Willis family Burial Site - Carleton Place, Ontario - Out of Place Graves on Waymarking.com

A bronze plaque has recently been mounted on a cement headstone in this community park to mark the burial site of the Willis family. There are four other stones around the headstone. Riverside Park is next to the Mississipi River. A bike path crosses the park which appears to be very popular with the local residents. To come a across a burial site in such a setting is very rare. The text on the bronze plaque reads as follow:

Willis Family Burial Site

In memory of George Willis and his wife Jane

Natives of Ireland

Among the first settlers on what is now

known as Carleton Place

in the year 1821.

In 2001, it was reported that all that was left of this burial site was a mound of earth. There are no markings and at present there are no names

In 2008, , city council issued a statement stating that "work to mark this grave site in Riverside Park would be placed on hold “until further investigation is completed."

According to YourOttawaRegion.com, research about this burial plot conducted by Kathy Krzyzewski revealed the following:

"The Willis family was among the first to settle in Carleton Place, after the Morphys and Moores, with George Willis settling on Conc. 11, Lot 12 in 1821 and Henry Willis settling on Conc. 11, Lot 13 in 1824.

At that time, this area would have encompassed the area west of Hawthorne Avenue past the end of Lake Avenue West,” she said. “Within the 50 years that they lived in this area, the family grew and family passed away. As we know, in those days, families were buried on their properties.

"The location was said to be on a rise in the ground with trees planted around it,” she said. “There is only one such place in Riverside Park fitting this description.” That site is in the middle of the park to the left of the walking path

Below Indians Landing the land at the end of Lake Avenue was the 100 acre farm of George Willis, who came here in 1820 and was the great grandfather of Henry Willis. His son, also named George, farmed there after him and raised a musically inclined family, including the third George who in his youth seems to have been the best known local musician of his time. With his bagpipes and his fiddle he gave the Scots and Irish their favorite airs, according to the occasion from the Flowers of Edinburgh to the Reel of Tulloch, and from Rory O’More to the Boys of Kilkenny and Donnybrook Fair. Around the time of the Fenian Raids he was a bandmaster of an early town band."

Reference: http://www.yourottawaregion.com/print/225912

Last Name: Willis First Name: Not listed Born: Not listed Died: Not listed

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