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E1'. R. B. ct, NnIINOS looks Rev. Cummings, who was history of the church and its
vler the restored cemetery at pastor at West Oxford from 1936 graveyard. (Staff Photo)
West Oxford United Church. to 1948, is helping to write a
�l4- x3-rq7 N
County
native supports
restoration
of cemetery
Near the village of Beachville
He didn't like' what he saw,
exact number or location of
tour pioneer cemeteries lie
Approximately one mile down
some of the graves.
forgotten. wasted, and
a rutted, muddy road near
With $3,000 of his own money
destroyed
Centreville he found the graves
to back the project, Mr. Brink
'tombstones are broken and
of his great-grandparents'. West
began the restoration process.
used as walkways, barn foon-
Oxford United Church Cemetery
Old,. broken tablets, dating ;
dations, or simply sold. The land
was a shambles. Broken tomb-
back to the early 1800s were
long ago turned, too, to more
stones, garbage, liquor bottles
painstakingly pieced together
.'productive" use.
and scraggly grass had taken
and placed in cement bases.
'' The names and memories of
the place of the once neatly kept
Larger monuments were
litumerous county pioneers
Wisappeared with those
cemetery.
"Kids would come up here and
strengthened and cleaned,
weeds destroyed, trees planted,
3eenieteries,
get drunk and then, go. out and
and new sod put down.
:-- So says Frank Brink, the man
smash the tablets
The church adjacent to the old
'7esponsible for saving a fifth
(gravemarkers)," said Mr.
cemetery is the. oldest con-
''cemetQry from a similar fate.
is A West Oxford Township
Brink.
So to 1970 Mr. Brink decided to
tinuing Protestant church in
Oxford County -- organized in.
'native who made his fortune on
restore the graveyard, the final.
1804 by Nathan Bangs, a four -
E the farmlands of Alberta, Mr
resting place for between. 350
neyman. preacher from New
-Brink returned to Oxford County
'n.1967.
and 400 people. MissingrecordsYork
make it impossible to judge the
State.
The church, at one time head
of a circuit, now has about 50
- embers.
Since its restoration the
cemetery has been turned over
'tothe township. A caretaker has
`been hired by the municipality.
Mr. Brink said the church had
'rtin money to carry out the
:restoration or maintain the
-,graveyard.
Rev. It, B. Cummings,
'- mintster arITie cMrch from 1936
'4o 1948 said, upwards to 40
-`enhitets have been found on the
71300K PLANNED
i- Mr. Brink now plans to write a
'book on the history of the
„cemetery and the people buried
there.
"There is a general lack of
interest and an inclination to let
them become neglected, Mr.
:`Brink said.
"There seems to be a lack of
'.family loyalty," said Rev.
:Cummings.
�There are several other
- emeteries in Ingersoll and
-gather parts of the county, said
Mr. Brink, which have been
reduced to shambles.
"I can't see why some of those
cemeteries weren't preserved."
Mr. Brink is still collecting
1 information forhis book.
,.Several people are making
i contributions but, he admitted,
information on some buried in
the cemetery is difficult to find.
Mr. Brink is a resident of
Central Park Lodge, a senior
citizen home in London. fi t
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