Theme no. 9 of the exhibit "The Irish Presence in Rawdon, Yesterday and Today", held at the Centre d'interprétation multiethnique de Rawdon, Saturdays and Sundays between 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. from March 2 to 30, 2025 (except on March 22).
A welcoming community
From the very beginning, Rawdon has been a welcoming place for families of different origins and religious denominations. In the 19th century, families of English, Scottish, Irish, American, French-Canadian and Indigenous origin lived side by side. No section of the township was reserved for any one community.
Settlers shared common goals, namely, to get land to support their families and have access to schools for their children and a church to practise their faith and gather as a community.
Settling an area requires effort, motivation and hard work, but also goodwill and harmony. The history of the township of Rawdon shows just how vital good relations between families of different origins, faiths and languages were in building a prosperous community.
From the outset, Rawdon was a welcoming place for Protestants and Catholics alike. In the 19th century, families of English, Scottish, Irish, American, French-Canadian and Indigenous origin lived side by side in every range of the township. No section of the township was reserved for any one community.
Settlers shared common goals, namely, to get good land to support their families and to have access to schools for their children and a church to practise their faith and gather as a community. Harmony was required to bring these projects to fruition.
Mixed marriages
Marriages between people of different faiths occurred in Rawdon, with one partner usually converting to the other’s faith.
The history of mixed marriages in Rawdon, between spouses of different origins and religious denominations, is the most obvious example of the understanding that animated the people of the township. This was despite the considerable influence of the Catholic and Protestant authorities, who generally did not look favourably on mixed marriages.
Marriages between Protestants of different denominations or between Catholics and Protestants contributed to the growth of large families in Rawdon.
Here, the question of religious denomination was rarely an obstacle. The marriage of John McGarrity, a Protestant, and Bridget Rivington, a Catholic, is just one example of the harmony that prevails. The couple lived in peace, raising a family of seven children, all baptized at Christ Church Anglican Church. But no one objected to the fact that Bridget, who died at the age of 100 in 1905, was buried in the Catholic cemetery of Rawdon’s Saint Patrick Parish.
Also, many Irish Protestants and Catholics in Rawdon shared the same surname, a clear indication of the frequency of mixed marriages. These include the Blair, Booth, Brown, Carr or Kerr, Cassidy, Cochrane, Connor, Cunningham, Doherty, Johnson or Johnston, Keogh or Kehoe, Mason, Rourke, McGee or McGie, McGuire, Molloy, Murphy, Powell, Smith and Walsh families.
Public administration and institutions
Irish Protestants and Catholics, both English speakers and French speakers, cooperated in various areas of public administration and institutions.
In the early 20th century, Mayor James Skelly and Councillor Dr. George Smiley, an influential Irish Protestant, worked together on developing Rawdon.
Members of the Irish Skelly family, over several generations, Peter, Michael and James were elected mayors of the municipality.
This cooperation was also evident in public institutions. The job of postmaster was held by both Protestants and Catholics and both English speakers and French speakers.
Agreement between neighbours was also evident in public administration.
For example, members of the large Irish Catholic Skelly family, Peter, Michael and James, were elected mayors of the municipality. In the early 20th century, Mayor James Skelly and councillor Dr. George Smiley, an influential Irish Protestant, worked together to develop Rawdon.
Cooperation was also the order of the day in public institutions, where Protestants and Catholics performed various functions for the good of the community. The important job of postmaster was held by both Protestants and Catholics and both English speakers and French speakers, notably from the Griffith, Daly, Skelly, Rowan, Purcell, Paradis and Redmond families.
The Société d’histoire de Rawdon / Rawdon Historical Society, through the work of its members, is helping to document the community life of Rawdon residents since the township was founded. The collegiality of its members also illustrates the harmony that prevails in the goal of making Rawdon’s history better known.
The historical and genealogical work of Beverly Blagrave Prud’homme and Daniel Parkinson, both descendants of the township’s first families, underscores the importance of good relations and harmony between neighbours in Rawdon since the pioneering days of the 19th century pioneer families.