About 30 people were treated to a historical tour of the St. Stephen’s Cemetery and the Old Chelsea Protestant Burial Ground in Old Chelsea on October 10.
Susan Trudeau led us through the early history of St. Stephen’s Church, with stories from numerous early Chelsea families, such as Padden, Scott, McSweeney, Trudeau, Fortune, Kelly and Haley/Healey. Of particular interest was the (presumed) misspelling of the Haley/Healey family name – Haley in the cemetery, and Healey in Gatineau Park. Haley/Healey family members grew up on a humble, self-sufficient homestead near the Prime Minister’s summer residence. They came to serve as caretakers and fishing guides at Harrington Lake, hosting a number of distinguished visitors. These included Lyndon Johnson, Princess Margaret, and former Canadian and Commonwealth prime ministers and their children. Two siblings were sent to Washington for work by their neighbour Duncan Herridge, Canada’s Ambassador to the United States. They never returned to the family’s homestead at Meech Lake.
After the cemetery, the tour led briefly through the beautiful forest behind the church. The 70-acre forest was recently (Nov. 2025) preserved as a green space for all residents through a conservation easement between the Parish and ACRE (Action Chelsea for the Respect for the Environment).
Next, André Renaud led the group through a tour of the Protestant Cemetery, based upon Carol Martin’s book, In Memory of Chelsea's Historic Cemeteries (2005). We heard stories about the early families such as Wright, Hudson, Maranger, Childs, Chamberlain and Meech. The group wondered why the Childs family gravesite was enclosed by a fence with John Mather’s name on the gate. Susan Trudeau added that her great-great grandfather, John McSweeney, an Irish immigrant and owner of the Old Chelsea General Store and Tavern, was also employed as the driver for Gilmour’s Mill Manager, John Mather. If anyone knows the answer to this question, please let us know!
A big thank you to Susan Trudeau, Gary MacIntyre and André Renaud for sharing their fascinating stories of early pioneering life in Chelsea.
Our last hike in the series will be on snowshoes in Chelsea Creek, January 16, from 10-noon. Meeting place TBA.
