The settlements of Historic Westmeath Township were set on the bedrock of strong faith and determination. The pioneers relied on their faith to see them through some extremely harsh events and conditions. They also gathered to give thanks for the good times.
The various denominations are all well represented. Some of the churches are now facing declining numbers of regular attendees while others like Perretton’s Grace United and Westmeath’s St. Mary’s Anglican have closed; but the remaining are still fundamental to the communities of the faithful they serve.
Weddings were huge family celebrations and some details of your ancestors’ big day are available. The Methodist, Presbyterian and Roman Catholic Marriage Registries for Westmeath Township are presented at the end of those three denomination sections. Not all baptism records are available.
In this section we also take time to remember those ancestor family members who lie in the graveyards of the township. The inscriptions on the stones become tangible evidence that they went before.
Not to be forgotten are those brave men from the township buried in War Dead Cemeteries, in the countries where they fell, while in service to us all.
The following Stats Canada graph shows the variety of religions practiced in Colonial Upper Canada, the majority being the major Protestant faiths of Presbyterian, Methodist and Church of England (Anglican). The population of Upper Canada in 1840 was estimated at 432,159.
| Religion | Population |
|---|---|
| Baptists | 16,411 |
| Catholics | 65,203 |
| Anglican | 107,791 |
| Congregational | 4,253 |
| Jews | 1,105 |
| Lutherans | 4,524 |
| Methodists | 82,923 |
| Moravians | 1,778 |
| Presbyterians | 97,095 |
| Quakers | 5,200 |
| Others | 19,422 |
Source: Statistics Canada website Censuses of Canada 1665 to 1871. From Wikipedia.