Fonds P222 - Megantic-Compton Cemetery and Church Association fonds

The Megantic-Compton Cemetery and Church Association was founded on May 21st, 1992. Its mission was to offer assistance in the maintenance and preservation of Protestant churches and cemeteries in the Megantic-Compton electoral riding. It was originally known under the title of “Megantic-Compton Heritage Trust,” but appears to have adopted the title of “Megantic-Compton Cemetery and Church Association” within the first few months of its incorporation. It was comprised of a Board of Directors of twelve members elected annually (for one- or two-year terms, with possibility of re-election). Annual General Meetings were held once per year, along with Special Meetings as necessary, and meetings of the Board of Directors were held multiple times per year as necessary. The Board of Directors included four officers: President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer. The first President of the Association was Mr. J. Allen Martin (known as “Allen”), who held the position until his death in 2001, at which point Vice-President Orvil Anderson took over. Ms. Ethel Martin was Treasurer from 1992 to 2001, at which point she and longtime Secretary Ms. Violet Main resigned, and both were replaced by Mr. William (Bill) Cloutier as Secretary-Treasurer. General membership ranged from about twenty-five to fifty members throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. As of 2013, the Association was still meeting regularly.

The Association preoccupied itself throughout most of the 1990s with preparing cemetery listings for the Protestant cemeteries within the Megantic-Compton electoral riding. The research for these cemetery listings was carried out by paid employees (many of whom were students) and volunteers. A separate but related research project involved the compilation of Protestant Church registers of baptisms, marriages, and burials from the Megantic-Compton electoral riding. They also commemorated some neglected cemeteries with monuments acknowledging the first settlers of the area whose remains were buried in those areas. Funding for the Association’s activities came from federal and provincial grants as well as individual and corporate donations and fundraising activities. Individual donations were encouraged through the Association’s carefully curated mailing list.