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Bronte Cemetery
Cemetery Address: West St. (South of Lakeshore Rd.), Oakville
Concession 4, Lot 32, Trafalgar Township
GPS: 43.386275,-79.713508
Maintained by: Town of Oakville
SE Lot 32, Broken Front Concession, Trafalgar Township
Bronte Cemetery is one of the oldest cemeteries in Trafalgar Township. Philip Sovereign, one of the earliest Oakville settlers, deeded the east corner of his farm for a cemetery, specifying it be for people of "all orders, sects, nations and parties." The first burial to take place in the cemetery was that of Hannah S Haviland, aged 4 weeks, who died on 28 October 1823. It was also the final resting place of Bronte's first African American settlers.
Many of the notable families in the cemetery include Adams, Belyea, Butler, Dorland, Lucas, MacDonald, McWane, Osborne, Ribble, Sovereign, Triller and Williams. Almost a third of the headstones belong to children. Over the years, Lake Ontario has laid claim to the cemetery - about 70 feet of land has been lost to the waves, taking some of the early graves.
In 1987, Bronte Cemetery was designated as an historical site under the Heritage Act of Ontario. It is maintained by the City of Oakville.