Touring Glengarry: Kirkhill

So far I had visited the historical townships of  Charlottenburgh, Kenyon, Lancaster but not Lochiel.

According to the locals it is pronounced “Laheel.”  It is the best way I can present it to you.

Remember that Charlottenburgh and Lancaster are part of the The South Glengarry municipality and their website does have some history of the area.  http://www.southglengarry.com/  Click the link “Visitors.”  They also feature their communities.  Kenyon and Lochiel are part of the North Glengarry site: http://www.northglengarry.ca/en/

I headed up Hwy #34 passed the sign for St. Raphael’s and through Green Valley and Alexandria and kept going north till the road started to curve at McCrimmon to the right.  I was still following Hwy #34.  The highway started to curve left and I turned right onto Lochinvar Rd.  I came to the Old Military Road and went south to the Laggan-Glenelg Rd. or Hwy #24. Apparently this highway has a jog in it because it was the same one for Dunvegan.

A view of Lochiel

Off in the distance were two spires and two churches.  It was…WOW!  My heart started to pump.  I am so glad I decided to tour more of Glengarry.  This was worth it.  Absolutely lovely.

Can you see the spires?

When I was in Pembroke and at the Upper Ottawa Valley Genealogical Group library I found a family history in which the writer wrote about the Roman Catholic and the Presbyterian Scots.  He two columns of names listing the Presbyterian Scots on one side and the Roman Catholic on the other.  Then he had arrows pointing to intermarriages.  It really hit home to me that you do need to consider both of these religious groups when you do your genealogical research in Canada.  I learned that Rev. Bethune did marry and baptize children in the Roman Catholic faith for he was the only one in the area for a great while.

St. Columba Church and the modern world

St. Columba Catholic Presbyterian Church is on the south side of Hwy #24.  I turned off Old Military Road and headed west turning left into the parking area.

St. Columba’s welcome sign

The church and cemetery.

UPDATE:  Please note that I mispelled the name St. Columbia.  It should be St. Columba.

St. Columba and its cemetery

The cemetery surrounds the church from the left around the back to the right.  A wooden stand located in the front of the church holds a copy of the St. Columba Cemetery Register publication inside it protected from the elements.  It is there on the honor system so please leave it for others to use.

The book of the cemetery inside this!

Many of the stones say things like this one.

All Natives of Glenelg, Invernesshire, Scotland

UPDATE 7/9/2012:  Below is a link to more photographs taken on this trip to this cemetery.  They are emphasizing McD*’s in the various spellings of the surname.  Most are overview photographs to give a sense of the location.  UPDATE:  1/9/2013 – I fixed the title of the web album removing the RC from it

UPDATE: 8/9/2023 Picasa and Album Archive have ended and my photos through Google are not available at this time. I may come back later and add them.

St. Columba Church & Cemetery

Across the highway and a little further east is the Kirkhill United Church.

The Kirkhill United Church

A closer look at this church.

Kirkhill United Church

An overview of the cemetery.  They also have a stand that holds a copy of the cemetery book.  Please use it and leave it there for others.

Kirkhill United Church cemetery

I have more photographs of each of these cemeteries and will upload them when I finish posting about this trip to Ontario and Quebec.

UPDATE 7/09/2012:  Below is a link to more photographs of this cemetery.  These are overview photographs and some stones emphasize the McD* surname.

UPDATE August 9, 2023 – Picasa and Album Archive are not longer presenting my photos.

Kirkhill United Church & Cemetery

St. Columba in the distance from the Kirkhill United Church.

St. Columbia in the distance