The Reverend Robert James McDowall 1768-1841
Text from the plaque
Born at Ballston Spa, near Saratoga, New York, McDowall graduated from the Union Theological Seminary, Schenectady, and was ordained by the Dutch Reformed Church at Albany in 1797. A year later he was sent to Canada and ministered to the Presbyterians in the Bay of Quinte area. He organized congregations in Ernesttown, and Adolphustown Townships, and in Fredericksburg Township where he settled in 1800. A zealous missionary, McDowall travelled extensively preaching and performing marriage ceremonies at numerous centres between Elizabethtown (Brockville) and York (Toronto). His efforts as the first appointed missionary of the Dutch reformed Church in Canada helped to lay the foundation for the development of Presbyterianism in Ontario. He died at Sandhurst and was buried in the adjoining cemetery.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
Find the place
The County of Lennox & Addington
The Town of Greater Napanee
In Sandhurst, on the north side of Highway 33
across from Richmond Street, at street number 8031
3.2 km west of Road 21
Also recorded for this place: The Town of Greater Napanee
N 44 07.691 W 76 53.092
Recorded December 2010. Check current access before visiting.
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Visitors' notes
January 14, 2010
Pssst....there's a typo on the title....The Reverend Robert James McDowall, 1768-1841 (not 1786!) [Editor's Response: Thanks. I've now fixed it.]