( Section Two Nov. 23, 1977 Restore Panmure Island cemetary Panmure Island history revealed BV LOUISE MILES At the western tip of Panmure Island , in a small clearing surrounded by an old stone wall, an odd jumble of stones jut here and there ouf of the grass. At one end the wall has given in to the ^force of wind and tumbled to the -Beyond, St. i opens out to the look the stones or x's carved One such stone ie edge of the cliff is Engraved with DB - orothy Brown, Joe great grand- buried in one of the >ttish Cemeteries on nd. Joe French i s a native of Panmure Island . A careful and attentive listener, he is well acquainted with the history of Panmure Island and of the cemetery now being restored and preserved under a Canada Works Grant. Much of his knowledge comes simply from listening to the old timers of Panmure Island . As Gertrude Partridge . President of the Panmure Island Community Association says, "he is a storehouse of history that can not be found in any history book." According to Mr. French . Andrew MacDonald bought Panmure Island before he left Scotland and settled with his wife. 9 sons, an d 4 daughters on Panmure Where the wharf is now, in 1800. MacDonald and his family, known as "the MacDonalds from the Isles came from one of the Hebrides, off Scotland , proceeded to build a small empire there on with a flourishing ship building industry. As many as 20 of their ships might be on the ocean at one time. He also cleared 300 acres of Pan¬ mure Island for farming and built a large general store next to his house which was one of the only stores in all of Kings County at that time, according to Joe French . Mr. French said the cemetery was started in 1812 when an Aitken girl (resident of Panmure Island ) set out to cross the ice to visit friends in Lower Montague A storm blew up and she froze to death. Her remains were the first to lie in the little plot. A church 20' x 30' whose foundations still remain, but are almost hidden by lichen and spruce needles, was situated slightly east of the cemetery. Father (and later Bishop) McEachern con¬ ducted services there, making the trip to the church by boat. Families brought their dead to the cemetery by boat also as there wasno road leading through the woods out to the point. In 1837. said Mr. French , old Andrew MacDonnald died. His sons, some of whom had already moved to Georgetown , had a large tombstone made for him in Georgetown , although he was buried in the Panmure Island plot Shortly after Andrew's death, the little church was hauled by the " Georgetown bunch" across the ice to Georgetown . In 1850 French's great grandmother was buried in the Panmure Island cemetery. She was one of the last to be laid there. Her husband, John French , who died in 1863. was buriedin Sturgeon as a cemetery had been created there by that time. Two years ago some residents of Panmure Island became concerned that the historic point would soon be washed away by erosion and sought government assistance to preserve and protect the cemetery. At theend of October of this year the Panmure Island Community Association was awarded $38,052.00 of Work Grants money to build a sea wall to protect the graveyard, to cut trees and clear a way in to the plot (which later may be made into an actual road), to restore and erect grave markers, to research names, and to provide a parking area and pcinic tables. The Community Association asked that the crew who would be doing the work be unemployed people from Panmure Island or nearby areas and this request was granted. The project has been given a 6 month time limit. During short periods of bad weather the work crew will be given indoor community work to do. according to Thelma Moore , secretary of the Community Association. The research committee, | composed of Alyosiusl MacDonald, Alex JamiesonT Gertrude Partridge . Joe French . and Peter Boudreault are interested in information anyone might have regarding the pioneer cemetery. Headstone marker at PanmurM