My ancestors arrived in Gore near Lachute in 1824 and 1832 and I have been there twice since I started my quest to know about my family. It is quite picturesque and mainly a summer cottage type area now with many lakes in the area. There is some arable land but mostly rocky hillsides, covered with bush, swamp and lakes. It certainly is not traditional farm country but our early ancestors made potash by burning the trees as they cleared land for cultivation. They made maple sugar they grew potatoes, grain and raised animals. In the census records of 1841 1852 and 1862 there is allot of agricultural information included. You can see the industry of the people and how there holdings grew during this 30 year period. The only thing that I came across that saddened me was the loss of the Methodist Church & Cemetery in Lakefield, Gore Township, Argenteuil County, Quebec. Around the time of WWII the church was used as a barracks for the construction of the main road through Lakefield and at some point shortly there after the cemetery was supposedly moved to the forest west of town and the church raised. A few graves and markers were moved to the Anglican Church yard in Lakefield but they were few in number. The book History of the Counties of Argenteuil Quebec and Prescott Ontario by C Thomas published in 1896 by J Lovell & Sons and reprinted by Global Heritage Press of Milton Ontario in 1999 is a good source of some information on the area. Many of those who initially squatted in Gore township moved in the late 1860's to Compton in the eastern townships in places like East Clifton (now called Clifton de St Isadore), Randborough, Johnstown, Eaton, and Sawyerville to name a few. Here for the first time they really had land suitable for agriculture right along the Canada US border with NH and VT. From here many families had members who went tot he USA I found several of my ancestors still in the area of East Clifton. I found my Great Great Grandfathers house on Parker Hill just outside Randborough and the family graves in Mapleleaf Cemetery there. I was able to talk to the current owner and to go through the house as it was being readied for sale and to meet the new owner a year later. I even collected pine cones from two majestic pines that stood next to the house and to start several trees from the seeds in those pine cones. Within a year after moving into the house the new owner had to cut the big pines down as they had started to rot at the base. The barn had been pulled down and a new one erected and the property was once again a working farm. At the end of the 1800's my people were once again on the move to Sidney Manitoba and finally settling in Unity Saskatchewan in 1911 on homesteads near the town. At 06:31 AM 10/15/2008, you wrote: >Hi again, > >Nancy brought up a good topic for discussion. In regards to my ancestors >who arrived in Canada, my KERR / HENDERSON's I just mentioned arrived in >Canada in the 1820's. They were supposed to go to a town on the southern >shore of the St. Lawrence, but that didn't work out. So, they were sent >to live in "the former Township of Gore" on the northern shore of the St. >Lawrence. > >I've read that Argenteuil County was part of a beautiful mountain range, and >it would have been a very nice place to settle down, build houses, etc. >There were lots of trees to cut down and use for building buildings, but, >there was not any good land for farming. So, I will guess that they had >a "do you want the good news or the bad news" type of thoughts when they >"walked?" to their new township. > >And, back in early New England (US) in 1600's, I've read the story of >"Anne Marbury HUTCHINSON," a religious activist, etc., in the early 1600's. >She came from a nice family in England, had a nice "white house" with a >"nice garden" in England. And, she had many children. But, they wanted >to come to "the new land." She sent her oldest son off with his uncle to >find a place to live and start building a house. When she arrived with >her children, and finally saw the "woods" and the "very rustic log cabin," >she sat down and cried. > >And I recently read the same type of story about another lady from the early >1600's, but I can't remember who it was at the moment. > >And I've read parts of the "history of Billerica" and the "history of >Chelmsford" (MA / US), both founded in 1655. When the people who first >arrived in Cambridge, MA, in the 1630's decided they wanted to own a bigger >piece of land, they needed to go explore the land northwest of them. BUT >there were no roadways, not even any "cow paths." All there was in the >"deep, dark woods," were the "foot paths" created by the Native Americans. >So, they had to walk on foot up those "foot paths" to find out where the >Native Americans spent their time. > >They first found the small Shawsheen River (present name) and built some >huts there. Then they went a few miles north of there and found the >larger Concord River. They started building huts on the shores of that >river, and the large "Billerica Plantation" was begun. Around the same >time, a few "canoes" were built so the early settlers could get across the >river. And, more huts were built there, and the large "Chelmsford >Plantation" was begun. > >One difference between the 2 plantations was that the "deep dark woods" in >Billerica had land which was full of rocks and - not good for farming. >But, the "deep woods" in Chelmsford was also bordered by the much larger >Merrimack River, and that land was good for farming. So the settlers had >it easier in Chelmsford. > >But, a quick story is that: All 1600's people had to go to Cambridge to >handle "court issues" and "land issues," etc. And, Billerica residents >very early built some "cow paths" going towards Cambridge. But, >Chelmsford residents had to "cross a river" in order to get to Cambridge. >I think it was after 1700 when the first bridge was built over the Concord >River. And the Billerica people decided it was a good way for them to >"earn some money." So they charged the Chelmsford people a "fee" for - >crossing over "their" bridge. > >Later the Chelmsford people didn't want to pay the fee anymore. Well the >Billerica people got angry. So, one night a few men went out in the middle >of the night and -- dismantled -- the bridge. >:o) > >If anyone in Canada wants to read a good book about the very early history >of Massachusetts, the "history of Billerica" is a very good resource. And >it has a good Genealogy section. (I believe it went on-line this year.) > >Betty (near Lowell, MA, USA) > >List Administrator > > > > > >(FYI: Anne HUTCHINSON's husband was not related to my HUTCHINSON >ancestor. Or, if they were related, it was back in the 1500's. I only >have George HUTCHINSON arriving in the 1630's, and I think Anne arrived in >the 1620's. I'll have to check on that.) > >Oops. I just read here that she arrived in 1634. > >http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Hutchinson > >And, I just checked my notes and George and his brother, Thomas, arrived in >1630 with "the Winthrop Fleet." From my research, I believe there were >at least a dozen HUTCHINSON men or families that arrived in the MA Bay >Colony between 1620 and 1640. > > > When you want to respond to a query or comment posted on this > List, I find it MUCH easier to post a new message -- remembering > to include the SUBJECT from the post you are responding to > !! Please make sure there is a SURNAME or place-name in the Subject. > >To search the archives: >http://archiver.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/search?path=CAN-USA-MIGRATION >The information page is: >http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/Immigration/CAN-USA-MIGRATION.html > > > >------------------------------- >To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to >[email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' >without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

The History of the Argenteuil, Quebec & Prescot can be found on-line at: http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=Argenteuil%20AND%20mediatype%3Atexts Research in Manitoba and Saskatchewan is a bit easier as most settlers did not move there until late 1880's or 1900's. Vital Stats in Saskatchewan are working on putting their BMD's with time restrictions on-line. Believe births are done and Manaitoba Vital Stats offers all three with time restrictions. Lauraine ----- Original Message ----- From: "Garth Hamilton" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, October 15, 2008 7:47 AM Subject: Re: [CAN-USA-MIG] What Did Ancestors Think - When Arriving ? > > > My ancestors arrived in Gore near Lachute in 1824 and 1832 and I have > been there twice since I started my quest to know about my family. It > is quite picturesque and mainly a summer cottage type area now with > many lakes in the area. There is some arable land but mostly rocky > hillsides, covered with bush, swamp and lakes. It certainly is not > traditional farm country but our early ancestors made potash by > burning the trees as they cleared land for cultivation. They made > maple sugar they grew potatoes, grain and raised animals. In the > census records of 1841 1852 and 1862 there is allot of agricultural > information included. You can see the industry of the people and how > there holdings grew during this 30 year period. The only thing that I > came across that saddened me was the loss of the Methodist Church & > Cemetery in Lakefield, Gore Township, Argenteuil County, Quebec. > Around the time of WWII the church was used as a barracks for the > construction of the main road through Lakefield and at some point > shortly there after the cemetery was supposedly moved to the forest > west of town and the church raised. A few graves and markers were > moved to the Anglican Church yard in Lakefield but they were few in > number. The book History of the Counties of Argenteuil Quebec and > Prescott Ontario by C Thomas published in 1896 by J Lovell & Sons > and reprinted by Global Heritage Press of Milton Ontario in 1999 is a > good source of some information on the area. > > Many of those who initially squatted in Gore township moved in the > late 1860's to Compton in the eastern townships in places like East > Clifton (now called Clifton de St Isadore), Randborough, Johnstown, > Eaton, and Sawyerville to name a few. Here for the first time they > really had land suitable for agriculture right along the Canada US > border with NH and VT. From here many families had members who went > tot he USA I found several of my ancestors still in the area of East > Clifton. I found my Great Great Grandfathers house on Parker Hill > just outside Randborough and the family graves in Mapleleaf Cemetery > there. I was able to talk to the current owner and to go through the > house as it was being readied for sale and to meet the new owner a > year later. I even collected pine cones from two majestic pines that > stood next to the house and to start several trees from the seeds in > those pine cones. Within a year after moving into the house the new > owner had to cut the big pines down as they had started to rot at the > base. The barn had been pulled down and a new one erected and the > property was once again a working farm. > > At the end of the 1800's my people were once again on the move to > Sidney Manitoba and finally settling in Unity Saskatchewan in 1911 on > homesteads near the town. >