Old St. Katherine's Cemetery (McDonnell Pioneer)

There are conflicting records on the exact year old St. Katherine's or McDonnell Pioneer Cemetery began.  There is a sign at St. Catherine's Cemetery in Metcalfe that claims it was established in 1828, though no known records indicate a cemetery in the township that early. It was one of the first public burial grounds in the township. It began as a 5-acre land grant from Katherine McDonnell for a church and cemetery.  There was a dedicated section for the McDonnells within the cemetery. It is believed most of the graves were removed to St. Catherine's of Sienna R. C. Cemetery in 1868 when the land was sold.

Notes: The exact location of the cemetery is unknown. The map location is an educated guess based on known information. Katherine is sometimes spelled with a C, and McDonnell is sometimes spelled with one n.

Information source(s): 

• Abandoned Cemeteries of Osgoode Township, page 4, Osgoode Township Museum
• A Detailed Glimpse of Osgoode Township in 1879, pages 15, 35 (Link)
• St. Catherine's Cemetery, pages 2, 51 (Link)
• Osgoode Township Historical Society and Museum Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 3 (September, 1976), page 2 (PDF)
• Osgoode Township Historical Society and Museum Newsletter Vol. 12, No. 3 (September, 1986), pages 3-4 (PDF)
• Churches, article 166, Osgoode Township Museum
• Pioneer Families of Osgoode Township Volume 5, pages 12-13 (Link)
• 75th Anniversary Commemorative Book St. Catherine's Roman Catholic Church - Metcalfe Ontario, page 13, Osgoode Township Museum
• St. Catherine's Church File, Osgoode Township Museum
• St. Katherine's Cemetery artefacts and archives, Osgoode Township Museum