George Spencer Pincott 1897-1975

by Claire Lindell

George was sitting at the dining room table where tiny boxes and huge albums were spread out, along with all the accoutrement he needed for the task at hand. The young girl watched intently as he methodically and meticulously placed each item in to its proper place in the album. He spoke very little, but, briefly explained what he was doing. It was  fascinating and inspiring to watch him as he worked.

     “I am the world’s greatest traveler. I have been transported by camel, dog sled, pony express,               bicycle, train, steamship, automobile, airplane, airship and rocket….. On my face are the                       portraits ………of  poets, aviators, dramatists, novelists, painters, athletes, cardinals, saints and          sinners.” 1                                

It was the summer of 1948. I was eight years old. This was my first and only encounter with my Uncle George. He made a lasting impression. One that left me wondering about why adults would spend their time collecting stamps. He specialized in mint stamps, pristine, never used stamps. Many stamp collectors specialize in specific areas of collecting. I wondered, perhaps these stamps were more valuable having never been cancelled.

George Spencer Pincott was born in Buffalo, New York on the 6thday of the shortest month of the year in 1897. He was the son of Emile Spencer Pincott whose family was originally from Cardiff, Wales and Susan Jane Woodring. At a young age  George’s family moved from Buffalo and immigrated to Canada and took up residence in Westmount.2

George Pincott WW1

 

At the age of twenty-one on May 13th, 1918 George was recruited to serve in the First World War. At the time he was an office clerk and joined the 1st Depot Battalion of the 1st Quebec Regiment. 3 With the war almost over when he was drafted, I have yet to find his records of service. Did he go overseas?

Four years later on May 5th 1922 George married Marie Aline Jodouin in St.Joseph’s Roman Catholic  Church in Sudbury, Ontario4 and for a time they settled in Iroquois  Falls, in northern Ontario near Temiskaming, where he had been working before their marriage.  Prior to their marriage an Affidavit was required by the province before issuing a Marriage license.George did this on the 25th of April 1922 in Iroquois Falls.5

Sometime between the late 1920s and 1932 the family moved to Twillingate, Newfoundland where their fourth child, Robert was born.as indicated in the 1935 Newfoundland Census. They returned to Canada in the late 1930s. It is to be noted that Newfoundland joined the Dominion of Canada in 1949.

On the 6th of July 1946 George was named as an Officer of the British Empire6,  a Civilian award.

miniature-order-of-the-british-empire-o.b.e-civilian-ribbon--2124-p

 

 “King George V created these honours during World War I to reward services to the war effort  by civilians at home and servicemen in support positions. The ranks are Commander (CBE), Officer (OBE) and Member (MBE).They are now awarded for prominent national or regional   roles and to those making distinguished or notable contributions in their own specific areas of   activity.” 7

 

The next time we find the Pincott family in any records such as a Voter’s List 1953, they were living in Senneville, Quebec. George worked for Woodpulp Montreal and commuted to the city by train every day where he worked as an Accountant.

George and Aline moved to the United States upon his retirement as a Management Business Executive in the pulp and paper industry. He died in Tryon, Polk, North Carolina,  April 18th, 1975.8 He is buried in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Aunt Aline came back to Canada and lived in Sutton, Quebec for many years close to her youngest son, Robert.

Uncle George was instrumental in inspiring me to collect stamps and as a youngster a group of friends formed a stamp club.  It has been a life-long hobby that allowed me to travel the world, learn history, geography, art and a multitude of other interesting subjects which are found on these little, somewhat insignificant pieces of paper that we call stamps.

canfdc879-82pinkbroachcanfdc1029scratchoverh

For a number of years I specialized in First Day Covers.

$_57

Chinese Lunar Year of the Monkey 2016 One of Canada Post’s most recent  First Day Covers

Sources:

       1   Soliloquy of a Postage Stamp   –       From the pen of Ernest W. Brady

  1. Ancestry.com, Library and Archives Canada,Canadian Census 1911. Ottawa, Ontario
  2.  Particulars of recruit
  3. Affidavit of Maarriage License

        5     Register of Marriages St Joseph Roman Catholic Church Sudbury Ontario

  1.  Family Search, Newfoundland Census 1935. Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation, St. John’s Newfoundland and Labrador; FHL microfilm
  2. Ancestry.com Canada, Military Honors and Awards Citation Cards 1900-1961 Ottawa , Canada: Library and Archives Canada
  3. North Carolina deaths 1931-1994 Family Search

The Morrin Centre, Quebec City

Morrin Centre Cultural Centre, Quebec City

http://www.morrin.org/en/

44, chaussée des Écossais, Québec, QC, G1R 4H3

418-694-9147 ext 227

Jessica Kelly-Rhéaume, Library Manager

418-694-9147 ext 229

jessicakellyrheaume@moorin.org

www.morrin.org/en/explore-the-library/contact-the-library/

The Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, Canada’s first learned society, was founded by the Earl of Dalhousie, Governor of Lower Canada, in 1824 in Quebec City. Today, the society has evolved into the Morrin Cultural Centre and includes Quebec City’s English-language library.

The original aims of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec were diverse. It gathered historical documents about Canada, republished many rare manuscripts and encouraged research in all fields of knowledge. Over the years, the society played a part in creating new institutions that would eventually take over some of its traditional roles. For example, the society helped to save what was left of the historic battlefield on the Plains of Abraham, and it participated in the creation of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada.

In the late 1800s, the Morrin Centre’s library incorporated the collection of the Quebec Library, the oldest subscription library in Canada, founded in 1779. The current collection includes a number of old volumes, some of which date to the 16th century, rare historical books and manuscripts and many articles published by the society between 1824 and 1924.

Iron Bars and Bookshelves: A History of the Morrin Centre, tells the story of the former prison in which the cultural centre is housed, and the history of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec. Published in 2016, it was written by Louisa Blair, Patrick Donovan and Donald Fyson. Louisa Blair is author of The Anglos: The Hidden Face of Quebec City 1608-1850, Patrick Donovan is a doctoral student in history at Université Laval and Donald Fyson, a professor at Université Laval, has published extensively on the history of crime, justice, and the law in Canada and Quebec.

The Morrin Centre does not have any research tools designed specifically for genealogists, but staff are willing to help genealogists find other historical resources. Upon request, members can access the centre’s historical collection for on-site consultation. The documents in this collection are listed in the library’s online catalogue, http://www.morrin.org/en/explore-the-library/library-catalogue/. For further details, contact the library manager (see above).

An individual membership costs $45 a year. See www.morrin.org/en/support-morrin-centre/become-a-member/. To learn more, visit the Centre’s website at www.morrin.org/en/. The website includes 25 short biographies of individuals who were important in the organization’s history. See “Prisoners, Students and Thinkers,” http://www.morrin.org/en/prisonniers-eleves-et-penseurs

 

 

 

 

 

 

First Brush

Morning came early at Hebron Academy. At six a.m., I would enter the bathroom, calmly pick up the basin with the snake curled up inside, and walk outside to dump it in the bushes. I was a border and this was not my first brush with snakes.

The school was in the village of Coonoor, high in the Nilgiri Hills of Southern India.1 Most of the students were the children of missionaries but a few like myself were “business kids”.2

Shortly after arriving at Hebron in 1957 I found two names in the front of an old text book: Margery Angus and Kathleen Angus. It was enough of a curiosity that I wrote home about it. Imagine my surprise when Dad wrote back that they were his cousins, cousins he had never met! Their dad, the brother of my grandfather, had been a missionary in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Now my curiosity knew no bounds!

How did they travel to Hebron? They could not have come like I did, four days from Calcutta on a train. Had they come by ship across the Bay of Bengal to Madras and then on the narrow- rail train up into the hills? At what age did they come? As teenagers? Or were they Kindergarten age and placed in The Nest? Did their parents join them for the May vacation or were they required to spend the holiday month with the school staff?

How did they feel about the school program? About tennis and field hockey? Art lessons, music, and drama? About being kept busy every minute of the day? In what academic subjects did they excel? I bet they had no trouble memorizing scripture or praying publicly in the daily prayer meetings being the children of missionaries. How did they feel sleeping six to a dorm on wooden beds with straw pallets? Or bathing in a tin tub twice a week in water heated over a wooden stove? Did they like the blue and white checked frock uniform?  And the navy tunic and tie on Sundays?  Were they as homesick as I, living for the daily mail distribution and letters from family?

This was my first brush with genealogy. Names were insufficient – I wanted stories, not just the knowledge that I walked in steps they had walked. I wanted these cousins to come to life for me! Today I want the same thing. The family tree I inherited from my dad was just a list of names and dates. Who were these people, where and how did they live?

Today the internet allows me to find some answers.

Margery and Kathleen’s father Thomas Angus was an Evangelical missionary from Glasgow.3 His wife was Eliza Simpson and they had five children: David, Robert, Joan, Kathleen and Margery.4. There was an Anglican school for girls in Kuala Lumpur but Thomas likely chose far-away Hebron to ensure that his daughters were educated in their own faith. 5 Perhaps his sons went to Breeks Memorial, Hebron’s sister school for boys. Or they may have been left at a school in Britain on one of the furloughs. Thomas’ final trip home was in 1940.6 He suffered from a heart condition and died in 1948.7 His son David took over his work in Malaysia until his interment by the Japanese during WW2.8

My work on Thomas’ family remains incomplete. I will likely never find answers to my questions about the girls’ years at Hebron. The school is now an orphanage, academic records and yearbooks likely lost to time. I have not yet been able to trace the remaining years of the girls’ lives. What is key for me today, however, is that this long ago first brush with genealogy led to my insatiable quest today for family stories.

 Notes and Sources

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hebron_School

Hebron Gleanings 1958 (yearbook) – on file with author

Note: The school was surrounded by plantations growing the famous Nilgiri tea.

  1. My father worked for a Canadian mining company that was part of a NGO in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh. The job involved the construction and start-up of a newsprint mill in the village if Khulna south of Dhaka on the Ganges River. At the time, Bangladesh was under martial law.

 http://www.gospelhallkl.org/?page_id=14

“Mr. and Mrs T.R. Angus arrived to work with the Hakka tin miners and in October 1903 found “a crying need for the gospel on every hand” but few to meet the need. Training locals to serve the Lord proved difficult as the miners led a rather nomadic life and were unable to attend church regularly. Just before the Second World War engulfed the Pacific, the aging Mr. Thomas Angus returned to Scotland and was replaced by his son David Angus.”

  1. Eliza was listed as the wife of Thomas on his death certificate. To date (February 2015), I have been unable to find any other documentation. The children’s’ names are those provided by my father. The children may have been born in Kuala Lump, indeed Thomas and Eliza may have married there, but I have been unable to access Malaysian records.
  1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Mary’s_School,_Kuala_Lumpur
  1. Finding passenger lists (outgoing and incoming) have proven difficult. Angus is not an uncommon name in Britain, there are many British ports from which Thomas may have left, and a Malaysian destination is often merely a port–of-call on the way to a final destination like Australia. The lists I have been able to find sometimes show Thomas travelling alone, sometimes with his wife, or with his wife and children. The children’s names do not all match those given to me by my father. I have found a David, a Robert, a Margery, an Annie and a Frances. I have not found a Joan or a Kathleen. Were they younger than the others or did they go officially by other names?
  1. Death Certificate: http://www.scotlandspeople.gov.uk/
  1. http://www.preciousseed.org/article_detail.cfm?articleID=744

“In 1931 Mr. David Angus joined his father to continue the service the hallmark of which was grace and humility. During the war years Mr. Angus and other missionaries suffered imprisonment at the hands of the Japanese invaders. He survived the horrors of prison with fortitude and emerged with a new understanding of the people in the country of mixed nationalities he had come to serve” 

The German Soldier – Wolfgang Kempff

IMG_8356
Wolfgang Kempff 1937

The last letter my father received from Wolfgang Kempff was dated Berlin, September 20, 1939. Canada had declared war on Germany ten days earlier.

We hear many stories about allied soldiers, their heroics in the war and how proud they and their ancestors are of the medals won. This past remembrance day there was a story about a couple who had found medals and were trying to reunite them with the recipient’s family. One person commented that his German father had burned all his medals, not wanting to remember his part in the war. This invoked other comments saying how we have never heard what the German soldiers really felt about Hitler and the war.

I have some letters written to my father from a German fellow, Wolfgang Kempff, who was just 22 in 1939. Wolfgang had followed in the footsteps of his older brother and spent four years in Canada, attending Westmount High School, Westmount Quebec. He enjoyed his time perfecting his english and living the Canadian life. When he graduated in June 1935 he returned to Germany.

He is pictured in the school year book with all the other graduates. His biography is very revealing of his thoughts and feelings about Hitler and the position of Germany at that time.

His Quote: “Nature might stand up and say……”

His Favourite Expression: Heil Hitler

Pet Aversion: The treaty of Versailles

Past Time: Boosting Hitler

Ambition: To be as like Hitler as possible

Activities: Sailing Team, Junior Basketball, Play, Lifesaving and Public Speaking.

Wolfgang corresponded with his school friends after he returned home. He was very anxious for them to come visit him, to enjoy German beer, wine, racing cars, skiing and opera. He lived in Berlin with his mother and their guest room was always available. He even suggested they try to win scholarships so they could study in Berlin.

In 1937 Wolfgang was in the German army. He loved it and thought he would have great success because of his knowledge of English. He was proud of being German and believed Hitler was doing great things for his country. “I really gave myself pains to do everything well, and one can only do that when one is “flesh and blood” for the idea.” Unfortunately because of his health, continual throat infections, he was dismissed from the army. He was very upset as he would have been promoted to the military school that October and become an officer 18 months later.

With his military career over, he decided to study engineering at the University in Berlin. He needed six months of practical experience working in a factory before he could begin his program. It would then take seven and a half years before he would obtain his degree, much longer than his friends in Canada. In the summer of 1938 he worked for the State Railway and found it a very interesting experience. That fall he started his second term in mechanical engineering.

Wolfgang was enjoying the typical student life, going out, drinking beer, ski trips in the Bavarian Alps and chatting up English girls. He was annoyed that his summer holidays were to be cut by five weeks, but in September 1939 he and his mother were to drive to Italy, with stops in Prague and Vienna.

IMG_8355
Wolfgang Ice Skating in Berlin 1938

He wrote about politics. He didn’t think what was reported in the west was the truth. Wolfgang thought German food rationing was a joke. Every person could still have a pound of butter per week and enough eggs for breakfast! Lobster and caviar were expensive but these luxuries were something people could do without. No one was starving as local meat and vegetables were still readily available and there was almost no unemployment. “In 6 years much has been achieved. Perhaps no country in history has undergone such a change in 6 years. Hitler said in one of his last speeches, that Germany would far rather spend cash on things than on an unproductive army but apparently other countries have different ideas.”

The final letter was from September 20, 1939. He said, unfortunately he and his mother had to cancel their trip to Italy. Wolfgang didn’t understand why Britain and Canada had declared war on Germany. “We fight our own battles and won’t stand other people sticking their fingers into things which are none of their business.” He felt the Allies had nothing to gain and everything to lose in fighting the very fine German forces. “I don’t suppose any of you fellows will ever get on French soil. My pity for the “Paile and Tommy” who is going to try to run in our fortresses.”

IMG_8369
Wolfgang Kempff 1937

He certainly didn’t think the war would last very long. “My invitation still holds good when the scuffle is over. Please give my regards to everybody and with best wishes to you and your family,

Wolfgang

Notes:

Letters and photographs from Wolfgang Kempff, Germany to Donald Sutherland, Westmount, Quebec, Canada. Aug 5, 1937, Aug 23, 1938, March 29, 1939 and September 20, 1939.  In the author’s possession.

Westmount High School Annual, Westmount, Quebec, Canada. 1935

IMG_7951

I assume Wolfgang was accepted back into the German army and didn’t survive the war. As yet, I haven’t been able to find any more information about him.

 

Eastern Townships Resource Centre

 

Eastern Townships Resource Centre ETRC

http://www.etrc.ca

The Archives Department

Bishop’s University

2600 College Street, Sherbrooke QC J1M 1Z7

www.etrc.ca/archives-department/about-the-archives.html

Jody Robinson

Archivist

819-822-9600 – ext. 2261

etrc2@ubishops.ca

 If you had English-speaking ancestors in the Eastern Townships of Quebec (the south eastern region of the Province of Quebec, near the Vermont border,) do not overlook the Eastern Townships Resource Centre (ETRC). Many of the early residents of this region of forests and farmland came from the United States and from Scotland and were either Presbyterian or Methodist. You may find their birth, marriage and death records at their local Presbyterian, Methodist, or United churches in the archives of the ETRC.

 The Archives Department of the Eastern Townships Resource Centre is devoted to the preservation and promotion of the region’s rich heritage. Accredited by Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec and by the ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition feminine du Québec, the Archives Department acquires, preserves and gives access to archival materials that illustrate the development of the Eastern Townships’ English-speaking community. A variety of documents such as diaries, letters, photographs, postcards, maps and audio-visual materials are made available to researchers. Assistance is also provided to genealogists tracing their family roots.

Here, you can explore close to 300 collections including historical information on Eastern Townships families, political figures and writers, societies and institutions, and newspapers. The United and Presbyterian churches together provide more than 100 fonds.

 Archival Collection

 www.etrc.ca/archives-department/online-resources/archival-collection.html

 Presbyterian & United Churches Archives

 Part One: Guide to the fonds in numerical sequence

 Part Two: Alphabetical sequence by towns

 

 Presbyterian Church Archives

PC 001 Scotstown (Compton County) – St. Pauls Presbyterian Church – Organized in 1925 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1926-1994) – St. Paul’s Presbyterian in Scotstown from 1925 onward grew, amalgamating surrounding Presbyterian congregations, among them, St. Andrew’s Presbyterian in Lake Megantic and Bethany Presbyterian Church in Milan in 1980 –

PC 002Marsboro (Frontenac County) – Marsboro Presbyterian – Organized in 1858 – From 1881 to 1890 it was apparently attached to the Lake Megantic Presbyterian Church, subsequently it became independent – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1882-1984)

PC 003Lake Megantic (Frontenac County) – St. Andrews Presbyterian – Organized in 1874 as Knox Presbyterian > Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1927-1963, 1979)

PC 004 Winslow (Compton County) – St. Johns Presbyterian First organized in 1851- The fonds might also contain Civil registers from Saint Luke’s Presbyterian in Hampden – Whitton  – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1864-1938) -.

 PC 005Hampden (Compton County) – St. Lukes Presbyterian – Organized in 1877 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1877-1936)

PC 006 Milan (Frontenac County) – Bethany Presbyterian -Organized in 1875 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1899-1980)

PC 007 Danville – Asbestos (Richmond County) – St. Andrews Presbyterian – Organized in 1872 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, deaths (1872-1981)

PC 008Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke County) – St. Andrews Presbyterian – Established in 1864 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, deaths (1865-1983)

PC 009Sawyerville (Compton County) – Quebec Presbytery – No Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials

PC 010Melbourne (Richmond County) – St. Pauls Presbyterian – Organized in 1968 – No Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials, only a fond described as Congregation (1968-1988)

PC 011Melbourne (Richmond County) – St. Andrews Presbyterian – Organized in 1925 – No Registers of baptisms, marriages, deaths – Only one fond described as Congregation (1962-1994)

PC 012Flodden (Richmond County) – Knox Presbyterian – Organized in 1893 – Initially established as the Free Church of Brompton-Gore – No Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials – Only one fond described as Communion rolls (1893-1909)

PC 013St. GeorgeKennebec Road Marlow (Beauce County) – Jersey Mills Presbyterian – Organized in 1878 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, deaths (1883-1948)

PC 014Richmond (Richmond County) – Chalmers Presbyterian St. Andrew’s Presbyterian – Organized in 1878 – No Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials – Fonds consist of annual reports and historical information.

PC 015Inverness (Megantic County) St. Andrews Presbyterian – Organized in 1838 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1848 only)

PC 016Gould (Compton County) – Chalmers Emmanuel Presbyterian – Organized in 1845 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1931-1946)

PC 017Lemesurier (Megantic County) – Reids Presbyterian – Organized in 1854 – The fonds might also contain Civil registers from Leeds Village Presbyterian & Candlish Presbyterian in Kinnear’s Mills – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1855-1943)

PC 018St. Sylvester (Lotbinière County) – St. Sylvesters Presbyterian – Organized in 1844 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1844 & 1866-1882)

PC 019 Adderley Inverness Township (Mégantic County) – Adderley Presbyterian Church – Also known as St. Andrew’s or South Kirk werte first organized in 1856 – Church building was erected in 1873 – No Registers of baptisms, marriages deaths, only documents described as Congregation (1960-1983)

United Church Archives

UC 001Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke County) – Plymouth United Congregational Church – Organized in 1837 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1837-1965)

UC 002Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke County) – Trinity UnitedTrinity Methodist – Organized in 1846 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1848-1971)

UC 003Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke County) – Sangster Memorial United – Organized in 1946 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1947-1966)

UC 004Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke County) – Plymouth Trinity United > Congregational – Unitarian – Organized in 1897 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1965-1987)

UC 005Lennoxville (Sherbrooke County) – Lennoxville United > Methodist – Organized in 1838 – The fonds might also contain Civil registers from Johnville – Capelton – Minton – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1838-1959)

UC 006Magog (Stanstead County) – St. Pauls United > Methodist – Organized in 1884 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1890-1906)

UC 007Beebe (Stanstead County) – Wesley United > Wesleyan Methodist – Organized in 1875 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1942-1966)

UC 008Granby (Shefford County) – Granby UnitedCongregational – First organized in 1830 – Granby United was formed in 1925 with the amalgamation of Trinity United and Drummond Street United – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1879-1999)

UC 009Knowlton (Brome County) – Knowlton UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1855 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1860-1994)

UC 010Sawyerville (Compton County) – Sawyerville UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1850 – The fonds might include BMD’s from churches located in Maple Leaf – Randboro – Clifton – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1860-1994)

UC 011Stanstead (Stanstead County) – Stanstead Centenary United > Wesleyan MethodistEpiscopalian – First organized in 1804 – In 1869 it was renamed Stanstead Wesleyan Methodist – The fonds might contain BMD’s from Hatley – Compton – Barnston – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1831-1860)

UC 012Granby (Shefford County) – Drummond Street UnitedMethodist – First organized in 1850 as the Methodist Church of Granby – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1857-1925)

UC 013North Hatley (Stanstead County) – North Hatley United – Organized in 1955 – No Civil registers – see Waterville, see Hatley

UC 014 Hatley (Stanstead County) – Hatley UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1836 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1861-1927)

UC 015 Scotstown (Compton County) – St. Andrews UnitedPresbyterian – First organized in 1876 as St. Andrew’s Presbyterian – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1877-1981)

UC 016 Ayers Cliff (Stanstead County) – Beulah UnitedMethodist Adventist Anglican – First organized in 1879 as the Union Meeting House Church of Ayer’s Flat, the church was also used by the Adventist and Anglican Churches – No Civil registers, see Ayer’s Cliff, see Coaticook, see Way’s Mills

UC 017Birchton (Compton County) – Birchton UnitedMethodistBaptistCongregationalAnglican – Organized in 1879 as the Birchton Union Church Society with the participation of the Methodist, Baptist and Congregationalist Societies – The church was also used by the Anglican Church – No Civil registers at ETRC

UC 018Bury (Compton County) – Bury UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1863 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1868-1902 & 1930s to an undisclosed year)

UC 019 Coaticook (Stanstead County) – Sisco Memorial UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1853 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1860-1962)

UC 020 DanvilleAsbestos (Richmond County) – Trinity UnitedCongregational – Organized in 1832 as the first Congregationalist church in the Eastern Townships – In 1842 the church would unite with the Presbyterians in forming the Federated Church of Danville – In 1860, the church joined the Methodist Church – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1834-after 1950)

UC 021 Waterloo (Shefford County) – St. Pauls UnitedWesleyan MethodistAnglican – Organized 1832 as a Methodist church – Starting in 1862, the church was shared with the Anglican congregation – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1933-1978)

UC 022 Waterville (Compton County) – Waterville UnitedCongregational – Organized in 1862 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1862-1978)

UC 023 United ChurchYamaska Region – St. Francis Region (Richmond – Sherbrooke – Stanstead – Drummond) – Eastern Region (Compton – Megantic – Frontenac – Lotbiniere – Beauce) – Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1924-1984)

UC 024 Ayers CliffMagog (Stanstead County) Ayers Cliff Magog Pastoral Charge – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1968-1979) of churches located in Ayer’s Cliff – Coaticook – Way’s Mills – Magog – Georgeville

UC 025 Eaton (Compton County) – Eaton UnitedCongregational – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1838-1901)

UC 026 Bulwer (Compton County) – Bulwer UnitedMethodist – No Civil registers at ETRC – Fonds contains Church Boards (1866-1990)

UC 027 Birchton (Compton County) – Birchton Pastoral ChurchWesleyan Methodist – Organized in 1894 by the Wesleyan Methodist Congregation in Birchton – Bulwer – Eaton – No Civil registers at ETRC – Fonds contains Church Boards (1894-1967)

UC 028 East Angus (Compton County) – Emmanuel UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1901 – No Civil registers at ETRC – Church Boards (1901-1978)

UC 029 Abbotsford (Rouville County) – Abbotsford UnitedCongregational & Methodist – Organized in 1835 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1835-1836 & 1865-1879)

UC 030Cookshire (Compton County) – Trinity UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1863 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1871-1957)

UC 031 Cowansville (Missisquoi County) – Emmanuel UnitedCongregational & Methodist – Both organized in 1844 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1856-1960)

UC 032 Georgeville (Stanstead County) – Georgeville UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1859 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1859-1890)

UC 033 Dunham (Missisquoi County) – Dunham United Methodist – Organized in 1806 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1806-1950 & 1960s)

UC 034 Fitch Bay (Stanstead County) – Fitch Bay UnitedCongregational – Organized in 1854 as the North Stanstead Congregational Church – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials  (1854-1888)

UC 035 Lake Megantic (Frontenac County) – Knox UnitedPresbyterian – Organized in 1890 as Knox Presbyterian – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1900-1962)

UC 036 Foster (Shefford County) – Creek UnitedFree Will Baptist – Organized in 1878 – In 1885 the church became South Stukely Methodist – No Civil registers at ETRC – see South Stukely

UC 037 Austin (Brome County) – Austin United New Connexion MethodistOrganized in 1855– Also known as New Connexion Methodist of Bolton Centre – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1855-1963)

UC 038 Island Brook (Compton County) – Island Brook United – Methodist – Organized in 1868 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1878-1916) & church memberships (1884-1969)

UC 039 Rock Island (Stanstead County) – Stanstead South United > Congregational – Organized in 1816 – Also known as Stanstead South Congregational – From 1817 to 1827, the Congregationalists worshipped with the Methodists, Episcopalians and the Baptists in the Union Meeting House in North Plain – No Civil registers at ETRC – see Stanstead

UC 040 Ulverton (Drummond County) – Ulverton United > Congregational & Wesleyan Methodist – Organized in 1837 as Ulverton Congregational and in 1842 as Durham Wesleyan Methodist, the two churches would later be amalgamated into one – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1837-1925 & 1963)

UC 041 Sutton (Brome County) – Calvary UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1799 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1856-2001)

UC 042 Drummondville (Drummond County) – Trinity United – Organized in 1927 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1927-1996)

UC 043 Tomifobia (Stanstead County) – Tomifobia UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1890 – No Civil registers at ETRC – see Georgeville

UC 044 Leeds Village (Megantic County) – Leeds Wesleyan Methodist – Organized in 1830 as part of the New Ireland Circuit, which included churches in Lower Ireland – Upper Ireland – Inverness – St. Sylvester – Leeds – Kinnear’s Mills – Ireland – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1834-1902), the latter might include registers from the above mentioned churches

UC 045 Kinnears Mills (Megantic County) – Candlish UnitedPresbyterian – Organized in 1854 with three preaching points: Leeds Village Presbyterian, Reid’s Presbyterian in Lemesurier, and Kinnear’s Mills’ Candlish Presbyterian – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1854-1935) – This selection might include registers for the above churches

UC 046 Asbestos (Richmond County) – Asbestos UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1925 – No Civil registers at ETRC, fonds include Membership Registers (1927-1972)

UC 047 Ways Mills (Stanstead County) – Ways Mills Union ChurchBaptists Crises Adventists Herald Adventists – Methodists – Organized in 1881 by the Baptists, the Crises Adventists, the Herald Adventists, the Methodists. The Methodists of this Union Church were part of Barnston Methodist Circuit with missions in Hatley, Way’s Mills, Cassville, Ayer’s Cliff, Coaticook – No Civil registers at ETRC – see Barnston, the next item

UC 048 Barnston (Stanstead County) – Barnston Methodist – Organized in 1875 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1875-1915) – see also UC 047

UC 049 Compton (Compton County) – Compton UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1861 as part of the Compton Methodist Circuit which included Clifton – Martinville – Ives Hill > No Civil registers at ETRC but a Membership Register (1861-1954)

UC 050 Acton Vale (Bagot County) – Acton Vale CircuitMethodist – Organized in 1898 as a Circuit Ministry which included the preaching points of Acton Vale – Acton – Bethany – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1915-1927)

UC 051 Leeds (Megantic County) – Leeds UnitedPresbyterian  – Organized in 1854 as part of the Leeds Presbyterian which included three preaching points: Leeds Village (Leeds Presbyterian), Lemesurier (Reid’s Presbyterian) and Kinnear’s Mills (Candlish Presbyterian) – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1882-1914 & 1928-1942) – Church Memberships (1882-1944)

UC 052 East Clifton (Compton County) – East Clifton UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1860 – No Civil registers at ETRC – see Eaton

UC 053Mansonville (Brome County) – Mansonville UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1873 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1873-2002) Church Memberships (1874-1983)

UC 054 Inverness (Megantic County) – St. Andrews UnitedMethodist Presbyterian – Organized in 1832 as Inverness Methodist which was part of the Inverness Circuit, which included missions in Upper Ireland – Lower Ireland – Leeds – New Ireland – Kinnear’s Mills – Belcher Range – Walsh’s Hamilton Range – Adderly – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1864-1899) Membership Registers (1850s-1893)

UC 055 Randboro (Compton County) – Randboro UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1887 – No Civil registers at ETRC – see Sawyerville

UC 056 Chester (Megantic) – Mission Unie de lÉglise Unie aux Saint Martyrs Canadiens Presbyterian – Organized in 1896 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1895-1975)

UC 057 Maple Leaf (Compton County) – Maple Leaf Methodist – Organized in the 1850s, this church was part of the Sawyerville Methothist Circuit – Maple Leaf Methodist closed its doors in 1929 – No Civil registers at ETRC, see Sawyerville

UC 058 Minton (Stanstead County) – Minton UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1894 as part of the Minton Methodist Circuit, which included Minton – Reeds – Belvidere – Albert Mines – Eustis – No Civil registers at ETRC – Membership Registers (1898-1936)

UC 059 Lingwick Gould (Compton County) – Chalmers UnitedPresbyterian – Organized in 1845 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1849-1890)

UC 060 Agnes Lake Megantic (Frontenac County) – Agnes Methodist – Organized in 1883 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1894-1909) Membership Registers (1894-1906)

UC 061 Farnham (Missisquoi County) – Grace United Methodist – Organized in 1856 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1856-1968) Membership Registers (1860-1975)

UC 062 Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke County) – Église Missionnaire Méthodiste FrançaiseMethodist – Organized in 1875 – No Civil registers at ETRC – Church Boards (1875-1888)

UC 063 Bishopton Bishops Crossing (Wolfe County) –Bishopton UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1860 as part of the Dudswell Methodist Ministry  Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1860-1924 & 1967) – Church Memberships (1919-1976)

UC 064 Farnham’s Corner (Missisquoi County) – Farnhams Corner UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1843 – No Civil registers at ETRC – Church Boards (1963-1968)

UC 065 West Brome (Brome County) – West Brome United > Methodist – Organized in 1856 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1888-1925) Membership Registers (1884-1921)

UC 066 Thetford Mines (Megantic County) – Thetford Mines UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1905 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1905-1946)

UC 067 Boyntown (Stanstead County) – Boynton UnitedCongregational – Organized in 1892 – No Civil registers at ETRC – Committees (1892-1907 & 1916-1932) – see Stanstead

UC 068Lawrenceville (Shefford County) – Lawrenceville Methodist – Organized in 1871 – No Civil registers at ETRC – Membership Registers (1871-1905)

UC 069 East Roxton (Shefford County) – Église Méthodiste Française de Roxton – Organized in 1856 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1877-1915)

UC 070 East Farnham (Missisquoi County) – East Farnham UnitedCongregationalist New Connexion Methodist Baptist Anglican – Organized in 1843 as East Farnham Union Church. It was used by Free Will Baptists – Wesleyan New Connexion Methodists – Anglicans – Baptists – Congregationalists – No Civil registers at ETRC – Church Boards (1889-1992 & 1897-1927 & 1955-1983)

UC 071 Erie (Wolfe County) – Erie UnitedMethodist – Organized 1890 as part of the Methodist Missions of Erie – Marbleton – Bishop’s Crossing (Bishopton) – No Civil registers at ETRC – Church Boards (1896-1959)

UC 072 Warden (Shefford County) – Warden UnitedMethodist – Organized in 1861 – No Civil registers at ETRC – Church Boards (1897-1971)

UC 073 Windsor (Richmond County) – St. Andrews UnitedPresbyterian & Methodist – Organized in 1859 as the Presbyterian Free Kirk in Lower Windsor – In 1867 the Presbyterian Church and Methodist Church were organized in Windsor Mills – In 1925, all became St. Andrew’s United – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1876-1981) Membership Registers (1867-1942) Board Members (1867-1984)

UC 074 Richmond Melbourne (Richmond County) – Richmond & Melbourne UnitedPresbyterian – Methodist – Organized in 1836 and in 1939 with the amalgamation of Richmond Methodist – Melbourne Methodist – Chalmers Presbyterian of Melbourne the congregation became Richmond & Melbourne United – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1836-1994) – Membership Registers (1942-1970) – Board Members (1887-1972 & 1901-2000)

UC 075 Melbourne Ridge (Bagot County) – Melbourne Ridge United – Organized in 1837 – No Civil registers at ETRC – Membership Registers (1880s-1957)

UC 076 Abercorn (Brome County) – Abercorn UnitedMethodist – Presbyterian – Congregationalist – Baptist – Organized in 1870, the Methodists belonged to the Union Church Society of Abercorn with the Methodists-New Connexion, the Congregationalists, the Presbyterians and the Baptists – No Civil registers at ETRC – Church Boards (1901-1955)

UC 077Danville (Richmond County) – Congregational Church of Danville – Organized in 1832, this fond contain the personal documents of Rev. Ammi J. Parker, the leader of the Congregationalist movement in the Eastern Townships in the early 1830’s. It deals with the various missions and churches established by Rev. Parker – No Civil registers at ETRC – Missionary Work (1820s-1870s)

UC 078 Heathton South Barnston (Stanstead County) Heathton UnitedMethodist – Established in 1898 – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1898-1953 & 1971)

UC 079Brigham (Brome County) – Brigham UnitedCongregational – Organized in 1873 by Congregational ministers from Cowansville – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1888-1983) – Church Boards (1867-1997)

UC 080Kingsbury (Richmond County) – St. Andrew’s UnitedPresbyterian – Organized in the 1850s – In 1885 it was part of the Melbourne Charge along with Knox Church in Brompton-Gore (also known as Flodden) – In 1879 St. Andrew’s Kingsbury and Knox Brompton-Gore were united into one charge – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1880-1956) – Church Memberships (1930s-1970s)

UC 081Trenholm (Drummond County) – Trenholm United – Methodist – Organized in 1845 – No Civil Registers at ETRC – see Melbourne – Board Members (1845-1902 & 1898-1922)

UC 082Cowansville-Dunham (Missisquoi County) – Cowansville-Dunham Pastoral Charge – Organized in 1950 – No Civil Registers at ETRC – Church Boards (1956-1971)

UC 083Cowansville – (Missisquoi County) – Cowansville Area Pastoral Charge – Registers of baptisms, marriages, burials (1968-1993) – Membership Registers (1972-1978)

Guide to fonds in alphabetical sequence

 Abbotsford (Rouville County) – #UC-029 – Congregational – Methodist (United)

Abercorn (Brome County) – #UC-076 – Union Church – Methodist – Congregational – Presbyterian – Baptist

Acton (Bagot County) – #UC-050 – see Acton Vale Circuit Methodist

Acton Vale (Bagot County)- #UC-050 – Methodist Circuit Ministry with preaching point in Acton, Bethany

Adderley – Inverness Township(Megantic County) – #UC-054 – Inverness Methodist Circuit

Adderley – Inverness Township (Megantic County) – #PC-019 – Presbyterian Church

Agnes (Lake Megantic) – (Frontenac County) – #UC-060 – Methodist

Albert Mine (Stanstead County) – #UC-058 – Minton Methodist Circuit

Asbestos (Richmond County) – #UC-046 – Methodist (United)

Asbestos Danville (Richmond County) – #PC-007– Presbyterian

Asbestos Danville (Richmond County) – #UC-020 Congregational (Federated Church)

Austin (Brome County) – #UC-037 – Methodist (United)

Ayers Cliff (Stanstead County) – #UC-016 – Union Church – Methodist – Adventist – Anglican – United

Ayers Cliff (Stanstead County) – #UC-024 & #UC-047– Ayer’s Cliff & Magog Pastoral Charge (Churches located in Ayer’s Cliff – Coaticook – Way’s Mills – Magog – Georgeville)

Ayers Flat (Stanstead County) – #UC-016 – Union Church – United

Barnston (Stanstead County) – #UC-011 & #UC-047 & #UC-048 – Methodist – Episcopalian – United

Beauce County – #UC-023 – Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery -Eastern Region

Beebe (Stanstead County) – #UC-007 – Methodist

Belcher Range (Megantic County) – #UC-054 – Inverness Methodist Circuit

Belvidere (Belvedere) – Stanstead County – #UC-058 – Minton Methodist Circuit

Bethany (Bagot County) – #UC-050 – see Acton Vale Circuit Methodist

Birchton (Compton County) – #UC-017 & #UC-027 – Union Church – Methodist – Baptist – Congregational – Anglican – United

Bishopton (Bishops Crossing) (Wolfe County) – #UC-063 – Dudswell Methodist Circuit

Bolton Centre (Brome County) – #UC-037 – Methodist – United

Boynton (Stanstead County) – #UC-067 – Congregational

Bulwer (Compton County) – #UC-026 & #UC-027– Methodist

Bury (Compton County) – #UC-018 Methodist – United

Capelton (Sherbrooke County) – #UC-005 Methodist – United

Cassville (Stanstead County) – see Way’s Mills #UC-047

Chester (Megantic County) – #UC-056 – Presbyterian

Clifton (Compton County) – #UC-010 & #UC-049 – Methodist

Coaticook (Stanstead County) – #UC-019 & #UC-047 – Methodist – United

Coaticook (Stanstead County) – #UC-024 – Ayer’s Cliff & Magog Pastoral Charge (Churches located in Ayer’s Cliff – Coaticook – Way’s Mills – Magog – Georgeville)

Compton (Compton County) – #UC-011 & #UC-049– Methodist – Episcopalian (United) & Compton Methodist Circuit Ministry with preaching points in Clfton, Martinville, Ives Hill

Compton County – #UC-023 – Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery Eastern Region

Cookshire (Compton County) – #UC-030 – Methodist – United

Cowansville (Missisquoi County) – #UC-031 – Congregational – Methodist – United

Danville Asbestos (Richmond County) – #PC-007– Presbyterian

Danville Asbestos (Richmond County) – #UC-020 & #UC-077 Congregational – Federated Church

Drummond County – #UC-023 – Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery St. Francis District

Drummondville (Drummond County) – #UC-042 – United

Dudswell (Wolfe County) – #UC-063 – Methodist

Dunham (Missisquoi County) – #UC-033 – Methodist – United

Durham (Drummond County) – #UC-040 – Methodist – United

East Angus (Compton County) – #UC-028 – Methodist – United

East Clifton (Compton County) – #UC-052 Methodist

East Farnham (Missisquoi County) – #UC-070 – Union Church – Methodist – Free Will Baptist – Baptist – Anglican – Congregational

Eaton (Compton County) – #UC-025– Congregational

Eaton (Compton County) – #UC-027– Methodist

Erie (Wolfe County) – #UC-071 – Methodist

Eustis (Stanstead County) – #UC-058 – Minton Methodist Circuit

Farnham (Missisquoi County) – #UC-061 – Methodist

Farnhams Corner (Missisquoi County) – #UC-064 – Methodist

Fitch Bay (Stanstead County) – #UC-034 – Congregational – Methodist

Flodden (Richmond County) – #PC-012 – Presbyterian – Free Church

Foster (Shefford County) – #UC-036 – Baptist – United

Frontenac County – #UC-023 – Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery Eastern Region

Georgeville (Stanstead County) – #UC-024 – Ayer’s Cliff – Magog Pastoral Charge (Churches located in Ayer’s Cliff – Coaticook – Way’s Mills – Magog – Georgeville)

Georgeville (Stanstead County) – #UC-032 – Methodist – United

Gould (Compton County) – #PC-016 & #UC-059– Presbyterian

 Granby (Shefford County) – #UC-008 – Congregational – United

Granby (Shefford County) – #UC-012 – Methodist – United

Hampden (Compton County) – #PC-005 Presbyterian

Hatley (Stanstead County) – #UC-011 & #UC-014 & #UC-047 – Methodist – Episcopalian – United

Heathton (Stanstead County) – #UC-078- Methodist

Inverness (Megantic County) – #PC-015 – Presbyterian

Inverness (Megantic County) – #UC-044 & #UC-054 – Methodist & Inverness Methodist Circuit Ministry with preaching points in Upper Ireland – Lower Ireland – Leeds – New Ireland – Kinnear’s Mills – Belcher Range – Walsh’s Hamilton Range – Adderly.

Ireland (Megantic County) – #UC-044 – Methodist

Island Brook (Compton County) – #UC-038 – Methodist (United)

Ives Hill (Compton County) – #UC-049 – Compton Methodist Circuit Ministry

Jersey Mills (Beauce County) – #PC-013 – Presbyterian

Johnville (Sherbrooke County) – #UC-005 Methodist – United

Kennebec Road (Beauce County) – #PC-013 – Presbyterian

Kinnears Mills (Megantic County) – #PC-017 & #UC-045 & #UC-051 – Presbyterian & Leeds Presbyterian Circuit Ministry

Kinnears Mills (Megantic County) – #UC-044 & #UC-054 – Methodist & Inverness Methodist Circuit

Knowlton (Brome County) – #UC-009 – Methodist

Lake Megantic (Agnes) (Frontenac County) – #PC-003 & #UC-035 & #UC-060– Presbyterian – Methodist (United)

Lawrenceville (Shefford County) – #UC-068 – Methodist

Leeds Village (Megantic County) – #PC-017 & #UC-045 & #UC-051– Presbyterian & Leeds Presbyterian Circuit Ministry with preaching points in Leeds Village, Lemesurier, Kinnear’s Mills

Leeds Village (Megantic County) – #UC-044 & #UC-054– Methodist & Inverness Methodist Circuit

Lemesurier (Megantic County) – #PC-017 & #UC-045 & #UC-051 – Presbyterian & Leeds Presbyterian Circuit Ministry

Lennoxville (Sherbrooke County) – #UC-005 – Methodist – United

Lingwick (Compton County) – #UC-059 – Presbyterian

 Lotbinière County – #UC-023 – Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery Eastern Region

Lower Ireland (Megantic County) – #UC-044 & #UC-054 – Methodist & Inverness Methodist Circuit

Magog (Stanstead County) – #UC006 Methodist

Magog (Stanstead County) – #UC-024 Ayer’s Cliff – Magog Pastoral Charge (Churches located in Ayer’s Flatt – Coaticook – Way’s Mills – Magog – Georgeville)

Mansonville (Brome County) – #UC-053 – Methodist – United

Maple Leaf (Compton County) – #UC-010 & #UC-057 – Methodist & Sawyerville Methodist Circuit

Marlow (Beauce County) – #PC-013 – Presbyterian

Marsboro (Frontenac County) – #PC-002 Presbyterian

Martinville (Compton County) – #UC-049 – Compton Methodist Circuit Ministry

Melbourne (Richmond County) – #PC-010 & #PC-011 – Presbyterian

Megantic County – #UC-023 Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery Eastern Region

Melbourne (Richmond County) – #UC-074 – Presbyterian & Methodist

Melbourne Ridge (Bagot County) – #UC-075 – United

Milan (Frontenac County) – #PC-006 – Presbyterian

Minton (Stanstead County) – #UC-005 & #UC-058 – Methodist (United) & Minton Methodist Circuit with preaching points in Minton – Reeds – Belvidere (Belvedere) – Albert Mines – Eustis

New Ireland (Megantic County) – #UC-044 & #UC-054 – Methodist & Inverness Methodist Circuit

 North Hatley (Stanstead County) – #UC-013 – United

North Plain (Stanstead County) – #UC-039 – Union Church – Congregational – Methodist – Episcopalian – Baptist – United

North Stanstead (Stanstead County) – #UC-034 – Congregational – United

Plymouth (Sherbrooke County) – #UC-001 & #UC-004 Congregational

Plymouth (Sherbrooke County) – #UC-004 – Unitarian

Randboro (Compton County) – #UC-010 & #UC-055 – Methodist

Reeds (Stanstead County) – #UC-058 – Minton Methodist Circuit

Richmond (Richmond County) – #PC-014 & #UC-074 – Presbyterian & Methodist

Richmond County#UC-023 – Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery St. Francis District

Rock Island (Stanstead County) – #UC-039 – Congregational – United

Roxton (Shefford County) – #UC-069 – Methodist

Sawyerville (Compton County) – #PC-009 – Quebec Presbytery

Sawyerville (Compton County) – #UC-010 & #UC-057 – Methodist & Sawyerville Methodist Circuit

 Scotstown (Compton County) – #PC-001 & #UC-015- Presbyterian (United)

Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke County) – #PC-008 & #UC-062 – Presbyterian

Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke County) – #UC-001 & #UC-002 & UC-004– Congregational

Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke County) – #UC-003 – Sangster – United

Sherbrooke (Sherbrooke County) – #UC-004 Unitarian

Sherbrooke County – #UC-023 – Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery – St. Francis District

South Barnston (Stanstead County) – #UC-078 – Methodist

South Stukely (Shefford County) – #UC-036 – Methodist – United

Stanstead (Stanstead County) – #UC-011 – Methodist – Episcopalian – United

Stanstead County #UC-023 – Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery St. Francis District

Stanstead South (Stanstead County) – #UC-039 – Congregational – United

St. Francis District – #UC-023 – Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery for the Region of St. Francis – Saint-Francois

St. George (Beauce County) – #PC-013 – Presbyterian

St. Sylvestre (Sylvester) (Lotbinière County) – #PC-018 – Presbyterian

St. Sylvestre (Sylvester) (Lotbinière County) – #UC-044 – Methodist

Sutton (Brome County) – #UC-041 – Methodist – United

Thetford Mines (Megantic County) – #UC-066 – Methodist

Tomifobia (Stanstead County) – #UC-043 – Methodist – United

Ulverton (Drummond County) – #UC-040 – Congregational – Methodist – United

Upper Ireland (Megantic County) – #UC-044 & UC-054 – Methodist & Inverness Methodist Circuit

Walshs Hamilton Range (Megantic County) – #UC-054 Inverness Methodist Circuit Ministry

Warden (Shefford County) – #UC-072 – Methodist

Waterloo (Shefford County) – #UC-021– Methodist – Anglican – United

Waterville (Compton County) – #UC-022 – Congregational – United

Ways Mills (Stanstead County) – #UC-024 – Ayer’s Cliff – Magog Pastoral Charge (Churches located in Ayer’s Cliff – Coaticook – Way’s Mills – Magog – Georgeville)

Ways Mills (Stanstead County) – #UC-047 – Union Church – Baptist – Crises Adventist – Herald Adventist – Methodist (The Methodist churches were part of Barnston Methodist Circuit with preaching points in Hatley – Way’s Mills – Casscille – Ayer’s Cliff – Coaticook)

West Brome (Brome County) – #UC-065 – Methodist

Windsor (Richmond County) – #UC-073 Presbyterian

Windsor Mills (Richmond County) – #UC-073 – Presbyterian & Methodist

Winslow (Compton County) – #PC-004 – Presbyterian

Yamaska County#UC-023 – Quebec & Sherbrooke Presbytery Yamaska Region

Compiled by Jacques Gagné gagne.jacques@sympatico.ca   2016-03-10

 

The Gospel Singer

By Sandra McHugh

During his lifetime, Edward McHugh made several trips back and forth across the Atlantic Ocean, but there was a world of difference between his first trip and his last.1

Edward was 19 when he immigrated from Scotland to Canada in 1912 with his widowed mother, his two brothers, his sister-in-law and his brother’s seven children. Destined for Montreal, they traveled on the steamship S.S. Grampian in third class, or steerage. Edward would have slept on a bunk bed and shared his room with other family members, and meals would have been served at long communal tables in the dining room.2

Forty years later, in 1951, he traveled first class from Southampton to New York on the luxurious R.M.S. Queen Elizabeth ocean liner.3 He would have enjoyed a spacious stateroom, first class lounges and formal dining. He could have ordered anything he wanted from room service.4 There would have been plenty of space to store his eleven pieces of luggage.5

By that time, Edward had retired and was able to afford first class passage because of his successful career as a musician. This is the story of how a talented, working-class young man from Scotland and Montreal became famous in America as the Gospel Singer.

Edward, born in 1893 in Dundee, Scotland, came from a family of jute-factory workers of Irish heritage. His father was a yarn dyer.6 When the family arrived in Canada, they settled in Verdun, a district of Montreal located close to the factories that would have provided employment for the three McHugh brothers. Edward worked as a manual labourer in the rail yards on the locomotives.7

Shortly after his arrival in Canada, he made his public singing debut at Montreal’s Hunt Club, singing God Save the King. The Duke of Connaught, then the Governor General of Canada, heard him sing and was instrumental in sending him to study at London’s Royal College of Music.8 This college accepted both students who paid tuition and students who won entry through competitions.9 Given Edward’s humble background, it is probable he had a scholarship.

By 1919, Edward had decided to pursue a musical career so he left Montreal, settled in New York City and continued his studies .10

It took a few years for Edward’s career to take off, but in 1927, Edward was invited to sing The Old Rugged Cross, an evangelical hymn written in 1912,11 on Boston radio station WEEI.12 The next day, the station received 2,300 letters praising Edward’s baritone voice. His choice of hymn and the timing were excellent. Gospel songs had become increasingly popular as they were easier to sing than traditional hymns. 13

In 1938, Edward published a compilation of gospel hymns and poems.14 His fame grew and, by the 1940s, he was nicknamed the Gospel Singer and he was a regular on NBC radio.16

In 1947, an ad for Edward’s 15-minute radio program appeared in Billboard Magazine. It claimed, “Edward MacHugh, Your Gospel Singer, [. . .] who is said to have the most perfect diction of any singer without sacrificing warmth . . . ”19

It wasn’t just the quality of his voice that made him popular; he seems to have tapped into a need for comfort in troubled times. During World War II, his fans often requested he sing God Will Take Care of You,17 a song that must have soothed people whose loved ones were risking their lives serving their country.

When asked about gospel music, Edward replied, “A lot of people think that hymn-singing is ‘corny.’ That’s okay with me. I get my satisfaction in giving real pleasure to a great number of people and perhaps in being some small help in times of trouble and affliction.”18

It is clear that Edward’s beautiful baritone voice moved many listeners. He popularized hymns and gospel songs through his radio shows, compilations, records and concerts,20 and he sang songs of simplicity, devotion and encouragement in times of pain.

After he retired in the 1940s, Edward and his wife Jennie lived a quiet life in Norwalk, Connecticut. They had no children. During his retirement, Edward continued to make records and take part in religious festivals and church anniversaries. He passed away in 1957 at the age of 63 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.21

 

Add footnote about change in name

  1.  “UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960,” database, Ancestry.com, Edward McHugh, Grampion,  Glasgow to Quebec, leaving May 11, 1912.
  2.  Gjenvik, Paul K., Glenvick Gjonvik Archives (GG Archives), Collection of Travel Brochures, online <http://www.gjenvick.com/HistoricalBrochures/CunardLine/FranconiaAndLaconia/1912/05-ThirdClassAccommodations.html#axzz4ZumLRf5j>, accessed 13 February 2017.
  3.  “UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960,” database, Ancestry.com, Edward McHugh, Queen Elizabeth, Southampton to New York, leaving October 6, 1951.
  4.  The National Railway Museum, York, England, U.K., photo and description of a first-class cabin on the Queen Elizabeth, 1950, online < http://www.nrm.org.uk/ourcollection/photo?group=British%20Transport%20Commission&objid=1996-7038_BTF_837_P_43>, accessed 13 February 2017.
  5.   “UK, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960,” database, Ancestry.com, Edward McHugh, Queen Elizabeth, Southampton to New York, leaving October 6, 1951.
  6.  McIntyre, Alistair, “Significant Scots, Edward McHugh.” Unknown posting date. Electric Scotland, online < http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/mchugh_edward.htm&gt;, accessed 13 February 2017.
  7. “Edward MacHugh,” obituary, Ottawa Journal, 6 February 1957, p. 5.
  8.  “E. MacHugh Ex-Gospel Singer Dies.”Undated clipping, ca.1957, from unidentified newspaper. Privately held by Sandra McHugh, Montreal, Quebec
  9. Wikipedia, Royal College of Music, Early Years,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_College_of_Music , accessed 13 February 2017.
  10. 1920 United States Federal Census, 1920, Manhattan, New York City, New York, Enumeration District (ED) 829, sheet 2, Ward 11 a.d., Dwelling 250, apt. 39, Edward McHugh: digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 27 February 2017)
  11. Wikipedia, The Old Rugged Cross, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Old_Rugged_Cross, accessed February 13, 2017.
  12. McIntyre, Alistair, “Significant Scots, Edward McHugh.” Paragraph xx http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/mchugh_edward.htm
  13. Wikipedia, Gospel music,  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_music#19th_century, accessed February 13, 2017.
  14. MacHugh, Edward, compiler. Treasury of Gospel Hymns and Poems.  Winoa Lake, Indiana: The Rodeheaver Hall-Mack Co., 1938.
  15.  “U.S. Border Crossings from Canada to U.S. 1825 1960, database, Ancestry.com, Edward McHugh, Buffalo, New York, U.S.A, June 16, 1935.
  16. McIntyre, Alistair, “Significant Scots, Edward McHugh.” 
  17. “E. MacHugh Ex-Gospel Singer Dies.” Privately held by Sandra McHugh.
  18. E. MacHugh Ex-Gospel Singer Dies.” Privately held by Sandra McHugh.
  19. The Billboard Magazine, 7 June 1947, p. 11.
  20. Concert poster Jordan Hall, October 15, year unknown.
  21.  “Edward MacHugh,” Ottawa Journal, 6 February 1957.

*Sometime during his career, Edward McHugh changed his name to Edward MacHugh.

If you would like to hear Edward sing, here are two of his recordings:

1 http://www.electricscotland.com/history/other/mchugh_edward.htm

2 idem

3 idem

4 idem

5 idem

6 The Billboard Magazine, June 7, 1947, p. 11

Like Father, Like Son

My husband was mesmerized by the photo of a young man hanging in a sling close to the giant propeller of the airplane he was repairing.  He had never seen it before.  It was a photo of his father, Allan, in his early twenties.  This photo, shown to us by the helpful volunteers at the Western Canada Aviation Museum in Winnipeg, was the highlight of this very special trip.Allan R Hunt005

My husband, Jim, had taken me “home” to Winnipeg to share a trip down memory lane for his 70th birthday.  A peaceful visit to two local cemeteries to find both sets of grandparents was followed by a tour of his childhood neighbourhoods in different parts of town. So many of the locations featured memories of his father that it almost felt as though there were three of us on this trip.

Along the way to find the three different houses where Jim grew up, I heard precious stories of friends and bicycles, playing in the lanes behind the houses, walking down the street to the corner soda fountain and waiting on the school wall for his older sister to finish her day. The last house he showed me was the one his father had built.

Amazingly we even managed to find the two summer lakefront cottages just an hour or so out of Winnipeg where Jim had spent his summers as a boy. It felt like Allan was guiding us from place to place.

My favourite story featured Jim and his friends crawling under the fence at the military airbase down the street from where his father worked to lie in the tall grass staring at the parked fighter jets.  They would be “shoo-ed” away gently and run home in fits of giggles. Allan’s aircraft maintenance career began at remote air bases in Ontario and Manitoba. He first worked on cargo float planes and then switched to commercial passenger planes when Trans Canada Airlines was formed in 1937. He was employee number 25 of the company which eventually became Air Canada. Later, it grew to 40,000 employees. The family moved to Montreal in 1958 to continue his career.

Jim followed his father’s footsteps into a 30-year career with Air Canada and enjoyed the thrill of travel as a privilege that comes with it.  They had travelled many times together as a family over the years and he continues to do so now with his own family. I learned a bit about how early Jim’s passion for the airline industry began, however, when  we visited Jim’s primary school in Winnipeg.  We walked into the principal’s office and spoke with the secretary.  I was so surprised to watch my six foot two husband shrink into a little boy as he shook the principal’s hand telling her he was from the class of ’52-’58.  She walked us to his old classroom where he remembered having to stand in the cloakroom as a punishment.  His crime? Making a paper airplane and flying it across the room!

By the end of our trip, I felt as if I got to know both Jim and Allan a little better.  Years ago when we married, I often lamented the fact that I never had the chance to meet Jim’s father.  When I said as much to his sister one day, she answered: “Well, you sort of have met him!”

I guess it’s true. Not only does Jim look very much like his father, especially as he grows older, but he tells me that he has many of the same mannerisms.  For example, chatting easily to strangers, quoting his father’s old sayings and efficiently scraping out the peanut butter jar!