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,

Humbly Herewith:

That your Petitioners are informed that the exclusive privilege of Mills and Millseats is vested in the Seigneur, who, it is understood is to furnish Grist Mills for the Settlers on their paying certain dues.

That there is no Grist Mill nearer the said Settlement than Lorette a distance of about nine miles.

That the Soil and Climate of this part of St. Gabriel is generally not fit to produce wheat and that the said Mill is calculated only for grinding that grain.

That the Soil and Climate answer well for oats and barley and most of the Settlers have been accustomed to use Oatmeal and Barley as their principal food.

That the Settlement which now consists of about 300 Souls suffers greatly for want of an Oatmeal and Barley Mill with a kiln to dry the oats for grinding and that the probable cost would be about (pound sign) 200 with the certainty of giving immediately, a rent at the legal rate of grinding, at least to the interest of the said amount.

Your Petitioners therefore humbly pray, that an Oatmeal and Barley Mill and drying kiln, may be erected within the said Settlement as speedily as possible, on some one of the Mill Sites therein,

And your Petitioners as in duly bound will ever pray,

    ValCartier 4 April 1825

John McCartney             David Walker

Wolff ???                Susan Smith Walker

???                    Polyana Smith Blackburn ???

Samuel Clarke                William Corrigan

Elijah Hany                 Patt Corrigan

Joseph Pierce                Andrew Kerr

Abigail  Pain White            Patrick Sweeney

Wm. Bethel                Edw. Sweeney

Nicolas Abraham            Henry Loughran

William Jeffers            Richard Ward

John Abraham                Henry ???

Nicklas Abraham            Charles Hurst

John Clarke                William Watt

Thomas Bethel            George Thompson

John Bethel                Thomas Gough

John Mather                Francis Ireland

James Philpot                Peter Guinin

Pat Reynolds                       John Nicholson   

Thomas Edleston               William ????

                    John Turner

Robert Ross                Sothe Bogans ???

John Burton                Robert Blaney

Jane Nickell                Thomas Murphy

Peter Pantelow            Batise Noreau

John Doran                         James Jake

C.W. Cox

Ignas Martin ???

???

???

James  Donahoe

Robert Goodfellow

William Goodfellow

Edward Hunt

William Corrigan

John G Neil

Owen Sullivan

John Sullivan

Thomas Berry

Ferdinand Murphy

Thomas MacMullen

Betsy Murphy ???

John Shae

Images from Bibliotheque et Archives nationales at www.banq.qc.ca

Catalogue # E21,S64,SS5,SSS6,D1405

These are payment sheets for those who worked on the Mill:

Catalogue # E21,S64,SS5,SSS6,D1407

June 19 – Sept. 5, 1829

Catalogue # E21,S64,SS5,SSS6,D1337

July 1, 1829 – June 1, 1830