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COOLEY / HATT PIONEER LOYALIST CEMETERY

ANCASTER, ONTARIO

CANADA

 

UPDATE # 6

 

November 27, 2010

 

The Ontario Municipal Board met on November 8th, 2010 to review the deal between the City of Hamilton and the Developers of the site where our ancestor’s Cemetery is located.

As you recall, this is the site where Richard Hatt II [ Founder of Dundas ] is buried along with his wife and many other prominent citizens of the era 1780 to 1824. This includes relatives of Richard Beasley whose GGG Grandson [ David Beasley ], is the author of, “In the Bloody Beginnings”. The Developers needed to move most of this Pioneer Loyalist Cemetery to make way for a road.

This struggle between the Developers and the Families [ Hatt & Cooley ], has been in the mix since 1998 and the proposal now being offered by the developers is the same proposal suggested by the Families and the Local Historical / Genealogical  Societies in 2004. The difference now is that the Archaeologists and the Developers believe that this site should be protected and is of high Historical Significance. The truth of the matter is that the Families / the Historical & Genealogical Societies and the General Public never stopped believing what could be achieved at this site for many generations to come. The Developers eventually had to agree in order to continue with the surrounding development.

The Proposal, which is expected to be sanctioned by the Board at a meeting on December 8th, 2010, contains the following details:
 

  •     additional archaeological assessments will be done at the site to ensure that all graves shafts have been mapped

 

  •     providing any necessary updates to the Registrar of Cemeteries on the extent of the Cooley / Hatt Cemetery

 

  •     the developer must enter into a disposition agreement with the families about the future of the Cemetery

 

  •      prepare an archaeological site management plan for this Cemetery

 

  •     convey the Cemetery Lands to the City of Hamilton for on-going care and management
     

Thanks to all who supported this undertaking to a successful conclusion and thanks for the Petition Signatures [ well over 1000 names ]. Once the disposition agreement is in place with the families, we will re-dedicate this Cemetery for generations to come.

Bill  126 is currently being sponsored by a Liberal Back-bencher [ Jim Brownell ] who recently read the Petitions that we delivered at Queens Park and introduced his Bill in the Legislature. This Bill would protect all Cemeteries in the Province of Ontario from developers.

Richard Hatt  [7160]