The Islands: Wolfe Island: Churches: Christ Church

Christ Church

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Recent photo
From Thelma Moye

1839 Religious denominations:
(From County of 1000 Lakes)
Ch of England- 16 families
Ch of Scotland-6 families
Ch of Rome-44 families
Episcopal-15 families
Presbyterian-2 famlies
Universalists-17 families
Apostolic-1 family
Deists-5 families
Nothing-30 families

1842 Religion denominations:
(From County of 1000 Lakes)
Ch of England-239 people
Ch of Scotland-173 people
Church of Rome-406 people
British Wesleyan Meth-48 people
Can Wesleyan Meth-15 people
Episcopal Wesleyan Meth-90 people
Other Methodists-22 people
Baptists-2 people
Lutherans-7 people
Quakers-7 people
Dutch Reform Ch-8 people
Other-57 people

Christ church was built as an Angican church. It was constructed on Lot 6 Conc 16 at foot of island. When the land was purchased it was to be used for a United Church of England and Ireland.

Click on Photo for larger version.
Christ Church

John Travers, the Lord Bishop of Ontario, bought this land from John Montgomery for five shillings. The deed was registered on May 31st 1864.

Christ Church was built in 1862 in the center of the plot, approximately one half of an acre, with the cemetery around it. At one point there was a carriage house with room for ten horses and carriages on the property. This is no longer present.

The first burial in the cemetery was in 1870, William Montgomery.

From 1878 tenants map:
Christ Church Con 16 lot 6W south of baseline on land owned by John Montgomery The church is drawn on the north west corner of his property.

St. George�s Cathedral Church of Kingston donated the first pews in the church. The pews were transported by the S.S. Pierrepont to Holliday dock on the northeast side of the island. Henry and Richard Holliday then transported and installed the pews. Mrs. George Ranous collected funds to furnish other needed items. Eliza Holliday was also an important contributor to the furnishing of the church.

Story: When Eliza Holliday died she was buried in the cemetery. One of her brothers always sat near her grave with a loaded shotgun for a period of two to three months. Apparently this was to prevent grave robbers, which were common at this time, supposedly to provide bodies for medical students who would purchase them to further their studies. There is a stone for an Eliza Holliday giving dates as 1853 �1892.

The church was not consecrated until Feb 20 1901.

It is now only used in the summer months.
About 10 families attended services in 1973.

Click on Photo for larger version.
Recent photo
This is the window dedicated to the John Holliday family. An outside and inside view. As you go in the church it's on the right side. It has a little plaque with these words written on it:
" The Fisherman "
dedicated to the John William Holliday Family and it list the childrens names Charles,Henry,Richard,Charlotte,Eliza and Mary.
From Thelma Moye

Priests

William Bearance was the priest in 1973.

If you have any information on the priests of these churches please email me!

I am looking for name, dates of birth, death, ordination and when they served the church. Also photos, and anything else interesting during their pastorate.

Church Links

Cemetery Online Christ Church Cemetery transcriptions online
Christ Church photo- recent-offsite

Sources:

-1878 Wolfe Island tenants map
-Christ Church cemetery transcriptions by Fern Small and Ken Collins 1973
-Wolfe Island Past & Present,Cosgrove, W.M., 1973: Religion Chapter