History of Valcartier
Echoes of a Fine-Tuned Valley (video)
The Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network (QAHN) proudly presents this documentary by Valcartier photographer and filmmaker Allison Kirkwood. It was produced as part of QAHN's 2019-2020 project "A Different Tune: Musical Heritage in English-speaking Quebec" which was...
Beautiful gardens by Andree Bedard on the old Cosgrove homestead
This article appeared the the July, 2000 edition the Fleurs Plantes Jardins magazine. Although I can't read much French, it is a delight to look at the beautiful photographs of this Valcartier garden. The property was originally the homestead of John Cosgrove and Mary...
Chronological History of Valcartier and also Its Churches
This piece is believed to have been started by Bernie Monaghan and continued on by other local historians. 1647Seigneury of St-Gabriel is deeded to Robert Gifford of France1651Part of this land is given to the Huron tribe1667Remaining part of land is given to the...
Essay on Early Valcartier
The City of Quebec is so surrounded with beautiful summer resorts that such of them as are not easily reached are apt to be overlooked. Valcartier is an example of this, although only an hour's ride by auto from the city. But it is well worth visiting, this beautiful...
“The Road to Valcartier” from 1919
“Little Hamlet of Valcartier Has History” from 1931
Sickness at Valcartier – 1891
Freezing Horror in 1891 – Flynn Family
Soldiers and Sailors from the Valcartier Area
Click for spreadsheet
Valcartier Camp
By Bernie Monaghan At the outbreak of World War 1 in 19l4, a large section of the Township of Valcartier was selected by the Federal Government as a site for a Military Training Camp. As a result, this decision caused the properties of a substantial number of...
Old Soldiers of Valcartier
Written by Bernie Monaghan in the 1980s. From General Education to Education of Generals. By Padre R. A. B. Maclean, writing in L’Emerillon, May 19th 1982. Anniversaries and local genealogical connections of my own family have driven me to search out the...
The Mystery of the Waterloo Veterans of Valcartier
The following article by Edgar Andrew Collard appeared in The Montreal Gazette on March 25, 1950. Collard was a Canadian journalist and historian, born in Montreal on 6 September 1911, and best known for his Montreal Gazette column “All Our Yesterdays”. The first...
List of Protestant Emigrants From Ireland – 1819
Source: Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Quebec online Catalogue #O3Q,E21,S64,SS5,SS6,D1075 and #O3Q,E21,S64,SS5,SS6,D1041 There are two similar documents one filed in 1819 and one filed in 1821. September 21, 1819 (Entered into the Minutes 25 September 1819) To...
Orphans Placed in Valcarier Area Homes, 1847 & 1848
The names listed here have been extracted from Marianna O’Gallagher’s book “Grosse Ile, Gateway to Canada, 1832-1937”, published by Caraig Books, 1984. In the book she lists the names of 619 children that were listed in a register kept in 1847 and 1848 by...
Valcartier Deaths from Coroners’ Reports
another test
Testimony of Eight Valcartier Settlers
Request to Build an Oatmeal Mill – Valcartier, 1825
This is a transcription of the document below. Transcribed by Audrey Henderson, 2019 To the Honorable the Commissioners for managing and improving the Jesuits Estates. The Petition of the undersigned Proprietors and Occupiers of Land at ValCartier Fief St. Gabriel,...
Where the Heck Was “Riverside”, the House of the Neilson and Fairchild Families?
Click to read article: Riverside
History of Valcartier Lodge (later Mont Saint-Sacrement)
Mont Saint-Sacrament, c1950 by Bernie Monaghan The first steps were taken to form a ski center in Valcartier, when in the autumn of 1945, Timothy H. Dunn, sportsman of Quebec City, decided to purchase some properties on the Fourth Range which were considered ideal for...
The Quebec and Gosford Wooden Railway
Image from: L'Opinion publique Vol. 2, no 52 (28 décembre 1871), p. 626 — collections.banq.qc.ca - iris.banq.qc.ca - exporail.org - jacques-cartier.com Unknown Author On November 26, 1870, the loud cry of a locomotive resounded throughout the sparsely populated region...
Biographies
Alexander Joseph Wolff
By Robert Walter Hicks March, 2023
New London, Wisconsin: Celebrating and Remembering, March 2022 (the McLaughlin and Cassin families)
By Ellen McLaughlin Harford Written February, 2023
My Irish Ancestry: Patrick McLaughlin connection
From an email from Donna Gitter Haack to Patricia Balkcom in early 2023: "I am a first cousin of Ellen McLaughlin Harford. Her father, Daniel McLaughlin, and my mother, Bernice McLaughlin Gitter, were siblings living on a farm in the Township of Lebanon, Waupaca...
Curtis Billing – Ancestor File by Clark McIntosh, 2022
Curtis Billing - Ancestor Profile
The Selected Letters of The Neilson Family of Galloway and Quebec 1789-1845
Edited by Kenneth Veitch of The European Ethnological Research Center, University of Edinburgh, 2022 From Professor Veitch - "The Neilson book is only available in electronic form. All our edited sources, however, are published under a Creative Commons license CC...
Ancestors of Clayton Bryce Billing Genealogy Report
This work was completed by Clayton Bryce Billings before his death and has been submitted for use by his son, Kevin Billing.
Chart of Ancestors of Clayton Bryce Billing
This work was completed by Clayton Billing before his death and submitted to the website by his son, Kevin Billing.
Book by George Moore Fairchild, Jr. in 1899
Obituary of Edward McLaughlin, 1899
Obituary for Wilmot Beresford Ridout, Widow of Col. John Neilson
Michael Cassin (c1772-1842) & Margaret Kelly (c1778-c1855)
Written by Patricia Balkcom, October 2019 Michael Cassin and his wife, Margaret Kelly, were one of the original families of Valcartier, Quebec. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact time of their...
Letter from Elinor Clark (1898)
Submitted by D. Clark McIntosh, August, 2019 A letter to William Clark, the son of John Clark and Eleanor Billing who lived in Riviere aux Pins. Valcartier, PQ Oct 21, 1898 My Dear William I was so glad to hear again from you last week, for I was beginning to fear I...
Burial of George Neil
From the Quebec Telegraph, August 6, 1917, page 4
Cecil McBain – Hazel Neil Wedding
From the Quebec Telegraph Newspaper, August 27, 1917, page 4
Letters from Addie Neilson Thomas
Images and Letters used with permisson from Amos Thomas McDonald, great-grandson of Addie Neilson ThomasAddie Margaret Neilson Thomas 1862 - 1937Click to see letters
Edward McLaughlin
Click the arrow in the right hand corner of the document to enlarge it. https://valcartiergenealogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/edward_mclaughlin.pdf
Research Questions Regarding the McLaughlin Families of Valcartier
Click the arrow in the right hand corner of the document to enlarge it. https://valcartiergenealogy.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/mclaughlin_families_of_research_questions.pdf
John O’Neill & Judith Duffy
by Patricia Balkcom, revised December, 2018
Wolff Family History
By D. Clark McIntosh, 2016
The Bowles of Valcartier – Their Roots in Ireland
by Tom La Porte, 2016 (At the bottom of each page, hover the mouse, and click the arrow to go to the next page)
The Sweeney Families of Valcartier
(Hover your mouse over the arrow at the bottom of the page to go to the next page)
The Murphy Family of Bourg Louis
by D. Clark McIntosh, March, 2016 (Hover your mouse over the arrow at the bottom of the page, to go to the next page)
Family of Andrew McKinley & Sarah McCune
by Audrey, Charles, and Faye Mckinley, May 2014 (At the bottom of each page, hover your mouse to find the arrow to go to the next page)
Family of Thomas Gough & Alice Mooney
by Patricia Balkcom and Christine Lapierre, April 2014 (at the bottom of each page, hover your mouse to find the arrow to go to the next page).
The Ellen Coughlin Story
by Ron Meehan of Australia, 2015 (At the bottom of each page, hover your mouse to find an arrow to go to the next page)
Some Related Goodfellow Settlers in Canada
by Marjorie Goodfellow My great, great grandfather Robert Goodfellow emigrated from Scotland about 1820. As yet, no record of embarkation or debarkation has been found. Why did he come? It is assumed that he landed in Quebec, but that is not proven. With whom did he...
Susannah McKinley versus Susannah McKinley
by Audrey Henderson, 2012 It appears there are 2 females of the same name - Susannah McKinley – who lived in the area of Valcartier, at the same time, in the eighteen hundreds. One Susannah McKinley married William Henderson, I will refer to as her as Susannah-1. The...
Henderson Family History
by Audrey, Charles and Faye Henderson, April 2012 John Henderson (1791-1864) and Elizabeth Brown (1797-1873) Their Children and Families Preface The Henderson's family history was initially undertaken by my cousin Charles Henderson. Charlie conducted his research...
Delia Brown’s Autograph Book
Delia was the wife of Thomas Knox. This has been kindly provided by her great-great granddaughter, Melanie Goodfellow. The book was was started by Delia when she was 20 years old in 1889 and added to until 1894. Mary A Billing, Valcartier Jan. 15 1889Grant Ireland,...
Father John O’Grady 1803-1872
This biography was researched and written by Dennis McLane of Boise, Idaho. He maintains a website entitled, Frampton Irish. With his kind permission I have reprinted it here. "The theme of this blog is Catholic priest, the Reverend John O’Grady. I was inspired to...
Ellen McLaughlin Hill and Michael Patrick McLaughlin
Unknown Author Ellen McLaughlin was born July 15, 1865 in St. Gabriel de Valcartier, Quebec, daughter of John McLaughlin and Mary Hartery. She married Robert Hill born May 16, 1867 in St. Gabriel de Valcartier on October 10, 1893. Shortly after the marriage, they left...
Curtis McBain & Caroline Ward
by Nelson Ireland and Evelyn Ireland Jewel, grandchildren of Curtis McBain; written April 6, 1988 CURTIS McBAIN 1846-1905 and his wife CAROLINE WARD lived in the Settlement of Valcartier, today known as Valcartier Village. Their residence stood on the site of what...
Owen Murphy
by William Cochrane Owen Murphy, Ex-Mayor of Quebec City, was born in Stoneham, Province of Quebec December 9th, 1829. His father was a member of the highly esteemed family of Murphys, of Ballainoulart House, County Wexford , Ireland, and was a man of peculiarly high...
Family of Willliam Murphy and Bridget Corcoran
by Vanessa Gagne William Murphy was a native of Westmeath, Ireland. He was the son of John Murphy and Biddy McGrath. We have no knowledge of when he arrived in Canada. He was born in 1817 and died April 17, 1877. He was buried in St Gabriel de Valcartier Cemetery....
The Madden Family of Valcartier
by Bernard Monaghan, 1985; edited by Patricia Balkcom, April, 2019 Family of Anthony Madden and Eleanor Calback Anthony Madden and his wife Eleanor Calback must have been married in Ireland and arrived in Valcartier in the early 1800s. They settled on a lot on the...
Lineage of Colonel John Louis Hubert Neilson
by G. LeFrancois Information also acquired from: Armory and Lineages of Canada by George Todd, first published 1914, Nyvall Print Press, New York, NY. Neilson of Neilsonville, Quebec Col. John Louis Hubert Neilson, Signeur of Hubert, born Quebec, 24 March, 1845....
Burial of Marie Ursule Hubert Neilson
At the same time I also obtained the following excerpt from the Register of the Church of the parish. On this 23rd day of June 1866, we the undersigned priest, have interred in the cemetery of this parish, the body of Marie-Ursule Hubert, wife of the late Hon....
Jimmy Poole (Powell)
by Jack Griffin Jimmy Poole (Powell) was a native of Lismore, County Waterford. and went to Newfoundland from Ireland, later coming to Quebec and eventually to the Valcartier/St. Catherine district. His seems to have been a very adventuresome spirit for not long...
Death of Jack Murphy and the Phantom Train
Johnny Donaldson tells me that the famous phantom train, which traveled the tracks of the old Gosford and Quebec-Lake St. John railroads in the early days began its ghostly journeying after Jack Murphy of Pine River was killed by a train near Scott's Corner - near...
Descendants of William Brown and Marion Graham
by Thomas Aldcorn, letter written to his relatives edited by Patricia Balkcom, July, 2014 Salem, Ontario, July 3, 1937 Dear Friends: As it is impossible to give each of you a copy of our family tree as it is presented here, I have written a short history of the family...
Lt. Col. William McBain’s Obituary
William McBain died September 4, 1937. He was the son of Arthur McBain and Margaret Loughren.
Stories
Buzz McBain’s Party
Contributed by Robert Hicks, Poem Author and Date Unknown
More of Jimmy McCartney’s Songs
By Robert Hicks March, 2023Jimmy's Songs 1-combined
Success Stories began in St. Pat’s no-frills classrooms
Article by Ed Banty, Montreal Gazette, February 21, 1993 Article regarding St. Patrick's School located in Quebec City, Quebec
A Not So Neighbourly Feud
These poems were written about Paddy Cassin, his wife Annie Holton, and their disagreement with their neighbor, John Hornby. The incident occur on July 18th, 1906 and John Hornby filed an assault and battery charge against Patrick Cassin, for which he was later found...
John O’Neill on a Runaway Horse
From the Quebec Daily Telegraph, October 30, 1888
Visitors to Valcartier – 1910 (Neilson, Ross, McBain)
From the Daily Telegraph (Quebec City), September 8, 1910
Train Times – 1883
From the Quebec Daily Telegraph Newspaper, July 5, 1883
Freezing Horror in 1891
From the Quebec Saturday Budget Newspaper, January 24, 1891
Historical Tidbits
Unknown Author NAME CHANGES There is a lake on the 5th concession of Valcartier which appears on maps as lac Jacques or lac St. Jacques. In pioneer days this lake was referred to by the local people of the area. as lake Jock or Jock's lake. called after the first...
Montreal’s Irish
My Summers in Shannon
(about his summers about 1947-8) Ice Cream Galore As a ten year old boy who spent summers in Shannon, I would always accompany my cousin Jackie Griffin when he would drive to the local station to pick up the daily mail bag. Pete Bowles ran the store close to the...
Farming in Valcartier
Milking During the early 1920’s, as I remember them, all the people were dairy farmers and had been following the same system for many years before my time. A herd of 14 milk cows at that time was considered a big one. Herds on the various farms would range from four...
Richard Douglas’s Farm Becomes Prey to Flames
During the summer of 1914, there was a long, hot, dry spell of weather. In early July, the streams, wells and springs were low and some were almost dry. The earth was like a tinderbox. At this particular time in early July, the farmers had begun harvesting their hay....
No Repeat Please
told to Vincent Kelly by Thomas Guilfoyle A husband and wife lived long ago in the vicinity of Pinkney Mountain. The wife sickened and died and, after a night’s waking was carried to the churchyard for burial, borne on the shoulders of neighbors who took turns...
The Harvest Excursion
told to J. A. Griffin by Tim Kiley When we got to Napinka tow we found a different tune Strong men stood round in sadnessThere was nothing could be done "No work", was what the people said "Your trip will be in vain Two hundred men are starving on the streets of...
The First Oil Lamp
by Pete Powell A family named McCloskey once lived on lot #425, sixth range, now the property of Johnny Donaldson. Whether they were related to the fifth range McCloskeys is not known, but Johnny does not think they were. He remembered seeing one of them, John...
Horse Racing
Joe Bowles once told me of a famous horse-race which took place in St. Catherine’s a long time ago between a horse owned by Andrew Dunn and a steed belonging to "Rich" Anthony Maher. A wager of $100 was made and the race took place on a Sunday afternoon, starting at...
Hauling Hay from Rushabuc
I remember hearing my grandfather Woodlock in conversation with my father saying that he did not believe in ghosts but that sometimes odd things did happen which are difficult to explain and he told a story about one occasion in the l890s when he was hauling hay from...
A Heavy Ghost
When my grandfather, Michael Woodlock, died in 1927, I went to the wake with my father one evening, and recall being seated in the kitchen near where three men: William "Rushabuc Bill" Conway, Willie Hayes and Bill Landers were telling ghost stories. Being only twelve...
A Christening
told to Dave Woodlock by Michael King of New York in about 1932 In Valcartier pioneer days, there was a young couple settled on one of the back ranges, far from the Village. In the dead of winter their first child was born to them - a healthy baby boy. The husband...
A Tragic Accident – the Drowning of Goodfellow and Cartwright
On a bright summer day, in late August 1918, four young men decided to go fishing at Lake Michel, situated on the Northwest side of the Jacques Cartier River. They included Charlie and Alfie Cartwright, sons of the late William Cartwright and Mary Anne Hornby. The...
Earthquakes Felt in Valcartier
Valcartier and the surrounding areas have experienced their share of earthquakes over the years. For the most part, they were minor tremors hut some of them were quite severe. In November 23, 1988, a minor quake, measuring 4.4 on the Ritcher Scale awakened us from...
James McCartney’s Songs
typed by Bernie Monaghan James McCartney, son of Andrew McCartney and Janet Wolff . Born, March 16, 1889. Died, February 15, 1931, at the age of 41 years at the Jeffrey Hale Hospital, Quebec City.. Lived in Valcartier Village. Buried in St. Andrew's Presbyterian...
A Close Call
The story as told by Mrs. Annie Corrigan in 1964. In olden days the Catholic children of Valcartier would have a period of religious instruction during the month of May. It was called Catechism. The Catechism would be taught in the Sacristy of the Church to the...
Gelé à Mort (Frozen To Death)
by Jack Griffin The bitter Quebec winters seem to have taken their toll among the early Irish settlers of St. Catherine’s, unused as they were to such horrible cold, and, in most cases, inadequately clothed as well. Thus, the parish records of St. Augustin de Portneuf...
Driving Pulpwood on the Jacques Cartier River
by Bernie Monaghan and Michael Corrigan In the late 1800's, a pulpmill was established in the town of Donnacona, which is situated on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River, a short distance from Quebec City. The vast forests of the Jacques Cartier water shed was...