The large size of the cemetery speaks more of its age than the size of North Weymouth. At one time there were actually no less than four Weymouths; Weymouth North, Weymouth Falls, Weymouth Bridge and Weymouth. The present Weymouth North was once Weymouth and the present Weymouth was once Weymouth Bridge. Yes, it's confusing; in fact the present North Weymouth was originally Sissiboo, an Anglicization of the French "
Six hiboux", meaning
Six Owls, an exclamation once uttered by a French trapper upon seeing six owls, thereby giving the place its first name. The Baptist Church was, for quite a number of years, known as the Sissiboo Baptist Church.
In any event, there is mention of the Weymouth Baptist Church having been organized in 1799:
By 1799, there was enough interest in the county to establish the Sissiboo (now Weymouth) Baptist Church.
From Hill Grove Baptist
We have found a single mention of the date on which a Baptist church was built in North Weymouth and none on which the cemetery was established.
A Baptist Chapel was constructed on Weymouth Point about 1827. On June 29, 1873, the new Weymouth Church was opened.
From the Nova Scotia Archives
We assume the second sentence to refer to a new Baptist Church, replacing the 1827 Baptist Chapel. Though we question the date of construction of the first chapel, his could well be that second church as, architecturally, the styling and the detail are commensurate with that period.
For comparison with other protestant churches of similar vintage, see,
this church,
this church or
this church.
A passage from Historic Places Canada suggests that the first Baptist church was built in 1799 or 1800. This is unlikely to be that church. Headstones in the cemetery date to at least 1865, and likely much earlier. We were able to identify the church and the cemetery through genealogical records of some of those buried in the cemetery, as there is a sign "Riverside Cemetery" at the cemetery. For example, Daniel Webster Newcomb, a sea captain and son of Daniel Webster Newcombe, was known to have been buried in Riverside Baptist Cemetery in 1872.
Though there have been latter twentieth century burials here, we believe this cemetery to have become inactive.