Heritage.

Our Charter Night Dinner was held on 3 November 2004 at the Officers' Mess of the Black Watch (RHR) Armoury in Montreal. The guest speaker for this event was Karen Molson. Karen is a direct descendant of the late John Molson, who immigrated to Canada from England and founded the Molson Brewery in Montreal, circa 1782. Today, the Molson Brewery that he founded is a multinational beer brewing company and it is still headquartered here in Montreal. Karen is an authority on the history of the Molson Brewery, as well as being the Molson family genealogist. She wrote a book entitled: The Molsons: Their Lives and Times, which was published in 2001. Her second book, on the subject of the late Senator Hartland Molson, is expected to be published in 2005.

Karen delivered a very comprehensive and well-researched presentation, illustrated with slides, entitled: The Molsons of Montreal: the Early Years. Heritage Branch was especially interested when we learned about the marriage of John Molson to Sarah Insley Vaughan, who was probably from a United Empire Loyalist family. When she was finished, we had an opportunity to ask her some questions about the Molson family. Mrs Ann Jarvis Boa UE, Heritage Branch Secretary, graciously thanked Karen for her excellent presentation. Among the thank-you gifts presented to the guest speaker from Heritage Branch and its members were: a UELAC Project 2014 Beer Mug, and a Molson's Brewery chansonnier/song-book published in 1969.

Heritage Branch gratefully acknowledges the support for this presentation provided by the Canada Council through The Writers' Union of Canada.

The year 2005 marks the 230th anniversary of the beginning of the American Revolution (April 19th 1775) at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts; and the beginning of the Revolution's invasions of Canada, under Brigadiers General Richard Montgomery and Benedict Arnold, when Montreal fell into American hands (November 13, 1775.) Heritage Branch is considering different ways to mark these anniversaries.