Pioneer Burial Ground.
Details of Site Location: Located alone the north side of Bloor, west from the laneway west of and parallel to Yonqe Street, Yorkville, Toronto.
Boundary History: The cemetery consisted of six acres across the width of Farm Lot 21 in the Second Concession from the Bay. From the north/south leg of the laneway known today as Mayfair Mews, the cemetery ran west along the north side of Bloor as far as the western boundary of the lot where the University Theatre was located. From Bloor the cemetery extended north to mid-point in the block bounded on the north side by Cumberland Street.
Current Use of Property: Current use of the property is by a row of highrise commercial buildings along Bloor, interrupted by Bay Street. The northern edge of the cemetery also contains commercial buildings and part of the Village of Yorkville Park. The east-west subway line also runs through and under the cemetery.
Historical Description: Meeting in the Masonic Hall on Yonqe, residents of York Township formed a select committee in December 1825 to develop a burying ground. The secretary of the meeting was William Lyon Mackenzie, and Thomas Carfrae of Yorkville was appointee to arrange for the purchase of six acres from Mary Elmsley, widow of Hon. John Elmsley. Five men were appointed trustees, including Carfrae. Eight people were appointed to solicit subscriptions for the purchase, and Hon. Mr. Baby was to present a petition to the Legislative Council, and Mr. Robinson to the House of Assembly. The Act was passed on 30 January 1826, and in May of that year the six acres were purchased. The first burial, on 18 July 1826, was that of Carfrae’s day-old daughter Mary. The Sexton who kept the records and looked after the grounds was John Wolstencroft, and his records indicate that more than 6000 people were buried in this non-sectarian cemetery. The frame church which had served as the first St. Paul’s Bloor Street East (Anglican) church, was rolled on logs along Bloor to serve as the cemetery chapel, and it was located at the centre point where Bay Street was later pushed through. Yorkville became incorporated in 1853 and the cemetery was increasingly regarded as an obstacle to development. The last interment recorded was in 1855. In the thirty years the cemetery had been open, 6,685 burials were recorded: Yorkville residents, strangers, murderers, victims of epidemics, and many burials were of very young children dying from problems easily treated today. When the cemetery was closed, John George Howard drew a plan of the entire tract. A twenty five year period ensued in which families were invited to move graves to another location. Slightly more than 1000 graves were moved, leaving behind more than 5000 burials. In 1928, when the first commercial buildings were being developed along the Bloor Street frontage, replacing the house built on cemetery lands after its closing, human remains were found, and no one at the time could remember that the cemetery had bean there. Of special interest is the fact that Peter Mathews and Samuel Lount, lieutenants of Mackenzie in the 1837 Rebellion, were buried there as traitors and when their graves were removed to the Necropolis they were regarded as heroes.
Relative Importance: The importance of this cemetery is that it served the Village of Yorkville as a pioneer burial ground, and served York Township as a non-sectarian cemetery. It was the direct ancestor of the Toronto General Burial Grounds which now operates most of the city’s non-sectarian burial places.
Planning Implications: Planning implications are large for this property. There are, technically, still more than 5000 people buried there, despite extensive redevelopment of the land. Human remains may still Be found, and archaeological monitoring of all redevelopment is imperative. In addition, there is a serious public health matter to be considered, in that many of the burials were of people who died during epidemics (cholera, smallpox, typhoid, tuberculosis, etc.). People were hastily buried to keep the epidemic from spreading – often without coffins. Soils in this area should be tested thoroughly as a precaution, and reports of both health and archaeological studies filed with the Planning Department. Hammerson Canada voluntarily mounted a memorial plaque at 2 Bloor Street West, but it has a couple of errors in it. The City should mount a full plaque giving the history and importance of this cemetery to supplement Hammerson’s.
Reference Sources: Toronto Reference Library, Baldwin Room and Maps Section; Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch, transcription of cemetery records (published)
Acknowledgements: Ontario Genealogical Society, Toronto Branch; Community History Project.