Richard Carney came to Sydenham around 1843. He built a log house on Marsh Street (2nd Ave. East) and was named “Collector” for the port in 1844. He was also appointed Justice of the Peace. As editor of an early newspaper, the Times, he was a prominent figure in the community. Elected in 1857, Carney was the first mayor of Owen Sound.

Head north one row toward the chapel and look for a simplewhite slab marker on your left at the end of the row next tothe grass path, writing on the west side

One of the oldest recorded burials at Greenwood is Ellen Harrison. She was the first wife of John Harrison who came to the area with his brothers and set up the flour and sawmills at the Milldam. At 20 years old, Ellen died while delivering a baby girl, Helen. 

Hannah and Robert Harrison. The couple raised Helen until her death at age 6. Robert, the brother of John Harrison, helped to quell the Fenian Raids as a member of the 31st Regiment, the local militia. Unfortunately he was ill when he returned from the assignment and died in 1866.

Looking toward the chapel, there is a large dark grey monument with an urn on top by the tree...

Mary Stephens Doyle was a remarkable woman. A member of the Disciples of Christ Church, that supported Temperance, she formed the Women’s Prohibition Society in 1874. Later, this group became the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. It was the first group of its kind in Canada and exerted a great deal of influence. Mrs. Doyle was President after a short time. Owen Sound voted to be dry in 1906 and was so until 1973 when the wet vote won. Mary Doyle, considered to be the “Mother of the W.C.T.U. in Canada,” died at the age of 63.

Immediately to the south of the Doyle stone is Mary’s brother...

 Alexander M. Stephens  who was one of the firstEuropeans to arrive in this area. In the early 1840s he was a young labourer working on the Garafraxa Road, connecting Guelph to the village of Sydenham (Owen Sound). By 1842 he settled in
the little village working for W.C. Boyd, a storekeeper. Stephens was Town Clerk the next year. From labourer to mayor, he was elected to this office in 1865, 1866 and 1872. Stephens wrote an early account of life here entitled The Early Days of Owen Sound. This book is available at the Owen Sound Public Library.

Directly south is...

He was appointed customs collector in 1851 and notary public five years later. Stephens was mayor in 1869. He advocated for Temperance and appeared before council in 1886 asking to limit the number of liquor outlets. Council agreed to consider the proposal. The following delegation were hotel owners asking for their hours to be extended.

Continuing south, next to Stephens is...

Oliver was the owner of the Oliver & Rogers quarry on the east side of Owen Sound. In 1924, he and two of his employees were killed in an explosion at the quarry. Solomon Earle, a labourer, is also buried in the cemetery. Notice this marker and compare it later to Solomon Earle’s.

Look straight ahead, toward the ravine, to the black Bishop  stone...

The Victoria Cross is the highest award given to British and Commonwealth forces for gallantry in the face of the enemy. A unique feature of Greenwood Cemetery is that it has three Victoria Cross winners. The Canadian Legion in Owen Sound has replica medals on display.

William Avery Bishop, known by most as Billy Bishop: WW 1 Flying Ace. Look also for the flat marker. Billy Bishop was patrolling in the early morning over France in 1917 when he saw several aircraft about to take off from an airport. He fired at two, hitting one and diverting the other. Another two aircraft approached and he fired, causing one to crash and the other to dive away. Billy Bishop’s childhood home is now a museum located on 3rd Ave. West in Owen Sound. It is designated as a National Historic Site. C.B. – Companion of the Most Honourable Order of Bath; D.S.O. – Distinguished Service Order; M.C. – Military Cross; D.F.C. – Distinguished Flying Cross; E.D. – Efficiency Decoration.

The large white monument in front of the Bishop marker is for the...

John Frost (1869) served as mayor of the town in 1868 and was an early magistrate. The west side of 10th Street was originally called Frost Street in his honour. His wife Mary (1903) raised 13 children and participated actively in their mercantile business. One son, John W. Frost (1908), was mayor from 1892 to 93, served as town solicitor, and assisted with the publication of Mr. Henson’s account of his journey to Canada. Broken Shackles was recently reprinted. Alfred John Frost (1936) is reputed to have built the first gas powered automobile in Canada. Later, A.J. Frost sold Studebakers from a garage behind his house.

The second monument in the mound belongs to the...

The Jones family were early settlers in the township of Derby; Samuel Ayres Jones set up a sawmill on the Pottawatomi River near Jones Falls. Many of the logs sawn there went to build the stores in downtown Owen Sound. Visit Jones Falls at the Pottawatomi Conservation Area.

Following the pathway from the chapel along the ravine, you’ll see the large monuments called the Vaults. In 1859, a single lot in the cemetery cost $3, whereas a double lot cost $5. A lot with four plots cost a family $8 while the vaults cost $12 each.

Dr. Edward Horsey was elected MP in 1900 as a Liberal with the Wilfred Laurier government. While MP he introduced the Victoria Day Act which made the 24th of May a permanent public holiday. Dr. Horsey was killed in 1902 at the age of 35. While touring through the Sun Cement Works, of which he was Vice-President, the drive wheel flew off and hit him. His funeral was one of the largest ever in Owen Sound: businesses and factories closed early; the streets were lined with people; there were floral tributes from all over; and a telegram arrived from Laurier.

To the right is...

George Snider was the Crown Lands Agent and Sheriff for the area. The first MP in the new riding of Grey North after Confederation, he was an elected Liberal MP in 1867 sitting as the opposition for two terms. In 1873 he and his party were elected to govern under the leadership of the Hon. Alexander Mackenzie until Snider was defeated in 1878.

To the right is...

William Roy Esq. was one of the wealthiest men in the area. He was born in Scotland and came to Canada at a young age with his brother to start a dry goods business. Eventually he purchased Royston Park, which was a large waterfront estate on Grey Road 1, near what is now VanVugt’s Nursery. Owen Sound benefited from his generosity when he donated $2000 to the construction of the General and Marine Hospital.

It is important to note that many of the large, older monuments you see in Greenwood were erected without benefit of machinery. The fact that men manoeuvred the heavy stones into place makes them all the more impressive.

To the right is...

William Soro Middlebro, a lawyer, served as mayor of Owen Sound in 1899 and 1900. He was elected at the age of 29. He was elected MP in 1908 to 1921. Until 1917, he sat in the opposition as a Conservative. During World War I he ran as a Unionist under the leadership of Sir Robert Borden and was named Chief Government Whip. This government also introduced the ‘temporary’ income tax. 

To the right is...

J.P. Coulson arrived in Owen Sound in 1854 and began to work as a hotelkeeper at a small hotel. Business was profitable so he built a much larger hotel in the same location. The British Hotel was on the corner across from city hall. Coulson also ran an extensive stage coach business. He died at the age of 42. 

To the right is...

The Eaton family ran a brewing company in Owen Sound. Mrs. Annie Jaffray Eaton, widowed in 1914, followed her son Jaffray to England during the Great War. She organized and financed the “Grey Rooms” in London, an area where young men from Grey County could meet, rest and dine. Mrs. Eaton, with the help of Mrs. Howey and Mrs. Horsey and several other women checked hospital lists daily, wrote letters to the wounded and arranged entertainment. When Annie Eaton died a volley was fired across her open grave and the bugler played the Last Post and Reveille. There is a memorial to her at the St. George’s Church parkette at Salvation Corners.

Just beyond the vault lots, next to the ravine, is a grassy area with a few markers. This area has been referred to locally as “Pauper’s Field” or the “Indigent area.” It was determined in 1858 that Block F of the People’s Cemetery was to be used for those who could not pay for their burial, or for “strangers” who died within the limits of the town. In this grassy area you will find several markers. When the water reservoir on 8th St. E. was undergoing renovation in 1989, four unmarked graves were discovered. Following a brief service, these bodies were re-interred here. Find the flat marker...

• Sarah Boardley. Sarah died in November 1890 at the estimated age of 52 years. She had 12 children. Boardley’s grandson, Wilson Woodbeck was a baritone singer who sang at Carnegie Hall and on Broadway in the 1940s.Sarah’s husband,
• Thomas Miller. Thomas was an early settler in the area. Both of Thomas’s parents were sold into slavery from Africa. He and his family were able to escape from the state of Maryland into Canada sometime around 1838. In 1851 he arrived in the Owen Sound area with four other ex-slaves. A well-respected lay preacher for the “Zion Church” and then the British Methodist Episcopal, Thomas helped to build a permanent building for the congregation on 2nd Ave. West. He died October 1911 at around 99 years old.

Also buried here is another escaped slave

• John ‘Daddy’ Hall, an early resident in Owen Sound. He lived on a tract of land referred to as the Pleasure Grounds (now Victoria Park). He participated in the War of 1812 as a scout. Daddy Hall was a popular man in the community and served as town crier for many years, announcing sales and important news twice a day. He died in 1900 and is said to have been 117 years old. A plaque with more detail about his life and photos can be found outside of Owen Sound’s City Hall in Hero’s Square. 

Turn up the path running east – from this path you can see the Long headstone, first row and half way in facing the ravine.

Captain Osburn Stephen Long captained the ‘S.S. Norisle’ for 21 years. When he retired in 1967 he had 46 years service with the Owen Sound Transportation Co. with time out in 1942-1946 when he was skipper-lieutenant on a minesweeper. Captain Alexander ‘Sandy’ Long was also a sailor all of his life.

Return to the road and then trun left to head east Straight ahead, beside the path on your left  you can see the Fleming
stone....

Christopher Alexander Fleming began as a teacher but in 1881 founded the Northern Business College; he served as its principal for 56 years. Business textbooks were hard to find so he began to write his own, and purchased a printing press that operated out of the basement of his College. From this small beginning he built Fleming Publishing Co. Ltd which published the Daily Sun Times. He became President of Richardson, Bond & Wright Ltd., which is now RBW Transcontinental, (a national printing company). He was also involved in radio as a director of the Grey and Bruce Broadcasting Co., Ltd. – owners of CFOS in Owen Sound.

Walking down the row, look for a low black stone...

Annette Jean Honsinger. She was first elected in 1938 and then reelected several times in the 1940s. During her time on council Mrs. Honsinger committed herself to the work of the welfare department and won a commendation for her service as chairperson on that committee. In 1947 she was appointed to the Board of Health. Honsinger also belonged to the Ladies of the Moose and the Women’s Institute.

Continue north in this row watch for the Gordon stone on your right...

You’ll see his military number and notice that he was in the Machine Gun Section of the 4th C.M.R. which means the 4th Canadian Mounted Rifles. This Battalion was one of the most heavily decorated during WW I, including a Victoria Cross for Tommy Holmes (on tour 3).

Across the grass path to the west beside the water tap you’ll see the Lediard marker...

Miss Grace Lediard worked as a secretary at the Town Hall for successive mayors. In 1919 she was the first woman elected to the local Board of Education. She was an alderman in 1940 and again in 1942, however she resigned so that the City clerk could be released for military duty. Her most passionate work was as a volunteer for the Save the Children Fund. She wasinvolved with the organization before there was a Canadian Chapter, working with the British group. Her house was the local headquarters, receiving clothing and supplies that she in turn shipped to Toronto.

Two rows east, walking down the row, look for the Myers and Skinner headstones on your left...

They have interesting carvings showing the “Gates Ajar.”

As you head to the road, look for the many square pillars with an open bible on top. Follow the Road all the way north till you reach the Circle. In the circle, at the quiet north end of the cemetery, you’ll find a large pink monument for the Scarrow family...