Richard Roy

Interested in leaning more about the Eastern Townships? Researching your family tree? If you answer yes to either of these questions, the Eastern Townships Research Centre (ETRC), located in McGreer Hall at Bishop's University in Lennoxville, would be an excellent place to visit. ETRC executive director Marie Thibault explains, "We have two goals here. The first is the preservation of Eastern Township heritage, and the second is to promote multi-disciplinary research pertaining to the Townships."

PRESERVING HERITAGE
"As we are here to protect the heritage of the Townships," adds archivist Daniel Bromby, "we offer a safe place for people looking to archive their records." While the ETRC does promote research, Bromby emphasizes that "it is important to realize that we are not here to do the research, but to point people in the right direction." He says that the Centre's objective is to convince as many people as possible to trust the ETRC with their records. "The more we bring in and protect, the more we can offer the researcher." He explains that the ETRC is most interested in collecting journals, letters, photographs, newspaper clippings, diaries, records, and other documents. "In short, any evidential material pertaining to the Eastern Townships that gives an idea of what the person's life was like." Thibault says, "All archives are stored and protected in an environmentally safe climate. The temperature and humidity are controlled and there are fire and flood alarms."

Daniel Bromby, archivist at the ETRC, assists researchers from far and wide.
(Photo: Richard Roy)

Of special interest to researchers, whether from a historical or genealogical point of view, are the four yearly research projects sponsored by the ETRC. These projects encourage Bishop's faculty to publish articles in various fields of study such as heritage preservation, sociology, history, literature, the humanities and other disciplines related to the Eastern Townships. Some of these projects are published in the ETRC's Journal of Eastern Townships Studies (JETS).

FREE SERVICE
"We receive many requests from Americans, mostly from New England, but from other parts of the States as well," Bromby says. "Sometimes they come in person; sometimes they contact us via the Internet. Mainly they are interested in genealogy." He adds that "this is a free service and we will do the search necessary, but if we don't find anything, we will inform the person and suggest alternatives routes like contacting the Eastern Townships Genealogy Society in Sherbrooke."

The ETRC holds the complete United Church archives for the Eastern Townships, as well as lists of lands granted by the Crown in the Province of Quebec from 1763 to 1890. Genealogists should be aware of these resources, which, Bromby says, are very useful in locating ancestors who were original settlers of the region. "Visitors can even refer to maps indicating property lots and who was living there at a given time. These can be used in conjunction with an index to narrow down a search." Also available at the ETRC are the Guide to Eastern Townships Genealogy; vital statistics recorded in The Stanstead Journal (1845-1958) and The Sherbrooke Record (1897-1906); cemetery records for Stanstead County and northern Vermont; the 1901 census available in the microfilm archives; and much, much more.

Right: Historic Bishop's University, home of the ETRC.
(Photo: Bishop's University)

For further information on the Eastern Townships Research Centre, Daniel Bromby may be reached at (819) 822-9600, ext. 2261, or at etrc2@ubishops.ca. The ETRC does not charge entry, membership, or research fees.