This compilation covers an area south and west of Montreal, Quebec, in a triangle between the St. Lawrence River, the United States border and Ontario. Today many English-speaking Quebecers know the region as the Chateauguay Valley, but on a map of Quebec, you’ll find it as the Haut-Saint-Laurent region, or part of the Montérégie. This is an attractive area of orchards, farms and small towns.

Archaeologists have found traces of occupation by Iroquoian First Nations people dating from the 14^th century. As of 1729, it became the Seigneury of Beauharnois, but at that time there were few inhabitants.

Some Americans and immigrants from Scotland and Ireland arrived in the area around the early 1800s, with most pioneers establishing themselves along the banks of the Chateauguay, Trout and English Rivers. Brick making, which took advantage of the area’s extensive clay deposits, began. Other early industries included agriculture, logging and potash.

If you had Protestant ancestors in this region, this compilation should help you begin to understand the histories of the area’s communities and counties. It outlines the histories of the churches and visiting preachers who served the religious needs of the area’s Protestant residents. It will help you search for the cemeteries where your ancestors might have been buried, and find the church records of your family’s baptisms, weddings and burials.

Thank you to Claire Lindell for editing this compilation and adding the table of contents and maps.

Protestant Churches of Beauharnois, Chateauguay, Huntingdon, Napierville, Soulanges & Vaudreuil