Ken Huff from Compton, a small town in Quebec’s Eastern Townships, remembers a time when he travelled to church by sleigh. “My mother would warm the bricks up in the oven to put on the floor of the sleigh to keep our feet warm.”
Shirley Knutson of nearby Waterville remembers there were lots of Swedish people who lived in the area.
These are just some of the many memories recorded by a non-profit cultural group in the Coaticook region, called the Table de concertation culturelle de la MRC de Coaticook (TCCC).
About 30 English-speaking seniors were interviewed in local heritage buildings about their memories of growing up in the Coaticook region. These interview were edited and recently packaged into a three-DVD set, called Threads of Our History and representing three hours. The recordings of about 65 French interviews were produced three years ago.
English-speaking seniors in the Coaticook, Quebec area share their memories on ‘Threads of Our History.’ Photo: DVD cover.
The Townships Heritage WebMagazine says, “These seniors, some of whom have passed away since their reminiscences were recorded, offer us truly unique narratives about the early days of the settlement in our region. Thanks to this project, their memories have been preserved for future generations.”
The project was completed with funding from the Société d’aide au développement de la collectivité of Coaticook and the Quebec Ministry of Culture and Communications.
Video previews
The snippets of English interviews I watched are engaging and full of charm. Watching them makes you realize how important it is to capture these stories for future generations.
You can watch a 12-minute teaser of the English interviews here. Two French teasers are available here and here.
Coaticook
Coaticook region is bordered by the state of Vermont to the south, New Hampshire on the east, the regional municipality of Haut-Saint-François and the city of Sherbrooke to the north, and the regional municipality of Memphremagog to the west.
Towns in the area include Barnston West, Dixville, Compton, East Hereford, Martinville, Waterville, and Stanstead East.
Available locally and by mail
Threads of Our History: Living Memories of the Good Old Times in the Coaticook Area is available for $25 at outlets around Coaticook and elsewhere in the Townships, including at the offices of the Townshippers Association in Lennoxville and at the Coaticook town hall, or by contacting Gladys Bruun, vice-president of the TCCC and coordinator of the project, at 819-837-2411 or gladys.bruun@videotron.ca. The French DVDs are $50.
Fascinating!
Since I had ancestors that lived in Waterville it was so interesting to hear what life was like. Thanks for posting this!
The video made me wish I had ancestors who lived in the area.