Oxton House Publishers, LLC

Edward J. Struthers, an autobiography

From the Richelieu Seignories

to the Eastern Townships

the autobiography of

Edward J. Struthers

edited by Lewis S. Kreger

Made by Serif

[cover art, from 1881 Belden Atlas, courtesy Missisquoi Historical Society]

5¼" × 8¼" paperback

127 pages, $9.95

In the shadows of American Revolutionary history are the stories of the Loyalists, whose fidelity to unity with the British Empire forced them from their homes and the country they had helped to build. We catch glimpses of them, usually like Kenneth Roberts’ fictional Oliver Wiswell, fleeing Boston with the departing British fleet, bound for Nova Scotia. But there were others, too. From the early 1780s on, many Loyalist families traveled north from Vermont and New York to where the Richelieu River flows out of Lake Champlain, passing through or settling in Noyan, Quebec.

Simple and unvarnished in its presentation, this book is nevertheless a rich source of several different kinds of history:

genealogies of several Noyan families from the time of the American Revolution to the early 20th century;
a collage of glimpses of everyday life in rural Canada and Hartford, Connecticut, 100 or so years ago, seen through the eyes of a young boy;
a casual, rambling look at early 20th century rural life in southern Quebec;
a treasure-trove of experiences from his front-line service as a Signaller in the Victoria Rifles during World War I, along with countless details of a soldier’s daily life (This 43-page part is a gem for anyone interested in the history of The Great War!);
life as a Canadian railway customs officer during the days of U.S. Prohibition.

If you’re looking for family roots from that area, or researching events in World War I, or just interested in the life and times of real people of an earlier century, you’ll likely find something of interest in this little volume.

A descendant of one of those families, Edward J. Struthers (1893–1974), was a prominent citizen of Quebec’s Eastern Townships. After a long, eventful life, including combat service in World War I, he wrote his autobiography, in part “to record the stories of some families who are representative of many others who settled Canada, fought its wars, and became part and parcel of the making of Canada.” This work, still unpolished at the time of his death, languished among family memorabilia for three decades, until it was discovered and published by a distant relative, Lewis S. Kreger, UE*.

* The certified descendants of United Empire Loyalists are formally recognized by the British Monarchy. This is signified by the “UE” that they may use after their names.