 Back row, left to right: Walter Smith, Allan Radley, Wilfred Kiernan, Maurice Patenaude, Jean Beliveau, Denis Clairmont, Edwin Keddy, Raoul Dumouchel, Jacques Viau. Front row: Leonard Berthiaume, Harry Warner, Alister Somerville, Walter Keddy, Father Rene Langlois, Ben Berthiaume, Norman Fortin, Gilles Fortin, Walter Smith. Sixty Years Ago Already! by Mary Ducharme 15/09/2011 Every now and then a photo turns up in the Archives that proves to be somewhat of a puzzle. Here is a group of men, and we know all their names (at least we think so, spellings uncertain for some), but what is the occasion of the photo? Where is it taken? When? Consulting with two area seniors who know the community, we may have found the answers. But we would welcome any further information that our readers may be able to provide.
From the information so far available, it appears that this was a banquet at the Frontier Inn in celebration of the installation of lighting in the ballfield behind Académie Langlois. It was no small feat since all the postholes had to be dug by hand, and anyone experienced in postholes knows there is sweat equity in that exercise. After work, Réal Menard brought his Shawinigan Power Company truck to hoist the poles and rig the wires.
The Athletic Association was very active in this era, playing to packed stands and loyal followers in the home field and in regional tournaments. They played softball and hockey. The Montreal Canadiens Hockey Team had a “fast ball” team that came to play the home boys in Hemmingford.
In the photo we find Alister Somerville, then mayor; Father René Langlois who was pastor of St. Romain Parish; and Raoul Dumouchel who was the owner of the Frontier Inn at the time. Of the players, to the best recollection of our informants, it is believed that Wilfred Kiernan was manager; Edwin Keddy was captain; Marcel Fortin was left fielder; and Bill Hawkins (not in picture) was catcher.
Do you have any interesting stories to add about this photo or about the Athletic Association or sports events in this era? We would be delighted to add your information to our Archives collection. Contact: Mary Ducharme at mducharme117@sympatico.ca ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From the Archives by Mary Ducharme 06/02/2011 The St. Jerome Bible Mystery The four families of Ryans who came to Hemmingford beginning in the early 19th century are connected in intricate ways. These Irish Catholic farmers, some with roots traced to Tipperary and Wexford in the old country, often married French Catholics. The Irish-French marriages included the Curê/ Priest family, ancestors of Edmond Priest. Catherine Fleming (1846 -1934) married William Ryan (1847 - 1936), and they lived in the log house on 462 Champlain Avenue with three children, none of whom had progeny. Researching this family at the request of Edmond Priest, Dan Mark found that Catherine Fleming’s brother Michael married Ann Ryan, a case of two siblings in each family marrying. Connection to the present Priest generation is through Ann. The Bible of Catherine Fleming Ryan came into the possession of Edmond Priest, along with a large collection of papers and memorabilia yet to be studied. On the fly leaf of the Bible are hand-written records of family births, and other information, but it would take more research on the Hemmingford Ryans to shed light on the entire family history. Aside from unidentified tintype photographs mounted in the Bible, is the mystery of references to the parish of St. Jerome. The earliest family entry is for Joseph Ryan, born April 17, 1878 followed by the words “Parish of St. Jerome.” The last entry on that page is the birth of Margaret E. Ryan, December 20, 1884, after which is written “Parish of St. Jerome all in Hemmingford.” Yvon Paquette of the Archives checked St. Romain parish registers and found no clues for the reference to a Saint-Jerome parish. The children recorded in the Fleming Bible were all baptised in the Saint-Romain parish, but the records predate the present church building which officially opened in 1895. However, the name for the parish of Saint-Romain came from the 1853 consecration of the parish by Monseigneur Ignace Bourget on August 9, the feast day of St. Romain. Previously there was a small fieldstone Catholic church built in 1840. Was this church known as “St. Jerome”? And did some families prefer to use the old name? Or were the Fleming Bible entries simply mistakes repeated? Is there some other explanation? It is hard to imagine devout Catholics in a small community not knowing the name of their own parish. Further information is requested on the Ryan families; the St. Jerome reference; and the history of the house on 462 Champlain Avenue. Contact: mducharme117@sympatico.ca. or Edmond Priest at edmondpri@hotmail.com
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