English Quebec

Searching the Eastern Townships of Quebec for one’s non-French ancestors can be a challenge. Quebec is now divided primarily by language but for the two centuries prior the divisions were religious.  Quebecers were either Roman Catholic or non-Catholic.  Before 1926, all registration of vital records was done by the church.  Each Parish of whatever denomination sent a copy of their registers to the local Prothonotary Court where it served as the Civil Registration of baptisms, marriages and burials.

The Non-French (my KERR ancestors for example) would have settled near a migration route, most likely water, then later migrated when roads and railroads began appearing. Many of the non-French settled in the Eastern Townships.  There are several excellent books (Finding your Ancestors in English Quebec by Althea Douglas, for one) and websites featuring Eastern Township resources including those indexed by Marlene Simmons.

I searched through one of the large on line databases (Ancestry) to see what other information I could find on Eastern Townships, Quebec. Unfortunately the list isn’t long and your best bet is still the libraries, genealogical society holdings and other resources.  I have used the History of Compton County mentioned below and found it to be very useful.  Check these out and let me know if you find success.

• Quebec past and present: a history of Quebec, 1608-1876, in two parts

• In memory of John Jackman Foote: proprietor Quebec Morning Chronicle, who died at Quebec April 19th, 1897, aged 65 years

• History of Compton County: and sketches of the eastern townships, district of St. Francis, and Sherbrooke County, supplemented with the records of four hundred

• Eastern Townships and South Western Quebec, Canada Land/Gazetteer Records: 1881

• History of the Eastern Townships, province of Quebec, Dominion of Canada: civil and descriptive