Cataraqui Cemetery is a non-denominational cemetery located in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between To ...

, Canada. Founded in 1850, it predates

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Dominion ...

, and continues as an active burial ground. The cemetery is 91 acres in a rural setting with rolling wooded terrain, ponds and watercourses. 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 A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (January 10 or 11, 1815 – June 6, 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 to 1891. The dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, he had a political career that sp ...

. The Macdonald family gravesite, and the cemetery itself, are both designated as National Historic Sites of Canada.

History

The cemetery charter was created during a special act of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Canada on August 10, 1850. The Cataraqui Cemetery was incorporated as a not-for-profit, non-denominational, and public resting place. Alexander Campbell served as the first president. Architect Frederick Cornell designed the cemetery landscape. Interments increased quickly when the City of Kingston passed a by-law in 1864, preventing burials within the city limits. The gravesite of John A. Macdonald and family plot were recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada on May 19, 1938. Cataraqui Cemetery as a whole was recognized as a National Historic Site of Canada on July 19, 2011.

Notable interments

Cataraqui Cemetery is the final resting place for many notable persons including politicians, businessmen, humanitarians, and authors. The cemetery contains the war graves of 61 service personnel from

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and 84 from

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Queen's University owns a section that is reserved for interring the remains of those who dedicate their bodies to education and research. *

Leonard Birchall Air Commodore Leonard Joseph Birchall, (6 July 1915 – 10 September 2004), "The Saviour of Ceylon", was a Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) officer who warned of a Japanese attack on the island of Ceylon during the Second World War. Early life Bi ...

– Royal Canadian Air Force officer * Thomas Burrowes – Artist and surveyor * John Counter – First mayor of the City of Kingston * Alexander Campbell – Father of Confederation, and a former Lieutenant Governor of Ontario * Wallace Bruce Matthews Carruthers – Founder of the Canadian Signal Corps * Richard Cartwright – Judge and politician * James Alexander Corry – Academic and principal of Queen's University * William Coverdale – Architect * John Creighton – Politician and warden *

John James Deutsch John James Deutsch (26 February 1911 – March 18, 1976) was a prominent Canadian economist, who served as the first chairman of the Economic Council of Canada, and as principal (1968–74) of Queen's University. Born in Quinton, Saskatc ...

– Economist and principal of Queen's University *

Harriet Dobbs Harriet Dobbs (August 27, 1808 – May 14, 1887), later Harriet Dobbs Cartwright, was an Irish-born Canadian philanthropist. Early life Harriet Dobbs, a member of the family of Castle Dobbs, County Antrim, was born in Dublin. Her parents were ...

– Artist, writer and humanitarian *

George Monro Grant George Monro Grant (December 22, 1835 – May 10, 1902) was a Canadian church minister, writer, and political activist. He served as principal of Queen's College, Kingston, Ontario, for 25 years, from 1877 until 1902. Early life, education Gr ...

– Minister and principal of Queen's College * John Hamilton – Politician and cofounder of Queen's University *

George Airey Kirkpatrick Sir George Airey Kirkpatrick (September 13, 1841 – December 13, 1899) was a politician from Ontario, Canada. Born in 1841 in Kingston, Ontario, the son of Thomas Kirkpatrick, George Kirkpatrick was educated at Trinity College Dublin. Car ...

– Politician and Lieutenant Governor of Ontario * Thomas Kirkpatrick – First mayor of the Town of Kingston * William Leitch – Scientist and principal of Queen's University. *

Evan MacColl Evan MacColl ( gd, "Eòghann MacColla"; 1808–1898) was a Scottish-born bilingual poet in both Canadian Gaelic and Canadian English. He is commonly known in his native language as Bàrd Loch Fìne (the "Poet of Loch Fyne"). Later he became know ...

– the poet of Loch Fyne *

– First Prime Minister of Canada *

Archibald Cameron Macdonell Sir Archibald Cameron Macdonell, (6 October 1864 – 23 December 1941) was a Canadian police officer and soldier. Education He was born in Windsor, Canada West. He was educated at Trinity College School, Port Hope, Ontario, and graduated from ...

– Police officer and soldier *

Agnes Maule Machar Agnes Maule Machar ( pen name, Fidelis; 23 January 1837 – 24 January 1927) was a Canadian author, poet and social reformer. Early life Machar's father, John Machar immigrated to Canada in 1827, and married Margaret Sim (a fellow Scotti ...

– Author, poet and social reformer *

John Machar John Machar (1796 – February 7, 1863) was the second principal (1846–1853) of Queen's University, then known as Queen's College at Kingston. Machar was born in Tannandice, Scotland. He was ordained as a Presbyterian minister in 1819. In 1827 ...

– Principal of Queen's University *

William Archibald Mackintosh William Archibald Mackintosh, (May 21, 1895 – December 29, 1970) was a Canadian economist and political scientist, and was the twelfth principal of Queen's University from 1951 until 1961. He is best known for developing the staple thesis th ...

– Economist and principal of Queen's University * Thomas McLeod – Scottish sailor who took part in three expeditions to the South Pole * James Morton – Politician, and businessman * Edward John Barker Pense – Politician, and newspaper editor *

Guilford Bevil Reed Guilford Bevil Reed (November 27, 1887 – February 21, 1955) was a Canadian medical researcher whose research involved diseases such as tuberculosis, gas gangrene, tetanus and rinderpest. Born in Port George, Nova Scotia, he received a B.S ...

– Canadian medical researcher * James Richardson – Businessman, founder of James Richardson and Sons, Limited * James Sampson – Doctor, politician and a founder of Kingston General Hospital *

Charles Sangster Charles Sangster (July 16, 1822 – December 9, 1893) was a Canadian poet. He was the first poet to write poetry which was substantially about Canadian subjects. ''The Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' calls him "the best of the pre- confeder ...

– Poet, fellow of the Royal Society *

David Chadwick Smith David Chadwick Smith (August 12, 1931 – May 22, 2000) was a Canadian economist An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social sciences, social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and a ...

– Economist and principal of Queen's University * Henry Smith – Politician and lawyer * James T. Sutherland – Soldier, and Hockey Hall of Fame member *

Robert Charles Wallace Robert Charles Wallace (June 15, 1881 – January 29, 1955) was a Scots-Canadian geologist, educator, and administrator who served as president of the University of Alberta (1928–1936), the principal of Queen's University (1936–1951), and the ...

– Geologist, educator, academic administrator *

Zachary Taylor Wood Zachary Taylor Wood (November 27, 1860 – January 15, 1915'' Who's Who'') was Assistant Commissioner with the North-West Mounted Police (NWMP) and the commissioner of Yukon. Early life Born in Annapolis Naval Academy in 1860, where his father ...

– Commissioner of the North-West Mounted Police, and Yukon Territory

References

External links

History of Catarqui Cemetery
* {{NHSC Buildings and structures in Kingston, Ontario Cemeteries in Ontario National Historic Sites in Ontario Tourist attractions in Kingston, Ontario

History

Notable interments

References

Further reading

External links