Solmesville Rockets - Clue # 1

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February 2022 – Scavenger Hunt Clue # 1 – Solmesville – Solmesville Rockets

If you grew up in Prince Edward County, chances are several generations of your ancestors also lived and died here. And so it is with the Demorestville WI. All of our members, either currently live in Sophiasburgh Township, or have lived here in the past.

New Sophiasburgh Cemetery

In 2005 the Demorestville WI placed a bench at the newest cemetery, so those visiting their loved ones would have a place to sit and reflect. We also donated two concrete flower urns and each year a Demorestville WI member plants and waters flowers in these urns.

The New Sophiasburgh Cemetery - By Barb Foster

In the early 1930’s, Fred Newcombe, born 1911, was a young cheese maker on Big Island. The factory was located adjacent to the Big Island cemetery. It was here he met and later married a young girl, Genevieve Cady, our mother, from Syracuse, New York. Each summer Genevieve, would travel with her Grandmother Margaret Jane (Caughey) Cady to spend their summer on the Caughey homestead.

This project has led me to research to see if any members of the Caughey family might be buried in the Big Island cemetery. An infant child with last name Caughey was among the names. There was a dis-proportionate number of infants and youth buried in both Big Island and Demorestville cemeteries at that time.

Also thanks to Jo-anne Rose and information from the Wellington Library, we discovered that Guilliam Demorest, founder of Demorestville and his wife are both buried in the Demorestville cemetery.

A sadly neglected cemetery, named the Fox cemetery was on the land formerly owned by Wellington Boulter, a most successful producer of canned goods which were shipped as far south as California. Growing up on that farm we liked to scare ourselves looking for skeletons in the old graveyard. All we ever saw were squirrels and skunk holes.

During centennial year 1967 funds and grants became available to restore many of these cemeteries. Thanks to many foresighted volunteers and community officials, several acres of land were purchased from Carman Ingallinera, in about 1972 or 1973 which is now the present day Sophiasburgh cemetery.

And finally, many, many years ago the Demorestville WI’s flag was framed and hangs in the back hall at the Friendship United Church in Demorestville, Ontario, where many of our activities take place.

To honour the memories of those in the community who lived here before us, in the early 2000’s the Demorestville WI had cemetery signs placed at two of the local cemeteries, where many of our ancestors are buried.
The Demorestville Cemetery sign was erected in memory of Mary Sallans, an active Demorestville WI member who passed away in 2001.
The Big Island Cemetery sign was donated by the Demorestville WI in memory of past members.

Big Island Cemetery – by Becky Williams

I was 9 when my big brother Dick married his true, sweetheart Joan Longwell. Dick was 10 years older than me and he was 19when he tied the knot so that’s how I keep track.

The first house they lived in was on the south side of Big Island called the “factory” house. Now as a kid I wasn’t sure why it was called the “factory” house as there was no factory anywhere closeto it. Grown ups had some strange sayings back then.

I thought it should have been called the “Ghost” house because it was painted all white. Stark white. No other colour anywhere not even the door. And more importantly it was right beside an old forgotten cemetery where I’m sure lots of ghosts still gathered during storms and especially on Halloween.

My sister-in-law was terrified of storms. Thunder storms especially were worse. I loved to go to their place and spend the night. It was so much fun. But this one night Dick must have been away hunting so I was staying over night and keeping Joan company when there was a wicked electrical storm. I tried to help Joan by keeping my head under the covers with hers but it was no use. Joan said we had to get a blanket around us and make a run to the car out in the driveway. The lightening was pretty scary and the booms were making us scream as we opened the door into the pounding rain. Joan was ahead of me running as fast as she could. My blanket got caught on the old board on the steps so I had to turn around to unhook myself.

Now what I’ll never be sure of is whether I actually saw a ghost or was it a flash of light over that old cemetery. I do know if I hadn’t been as scared as Joan up to that point we were even now.

Raising funds for New Demorestville Cemetery – Bev Sprague

Back in 1962 Jeffery Williams, a young Sophiasburg resident, drowned off the shores of Big Island. Unfortunately, the existing Sophiasburgh cemeteries were not accepting new burials. A committee was formed to find a suitable location, hence the new Sophiasburgh Cemetery on Cty Rd # 15, which opened in 1974. A walkathon was held to raise money for the creation of the cemetery. Dick Williams, an original cemetery board member, a brother to Jeffery Williams and husband to Joan Williams. a current Demorestville WI member, participated. He was giving his tired feet a rest under the trees by the original cemetery entrance with his cousin Carole McDermaid came by. She inquired about his feet. He reported that although there were no blisters, they were aching pretty bad. Carole reached into her pocket and produced 2 aspirins. Dick said that helped to make the walk to Demorestville a little shorter.

You can understand from these stories that the cemeteries in Sophiasburgh Township are important to the Demorestville Women’s Institute.

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