From the Orangeville Banner dated 16-May-1935

CALEDON CEMETERY
Is Last Resting Place of Many Sturdy Caledon Pioneers
Edward Clark Came to Canada When Over 90 Years and Lived to Remarkable Age of 116 Years.

     Earlier this Spring the trustees of Caledon cemetery held a get-to-gether of the plot-holders and other citizens interested in the beautifying of God's acre, where sleep the pioneers of this district--the fathers and mothers, grandparents and great-grandparents who settled in this vicinity when this country was new. As we entered the silent city of the dead we noticed a monument erected to the memory of William Bell. The inscription on the stone stated that Mr. Bell and his brother were the first settlers to make their home in this neighborhood. He died at the early age of 25 years and was buried in the Caledon cemetery in January 1825. This seems to be the seems to have been, as far as we can learn, the first interment in this sacred place. Near this plot is the grave of Mrs. Stubbs, aged 103 years, who died in 1835, but the oldest person buried in the cemetery is undoubtedly Edward Clarke, aged 116 years. Equally as remarkable as Mr. Clark's great age is the fact that he was over 90 years of age when he left Ireland, crossed the ocean and made his way to Caledon, where he lived for twenty-six years longer. We were informed that this venerable pioneer is the great grandfather of Mr. E. E. Wilson, the present treasurer of Caledon township. Mr. D. N. Potter, of the 5th line, east, is another great-grandson.
     On the right side of the roadway is the plot of the late Isaac Harris and we noted four small stones erected to the memory of four children, who died within the short period of one week. Close beside, in the adjoining plot of Mr. Nathaniel Patterson, is to be seen the evidence of a repetition of this trying bereavement and we are told that the little ones were the victims of a fever epidemic which swept away whole families at this time. Nearby a large marble slab tells of the age, life and death of the late Rev. Alexander McFaul, who was pastor of Knox Church, Caledon, for thirty years and shared the joys and sorrows of the early settlers of this district, which he saw transformed from virgin forest into a beautiful farming country. Here, in a beautiful plot, also lie the remains of Dr. William Stubbs, ex-M.P., one of Caledon's distinguished sons, who was born, lived and died here and served his constituency in nearly every capacity from school trustee to member of Parliament. Among other old residents who found their last resting place in the quiet and sanctity of this little cemetery are Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Campbell. The fine monument erected to their memory states that Mr. Campbell was 97 years of age when he died and that Mrs. Campbell was called away some years later at the age of 92 years, which is truly a unique and notable record. Mr. Samuel Warnock, brother of Mr. James Warnock, is buried in the family plot and is the only one, who rests in this cemetery, who was accorded a military funeral. Among other monuments which came under the notice of the writer were those of such well remembered pioneers as George Arkell, J. Keller, J. L. Dodds, J. Vogan, J. Warnock, S. Warnock, and such familiar names as Gibson, Cruikshank, Patterson, Rayburn, Dodds, Potter, Hillock, Morrison, Taylor, Sutton, Lamont, Hillyard, McHugh, Harris, McCort, Johnston, Chambers, Lundy, McConnell Norris, Faulkner, Laughlin, Emack, McCartney, Dynes, Wilson, Vanwyck, Harrison, McArthur, Speers, McKim, Skelton, Adams, Maxwell, Smith, Bates, Armstrong, Stevenson and Brown, all noticed in different sections of the cemetery. As we near the far corner, we see a grassy mound where "they raised not a stone or carved not a line" and we are reminded of the lines written by Gray in his immortal Elegy:
"Perhaps in this neglected spot is laid
Some heart once pregnant with celestial fire,
Hands that the rod of Empire might have swayed
Or waked to ecstasy the living lyre."
     There is the modest little stone to the babe of one day old and the stately monument to the centenarian and we think of the lines:
"The leaves of the oak and the willow shall fade,
Be scattered around and together be laid;
The old and the young, the low and the high;
Shall moulder to dust and together shall lie."
     And on the north side, where some tall trees grew, we again feel that Gray's lines are very fitting as he writes:
"Beneath those rugged elms
That yew tree's shade
"The hand of the king that the sceptre hath borne,
The brow of the priest that the mitre hath worn,
They eye of the sage and the heart of the brave,
Are hidden and lost in the depths of the grave.
" ' Tis the wink of an eye, the draught of a breath,
From the fullness of life to the paleness of death,
From the gilded saloon to the bier and the shroud,
Oh, why should the spirit of mortal be proud."
     Then as our "footsteps homeward turn" and we somewhat pensively meditate upon the brevity and uncertainty of life and the inevitable dissolution of this mortal frame, wheather in the brightness and promise of youth, or in the mellowed ripeness of advanced years, we recall Bryant's lines:
"Yet all these shall leave
Their mirth and their employments, and shall come
And make their bed with thee. As the long train
Of ages glid eaway, the sons of men,
The youth in life's green spring, and he who goes
In the full strength of years, matron ad maid,
And the sweet babe, and the grey-headed man,--
Shall one by one be gathered to thy side.
By those who in their turn shall follow them.
"So live, that when thy summons comes to join
The innumerable caravan that moves
To that mysterious realm, where each shall take
His chamber in the silent halls of death,
Thou go not, like the quarry slave at night,
Scourged to his dungeon, but sustained and soothed
By an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave,
Like one who wraps the drapery of his couch
About him and lies down to pleasant dreams."
     Before closing one would like to recall the interesting fact that the first Presbyterian church was erected in this cemetery and ministered to the spiritual needs of the early community. A school was also nearby, where a Mr. True wielded the birch and instructed the scholars in the three R's.

(Contributed by Janet Jones)

From the Orangeville Banner dated 14-Jun-1917 Page 2, Column 6-7

CALEDON EAST - Notwithstanding the unfavorable spring weather, Caledon East Public Cemetery is in a splendid condition.  Many improvements have been made.  Several plots have recently been sold and remains of many departed have been moved from other places and given a resting place there. Mr. John Patterson, the obliging and accommodating caretaker has been again engaged for the coming season.  We might also add that many new and costly monuments have been erected in the grounds.  The plots laid out at the commencement are being taken up fast.

(Contributed by Janet Jones)

From the Orangeville Banner dated 27-Dec-1973

136-YEARS-OLD
Church Remains Landmark To Once Thriving Village
By DAN O'REILLY
Special to the Banner

(Photo - JACK MacMILLAN EXAMINES PIONEER GRAVES)

     MELVILLE - J. D. (Jack) MacMillan doesn't confine his church going days to Sunday.
     A spry 83-year-old, who looks as though he's 70, Mr. MacMillan has been caretaker at the Melville United Church cemetery for the past 19 years.
     Located on the Fourth Line, Caledon, about three miles south of Belfountain, the unused church is the only visible remainder of the once striving village of Melville.
     Mr. MacMillan attended Sunday school there and was a church trustee in 1937.
     Built in 1837 the church was closed in 1936 because of a dwindling church population. To help preserve the building the church trustees persuaded the Credit Valley Conservation Authority to buy it for the nominal sum of $1.
                 RESTORE INTERIOR
     The conservation authority provided Mr. MacMillan and the other trustees with money to restore the decayed interior. The money was also used to re-purchase the pulpit and other church artifacts which had been sold when the church was closed.
     "It cost us $75 to buy back the pulpit -- we had sold it for $20," Mr. MacMillan recalls. While it may not have been the original church pulpit, "It's been here as long as I can remember," he added.
     The church is kept trim and tidy. During the summer Mr. MacMillan supervised a group of SWEEP (students working in an enhanced environment) who applied a fresh coat of paint to the building.
     The church is kept locked and is seldom used. However, a wedding was performed there in 1971. A local couple, Nancy Jean Scott and Robert W. Slack were married in the building.
                 PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
     The Melville area was settled in 1820 by a group of Scottish immigrants and until 1831, when a Presbyterian congregation was officially formed, met in homes for services with a circuit minister once every three months. Rev. Andrew Bell of Toronto Township walked 25 miles to conduct a week-day service in 1831 and appointed two elders, John Crichton and Archibald McNaughton. Six years later the church was built.
     In 1925 the congregation joined the United Church of Canada. "That caused many people to switch to other churches in the area," said Mr. MacMillan. However, he and his wife Elizabeth continued to attend services in Melville until the church closed its doors. They then started going to a Presbyterian Church in Erin.
     In addition to having an interest in the church, Mr. MacMillan has been the cemetery caretaker for 19 years. It's a task he enjoys and besides, it's somewhat of a family tradition. His father Duncan and other church trustees set up a cemetery trust fund in the 1920s. Interest from the fund is used to buy powermowers and other equipment for the cemetery's upkeep.
     A William Campbell of Chinguacousy Township is said to be the first person buried in the cemetery according to the church's 1937 history book.
                 CHURCH HIGHLIGHT
   The history book was published to mark the church centennial. The anniversary year was probably the highlight of the church's history. At one time, there was a church shed next door, 120' long for protection of the horses during service. The shed used to be overflowing for every service says Mr. MacMillan.
     Is he sorry the church is no longer in use? "Yes I am" admits Mr. MacMillan but he adds that the day of the small community church may be over in this age of mass transportation and dwindling church interest.