Page 41 - Fortier Family History

History of Fortierville, QC On April 25, 1674, the Earl of Frontenac, governor of New France, conceded to Pierre de St-Ours, captain of the Regiment of Carignan, a field of two leagues front, along the St. Lawrence River, to begin, four arpents below the Oak River, climbing along the river and two leagues in depth. This fief received the name of Seigneurie de Deschaillons. From 1724 to 1854, the St-Ours estate remained the owner of the said Seigneury. The feudal privileges were abolished on December 18, 1854 and the territory then passed into the hands of the King, financiers of Sherbrooke and builders of the railway "Lotbinière and Megantic". As our territory was to the west of the Seigneurie de Deschaillons, those who came to settle here had to pay seigneurial rents until November 11, 1940, when the provincial government made the redemption of these rents. The first settlers from St-Pierre-les-Becquets and Deschaillons began to colonize the parish around the middle of the 19th century. They worked according to their whim and settled where they wanted. In the first clearers, we find the names of: Michel Goron, P. Mailhot, Mr. Barabé and Joseph Gouin (related to Sir Lomer). But the first settlements were in rank 5, known as Dry Pines and Blue Jacket. It was Joseph Mailhot, Olivier Jacques and Pierre Laquerre who settled first at Fortierville in 1850. In 1854, Jean-Baptiste Lemay came to settle in the rank known as Grand Brûlé. He remained alone for a long time. In 1875, J.-B. Fortier and Wilbrod Fortier settled in rank 6. The municipality of the parish of Ste-Philomène was civilized on May 1, 1882, under the municipal code. In 1882, rows 5, 6 and 7 were almost colonized and already, in the village, some houses had been built and shops were beginning to open. At an assembly of electors, held in the residence of Sir Joseph Charland, the fifteenth day of the year 1883, the gentlemen whose names follow were proposed and duly appointed advisers: Octave "Laquaire", Causs Beaudet, Joseph Charland, Thomas Lemay , Hyacinthe Roux, Wilbrod Fortier and Uldoric Leboeuf. At a regular council meeting held on January 30, 1883, Mr. Wilbrod Fortier was appointed Mayor and Mr. Romuald Bourret, Secretary-Treasurer. With time, the parish was gradually developing; the population was increasing, and the places of worship in the parsonage had become really too small and too small. On March 10, 1884, a petition signed by all the parishioners requesting the construction of a church was submitted to the archbishop. He sent the priest of Deschaillons, Fr. P. Drolet, who went on the spot on March 26 and fixed the site 70 feet west of the presbytery. On March 28, the decree allowing the erection of the church was issued by Bishop Taschereau. The plan was entrusted to Alfred Giroux of St. Casimir and the contract of construction was given to him on June 15, 1884, at a price of $ 11,100.00. On August 13, 1882, the Fabrique began to exist for good. The following wardens were elected: Narcisse Laliberté, Thomas Lemay, Wilbrod Fortier, Octave Laquerre, Wilbrod Auger and Arcadéus Beaudet. The first Fortierville bell, dubbed "Virginia," weighed 2000 pounds; it was sold in 1904 to a merchant named Émile Morrissette, at a price of $ 286.00, which resold it to the municipality of St-Raymond-de-Portneuf for $ 400.00, placed in the tower of the 'city Hall. It is no longer used after having served as a tocsin, and it is on the grounds of the Hotel de St-Raymond. Here is what is written on this bell: "I, Virginia, will sing the praises of God, the glory of his eminence Cardinal E-A. Taschereau, Archbishop of Quebec, and the munificence of all the benefactors of the church. St. Philomena de Fortierville. A.D. 1886. "