Leigh’s Corners Cemetery

AKA: Leigh Corners
OGS Number: 3587

Address: 1835 15/16 Sideroad East, Oro-Medonte
Directions: At Line 12 North, SW corner
Geographic Twp: Oro Con 12 Lot 16

Condition: Open. Poorly maintained.
Size: 62 Stones including cairn erected in honour of the Leighs

Office: Leigh Corners Cemetery Board
RR#1 Hawkestone, Ontario L0L 1T0
(705) 487-5505

Publications: Leigh’s Corners Cemetery;
Barrie, Ontario: Simcoe County Branch, Ontario Genealogical Society, 2006.
Publications

“Leigh’s Corners”
Monumental Transcriptions Vol 1, Central North Simcoe County;
Extracted, edited and indexed by Eldon D. Weber
Toronto, Ontario: Ontario Genealogical Society, 1977.


History:
In the 1840’s, John Leigh set aside one acre in the north east corner of his farm as a church site and burying ground for an Anglican Church. However, the church was built at Simpson’s Corners [East Oro]. Mr. Leigh then reserved a strip down the west side of this acre as a Leigh burying ground and along the south side as a common burying ground. The remainder was offered for a school site. The school was open by 1853 and in later years, people wondered why there was a cemetery on two sides of a school yard. The Oro School Board did not obtain a deed for this land for 115 years, after the school had closed.

The earliest death date recorded was that of Joanna, wife of George Norman (died 4 Jul 1833). Joanna was a sister of John Leigh. In 1967, family members erected a cairn dedicated to the memory of John Leigh and his family who came to Canada in 1831.

Based on information from:
The Story of Oro, Second Edition, The Township of Oro, 1987.

Photo - Leigh's Corners Cemetery

Photo by John F. Wright, 2005


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