Internship Spotlight: Kiera Henry – 78th Fraser Highlanders

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to intern with the 78th Fraser Highlanders, an organization dedicated to preserving the history of Canada’s oldest Scottish regiment, formed in 1757. This experience helped me explore the professional dimensions of my studies as a History undergraduate. I’d like to thank the donors who contributed to the Dean of Arts Development fund, whose generosity made my internship possible.

I chose this internship because of its connection to the Montreal community and my interest in 18th-century North American history. The leadership of the 78th Fraser Highlanders have preserved the history of the original regiment, expanding public accessibility to the information the organization has gathered. This summer, I contributed to the development and launch of the Descendancy Project, a digital database that documented Fraser soldiers and their descendants to support genealogical research. Past interns categorized and built the public platform; this year, my fellow interns and I finalized the website and built a research guide for aspiring genealogists. The Descendancy Project provided me with the opportunity to learn about archival platforms as the host, rather than just a “user” of historical databases.

My main project focused on researching the 78th Frasers’ time quartered in the American colony of Connecticut during the winter of 1757-58. Remarkably, one of the five towns where the regiment was stationed is also my hometown! To gather more information on this little-documented period in the Frasers’ history, I did in-person archival work and online research. I explored local repositories—including town halls, churches, and historical societies—where I applied my academic training to a place I know personally.

As I delved into this local history, I encountered challenges tracing documents across different archives. In one case, a local history book cited an archive using only an acronym. I searched its appendices, combed through online sources, and finally learned from a helpful volunteer that the acronym referred to the old name of a local historical society. These types of complications forced me to adapt and broaden my research techniques when tracing documents. Even when I identified an archive, locating a specific document was never guaranteed. Over the summer, I attempted to trace town records that had been rebounded, lost in a flood, and handed to state-wide libraries. I had success with many documents, but some ultimately ended in failure (such as the waterlogged Stamford Town Meeting Minutes, which are presumably lost to history). Though often frustrating, these challenges pushed my research skills further and helped me improve as a student of History.

Thank you to the donors who contributed to the Dean of Arts Development fund, whose support allowed me to bridge classroom learning with hands-on historical work alongside others passionate about the preservation of such knowledge. Through my time with the 78th Fraser Highlanders, I’ve learned more about the professional careers of historians and have grown more confident in my abilities as a researcher. I’d like to extend a special thanks to my supervisors, Athol Hart and Bruce Bolton, who supported my research with enthusiasm, provided help whenever needed, and never passed up an opportunity to test my historical knowledge.