Canadian Mennonite
Volume 12, No. 20
Oct. 13, 2008
Abandoned pioneer cemetery receives marker
Riser/Reschly burial plot now acknowledged
Kingwood, Ont.
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With the dedication of a memorial stone on Sept. 13, the Riser/Reschly Burial Plot was established as an abandoned cemetery in Wellesley Township.
The plot, located a half-kilometre west of Kingwood, was used by Amish Mennonite settlers from 1850-78. Research by Lorraine Roth, an historian of Amish Mennonite families, noted that Joseph Reschly had purchased the plot from Christian Riser in April 1865, giving it official status as a cemetery. A stipulation for its maintenance was placed in the hands of subsequent owners, but was somehow forgotten, and eventually the plot became part of a farmer’s field.
About 200 descendants gathered at Faith Mennonite Church in Kingwood for the program chaired by Joe Gerber. Greetings were extended by Wellesley Township Mayor Ross Kelterborn and Ron Hackett, chair of the Wellesley Township Heritage/Historical Society, among others. Speaking at the event were Roy Scheerer for the Ontario Mennonite Historical Society and Debbie Kroetsch for the Waterloo Historical Society, as well as Beatrice (Brunk) Wilkinson, a Riser descendant.
Descendants adjourned to the abandoned cemetery for the unveiling and dedication of the memorial stone. The stone’s inscription was read by Susan (Reschly) Gilmere from Iowa. Art Gerber gave the meditation. To complete the afternoon, reminiscences were shared during a potluck lunch at the church.