Loyalist Cemetery Profile: St. Andrew’s United Church, Bainsville

Name: St. Andrew’s United Church

Location: 21102, Concession Rd 2, Bainsville, ON

Confirmed Loyalist Burials:

  • Cato Prime (Herkimer’s Batteaumen)
  • John Snyder (King’s Royal Regiment of New York)
  • Annatje Hannah Snyder
  • James Young
  • List of others is forthcoming

Remarks:

This cemetery is nestled among the cornfields of Lancaster Township (also known as the “Lake Township” at the time of Loyalist settlement), which surrounds the church. It is historically unique: It contains the mortal remains of Cato Prime, a slave of African descent who became a Loyalist and settled near here following the Revolutionary War. He was the slave of a Rebel, who was captured during the war, by a Loyalist raiding party, and brought to Quebec. There he gained his freedom, and became a Loyalist settler in 1784.  His tombstone proudly declares that he is a United Empire Loyalist.

On June 12, 2019, St. Lawrence Branch UELAC unveiled a Loyalist Burial Site plaque at this cemetery, during a well-attended event on a beautiful late-spring morning.

Rev. John Noordhof (left) and UELAC St. Lawrence Branch organizer Stuart Manson (right) address the attendees at the unveiling. Most of the ceremony took place around the tombstone of Cato Prime, a Loyalist of African descent. (Photo: Robin Edgar)
The unveiling of the plaque took place close to the entrance to the churchyard. A bagpiper accompanied the group in a procession to the plaque site. Here attendees examine the plaque, including James Edgar (centre) whose family contributed significantly to the cost of the plaque. (Photo: Robin Edgar)

Click here for our general news release for this unveiling.