Because our pioneers held and practiced an unwavering faith in God, and believed in His willingness and ability to bring safely through adversities, one of the first desires of this courageous band of people was a place to assemble themselves together for the Worship of God. Doubtless the great fortitude and courage of these brave people was a direct result of their devout and close communion with their Maker. The need for a church was uppermost in their minds.

During January, 1882, Mr. William Peirson, visiting the Varcoes in Portage la Prairie, remarked to Mrs. Varcoe (then principal of Portage Collegiate), "We are looking forward to the time when you settle on your homestead, so that you can take a Bible Class for our boys on the Sabbath". When she arrived on her farm Mr. Peirson called again and urged the formation of a Bible Class. Accordingly on Easter Sunday, March 25th, 1883, at the invitation of Mr. and Mrs. James Varcoe eight young people gathered at their home to form a Class and to study God's Word. Later on it was urged that the 'heads of the families should enjoy the privileges of Christian Worship', so through the summer of that year services were held in four different homes (Peirson's, Caporn's, Varcoe's and probably Cousins's), hymns were sung, with a word of prayer. It was found that at the end of a year, an average of 21 persons had been present each Sunday.

It should be emphasized here that the formation and origin of Roseville Mission Hall (as it was then called) was greatly due to the efforts and sincere sense of Christian duty and service held by the James Varcoes, who have long since passed to the 'Great Beyond'. In the spring of 1884, when the need of a place of worship was apparent to everyone, two friends went around collecting and canvassing for the necessary funds. Everyone visited gave or promised willingly sums of money, and also the needed labour for building this first church in Daly Municipality.

Mr. Varcoe donated two acres of land in the north-east corner of his farm on 28-11-20(-W1) for a church site and burial ground. Thirteen teams hauled the building materials from Brandon, free of charge, then work commenced. A structure 16 x 24 was soon erected "for the people had a mind to work" and the first service was held on Easter Sunday, April 13th, 1884. It might here be stated that owing to the smallness of any one denomination, it was thought better to make it a Union Church and to pool the funds under one treasurer. Each denomination – Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist, and Congregationalist, held its own service one Sunday of each month, which on the whole worked very successfully, as everyone joined heartily in the services whether it was their particular denomination or not.

In 1979, the Roseville congregation decided to close Roseville Church, and the building was donated and moved to the Albert Chapman Museum. The annual service and picnic have continued to be held on the Museum Grounds.

In 1983 a special service, involving especially Mary (Bromley) and Bill Frank, took place to unveil and dedicate a cairn which now stands in Roseville Cemetery, where close by for so many years the community had gathered to worship. Centennial year, 1984, also was celebrated with thankfulness for 100 years of worship, fellowship, and neighborliness in Roseville Community. 

(Source: From Generation to Generation (Kirkham Bridge), pp 6ff [1957 Adapted]) 

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Established in 1884.

(Source: Manitoba Genealogical Society [Adapted])

A church was built at this site on land donated by James Varcoe, using materials hauled from Brandon. Varcoe also constructed the original pulpit and pews.

Due to the small population of any one denomination in the area, Roseville operated as a Union Church and services were offered by Baptist, Episcopal, Methodist (later United), Congregational, and Anglican clerics in rotation. Later services were provided only by United and Anglican clerics until only the Anglican church provided service.

The church closed in 1979 and most of the remaining congregants joined St James Anglican Church at Rivers., MB. The building was donated to the nearby Chapman Museum where it stood until 2015 when, in deteriorating condition, it was disassembled.

Among those buried in the cemetery is British physicist Sir Frederick Charles Frank, OBE, FRS (1911-1998) who was born in Durban, South Africa and died in Bristol, England. Related to local settlers, he is said to have been impressed by the area during a visit and decided to be buried here after his death.

(Source: Manitoba Historical Society [Adapted])

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Dominion Land Survey coordinates: LSD16-28-11-20-W1

In the Municipality of Riverdale

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As noted above, a part of the community's story, and those of its inhabitants, from the early days of European settlement through roughly 1957 is told in the volume "From Generation to Generation (Kirkham Bridge)", especially on the cited pages. A free digital version of this and many other Manitoba local history books can be found online in the University of Manitoba Digital Collections. There is also a list of such books organized by district and town name on the Manitoba Historical Society's website on their page entitled "Finding Aid: Manitoba Local History Books".

A list of burials in this cemetery is available from the Manitoba Genealogical Society (reference #0115), as transcribed by a member or members. Also available to MGS members is a searchable online database named the "MGS Manitoba Name Index" (or MANI). Some additional information is contained in the 1996 MGS publication "Carved in Stone: Manitoba Cemeteries and Burial Sites" (revised edition, Special Projects Publication, 106 pages).

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Additionally, many records for Anglican congregations in Manitoba and over part of the territory designated historically as "Rupert's Land" (esp, as bounded on the south by the U.S. border, extending north into the Manitoba Interlake Region past Fairford, with the western boundary reaching into the Pembina Hills and includes Portage la Prairie, eastward the diocese stretches to Sioux Lookout/Atikokan) are now with the Diocese of Rupert's Land and are kept in their offices in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.

Further, many records for defunct United congregations in Manitoba, and those of the sects that merged to form it, are now kept in their Archives and Records Center in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.