Cataraqui Cemetery

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Template:Short description Template:Use Canadian English Template:Infobox cemetery

coffin on carriage
Funeral of John A. Macdonald, Cataraqui Cemetery
stone cross
Grave of John Alexander Macdonald

Cataraqui Cemetery is a non-denominational cemetery located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1850, it predates Canadian Confederation, and continues as an active burial ground.<ref name="kam">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The cemetery is 91 acres in a rural setting with rolling wooded terrain, ponds and watercourses.<ref name="plaques">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> More than 46,000 individuals are interred within the grounds, and it is the final resting place of many prominent Canadians, including the burial site of Canada's first prime minister, John A. Macdonald.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Macdonald family gravesite, and the cemetery itself, are both designated as National Historic Sites of Canada.<ref name="Gerard">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="nhs1">Template:DFHD</ref><ref name="nhs2">Template:CRHP</ref>

History

The cemetery charter was created during a special act of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada on August 10, 1850.<ref name="cataraqui">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The Cataraqui Cemetery was incorporated as a not-for-profit, non-denominational, and public resting place.<ref name="burial">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Alexander Campbell served as the first president.<ref name="cataraqui" /> Architect Frederick Cornell designed the cemetery landscape.<ref name="nhs1" /> Interments increased quickly when the City of Kingston passed a by-law in 1864, preventing burials within the city limits.<ref name="burial" /> The gravesite of John A. Macdonald and family plot were recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada on May 19, 1938.<ref name="nhs2" /> Cataraqui Cemetery as a whole was recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada on July 19, 2011.<ref name="nhs1" />

Notable interments

Cataraqui Cemetery is the final resting place for many notable persons including politicians, businessmen, humanitarians, and authors.<ref name="interments">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The cemetery contains the war graves of 61 service personnel from World War I, and 84 from World War II.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Queen's University owns a section that is reserved for interring the remains of those who dedicate their bodies to education and research.<ref name="queensu">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

  • Leonard Birchall – Royal Canadian Air Force officer<ref name="interments" />
  • Thomas Burrowes – Artist and surveyor<ref name="interments" />
  • John Counter – First mayor of the City of Kingston<ref name="interments" />
  • Alexander Campbell – Father of Confederation, and a former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation

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References

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Further reading

  • Jennifer McKendry (1995). Weep not for me : A photographic essay and history of Cataraqui Cemetery Kingston, Ontario
  • John H. Grenville (2000). An illustrated guide to monuments, memorials & markers in the Kingston area Kingston Historical Society Plaque Committee, Kingston, Ontario, Kingston Historical Society
  • Jennifer McKendry (2003). Into the silent land : historic cemeteries & graveyards in Ontario, Kingston, Ont., Template:ISBN

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