Editor: This was written by Pat Malone, one of the co-founders of the St Margaret of Scotland Pioneer Cemetery Committee. This was submitted to a publication called “The Voice”.

Honoring Our Ancestors

Submitted by Pat Malone

The conditions of our Pioneer Cemeteries are a disgrace!  This is not the way to honor our ancestors!

The St Margaret of Scotland Pioneer Cemetery was established in the late seventeen hundreds when the early Scottish pioneers settled the St Margarets area. The cemetery served the area from East Point to St. Peters. It was situated next to the site of a one of the earliest English Catholic Churches in PEI (1803).

Most of the approximately 120 stones remaining in the Pioneer Cemetery are badly in need of repair.  Many stones are broken, have fallen over and are sinking into the ground. Trees cover one section of gravestones. Headstones that were made of sandstone have disintegrated and the few that remain are unreadable. Huge stones are toppling over and are a danger to those visiting the site. There is no signage noting this important site and the road leading into the cemetery is overgrown and in need of an upgrade. 

The St Margaret of Scotland Pioneer Cemetery has the potential to be an important source of information about the life and times of the people who settled in rural parts of Prince Edward Island.  There are many interesting people buried in this cemetery. One significant individual is John MacIntosh who died in 1881 aged 92. His gravestone is inscribed: “He was for several years a member of parliament and one of the pioneers of Responsible Government.”  There are two Lairds of Scotland buried in the cemetery, Ranald McDonald of Geridhoil and Alan McDonald of Morag. 

In 1973 funding from the provincial government assisted in the restoration the cemetery. Headstones were dug up, repaired and set on pedestals. At that time several unidentified headstones of early settlers to PEI were left in a pile (now overgrown) in the back of the cemetery. 

This summer a volunteer committee has been formed to explore the feasibility of restoring the Pioneer Cemetery.  This St Margaret of Scotland Restoration Committee has begun collecting historical documents and written histories. It is hoped that a document about the cemetery will be produced and a website developed that will provide information and folklore about the early settlers who were buried in this cemetery. The committee wants to protect and preserve the rich heritage of the site and provide a rich history for future generations.

All efforts in obtaining financial support from federal or provincial government have been in vain.  Funding is required so that the cemetery can be restored. An assessment was made by a professional who restores headstones and it will initially cost approximately $12,000 to lift and restore the existing stones.  Additional funding is required to create signage, complete the restoration and provide for ongoing maintenance.

Many people, both from PEI and from other parts of the world visit the site searching for their relatives and wanting to honor their memory.  Unless this site is restored and maintained, a vital part of PEI history will be lost.

An application has been sent to the PEI Heritage Foundation to have the pioneer Cemetery designated as a Heritage site.

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome about how to proceed with the restoration. If anyone has any information, stories, pictures of the lives of people buried in this cemetery, please contact Anne Kells.