1 Rev. John Bethune

Born on the Isle of Skye in Scotland, Rev. John Bethune (1751-1815) established the first Presbyterian congregations in Montreal and in western Quebec (now Ontario). After studying at King’s College in Aberdeen, Bethune was ordained by the Church of Scotland and emigrated to North Carolina with members of his family in 1773. There, he was recruited as chaplain to the 1st Battalion of the Royal Highland Emigrants in the British Army. Bethune was captured at the Battle of Moore’s Creek Bridge in 1776 during the American Revolutionary War (1775-83); on his release in 1778, he left for Montreal. In 1786, Bethune established the first Presbyterian Church in Montreal, the precursor to the St. Gabriel Street Church. In 1787, Rev. Bethune moved to Williamstown in Glengarry County (commemorated today at Bethune-Thompson House) to minister to the large population of Scottish Highlands immigrants who had settled in the area. Due to his isolated location, Bethune remained friendly with other local religious leaders, including both Father Alexander MacDonnell (1762-1840), later Roman Catholic Bishop of Kingston, and Rev. John Strachan (1778-1867), later the Anglican Bishop of Toronto. Rev. Bethune continued to minister throughout Glengarry, establishing churches in Lancaster, Martintown and Cornwall.

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