09-29-2006, 02:07 PM
Hi Everyone;
We received the following information and request for support from the QAHN concerning a project hat they are intitiating relating to Quebec cemeteries. Below their letter, is my reply that I made on behalf of our group. If any of you are interested, I am sure that they would also appreciate some indivdual words of support...
27 September 2006
Dear friends and colleagues,
The Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network is in the process of preparing an application for project funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage, and we would appreciate receiving a few words of support from your organization. ?As always, QAHN?s projects aim to identify and publicize heritage concerns across the province, particularly when there is a question of heritage at risk.
Our current project proposal is entitled ?Cemetery Heritage Inventory and Restoration Initiative? (CHIRI), the result of a growing sense that small cemeteries in remote parts of Quebec suffer from neglect and disrepair. ?Moreover, despite the hard work of historical societies and other dedicated groups and individuals, the history of these cemeteries and the records of those buried in them, are all too often unknown or unavailable. ?As part of a long-term effort to recognize and preserve the small cemeteries of Quebec, QAHN proposes to identify burial sites in a number of key regions and develop a resource guide for the sustained maintenance of these crucial pockets of heritage. ?
Working with local groups and individuals in the Mont?r?gie, Estrie, Laurentians and Saguenay Lac-St.Jean regions, QAHN will:
1. Compile an inventory of historic Anglophone burial grounds, including their physical location and condition, ownership, condition and location of records, and current level of legal protection, if any.
2. Develop a formal guide to conserving historic cemeteries, tailored especially to the needs of those in the Anglophone community who serve as volunteer cemetery trustees. ?Research will draw from work done in the United States and Ontario, and in Quebec by the Ministry of Culture and Communications which is available only in French.
3. Collaborate with local groups and government-sponsored youth-employment agencies to recruit temporary crews to begin the work of restoring and maintaining these sites.
Many older cemeteries established by English-speaking communities in Quebec are at risk, their current state of disrepair jeopardizing their integrity not only as sacred sites, but as part of Quebec?s historic and cultural landscape. Because no comprehensive, contemporary survey of these sites exists, it is currently impossible to assess their value as cultural properties or to prescribe measures that may contribute to their future conservation. ?We believe that CHIRI would play a significant role in reversing this trend, in providing better knowledge of the problem, and in establishing the means to secure this crucial aspect of our heritage.
We encourage you to send us a short letter, preferably in the form of an email, indicating your support of the CHIRI project. Please direct your email to execdir@qahn.org.
Many thanks,
Roderick MacLeod
President, Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network
And here is my reply...
Mr. Roderick MacLeod
President, Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network
Ref: Cemetery Heritage Inventory and Restoration Initiative (CHIR)
Sir;
I read with interest about your project (CHIR) and on behalf of myself, and our group dedicated to restoring the Cemetery at St. Columban, (in French, spelled St. Colomban), Quebec, we certainly would offer unqualified support for this initiative.
I would believe that our story about St. Columban would be rather common to the condition of many similar cemeteries throughout the province. In the 1820?s a number of Irish immigrants settled in St. Columban which became its own village and parish in 1835. (St. Columban is situated about 8 miles west of St. Jerome). For the next 80 years or so, it was an almost 100% Irish Catholic English speaking community. ?And these original settlers contributed to the ?gene pool? of many well know politicians; doctors; lawyers and business people. Who, in turn, became an integral part of the prosperity and success that we presently enjoy in both Quebec and Canada. However, in October of 2005, some of the descendants of these original settlers were both dismayed and angry to find that the tombstones of these original Irish settlers had been removed from the cemetery, and simply thrown into the bush behind the St. Columban Catholic Church. There they were ? broken and smashed! How they were originally damaged was likely due to either the ravages of time (most stones were more than 150 years old) or to vandalism or, perhaps to a combination of both scenarios. Regardless, we are lucky, in the sense that we have been able to organize a dynamic group of descendants who have contributed a great deal of time and effort to raising our own funds to restore these broken tombstones, in some way, to the cemetery. Our most probable approach will be to build a brick wall in the cemetery and insert the broken bits of stone directly into this wall. Details about our project and effort can be found on our web site at www.stcolumban-irish.com
However, in thinking about your project, it would be obvious to conclude that not all cemeteries will profit from the same level of dedication that is being provided by our own group for the early St. Columban residents. And therefore, what will become of all these other locations scattered throughout Quebec?
Of course, English speaking settlers populated many rural communities all around Quebec especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. And these settlers (like our own), are as responsible as any group, in ensuring that we, the present day residents of Quebec, enjoy all the benefits of our society.
It is a shame, and almost criminal, that so many of the final resting places for these hearty pioneers have been left unattended for so long. It is simply not right!
Perhaps there is a belief that these cemetery sites are not important in the context of everything else that requires attention. However, I can?t disagree more ? these are very important historical and culture locations that simply define our history - and who we are.
So, in conclusion, if our St. Columban descendants can do anything to support your initative, please do not hesitate to contact us.
With very best regards
Fergus V. Keyes
We received the following information and request for support from the QAHN concerning a project hat they are intitiating relating to Quebec cemeteries. Below their letter, is my reply that I made on behalf of our group. If any of you are interested, I am sure that they would also appreciate some indivdual words of support...
27 September 2006
Dear friends and colleagues,
The Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network is in the process of preparing an application for project funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage, and we would appreciate receiving a few words of support from your organization. ?As always, QAHN?s projects aim to identify and publicize heritage concerns across the province, particularly when there is a question of heritage at risk.
Our current project proposal is entitled ?Cemetery Heritage Inventory and Restoration Initiative? (CHIRI), the result of a growing sense that small cemeteries in remote parts of Quebec suffer from neglect and disrepair. ?Moreover, despite the hard work of historical societies and other dedicated groups and individuals, the history of these cemeteries and the records of those buried in them, are all too often unknown or unavailable. ?As part of a long-term effort to recognize and preserve the small cemeteries of Quebec, QAHN proposes to identify burial sites in a number of key regions and develop a resource guide for the sustained maintenance of these crucial pockets of heritage. ?
Working with local groups and individuals in the Mont?r?gie, Estrie, Laurentians and Saguenay Lac-St.Jean regions, QAHN will:
1. Compile an inventory of historic Anglophone burial grounds, including their physical location and condition, ownership, condition and location of records, and current level of legal protection, if any.
2. Develop a formal guide to conserving historic cemeteries, tailored especially to the needs of those in the Anglophone community who serve as volunteer cemetery trustees. ?Research will draw from work done in the United States and Ontario, and in Quebec by the Ministry of Culture and Communications which is available only in French.
3. Collaborate with local groups and government-sponsored youth-employment agencies to recruit temporary crews to begin the work of restoring and maintaining these sites.
Many older cemeteries established by English-speaking communities in Quebec are at risk, their current state of disrepair jeopardizing their integrity not only as sacred sites, but as part of Quebec?s historic and cultural landscape. Because no comprehensive, contemporary survey of these sites exists, it is currently impossible to assess their value as cultural properties or to prescribe measures that may contribute to their future conservation. ?We believe that CHIRI would play a significant role in reversing this trend, in providing better knowledge of the problem, and in establishing the means to secure this crucial aspect of our heritage.
We encourage you to send us a short letter, preferably in the form of an email, indicating your support of the CHIRI project. Please direct your email to execdir@qahn.org.
Many thanks,
Roderick MacLeod
President, Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network
And here is my reply...
Mr. Roderick MacLeod
President, Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network
Ref: Cemetery Heritage Inventory and Restoration Initiative (CHIR)
Sir;
I read with interest about your project (CHIR) and on behalf of myself, and our group dedicated to restoring the Cemetery at St. Columban, (in French, spelled St. Colomban), Quebec, we certainly would offer unqualified support for this initiative.
I would believe that our story about St. Columban would be rather common to the condition of many similar cemeteries throughout the province. In the 1820?s a number of Irish immigrants settled in St. Columban which became its own village and parish in 1835. (St. Columban is situated about 8 miles west of St. Jerome). For the next 80 years or so, it was an almost 100% Irish Catholic English speaking community. ?And these original settlers contributed to the ?gene pool? of many well know politicians; doctors; lawyers and business people. Who, in turn, became an integral part of the prosperity and success that we presently enjoy in both Quebec and Canada. However, in October of 2005, some of the descendants of these original settlers were both dismayed and angry to find that the tombstones of these original Irish settlers had been removed from the cemetery, and simply thrown into the bush behind the St. Columban Catholic Church. There they were ? broken and smashed! How they were originally damaged was likely due to either the ravages of time (most stones were more than 150 years old) or to vandalism or, perhaps to a combination of both scenarios. Regardless, we are lucky, in the sense that we have been able to organize a dynamic group of descendants who have contributed a great deal of time and effort to raising our own funds to restore these broken tombstones, in some way, to the cemetery. Our most probable approach will be to build a brick wall in the cemetery and insert the broken bits of stone directly into this wall. Details about our project and effort can be found on our web site at www.stcolumban-irish.com
However, in thinking about your project, it would be obvious to conclude that not all cemeteries will profit from the same level of dedication that is being provided by our own group for the early St. Columban residents. And therefore, what will become of all these other locations scattered throughout Quebec?
Of course, English speaking settlers populated many rural communities all around Quebec especially in the 19th and early 20th centuries. And these settlers (like our own), are as responsible as any group, in ensuring that we, the present day residents of Quebec, enjoy all the benefits of our society.
It is a shame, and almost criminal, that so many of the final resting places for these hearty pioneers have been left unattended for so long. It is simply not right!
Perhaps there is a belief that these cemetery sites are not important in the context of everything else that requires attention. However, I can?t disagree more ? these are very important historical and culture locations that simply define our history - and who we are.
So, in conclusion, if our St. Columban descendants can do anything to support your initative, please do not hesitate to contact us.
With very best regards
Fergus V. Keyes