Laurent Quetton St. George
Born
Laurent Quet

4 June 1771
France
Died8 June 1821
Orléans, France
Other namesLawrence Quetton St. George
Occupation(s)Military officer, merchant and landowner
SpouseAdèle de Barbeyrac (m. 1819)
PartnerMarguerite Vallière
Children3

Laurent Quetton St. George (born Laurent Quet; 4 June 1771 – 8 June 1821) was a French Royalist military officer who became a merchant and landowner in Upper Canada.[1]

Early years in France

Born in Vérargues near Montpellier, France, he was forced into exile by the French Revolution that led to the fall of the king of France.[2]

He initially settled in the Rhineland and then joined the Légion de Béon around 1794–1795. He subsequently marched with the Royalist army to Brittany in 1796.

Settling in Upper Canada

He then acquired land offered to French Royalists in Upper Canada and arrived via Quebec in 1798.[3] He was led by Joseph-Geneviève de Puisaye to land located in Windham, where his son Henri would live in his later years.[4]

He spent time as a fur trader with natives around Lake Simcoe and Lake Couchiching before becoming a merchant in 1802 at York, Upper Canada (now Toronto).[5] He worked with the British Army and English-speakers associated in Upper Canada. He formed a friendship with John Spread Baldwin and William Warren Baldwin,[6] but his imperfect English meant he did not form a close bond with others in Upper Canada.[7]

Quetton St. George house at King and Frederick streets, c. 1880

His home in York (at the northeast corner of King and Frederick streets) was designed by William Baldwin and built from 1807 to 1810.[8] The house was the first brick residence in the town,[9] and it was later owned by the Baldwin family before being demolished in 1901.

Despite working in the New World, his family returned to France, leaving him alone in Canada. In 1815, he travelled to France and England, and he remained in Europe until his death in 1821.[10]

In 1819, he married Adèle de Barbeyrac in France, who gave birth to their son Henri. He previously had a son and daughter by Marguerite Vallière in Upper Canada.

Henri Quetton de St. George

His son Henri Quetton de St. George (c. 1822–1896) was not born in Canada, but would arrive after his father's death to Canada and died in 1896 at Richmond Hill, Ontario. The younger Quetton would remain in Canada (other than a brief time in the brewing business at Oswego, New York), including the founding of Washago, Ontario, establishing a lumber business (Quetton St. George and Co.), and becoming a wine merchant in Toronto.[11]

Quetton's wife and daughter would not remain in Canada. His daughter, Madeleine St. George, returned to France to work at an orphanage in Paris and died there in 1914, and his wife left for France without him. Quetton died in Canada in 1896 and is buried at Temperanceville United Church in Richmond Hill.

Legacy

See also

References

  1. "Certificate of good character for Laurent Quetton St. George, 1815". archives.gov.on.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  2. "Biography – QUETTON ST GEORGE, LAURENT – Volume VI (1821-1835) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography".
  3. "Toronto's first brick home— built by Quetton St. George". 11 February 2016.
  4. "Early Days in Richmond Hill: A History of the Community to 1930 : Electronic edition. : The European Settlers Arrive".
  5. "Biography – QUETTON ST GEORGE, LAURENT – Volume VI (1821-1835) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography".
  6. "Biography – QUETTON ST GEORGE, LAURENT – Volume VI (1821-1835) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography".
  7. "Toronto's first brick home— built by Quetton St. George". 11 February 2016.
  8. "Toronto's first brick home— built by Quetton St. George". 11 February 2016.
  9. 1 2 "I heard St. George Street was not, in fact, named after the dragon slayer of British lore". torontolife.com. 13 August 2007. Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  10. "Biography – QUETTON ST GEORGE, LAURENT – Volume VI (1821-1835) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography".
  11. "Business history: Selling booze that was good for you". Toronto Star. 15 February 2015.
  12. "Business history: Selling booze that was good for you". Toronto Star. 15 February 2015.
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