Elizabethtown-Kitley is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville.

Its southern border lies along the St. Lawrence River and it extends north into many rural hamlets and villages.

[4] During the late eighteenth century the land was ideal for building a settlement, and in 1798, a man named John Livingston established a gristmill here which a community later surrounded.

The mill was likely made of stone, as sawn lumber would have been hard to obtain in the settlement that early, however there is no confirmed account of the building materials used.

[4] There is no trace of the mill today; only records from the township and other histories as well as the remnants of an old stone bridge indicate its existence.

[4] The cemetery is slightly unique, as instead of tombstones, most of the graves are marked by primitive field stone markers.

[4] Presently, the cemetery sits on the northern tip of Bellamys Lake and is maintained, but not open to burials.

In 1840, the Roman Catholic congregation of Bellamys Mill built a stone church on a hill overlooking the millpond measuring 10 by 16 metres (34 by 53 ft) with a large steeple.

[9] The area that would become Newbliss was settled mostly by Loyalists or immigrants from the British Isles who received their land here as grants from the Crown.

The tavern had five rooms, three bed and horse stables, and also hosted Orange Lodge meetings.

[4] By this time, the community had gained a Temperance Hall, an Orange Lodge and became home to many more pioneer tradespeople.

By 1950, Newbliss had only 25 residents and only a church, post office, school, general store and restaurant in operation within the community.

[16] Shortly after two o'clock in the afternoon, neighbours noticed smoke emanating from the Luckey farmhouse.

When they arrived on scene, the neighbours realized the entire interior of the house was completely engulfed in flames.

[16] While the fire was being attended to, some neighbours attempted to enter the farmhouse in order to rescue the family; when they got to the building every window and door was secured shut.

When entrance was finally gained, the bodies of John, Martha and Mary Ann Luckey were discovered, having been severely burned to the point they were unrecognizable, and were removed from the farmhouse.

The neighbours immediately suspected murder followed by arson due to the locked windows, the nature of the fire and the fact two axes were found at the scene.

[16] According to residents' accounts in a Smiths Falls newspaper from October 13, 1892, a strange man was seen by many lurking around the farmhouse.

Since Martha was home alone, it was believed amongst the neighbours that she must have been murdered first, followed by John who was seen running errands shortly before the fire.

It was assumed that Mary Ann was killed last as her teeth were found in the driveway, indicative of a struggle, as though she may have foreseen danger and attempted escape.

To add to the suspicion, he was later found in Smiths Falls, a short distance from Newbliss, staying in a hotel under an alias.

[17] Luckey's last meal was a bun and tea before he read from the bible, recited hymns, then was marched to the scaffold for his execution.

[17] There are many sources which reference communities or localities within the township that are unrecorded on contemporary maps or no longer in use.

[4] The stone building was constructed in 1875, replacing an older school further down the road which was subject to arson, possibly committed by a pupil.

This factory was originally built on a local homestead, however was later moved to the lot across the road from Shane's School, a more central location.

Many have been fully transcribed through local volunteer efforts however many are not, possibly due to the fact the stones are now illegible from deterioration.

The following is an incomplete list of all registered cemeteries recorded as being within Elizabethtown-Kitley township by the Ontario Genealogical Society:[19] It bears mentioning that many of these cemeteries are also known by other or multiple names, the names listed here are those specified by the Ontario Genealogical Society.

[22] In the township in 2011, the vast majority, 93.8%, of the population spoke solely English as their mother tongue.

[23] In 2011, the National Household Survey determined that 8,725 individuals in the township were Canadian-born, accounting for 94.2% of the total population.