Burial Grounds


Fort Haldimand and Carleton Island from the 1770s up to the War of 1812 were not only an operational fort and naval yard but at times a refugee camp for displaced loyalists that were coming primarily from the Mohawk Valley to be resettled in lands along the north side of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
At times there may have been upwards of 1,000 people on the island consisting of British and Hessian soldiers, Indians, loyalist regiments and civilian women and children.” Some records indicate both slaves and freed slaves were on the island. Historical reccords identify three different burial grounds.  A military or post burial ground with at least 25 soldiers, an indian burial ground and loyalist/setler bural ground of unknow size. 

Link to Carleton Island burial ground descriptions:
Died on Carleton Island:

(DOC 1) Chief Hawksbill:   1778 - 1783
“A Mississauga warrior killed well respected Chief Hawksbill in a drunken rage- Another Mississauga shot a Canadian bateau-man in the face because he wanted rum.”  (Gibson 1999: 52)

(DOC 2) George Barnhard,  died  1789
“On one tragic day in the summer of 1789, both James Bennett, boatswain from HMS Limnade, and George Barnhard, Royal Artillery, each lost an arm at Carleton Island in separate incidents. In both cases, an artillery piece hang-fired, or delayed in its explosion of the charge. Barnhard later died from his wounds.” (Pippin 2010: 177)

 (DOC 3) Capt. George McDougall, 84th. Regiment, died 1780
“he again entered the active service of the British Government at the outbreak of the war of the American Revolution, as captain in the 84th Regiment. He was appointed to the command of Oswego, December 1, 1777, but was removed from this position and was directed to take command of Carleton Island, April 21, 1779 and arrived there May 9, 1779. This island is at the entrance of Lake Ontario and became an important place very early in the progress of the war.”

“The proper consent having been received Capt. George McDougall sold his commission to Lieut. Patrick Sinclair, formerly of the 15th. Regiment, April 8, 1780 and on the same day McDougall died.” (Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society 1907: 288-289)

 (DOC 4) Kenneth Mackenzie, Lieutenant King’s Royal Regiment of New York  Died 1780
“In the 1770s a severe depression developed on Lewis, and in 1774 Kenneth Mackenzie decided to join his brother John in New York. His wife had died while Alexander was still a child. Kenneth sailed for North America with his two sisters and Alexander, leaving both his daughters behind. (Alexander’s older brother Murdoch studied medicine; a terse family record states that he then followed the sea and was lost on the coast of Halifax.”) Only months after the family’s arrival the American revolution broke out, and Kenneth and John joined the King’s Royal Regiment of New York, raised by Sir John Johnson. Commissioned lieutenant in 1776, Kenneth served until 1780, when he died suddenly at Carleton Island N.Y.”(Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online)

 (DOC 5) Jacob Best, died 1783
“Jacob Best died at Carleton Island in 1783. He was then a soldier in Sir John Johnson's Regt. His wife and children were then in the States. He was a native of America. In 1775 he lived at Hosick, and was always steadily Loyal. He joined Gen. Burgoyne, and af ter the Convention came, to Canada and enlisted in Sir John Johnson's Regt. He served until his death in 1783.” (Fraser, Alexander 1904: 386)

(DOC 6) Henry Fyker, KRR & husband of Sarah Collenger
“Her late husband, Henry Fyker, was a native of Germany. He was on duty at Carleton Island in 1783 and died there.  Henry Fyker came to Canada with Sir John Johnson in 1780 & served the remainder of the War.” (Fraser, Alexander 1904: 431)

 (DOC 7) infant unknow  1780-83 ?
“There was at least one incident of infanticide at Carleton Island where a mother was belived to have killed a newborn. “ (Potter-MacKinnon,Janice. 1993: 123)

(DOC 8) infant (DOC 9) infant
“My 4th G Grandfather Owen McGrath was stationed on Carleton Island (with Halimand at the Fort with the British KRR) prior to getting his Crown Land Grants in Fredericksburg, Sophiasburg etc.after the Rev. War. (Bay of Quinte). My 4th G

Grandmother and children lived there after leaving the Mohawk Valley as refugees from NYS.” (Regan, Pat. 2012: email)

 (DOC 10) J.  Farrar  died 1792
“Seventy-five years ago carved oaken planks were standing on some of the graves but at that time the inscriptions were all defaced except one as follows: J. Farrar, D. Fy., 1792." (Garrett S. 1926)

 “I believe he was Jesse Farrar, a private, apparently serving on the Continental or  Patriot side, probably son of Benjamin Farrar who was granted land as a Loyalist in Nova Scotia in 1783.” (Ripley, Richard 2012: email) 

 (DOC 11) Lieutenet Flyn, Royal Artillery
“November 8, Carlation Island. Ross to Mathews. Sadden death of Lieut. Flyn, Royal Artillery. Has had no answer as to whether Lieut. Arden is to join his regiment. A sergeant also ordered away, although he (Boss) has asked that he be left ; the sergeant's great usefulness.” (Bremmer, Dougless 1888: 284)

 Reference documents:  
(DOC 1)
Gibson, Sarah Katherine.  1999.  Carleton Island 1 778-1 783: Imperial Outpost during the American Revolutionary War. Queen's University Kingston, Ontario, Canada

(DOC 3)
Pippin, Douglas James. 2010. For Want of Provisions: An Archaeological and historical investigation of the British Soldier at Fort Haldimand. Syracuse University

(DOC 3)
Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society. 1907. HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS AND RESEARCHES. Michigan Pioneer and Historical Society Vol. xxxvi

(DOC 4)
Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online

(DOC 5) & (DOC 6)
Fraser, Alexander. 1904. Second Report for Bureau of Archives for the Province of Ontario. The Legislative Assembly of Ontario

(DOC 7)

Potter-MacKinnon,Janice. 1993. While the Women Only Wept: Loyalist Refugee Women in Eastern Ontario. McGill-Queen’s University Press

(DOC 8,9) 
Regan, Pat. 2012. Family stories and documents indicate 2 infant children died during there stay at Carleton Island. Email to Dennis McCarthy

(DOC 10)

Jones, Garrett S. 1926.  Historical Sketch on Carleton Island and Fort Haldimand, Jefferson County Historical Society, Watertown NY 

Ripley, Richard. 2012. Richard Ripley UEL to Dennis McCarthy. email

(DOC 11)
Bremmer, Dougless. 1888. Report on Canadian Archives 1887. Canadian Archives Ottawa