From the mid 1850s a number of Scottish families moved to Parewanui, including Scotts, Frasers, McKenzies, Amons, McDonells and Campions. All of these families, except the McDonells, were Presbyterians. The year 1857 is thought to have been the time that Adam Keir informally donated land for the site of the Presbyterian Church. The formal deed of transfer is recorded as 6 July 1864, two years after the construction of the church. Keir donated 10 acres (4 hectares) of section 29 to James Duncan of the Presbyterian Church. Nine acres were set aside for a manse and glebe and one acre for the church and burial ground.
The church was erected in 1862, a year in which tensions escalated between Ngati Apa and Ngati Raukawa over the distribution of money made from illegal rental arrangements with settlers. To protect the Scottish settlers from the crossfire, the 'neat and suitable church' was constructed with double-skinned walls, and had two gun flaps in either side of the nave. The design of the church meant that it could be easily moved and it was later relocated to a nearby, more convenient location now known as 'Ross's Redoubt'. It is possible that the parishioners intended to move the church back to its original site when the danger had passed. Yet when the decision came to relocate the church, it was decided to transfer it to a site closer to the main road through the Parewanui settlement. It was later relocated to Tangimoana, and is currently serving as a church hall in Waikanae.
Despite the removal of the church, the Cemetery continued to be used. It holds the tombstones of at least six local families including the Amon, Bromley, Burne, Lumsden, Millner and Scott families. In the Parewanui Presbyterian Cemetery, there are 8 graves marked with headstones, some of which are further defined by concrete surrounds, and/or iron palings. There are also unknown numbers of unmarked graves, some of which are marked with iron palings. The child of Alex Brookie, for instance, was buried in the cemetery on 3 July 1891, in what is now an unmarked grave. It is likely that a number of the people buried there may have had wooden memorials over their graves that have since rotted away.
The earliest extant headstone in the Cemetery commemorates the wife and children of George Millner. Millner's daughter died in 1868 at the age of 12. Her brother and sister died three years later in 1871, aged 5 and 3 respectively. Their mother passed away 2 years after that at the age of 39. Their single headstone stands in an elaborately marked plot in the corner of the Cemetery. The next oldest headstone, a concrete slab with lead writing, stands alone. It commemorates Priscilla Amon, who died in 1878 at the age of 61. The Amon family also have their own plot on the opposite side of the Cemetery. The plot contains the graves of Arthur Amon, his wife Elizabeth, and their son, who died of typhoid at the age of 23. Next to this plot is the broken headstone that commemorates the Lumsdens. William Lumsden died at the age of 36 in 1885, just 4 years after his children Ellen, aged 6, and Catherine, aged 1 year, died within a month of each other. On the other side of the Amon plot is the Burne family plot. This contains the remains of John Burne and his wife Margaret, who was the last person to be buried in the Cemetery in 1918. Their son, Charles, who predeceased both parents at the age of 15, is also buried with them. The final plot in the Cemetery contains three headstones, which commemorate James Bromley, who died aged 40, Charlotte Scott, who reached 64 years, and Charlotte's husband, Thomas Scott.
The headstone of Thomas Scott, the first Scottish settler in Parewanui and a prominent figure in the Rangitikei, is inscribed with the words 'In loving memory of Thomas Scott who died at Scott's Ferry 16th January 1892, aged 77 years'. Scott, along with his first wife and son, arrived in New Zealand on the Olympus in 1841 and came to Parewanui shortly after the sale of the Rangitikei block in 1849. Thomas Scott is most commonly known for his operation of the Scott's Ferry, which was named after Scott. Located near the mouth of the Rangitikei River, the Ferry allowed access to the only route between Wellington and Wanganui. Along with the Ferry, Scott and his wife also accommodated the needs of many settlers through their management of a general store and hotel in the area. Scott was also known in the Rangitikei for his work as a contract mailer in the Wanganui and Rangitikei areas between 1844 and 1845 along with his police service in other areas for which he received a medal in 1872. Annie Scott passed away in July 1879, and it is thought that she is buried in the Cemetery, possibly in the unmarked plot defined by palings next to the Scott family plot. In March 1881, Thomas re-married, to Charlotte Bromley. Upon his death in 1892, Thomas Scott left the ferry to be operated by his wife and son. Charlotte died one year after her husband and is buried beside him. Scott's Ferry was eventually taken over by the Manawatu County Council and, now part of the Rangitikei District Council region, is a registered historic site (Category I, Reg #7421).
Other Pakeha settlers chose to be buried in the nearby Fraserfield Cemetery, which remains open and, in 1984, included 121 tombstones, with the earliest dating from 1858. Local Maori were buried in private cemeteries and around the Anglican Wheriko Church (Category I, Reg #188).
Until recently, the Presbyterian Cemetery remained in the ownership of the Presbyterian Church. It is currently 'land-locked' in Dalrymple's farm, with access only being available through the privately owned farm. The tombstones are overgrown and are difficult to view. There are two fallen headstones along with a cross, which appears to have been detached from the Burne grave.
