If you find yourself confused as to how this cemetery can be both Baptist and Methodist, read on for the explanation.

The first known survey of this cemetery was done by noted genealogist Dr. Allan E. Marble on August 11, 1967. Per his usual procedure, he did not give the cemetery a name but instead assigned it an identifying number. For this cemetery, the number was 57. He recorded the location as Port Wade.

At a later date, Genweb volunteers transcribed Dr. Marble's survey notes and made them available online at Rootsweb. At that time, the volunteers named it "United Baptist Church Cemetery" but, in the cemetery index, they listed the name simply as "United Baptist Church". They cited the location as Port Wade. This name choice is somewhat inadequate because "Port Wade Cemetery" not only includes the "United Baptist Church Cemetery" but also the "United Church of Canada Cemetery" (known prior to 1925 as the "Methodist Cemetery").

Prior to 1992, there were two churches on opposite sides of the same cemetery lot. Like bookends, the Methodist Church (erected 1846) was located on one side and the United Baptist Church (erected 1840) was, and still is, on the other side. All the graves from both churches are in a single, unbroken field, to the south and west of the United Baptist Church. The Methodist burials were grouped together at the back and side of the Methodist Church and were at one time separated by round pipe rails mounted on granite or cement posts (see gallery photo). The remaining, larger area of the field consists of Baptist burials.

At some point, the cemeteries merged under the non-denominational name it bears today, "Port Wade Cemetery." Possibly this occurred around the time that the Methodist Church was torn down in 1992. Today a commemorative stone marks the site where the Methodist Church once stood (see photo gallery). The inscription reads:

On this site stood
The
Port Wade
Methodist Church
1846 - 1925
The
Port Wade United
Church of Canada
1925 - 1992

Dr. Marble transcribed 197 headstones in this cemeterry, which he noted as being in good condition. Many headstones have dates well before 1900. Since this is an active cemetery, additional burials have occurred since Dr. Marble did his survey in 1967.

DIRECTIONS: The cemetery is located on the south side of Granville Road, on the land surrounding Civic #1654, the Port Wade United Baptist Church.