--February 12, 2019.
1. What was the very first form of agricultural produce that the early Townships colonists profited from?
a. Squash fields abandoned by members of the Abenaki nation
b. Pearl ash from the hardwood forests
c. Grains (flax, wheat, barley)
d. Beef and dairy products
2. Which group first permanently settled the Eastern Townships region?
a. Loyalists
b. American squatters
c. The Abenaki nation
d. Retired government officials
3. Which river acted as the main artery of the Townships during their settlement, channelling settlement into the interior of the region along its banks?
a. Salmon river
b. Coaticook river
c. Massawippi river
d. St. Francis river
e. Magog river
4. What was the official government policy regarding the Eastern Townships up until 1791?
a. It would be left for the Abenaki peoples to live or hunt in without interference
b. It would remain an empty buffer zone between the United States and Lower Canada
c. It would be logged as needed by the Quebec provincial government, as per the British North America act
d. It was divided and land grants became available to settlers
5. Why, after 1815 did it become difficult to know who owned certain areas of land in the Townships?
a. A fire burnt down the regional records office
b. Several land owners had perished with no apparent heirs
c. Those who owned the land had no interest in settling it
d. Several townships altered demarcation stakes to grow their land allotment
6. On what condition(s) did the federal government agree to sell most of its land reserves (almost one million acres) in the Eastern Townships to the British American Land Company in 1832?
a. That the company advertise the area as an attractive place to settle
b. That the company spend 50 thousand pounds sterling on various public works
c. That the company develop a regional railway system with 200 km of standard gauge track
d. All of the above
7. In the 1840s, if one had received a Crown land grant of 50 acres from the Canadian government, how much would one have to pay per acre when purchasing up to 150 more acres?
a. 50 shillings and acre
b. 2 pounds and acre
c. 5 pounds an acre
d. 3 crowns an acre
8. What requirement(s) could be asked of a settler in the Eastern Townships in order for the settler to obtain a lot in the 1830s?
a. The settler would have to raise 50 cattle in the first 5 years of settlement
b. The settler would have to open half the width of the road fronting his lot
c. The settler would have to clear one-tenth of his land in 4 years
d. All of the above
e. b and c only
9. What early condition(s) made the early settlers of the Townships unable to support the establishment of religious or educational institutions?
a. They lived too far apart
b. They had no mayor
c. They were too poor
d. They were too busy farming
e. All of the above
f. a and c only
10. Which two water routes into the Townships, used by American immigrants, the most prominent group of settlers in early Townships history (1791-1821), were most accessible from south of the border?
a. Missisquoi Bay and Lake Memphremagog
b. Pike river and Lake Champlain
c. Magog River and Johns River
d. Lake Stukely and Coaticook River
11. Which nearby American town, linked by road to Stanstead, provided Stanstead with Vermont newspapers when the American mail reached it in 1812?
a. Derby
b. Newport
c. Coventry
d. Holland
12. By what name was Sherbrooke known in the early 19th century because of the economic activity that occurred there?
a. Portsmouth
b. Hyatt’s Mills
c. Shipton
d. Richmond Mills
e. Newmarket
13. What made the St. Francis River so important to this area in the early 1800s?
a. The roads were badly maintained
b. Logs flowed down it to reach Montreal
c. It was easier for settlers to build boats than to train horses and build wagons
d. The government used it to move troops on ships
14. In what township did many Irish settlers choose to reside when they arrived in the 1830s?
a. Leeds
b. Shefford
c. Brome
d. Windsor
15. Of the 43 churches opened in the Townships from 1841-1851, how many were Roman Catholic owing to the increasing influence of French Canadians in the region at that time?
a. 32
b. 8
c. 23
d. 38
16. Why did missionaries, mainly from New England, begin to preach in the Eastern Townships in the early 1800s?
a. The Townships were seen by missionaries as being without proper exposure to religion
b. The people called for them as they couldn’t afford resident ministers
c. There was an outbreak of cholera in the area and the sick needed care
d. All of the above
17. Although there were several churches and missionary groups from the United States that made an effort to preach and form connections with the Townships in their early period, which church linked the region most strongly with the United States?
a. Baptists
b. Methodists
c. Evangelists
d. Anglicans
18. What would indicate that some residents of the Townships did not feel particularly strongly about the political implications of the war of 1812?
a. They were hesitant to send their sons to fight for the British
b. Smuggling was common between New England and the Townships
c. Some church ministers were able to cross the border easily during the war to preach to congregations in both countries
d. They hid supplies from the British who were collecting them for the war effort
e. All of the above
f. b and c only
19. Which factor(s) encouraged the establishment of 13 churches in the Missisquoi Bay area by 1820?
a. The area was easily reached by water from Vermont
b. Roads were built between this area and the nearby Richelieu Valley
c. The area had very fertile soil
d. The area was opened up early to settlement
e. All of the above
20. Why was the Church of England in Lower Canada a truly “colonial” church in 1799?
a. Its bishop and clergy were all British and had been educated in Britain
b. Its church-related organizations were based in Britain
c. Its existence depended on the support of the English church and government
d. All of the above
*Duncan Crabtree, a History student at Bishop's University in Sherbrooke, interned with QAHN in 2019.