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Thanks a bunch
DEAR EDITOR
On behalf of the Borough Council I would
like to thank all the volunteers and participants
in our recent 19th Friendship Day.
Thanks to our day camp and pool staff,
the Public Works Department, the Parks Department
and very special thanks to the organizing
committee for bringing it all
together. See you next year
DOUG MACAULAY
PRESIDENT
BOROUGH OF LENNOXVILLE
Renewed interest in cemeteries
 DEAR EDITOR
It appears that more people are becoming
interested in the many old cemeteries situated
in these Eastern Townships. I found the
recent article by Frank Nixon about the old
Blunt and Fuller cemeteries, which appeared
in the June 2008 issue printing of
The Outlet, to be very interesting. I was surprised
to read about some of the other abandoned
cemeteries in Bolton Township.
The Bryant/Brown Cemetery on Shuttleworth
Road in Austin is maintained by the
East Bolton Cemetery Association Ltd., of
Austin. The cemetery is surrounded by private
land, but the plot was reserved by legal
description over the years. The plot has now
been surveyed and properly located and is
surrounded by a rail fence. The stones have
been placed and recorded. The cemetery
contains mature trees but the undergrowth
has been trimmed and blue flowers carpet
most of the cemetery surface. My greatgreat
grandfather, Merril Bowen, his wife
and several infant children are also buried
here as well as early members of the Brown
and Bryant family.
Recently the East Bolton Cemetery of
Austin assumed maintenance of the Spinney
Cemetery situated at Spinney Point, on the
shores of Lake Memphrémagog in Channel
Bay. The cemetery was never abandoned as
Mrs. Valerie Ashton of Arkansas, USA, who
is a descendant of the Spinneys, has provided
funds for the maintenance of the plot and
construction of a woven wired enclosure.
The area of the cemetery is surrounded by
private land but the area of the cemetery
was described and reserved when a Spinney
sold the farm in 1860 to other owners. A
right of passage was also reserved.
Mark Spinney came to this area in the
late 1790s and interested readers can find a
description of his arrival as described by
Mrs. C.M. Day in her book History of the
eastern Townships, on pages 265, 266 and
267. He married Betsy Austin, who was the
daughter of Nicholas Austin, the pioneer of
Bolton. Written on pages 164 and 194 of the
book Nicholas Austin
by author Harry B.
Shufelt, Nicholas
Austin sold Mark
Spinney Lot 16 of
Range 14 in Bolton,
containing 114 acres.
It is on this original
lot that the cemetery
is situated.
It is also noted in
Mr. Shufelt’s book
that Betsey Austin
Spinney accidentally
burned to death.
Ernest M. Taylor also noted this fact on
page 270 of his book History of Brome
County. Mark Spinney remarried and he and
his wife had several children.
His two sons, Levi and Mark II, are
buried along with their wives in the Spinney
Cemetery. A daughter was named Betsy
Spinney. She married Daniel Taylor II. Both
are buried in the East Bolton Cemetery in
Austin. Mark Spinney I died in 1831 and is
most likely buried in this cemetery, although
no stone is evident. Another unknown
couple is buried here with stones. A
Mr. Guy Bowen has a stone here and he
could be a relative of my great-great grandfather,
Merril Bowen. As you will note,
these two cemeteries are not abandoned or
forgotten. If there are any readers who
would like to contribute to the maintenance
of these cemeteries, they could make a contribution
by cheque to the East Bolton
Cemetery Association Ltd. , 34 Dufresne
Road, Austin, Quebec, J0B 1B0. Charitable
receipts will be issued.
The Carrier Cemetery is situated in the
Magog Township on Chemin des Pères road
which leads to Austin and is truly an abandoned
cemetery, badly needing a savior. The
stones are lying on the ground, with some
broken. The plot is situated on the main road
and is completely wooded now. A few years
ago, I inquired at Magog Township about
the Carrier Cemetery and was informed
that no registered cemetery
was located there. The Page Cemetery,
located on the old McMaster
Farm in Austin, consists, apparently,
of only two stones, a husband and a
wife. It is located near Lake Memphrémagog
in a wooded area. No attempt
has been made to preserve the
stones or site.
There are other abandoned cemeteries
situated in Austin and Bolton.
Some of these cemeteries will be located
and described in a soon-to-be-published
pamphlet, researched by the
Austin Cultural Committee.
MALCOLM JUBY
AUSTIN (QUEBEC)
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DEAR READERS:
Two years after taking ownership of The
Outlet, the time is right to bring the paper to
English-speaking communities of the Eastern Townships on a weekly basis.
The monthly constraints of time and
space meant each week The Outlet had to
disappoint dozens of church and community
groups that wanted to announce upcoming
events, and turn away advertisers with targeted
dates for advertising. As well, The Outlet
was unable to bring readers news from their
communities in a timely fashion.
It was also deemed important during this
period of changing demographics to remind
readers of the continued presence of a vibrant
English-speaking community and the
contributions they make to their communities
though their volunteer activities, their
business initiatives and the protection of
their rich heritage.
The Townships Outlet will be a community-
building paper in every sense of the word.
We will continually encourage readers to
shop locally, to support local advertisers, to
celebrate local heroes, to feel ownership of
their institutions, to participate in local affairs,
and we’ll never shy away from reporting
sensitive issues or offering sage advice to
those elected to serve, when we need to.
We intend to maintain our strong base in
Magog but will be a weekly presence in
Lennoxville, North Hatley, Ayer’s Cliff,
Stanstead-Beebe, Richmond, Sawyerville,
Cookshire, Bury, Mansonville, Knowlton and
everywhere in between. Our close relationship
with Quebec City’s Quebec Chronicle
Telegraph, Canada’s oldest newspaper, will
also provide greater reach for advertisers.
The Townships Outlet will continue to
bring news of the Townships to our many readers
and subscribers who have left the Townships
and want to stay in touch. And of course,
we will continue to be a taste of the Townships
24/7 for local news and advertising through
our website at www.outletjournal.com
The weekly Townships Outlet will be a
paid circulation paper – if you don’t buy an
annual subscription for $35 or pick up a copy
at the store each week for 75 cents, you’ll be
missing out on news of your community, and
you won’t know what your neighbours are
talking about.
On a personal note, launching a weekly
newspaper two years after a happy semi-retirement
from a 25-year career in newspapers,
is both thrilling and challenging. I am
counting on your support to show me it’s
the right decision.
SHARON MCCULLY
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Celebrate Canada the
Townships’ way
Without casting aspersions on the
good folk at the Department of
Canadian Heritage, one has to
wonder how dizzying it must be to constantly
be spinning a new story to justify the old
policy of spending public funds where they
score the most political points.
Granted, there’s not much political
mileage in waving the Maple Leaf in federalist
Hatley or Bury, and it can cause no end
of annoyance in Parti Québécois territory.
Just ask former Parti Québécois leader
Bernard Landry who saw red every time he
looked out his window.
One has to wonder if the committee of
three charged with studying applications for
funding Canada Day festivities follows the
same stringent adherence to the rules across
the board. For example, in order to receive
funding under the Celebrate Canada program,
admission fees cannot be charged in
order to ensure accessibility to the entire
community. Organizers must also agree ‘to
respect and apply the Official Languages
Act” and “measures must be taken to communicate
and provide project-related services
in both official languages.”
No kidding! Do these people ever stray
outside their office?
Le Comité des celebrations du Canada
au Quebec (CCCQ) doled out $3.2 million
to fund Canada Day celebrations last year in
Amos, Amqui, Baie-Comeau, Bonaventure,
Drummondville, Gaspe, La Malbaie, La
Sarre, Laval, Matane, Montmagny, Montreal,
(an additional $40,000 was allotted for
the parade) Mont-Tremblant, Quebec, Rimouski,
Rivière-du-Loup, Roberval,
Rouyn-Noranda, Sept-Iles, Sherbrooke,
Sorel-Tracy, St-Georges, St-Jean-sur Richelieu,
Thetford Mines, Val-d’Or, Victoriaville,
Ville-Marie.
Which really begs the question, ‘What is
the federal government’s objective in providing
funds to organizations and municipalities
to help finance Canada Day
celebrations?’
If it is in fact to allow all Canadians,
wherever they live, to share in the celebration
of their country’s birthday, there should
be a more equitable way of distributing
funds to ensure that goal.
On the other hand, Hatley, which has
been celebrating Canada Day with neighbours
in both official languages for 100
years, and Bury for 81, probably found the
best answer: Celebrate Canada the way
Townshippers have always done it – with as
little government involvement as possible.
SHARON McCULLY
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