Situated along the beautiful Mira River on a point of land once known as MacLeod’s Point and later Thompson’s Point, Oakfield Cemetery has served generations of families for more than two centuries. The cemetery’s history reaches back to the earliest years of settlement in the area. Today, Oakfield remains an active cemetery and an important link between the present-day community and the generations who came before. According to longtime caretaker Allister MacDonald, the first known burials at Oakfield took place sometime between approximately 1810 and 1820. These early burials included Donald (Bahn) MacLeod and John Campbell, whose graves were unmarked.
In notes recorded by Allister from information provided by Rod Campbell in 1960, the property was said to have been known around 1810 as Severns Field, named for a squatter who occupied the land. The property later came into the possession of the MacLeod family. The MacLeod family had four daughters. Bella married into the Thompson family, after which the property became known as Thompson’s Point. Katherine (Beck) married Neil MacDonald, Allister MacDonald’s great-grandfather; Christy married Donald Lamond; and Katherine (Moorg) married into the MacKeigan family. Two MacLeod sons later settled elsewhere in Cape Breton, one in the Gabarus–Forchu area and the other in the Donkin area.While some of Oakfield’s earliest burials are unmarked, surviving headstones provide a remarkable connection to the people who settled along the Mira nearly two centuries ago.
One of the cemetery’s earliest dated headstones belongs to Malcolm McDonald, who emigrated from North Uist in 1832 and died in 1837 at the age of 37. His wife, Ann, lived to the age of 84. Their resting place can be found in the Old Section, Row 14. Another early stone, located in the Old Section, Row 6, marks the grave of John Morrison, who was also born in North Uist and died in 1832.
These stones, together with the cemetery’s unmarked early graves, reflect the Scottish roots of many of the families who established communities around the Mira River. Although burials had been taking place on the property for generations, an important milestone in Oakfield Cemetery’s history occurred on October 5, 1907, when a formal deed for the cemetery property was signed. Charles W. Thompson, Flora Thompson and Maggie Thompson, all of the City of Sydney, conveyed the property to the Cemetery Trustees. The deed was signed, sealed and delivered in the presence of William Lamond.
The original trustees were:
- William Lamond and Donald Johnston, both of Trout Brook on the south side of the Mira River
- John R. McDonald of Hillside on the north side of the Mira River
- John Ferguson and Alexander McQuarrie, both of Caribou Marsh
For the sum of one dollar, the land was granted to the trustees and their successors to be held in trust as a cemetery. The deed described the property as a lot of land on the north side of the Mira River, commonly called Thompson’s Point. This formalized what the community had already recognized for generations: this beautiful point along the Mira was a permanent resting place for the people of the surrounding communities.
The earliest surviving records of Oakfield Cemetery Committee meetings date to 1949. That year, a meeting of lot holders was held at the United Church in Marion Bridge. Shortly afterward, a letter was prepared for lot holders asking for subscriptions to an Improvement Fund. Maintaining Oakfield was very much a community effort. Groups of local residents volunteered their time and labour, including graveling and widening the cemetery roadway. Many descendants of those volunteers continue to have family connections to Oakfield today. The committee minutes also provide small but fascinating glimpses into the cemetery’s history.
On July 24, 1952, the committee moved, seconded and carried a motion that Fred Gardiner be employed to work at the cemetery. Fred became a dedicated and familiar caretaker. He was remembered for attending burials even in 90-degree weather dressed in his three-piece black suit, where he could be seen holding the parking sign and helping everything proceed as it should. In 1953, four men were offered cemetery lots in the new section in recognition of labour they had donated. At least one declined the offer in writing and chose instead to pay for his lot. By 1956, the committee increased the cemetery labour rate to 90 cents per hour, with Fred Gardiner, serving as foreman, receiving $1.20 per hour. In 1958, the committee decided that a loudspeaker system should be provided for the cemetery service — provided its cost did not exceed $25. These records tell more than the administrative history of a cemetery. They tell the story of neighbours working together, donating their time and resources to care for a place that mattered deeply to their community.
Fred Gardiner cared for Oakfield Cemetery for approximately 30 years. Following his death in 1982 at the age of 78, Allister MacDonald assumed the role of caretaker. Allister began keeping something that would become an invaluable part of Oakfield’s history: a written record of burials. With few written burial records surviving from before the 1980s, Allister began recording each burial in a simple three-hole-punched, green-covered school scribbler. That humble notebook became an important historical record. It continues to be used by his son, Wayne MacDonald, and now contains approximately 16 pages documenting burials at Oakfield.
In more recent years, a major effort has been made to preserve Oakfield Cemetery’s history for future generations. Information collected over the years has been combined with other historical and genealogical sources, including research from the Cape Breton Genealogy and Historical Society and detailed drawings of early headstones completed by Sandra Ferguson. Sandra’s meticulous drawings have been particularly valuable in preserving information from some of Oakfield’s oldest monuments, helping document inscriptions and details that can become increasingly difficult to read as stones weather with age.
Together, these resources have made it possible to create a detailed digital index of Oakfield Cemetery.The digital record currently contains approximately 891 names and 785 headstone photographs, creating a searchable historical resource for descendants, genealogists and members of the community. From the unmarked graves of the early 1800s to today’s carefully maintained grounds and digital records, Oakfield Cemetery represents more than 200 years of local history.
Its story has been shaped not only by those who are buried here, but also by the generations of trustees, caretakers, volunteers, families and community members who have given their time to preserve it. Oakfield Cemetery remains an active cemetery today, continuing to serve the growing communities surrounding the Mira River while preserving the memory of those who helped build them. The names carved into its stones tell the stories of families, immigration, settlement and community.
Together, they form an irreplaceable part of the history of the Mira River and Cape Breton Island.