Death doesn’t wait for anyone, in the days before church and city cemeteries, early Hamilton settlers had the practical problem of where to bury their dead.
So, for those with large properties, setting aside a small portion of land (that they already own) seemed to be the ideal solution. In addition to saving money, family farm cemeteries eased the task of visiting and caring for them.
During his lifetime, Allan MacNab was part of the Scottish congregation that gave rise to St. Andrew’s Church. Established in 1830, within a few years a wood frame church and cemetery was established on the site that is now hom to St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church. As a result, when his only son died from a hunting accident in 1834, he could have easily afforded a burial at the new church, but instead he decided to bury him at Dundurn.
It is likely his son was buried next to his mother, who died in 1825, before the existence of St. Andrews Church, in the place he would call Inchbuie.
Today, none of the family is buried here, but that is a story for another day.
