You remember the settlers’ saga of Josiah Sawyer and Edmund Heard, who mistakenly set up camp in 1793 in what is now the Newport Municipality, before relocating to Sawyerville.
As a Newport resident, I wondered exactly where their first camp was. And a few years later, Edmund Heard returned to the Newport area. But where, exactly?
Today’s natives tell me it was near Randboro. More precisely, the plaque in front of the Maple Leaf Cemetery on Route 210 at Charpentier Road says it was right there, and that the land for the cemetery was donated in 1802 by Willam Heard.
The records of the Fédération Écomusée de l’Au-Delà say that Maple Leaf Cemetery is in Pleasant Hill. But more precisely?
The book History of the Eastern Townships (1869) by C.M. Day weighs in: It was in the “district of Three Rivers” that Edmund Heard settled at last, “bounded north by Bury, east by Ditton, south by Auckland, and west by Eaton; which when subdivided into 308 lots beside the allowance for highways, was erected into a township named Newport July 1st, 1801.”
Day says that one-quarter of Newport was granted to Edmund Heard and his associates, where they settled “twenty-five miles distant from any inhabitants to the south, and seventy miles from the French settlements on the north.” This area came to be known as Pleasant Hill.
At last, several toponomy maps give us Pleasant Hill’s exact location, just off Route 210, on Lapointe Road. Given the extent of the Heard homestead, no doubt this took in what is now the nearby Maple Leaf Cemetery.
It’s on a very pleasant hillside, and I can understand how Pleasant Hill came by its name. But can someone explain to me where the port in Newport is situated?
BOOKS TO BELLY IN BURY, Nov. 15th & 29th
A literacy-oriented cooking activity for parents and caregivers with children aged 5 to 12 called Books to Belly is planned for two Thursdays, November 15 and 29, from 6 to 8 p.m., at the Pope Memorial School in Bury. This is a joint venture by Literacy in Action and the Eaton Valley Community Learning Centre (CLC). Pre-registration is required. Info: Kim Fessenden, at fessendenk@etsb.qc.ca.
MENA HARDY & THE STELLAS IN COOKSHIRE, Nov. 17th
Coming right up is a concert by Mena Hardy & The Stellas, billing themselves as an all-star all-women group from Alexandria, Ontario. Hardy is a rock ‘n’ roll singer, author and composer attuned to southern rhythms. Saturday, November 17, at 8 p.m. at the Salle Guy-Veilleux, 75 Castonguay, Cookshire. Tickets: $25.
WILL DRIVING WEST IN COOKSHIRE, Nov 24th
A concert by alternative folk-rock group Will Driving West is to present their fourth album, Silence, ranging from small intimate songs and acoustics to epic musical flights. Saturday, November 24, at 8 p.m. at the Salle Guy-Veilleux, 75 Castonguay, Cookshire. Tickets: $25.
ARTISAN MARKET IN JOHNVILLE, Nov. 24th
Bigger than ever, an Artisan Market is planned in Johnville. Saturday, November 24, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the new Community Centre, 62 Jordan Hill Road, accessible for people with restricted mobility. It’s organized by Sonia, a jewelry artist at Bijoux Mousseline in Bulwer, and she promises 22 professional artisans, a plethora of beautiful gift ideas and handmade wares, a crafting corner for kids, and a food truck.
ARTISANS’ SALON IN COOKSHIRE, Nov. 25th
A Christmas Market and Artisans’ Salon is to be at the John-Henry-Pope Cultural Centre, 25 Principale West in Cookshire on Sunday, November 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Info: maisondelacultureJHP@outlook.com.
COLOUR CAFÉ IN
COOKSHIRE, Nov. 28th
Colour Café: Wednesday, November 28th, at 2 to 4 p.m., at the John-Henry-Pope Cultural Centre, 25 Principale West, Cookshire. Info: Townshippers’ Association at 819-566-5717 or ml@townshippers.org.
HISTORY CONFERENCE IN BURY, Dec. 1st
Tickets are now available for a bilingual conference on The History of Transportation in the Haut-Saint-François on Saturday, December 1st, at the Armoury Community Centre, 563 Main St., Bury.
Eric Graillon, archeologist at the Museum of Nature and Science in Sherbrooke, will introduce participants to the pre-historic movements of the aboriginal inhabitants of the Eastern Townships. Steve Cameron will reveal secrets of the historic Craig and Gosford roads.
Rounding out the event will be video presentations on the covered bridges of the Eastern Townships by Alain Coulombe, The Grand Trunk Railroad by Emily Sylvester, the isolation of Scotstown by Jean-Claude Vézina, and exhibits about diverse aspects of transportation.
Doors open at noon and the conference begins at 1 p.m. All are welcome. A $10 freewill donation is suggested and children under 18 will be admitted free. Door prizes include an original painting by Denis Palmer.
Organized by the Bury Historical and Museum Society and the Eaton Corner Museum. Info: John Mackley 819-578-2301, iones.unaean@gmail.com, https://www.facebook.com/buryhistoricalandheritagesociety/, and the Bury society’s new website, http://BuryHistoricalAndHeritageSociety.ca/.
CHRISTMAS TEA IN NEWPORT, Dec. 4th
Share the warmth of good company and good tea, courtesy of the Municipality of Newport, on Tuesday, December 4, at 1:30 p.m., at the Municipal Hall, 1452 Route 212 in Island Brook.
BOOK BOX IN NEWPORT
Newport’s Book Box – Croque-livres, en français – at the Pavilion in the Park has retired indoors for the winter. It will be back in the spring, once again offering free books to children aged 0-12.
CHURCH SERVICES
United. Sunday worship services are at 9:30 a.m. at Trinity United in Cookshire, and at 11 a.m. at Sawyerville United. Info: 819-889-2838 (listen to message).
Baptist. In Sawyerville, the Sunday worship service is at 9 a.m. in French, and 11 a.m. in English. Sunday school is at 10 a.m. in English and French. Info: 819-239-8818.
Anglican. Sunday worship services are at 9:30 a.m. at St. Paul’s Church in Bury, and at 11 a.m. at the St. Peter’s Church in Cookshire. Also on November 25 at 4 p.m. is an Evensong service at St. George’s Church in Lennoxville. Info: 819-887-6802.
Do you have news to share? Call 819-300-2374 or email rawrites@yahoo.com by November 19 for publication November 28 and by December 3 for December 12.
