3721 Schedule _B_ Pioneer CemeteryBy-Law 3721-Schedule "B"
Town of Tillson burg Pioneer Cemetery
Description of Property
The Pioneer Cemetery is a small cemetery located at the corner of Simcoe and Cedar Streets. The
cemetery spans approximately one acre and has over 125 people buried there.
Statement of Cultural Heritage Value or Interest
The Pioneer Cemetery is of cultural heritage value as it was started by the founding family of
Tillsonburg; George and Nancy Tillson. The cemetery was created in 1838 at the request of Mrs. Tillson
for the burial of her daughter Tamsen Sophronia. The cemetery was in use from 1838-1880 and includes
the final resting ground of the Tillson and VanNorman families which have been honoured as the
Founding Fathers and members of many of the earliest settlers.
The cemetery provides insight into the lives of the people of Tillsonburg during periods of increased
burials due to epidemics and by showing the key historical themes through the various markers and
monuments.
Description of Heritage Attributes
Key attributes of the cemetery that reflect its value as an important link to the history of Tillsonburg
include:
• its location, orientation and dimensions;
• its original markers and monuments, with their surviving inscriptions; and
• a wrought iron fence surrounding the plots of the founding families.