The next day I went to the south of Quebec to Sawyerville. The rural town of about 2000 people is best reached from New Hampshire by driving north on route 3, crossing the border at Beecher Fall Vt, and continuing north on route 253 which takes you to Saywerville, about 30 minutes over the border.
Just outside of Sherbrooke I stopped at an information booth and picked up some local maps, one of which marked cemeteries in the area. I also learned of La Societe D'histoire et du Musee du Comte de Compton in Eaton Quebec where many records are kept for the local families. The cemetery map took me to the Grove Hill Cemetery in Sawyerville. There were a few more Mackays in this graveyard.
I knocked on the door of the house across from Grove Hill and met a Mr. Smith who provided direction to Dr. Lowry's and offered that there were two Mackays living in town. What a surprize! It turned out that Lawrences wife, Kathleen, and brother, Doug, were alive and well living in Sawyerville. Doug was out of town and Kathleen was home. In my short visit I got directions to the family farm and took loan of a book of family records (106 pages) that had been kept by Lawrence and Kathleen.
Ronald Lowry lives on the farm now and he was happy to let me take photographs and walk through the barns. The farm has converted from dairy cows to beef cattle and still operates a sugarhouse in the Spring. Ron's Dad, Eldon, gave me a pint of maple syrup made that spring from the trees on the farm. (Write to Eldon J.S. Lowry, Forest View Farm, 70 High Forest Road, J0B 3A0, or call 819-889-2732 in early March to purchase by the pint)
On the trip out I stopped at the museum in Comptom and found that there were Mackay records stored there. I found a picture of William Mackay and family along with many news clippings and transcripts. They also had extensive records of the local cemateries which filled in some more data. Note that there were some Mackays in the box that did not fit into my tree. (You can contact them at: Compton County Historical and Museum Society, Eaton Que. 819-875-5256)
A few lessons were learned on this trip. Never give up and make use of the phone books.
When I returned home I copied the book of records and sent it back to its owner Kathleen in Sawyerville. The note book is titled " Decendants of William Mackay and Mary Morrison". Entries in the notebook are all of the same handwriting style up until the early 1960s. I suspect that this book was written by Iverson Albert Miller, born 4/13/1891, and given to Lawrence in the 1960s. The forword of the book contains these paragraphs [no edits made]:
"FOREWORD - This is what we have in our book of the Mackay family of Ballintra County of Donegal Ireland. Of Margaret Mackay we have only her name probably staid in Ireland. Her sister Mary married John Scott had four children John George William and Nancy. We have a partial chart of Williams family down to present time. Their brother Joseph married Barbara Ovens had three Ruth who married Thomas Lowry had ten children, John married twice first to Jane Young who had ten children then to Christiana Evans who had three (We have nearly complete records of these two familys) and Willian who married Mary Morrison had twelve. Of the Morrisons we only know of three Esther who married Robert Gorham had eight children and Christiana who married Thomas Colvin (and Mary). These two familys have not been traced.
After Joseph Mackay died Barbara Ovens married William Mackay (who he was we do not know) had three more children. James of whom we have no record Elizabeth (Aunt Betty) married James McVety had eight children and Joseph who married Rebeca Evans had eleven. These two familys have been traced.
Nearly all these people came to County Lottinere Quebec and were interned in Parkhurst Cemetery St. Patrice Quebec built and attended the little stone church now demolished. The imigration took place in the early Eighteen thirtys we think, the records were burnt in the Quebec court house fire. The research work was done by Iveson A. Miller see page 39".
The next pages list all I have collected on the Mackay family and our relations along with data contributed by other researchers.
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