The Old St. Thomas Church Cemetery by Steve Peters The practice of burying the dead in a special location has been practiced for thousands of years. All people have viewed burial as a time of closure for families and, in some cases, a necessary step for the deceased to enter the afterlife or to give back to the cycle of life. The Indigenous Peoples whose land makes up present-day St. Thomas have long, too, given respect to their dead. For well over 10,000 years, they have buried their loved ones in single graves or in Ossuaries. The arrival of an immigrant population in the last 250 years has not stopped the need to bury our loved ones. A Cemetery is a Greek word for a sleeping place, and a Graveyard refers to a burial ground within a Churchyard. The roots of the Old St. Thomas Church Cemetery date to 1819, with the passing of two brothers, George James, on November 3rd and Lambert, on December 25th. The sons of Daniel and Elizabeth Rapelje were “laid to rest in the most beautiful spot on their farm.”* The Rapelje family arrived in 1810 and settled on Lot 1 Concession 8, Yarmouth Township, a 200-acre farm. By 1817, the area on the west side of the farm developed for businesses and homes, and the name St. Thomas was given. In 1821, Daniel deeded land to the Church of England for use as a Church and Graveyard. The Old St. Thomas Church Cemetery stands out with its layout as a monumental cemetery, a traditional style adorned with headstones. It also houses a Scattering Garden, a unique
addition for cremated remains. As you enter, you’ll pass through the Lychgate, a feature with a fascinating history. The name is Greek for ‘gate of the dead,’ and it was added in 1948. Close to 2000 individuals are interred in the cemetery, and well over 500 monuments with the names of over 1000 people are inscribed. A large number of the graves are not marked. In the early days, stones were not used, only ornate wooden headboards. It is recorded that in 1909, there “is only one wooden marker left in the cemetery where there used to be so many.”* A book could easily be written about the men, women, and children buried in the cemetery—the famous and not-so-famous pioneers, war veterans, ministers, politicians, farmers, and so on. Most of the stories are about real lives, but some have taken on mythical and legendary characteristics.
Old St. Thomas Church Commemorative Guide Geoffrey Rae Managing Editor / Sales Geoff@villagerpublications.com • 519-495-7177 Publisher: Barb Botten barb@villagerpublications.com Graphic Artist – Cathy Wood Thanks to the Board of Directors for all of their assistance. Copyright @ 2015 Villager Publications. All rights reserved. This magazine or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the Publisher. Information presented has been compiled from sources believed to be accurate at the time of printing however the Publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions.
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OLD ST. THOMAS CHURCH 200th ANNIVERSARY GUIDE
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