Oatmeal and the Catechism

Book excerpt: "Oatmeal and the Catechism is the story of emigrants from the Outer Hebrides to Quebec in the latter half of the nineteenth century. Most were crofting families from Lewis who had suffered the severe effects of the potato famine of 1846-51. As a solution to the increasing pressure on landlords and government relief bodies, they were offered free passage to 'Lower Canada' and given land grants in the Eastern Townships. To this day place-names such as Stornoway, Tolsta, Ness and Dell in Canada testify to the strong links these communities kept with their homeland." "In this updated edition of her book Margaret Bennett traces the historical background of emigration and settlement in this part of Canada. By means of recorded interviews with descendants of the original settlers, she builds up a detailed picture not only of the social and religious aspects of their lives, but also of how they set about building a new community in the wilderness. For more than a century people in the Outer Hebrides have been asking what happened to those who left for the New World. Oatmeal and the Catechism answers that question."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved