferer, realizing that the dawn of the morning would drive away the pain and enable her to bask in the sunlight of a Saviour’s love. She died putting her full trust and confidence in the Lord. She said she was only waiting for God to call her home. The funeral services were conducted by the Rev. J. Major at the Zion U. B. Church, and the remains were laid in their last resting place in Dawdy’s cemetery, Pelham Centre. The following Orange brethren acting as pallbearers, by the request of the deceased; J. Bradley, N. Bradley, C. Moor, Geo. Brown, W. Lambert, S. Moriarety.
[Welland Tribune December 19, 1897]
“John Guinter is dead.” This announcement on Monday last, though not unanticipated by his friends, carried sadness to many hearts throughout the Niagara district, Mr. Guinter having a circle of warm friends, equalled in extent by few, if any, in this section. In his death this district loses one of its most progressive and successful farmers, the Liberal party and active and powerful champion and many friends one whose many social qualities had endeared him to them.
John Guinter was born in the township of South Cayuga, county of Haldimand, on the 25th of June, 1837, the son of Peter Guinter and Louisa, his wife,natives of Wurtemberg, Germany, who came to Canada in 1837. One present subject, John Guinter, was brought up a farmer and began life on his own account on the farm on which he lived and died. Richly endowed with habits of industry and perseverance and possessing good business ability, he made a marked success at farming and allied enterprises, accumulating property and other assets valued at $40,000 a few years ago, from a beginning on a capital of $1,000 twenty-five years previous. Owing to falling land values and failing health limiting his opportunities this ample competence has probably not been much increased of late years, but so well were his lands and buildings maintained that his estate came nearer holding its own in value than most others. His lands comprised 300 acres fully stocked with horses, cattle and sheep, with buildings among the finest in the county, rich orchards, all the etceteras of the up-to-date farmer. In 1861 he married Bertha Laws of Pelham township of which union four children were born. Of these the eldest died in infancy, two daughters were taken away in the bloom of young womanhood, and one son-J.Fraser Guinter-survives.
The bereaved widow also survives, but in most precarious state. A few hours after the death of her loved life partner she was the subject of a stroke of paralysis and at this writing was hovering between the living and the dead.
In politics Mr. Guinter was a sterling Liberal. He was a justice of the peace, and has represented his township\ at both the local municipal and county councils, and for many years held positions of trust on public school and agricultural society boards. He was of a most hospitable and social disposition and his many guests ever met with a warm welcome in his large and bountiful supplied mansion home.
For nearly a year past Mr. Guinter was quite apparently a doomed man; a victim to that slow but remorseless destroyer, consumption, which followed an attack of pneumonia. But with that indomitable will and energy for which he was noted, he refused to give up, and it was not until one week before he died that he actually took to his bed.
The funeral took place on Wednesday, services at his late residence at 1p.m. and interment at Hansler’s burying ground. Friends and mourners gathered from near and far to pay the last tribute of respect to the departed friend and tender their truest sympathies to the bereaved survivors.
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