Search Results

Urquhart, Alexander Back to ALL Bios One of our first summer residents! Alexander Urquhart 1816 - 1897 Alexander Urquhart was born in Cawdor, Nairnshire, Scotland on April 14, 1816. He was the eldest of the family of the seven children of his mother, Mary MacDonald and his father John Urquhart. His two brothers were James Kyle and Charles Calder Mackintosh and his sisters May, Isabella, Jessie and Mary. He came to Canada in June of 1840 and joined the congregation of St. Gabriel Street Presbyterian Church in Montreal, which was then the wealthiest and best attended churches in the city. Shortly after his arrival in Montreal, he went to Quebec City where he lived for four years and was married to Elizabeth Cumming. He returned to Montreal in 1844 and established a business, Alexander Urquhart & Company. The enterprise started as a wholesale grocery business which grew and diversified over time. The company imported goods from Europe and the Caribbean. Its products were sold in Quebec and Ontario, and also in the burgeoning regions of the Canadian North West – the Red River District and beyond. He was an active member of the congregation of the St. Gabriel Street Church holding the position of treasurer from 1844 to 1846. He remained involved in the administration of the church before moving to St. Andrew’s Church in 1855. By this time his business had become well established, and he was a prominent member of the Montreal business community. His Montreal home was on Côte de Neiges just above Sherbrooke Street in the sector known as the Golden Square Mile. His sister May married Alexander Begg a druggist of Quebec City and his brother James Kyle came to Canada and was closely associated with Alexander’s business interests. His interest in Tadoussac was most likely kindled through his involvement in the Tadoussac Hotel and Sea Bathing Company. The company principals included others such as William Rhodes, William Russell and Joseph Radford. The group built the first Hotel Tadoussac which opened its doors in 1864. Urquhart was also one of the founders and Tadoussac Protestant Chapel which conducted its first protestant services in 1866. In 1864, he purchased the land and buildings above the wharf at L’Anse à l’eau from David Price. The land was on the opposite side of the road from a house built in 1863 by his colleague Joseph Radford. He converted the large square building on the property into a spacious summer home. The redesigned residence included a windowed dome on the roof from which he could keep an eye on the shipping that brought his goods from Montreal to supply the needs of the Hotel Tadoussac. Alexander and Elizabeth Urquhart had three daughters: May, Charlotte and Mary. The family spent their summers in Tadoussac and the daughters, along with the two sons of Alexander and May Begg, participated in the social functions of the time. Godfrey Rhodes diary recounts evening dances with the Urquharts at Tadoussac summer residences. The youthful energy levels and late-night antics among the young in Tadoussac have a long history as does the patience of parents and grandparents. Alexander Urquhart continued actively in his business until 1875 when he retired. He died on May 28, 1897 in Montreal. The Urquhart family continued to spend their summers in Tadoussac until 1905. Prepared by: L. John Leggat Sources The McCord Museum, Montreal The Montreal Gazette, May 1897 A History, Scotch Presbyterian Church, St Gabriel Street, Montreal; by Rev Robert Campbell Tadoussac, The Sands of Summer by Benny Beattie Encyclopedia of French Cultural Heritage in North America Vieux.Montréal.qc.ca Godfrey Rhodes Diary, 1862 to 1873

Glassco, Willa (Price) Back to ALL Bios ​ Willa Glassco 1902- 1991 Florence Blanche Willa Price, a much longed-for daughter, was born on a hot 24th of August in 1902 in her parent’s home at #575 Grand Allée in Quebec City. Her birth would have been celebrated by her older brothers Jack, Coosie, and Charlie, and her parents, Sir William and Lady Amelia Blanche (Nee Carrington-Smith). A fair-skinned red-head, Willa was as comfortable wrestling with her brothers and climbing trees as she was learning the arts of the fairer sex. She loved to dance and sing by her father’s side at the piano and there was much music in the ever-expanding family. By the time she was 4, the family was completed by Dick and her sister Jean. At only 6, a bout of Scarlet Fever left Willa quite deaf, and turned this rambunctious child timid. Summers were spent in Tadoussac where her mother had insisted Sir William turn what had been a bawdy boarding house for his Price Brothers’ managers into a family retreat. After extensive renovations, Fletcher cottage became the club house for the six Price children and their raft of cousins and friends. Governesses would be charged with organising picnics and hikes and swimming, boating, and fishing trips. Meals would be simply prepared and served to the children on the porch on the northeast side of the house with the children sleeping in bunks in the open porch above. There are names still in evidence, carved into the cedar shingles on the outside of the porch. Lady Price and her friends would play bridge, tennis, golf, go to church, have costume parties and cocktail parties. The summers were long. From May to the end of September and they would travel up on the steamer from Quebec with trunks and staff. Willa’s education in Quebec would have been in English, Victorian in tone, and with little expectation of her going to college or university. She, along with many of her peers at eighteen, was sent to England to be presented at court to King George V and Queen Mary and then enjoyed a leisurely tour of Europe and all its sites. At age 22, tragedy struck the family. Sir William, her much loved father, was killed in a landslide in Kenogami. It changed everything for her siblings and mother and Willa dedicated herself to the care of her mother. At 25, Willa met and married Grant Glassco, a promising young businessman from Winnipeg who had just begun his career as a chartered accountant, and they settled in Forest Hill in Toronto. They went on to have four children, June, Gay, Dick, and Bill with Willa insisting she return to Quebec for each pregnancy to have her care and delivery at her mother’s house. And then, like her mother before her, she brought her family every summer to Tadoussac. Tennis, golf, church, picnics, swims. After the second world war, Grant and Willa purchased a working farm near Kleinberg, just north of Toronto, and the family spent weekends there, where driving a tractor was as important a skill as any in this family. Willa was involved in her communities and church, forming long attachments to her neighbours. She was a woman who had fierce, loyal friendships that lasted her long life. These she had at the farm, in town, and in Tadoussac. Up until her last year, when in Tadoussac she would always make a point to go and have tea with her brother Coosie, her cousins, and her many childhood friends still living in the village. Her French was perfectly tuned to the familiar Tadoussac dialect. Grant and Willa had help at home, bringing Eva Drain into the family in the 1950s. Eva, an orphan, had come to Canada from London’s East End as a Bernardos baby, starting her employment at age 8 with her brother at a Montreal match factory. After serving as a maid with the Reverend Scott, she started with Willa and Grant and stayed with Willa all her life. Eva was devoted to the whole family and as grandchildren we have many memories of Eva, the devout storyteller and dog lover who was so much a part of our family. Willa beamed. Her smile was infectious and she often threw her head back laughing. She could control her brood and twenty grandchildren with a firm hand but she was more at home being the optimist with an insatiable sense of adventure. She was an avid traveller, she and Grant travelling and living in Brazil in their 40s and 50s where he had business interests. She loved the theatre and when her youngest son, Billy, a theatre director, started Tarragon Theatre in Toronto she proudly attended every performance, no matter how scandalous the plays might be. Grant contracted lung cancer and died at only 63, leaving Willa a widow for the next twenty-three years. She experienced a sort of renaissance. Released from her domestic duties she travelled to England to visit her sister, Jean and family, she spent months in Tadoussac and up at the farm. She dated a number of very charming gentlemen and spent time with friends. She would hold a yearly picnic at the farm for the Canadian Hearing society, a charity she was active in all her life. The family would be wrangled into putting on a massive spread as families of the hard of hearing would converge for an annual outdoor gathering that was the highlight of the season. Willa was always up for an adventure, for a dance, she wrote in her journal every day and recounts a life that was truly well spent. She tragically died driving back from the farm just days after her 89th birthday. She went through a stop sign. She surely had another good decade in her at least and it was a blow to everyone when she left. She was warm, loving, and attentive. Intelligent and curious. She had a very strong sense of right or wrong and believed the best in people. Though tiny in stature and frame she could hug the breath out of a grown grandson. She is missed. Briony Glassco

Ransom, Howard Henry Back to ALL Bios Basics only. Any information would be helpful! When Howard Henry Ransom was born on April 2, 1867, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, when his father, Howard Ransom, was 29 and his mother, Maria Benallack, was 21. He is listed as having been a merchant in Montreal and in 1890 married Jane Parslow. Jane died childless, and on 14 April 1896, Howard married Isabella Linley who had been born on December 9, 1866, in Canada as the daughter of Charles Linley and Isabella Jones. They had two children, Howard Charles Linley Ransom (1903 – 1976), and Audrey Isabel Gertrude (Scadding) Ransom (1904 – 1992). They lived in Hochelaga, Quebec from 1901 for about 20 years and Howard died on May 10th, 1925 at the age of 58. It is presumed that they had moved to Montreal by that time because he is buried in Montreal. Isabella died on October 19th, 1945 in Westmount, and is also buried in Montreal. Source – Ancestors.FamilySearch.org Michael Alexander

Stairs, Dennis & Sue Back to ALL Bios ​ Dennis W. Stairs 1923-1975 & Susan E. (Inglis) Stairs 1923-1978 Dennis was born and grew up in Montreal. After attending Bishop’s College School, he joined the Royal Navy and served on the British aircraft carrier Indefatigable as an airplane navigator. He started coming to Tadoussac at an early age, and in his teens went on trips to Les Escoumins and the Marguerite in nor’shore canoes with his brothers and his cousin Peter Turcot - twenty miles rowing is a long way! He was a tennis and skiing enthusiast and was on the McGill University teams for both sports. He graduated from McGill with honours in engineering and took a position with what was then the Price Brothers Company in Kenogami. He married twice having four children by his first marriage and three by his second. Sue Inglis was born and grew up in Pittenweem, Scotland. She moved to London during the war and served in an anti-aircraft unit defending the city. She married Dennis Stairs in 1957 and together they had three children, Alan, John, and Sarah to add to Dennis’s previous four, Judy, George, Felicite, and Philippa, and she treated all seven with the same mixture of poise, no-nonsense strength, and kindness. Sue had left her home in a thriving metropolitan city to move to Kenogami, a small town a mere ninety miles from Tadoussac. She adapted well, learning skiing as well as other winter activities. She also learned French well enough to lead the Girl Guides in the Lac St Jean region! She came to Tadoussac soon after arriving and embarked on the full range of activities – witness her name on the Mixed-Doubles Tennis Trophy in more than one place, her embroidery creations in the church, and the Scottish-dancing parties she hosted - not to mention numerous picnics around Tadoussac on the beaches, in the hills, and along the shores in the freighter-canoe Seven Steps. She tirelessly nursed Dennis when he took ill, enabling him to spend the last few years of his life in the relative peace and comfort of his own homes in Montreal and in Tadoussac. Dennis passed on to us all, with varying degrees of success, his love of the outdoors whether hiking, cross-country skiing, chopping wood, or fishing. He passed along to us his love of small boats, be they canoes, rowboats, motorboats, or even how to use a freighter canoe as a sailboat! And of course, he led by example in tennis and skiing. Perhaps most of all he tried to teach us to be honest, fair, hard-working, and family-oriented people. Many a time we were cajoled into doing unpleasant tasks with the words "you're not going to let your poor father do everything are you?" We and the entire Tadoussac community remember them as good parents, good friends, and good people to have in your corner when the going got tough. George Stairs

Rhodes, Lily Bell Back to ALL Bios ​ Lily Bell Rhodes 1889 - 1975 “Quick! Get a jar. Take it to Lily Bell!” With those words an oddly attractive, but rare insect would (to its astonishment) find itself trapped behind glass and on its way to be sketched by Lily Bell, an avid artist and lover of all things natural. And whatever that bug looked like, she would kindly turn it loose when she was done. Daughter of Francis Rhodes and Totie LeMoine, (grand-daughter of Colonel and Anne Rhodes) she would likely have been brought up in the LeMoine family home, known as Spencer Grange, in Quebec City, which became the Lieutenant-Governor’s residence, and then a Canadian Heritage property and museum. Lily Bell had a sister Frances and two other sisters who died in infancy. One of those, Anne, died before she was born but the other, Gertrude, was born when Lily Bell was seven years old. She was distraught when that child died, and whether that contributed to her nervousness as a young girl can only be speculated upon at this point. Neither Frances nor Lily Bell ever married. Lily Bell was always very good at sketching and devoted a great deal of her time to developing her artistic skills. Her maternal grandfather was the Canadian author, historian and past President of The Royal Society of Canada, Sir James McPherson Le Moine (1825-1912). Lily Bell studied art at Les Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Quebec City under Henry Ivan Neilson (Professor of Painting, Drawing and Anatomy), as well as with instructor and noted Canadian artist Jean Paul Lemieux. It was said: “Although Miss Rhodes painted for her own enjoyment and is not a listed artist, her competency of composition, perspective and palette … underscores an undeniable and elevated degree of ability.” But in Tadoussac she was remembered for being very soft-spoken and sweet. She adored children and would take her young nieces on walks in the woods, telling them the names of all the flowers and mushrooms they could find, and firing their imaginations by insisting there were fairies dancing under each of them. Not surprisingly she was a great gardener along with her sister, Frances, and loved animals, particularly dogs which she used to sketch often. She even had a favourite white sweater made from the fur of a long-haired dachshund she used to own. She would often be seen sitting very still on a log or rock under a shapeless sunhat quietly sketching some composition that had caught her eye. Many of these sketches became very small paintings that were often given to her many cousins in Tadoussac. In the summers she usually stayed with her cousin, Lennox Williams, for a week or so, and then after he died, she was made welcome in the home of her friend, Grace Scott. Looking back now, one can only imagine there was a depth to her which few of us knew. What we remember is her loving kindness and her reverence for nature. And some of us are still trying to collect her delightful paintings when they come available. Alan Evans Quotation from: ernestjohnsonantiques.com See many Photos of LILY's ART at https://www.tidesoftadoussac.com/lilybell-rhodes

Evans, Maria Stewart Back to ALL Bios Dean Evans's first wife, but what else can we find?? Evans, Marie Stewart 1850 - 1903 She was the first wife of Dean Lewis Evans so the mother of Trevor Evans and grandmother of Ainslie Stephen, Phoebe Skutezky, and Trevor and Tim Evans. Said to have the nick-name “Mae the Flirt” (!) Described as Maria in her birth record, and Marie in the marriage index, (It says Marie on her plaque) her full name was Maria Stewart Bethune, born August 20 1840, the second of four children (all girls) of Strachan Bethune (1821-1910) and Maria MacLean Phillips (1826-1901). In 1873 at the age of 23, Maria Stewart Bethune married Dean Thomas Frye Lewis Evans (1845-1920) (he was one of 12 children of an Irish rector called Francis Evans). Dean T.F. Lewis Evans and Maria Stewart Bethune had 5 children: Harry Basil Ashton (1873 – 1958), Muriel Maye (1877 – 1952) Trevor Ainslie (1878 or 9 – 1938 or 9), Cyril Lewis (1882 or 3 – 1887), Ruby Bethune (1885 – 1947). The Dean had a sixth child, Lewis Evans, with his second wife Emily, also a Bethune. In 1903 she (Maria) died at age 63 and is buried in Mount Royal Cemetery. Alan Evans

Smith, Lex Carington Back to ALL Bios ​ Alexander Harcourt Carington Smith 1895-1975 & Mary Isabelle (Atkinson) 1911 - 1984 Lex, as he was known, was born in Quebec City in 1895 and was the eldest son of Robert Harcourt Smith and Mary Valliere (Gunn). He had two younger brothers, Gordon and Guy. He was educated at Bishop’s College School in Lennoxville, Quebec. In 1931 he married Mary Isabelle Atkinson in Levis, Quebec and they lived for many years on Pine Avenue in Quebec. He and Mary had one daughter, Susan, born in 1942. During World War II, Lex and Mary cared for two refugee children from England, Richard, and Elizabeth. They returned to their family in London after the war but the two families remained in touch for many years. Mary was a talented knitter and a superb home chef as well as a community volunteer, especially with the Women’s Auxiliary, and during the war, she even learned auto mechanics! Lex was an importer and manufacturer’s agent of fishing and camping supplies. He was a keen outdoorsman and fisherman who tied his own flies. He was never happier than fishing at the Sainte Marguerite River with Uncle Art and his two brothers. Lex and Mary purchased Bayview Cottage (now owned by the Stairs family) and it became known to the family as the fun place to be in Tadoussac. Mary was the most gracious hostess. Serving dinner to ten or fifteen family and friends was not unusual. They were great friends with Micheline Caron and George Kenilworth Craig who often stayed with Lex and Mary in the summer. Lex was a long-time member of the Garrison Club in Quebec City and died there in 1975. The last years of Mary’s life were spent living with her daughter Susan and her husband Keith Robbins in and around Guelph, Ontario. Lex and Mary are buried in Mount Hermon Cemetery in Quebec City. Eve Wickwire

Smith, Charles Carington & Aileen (Dawson) Back to ALL Bios ​ Charles Carington Smith 1867 - 1952 & Aileen (Dawson) Smith 1874 - 1959 Charles was the third son of Robert Harcourt Smith and Amelia Jane (LeMesurier) of Quebec City. He was educated at Upper Canada College. His banking career began with the Toronto branch of the Quebec Bank. He won many awards in the 1890s for rowing and canoeing. In the early 1900s, he moved to Quebec, continuing his career with the Quebec Bank, and was a member of the Quebec Bank hockey team that won the bank hockey championships in Montreal in 1900. In 1901 Charles married Aileen Dawson. Aileen was the daughter of Col. George Dudley Dawson and his wife of County Carlow, Ireland, and was born in Toronto. Charles and Aileen had four children: Doris Amelia (1902), George Noel (1904), Herbert, (1906), and May (1908). Their daughter Doris married Jack Molson and their Molson descendants continue to summer in Tadoussac. The family moved to Montmorency Falls where they lived for the rest of Charles’s working career, which continued with the Royal Bank of Canada after their take-over of the Quebec Bank in 1917. They retired to Kingston, Ontario from where annual summer visits to Tadoussac were much enjoyed. Eve Wickwire

Imbeau, Armand Back to ALL Bios En français et en anglais ! In french and english! Armand Imbeau Entrepreneur et Constructeur de goélettes Des personnages, certains lieux, des événements sont incontournables à Tadoussac. La baie, une des « belles baies du monde », les dunes et bien entendu, la «Toupie » du haut-fond prince au lointain, la petite chapelle, tous sont des emblèmes distinctifs de l’endroit. Le feu du Ss Québec au quai de Tadoussac en 1950 restera également un évènement qui restera en mémoire. Parmi les gens, on reconnaît assurément les noms de certains témoins du passé. C’est le cas du célèbre capitaine Jos Deschênes et de l’entrepreneur Armand Imbeau, Tadoussaciens dont on a attribué les noms aux traversiers de première et deuxième générations qui font la navette incessante entre Baie-Ste-Catherine et Tadoussac. Bien avant les traversiers, la Côte-Nord a connu l’âge de la navigation dite de nécessité locale: transport de produits essentiels depuis les grands centres vers les villes et villages, et expéditions de ressources naturelles, notamment le bois des moulins à scie de la région vers les centres de distribution. Pour répondre à ces besoins, les constructeurs navals québécois ont développé une expertise dans la construction de bâtiments de bois, à voiles et plus tard à moteur, particulièrement les goélettes à fonds plats permettant un échouage sur la grève pour faciliter le chargement dans les endroits dépourvus de quai. Parmi ces renommés constructeurs de goélettes de la région de Charlevoix et de la Côte-Nord, Armand Imbeau, fils de charpentier naval de Baie-Ste-Catherine. Navigateur, charpentier, entrepreneur, citoyen impliqué dans sa communauté, Armand Imbeau a marqué sa profession, sa ville, sa région et son époque. Imbeau de Charlevoix Le patronyme Imbeau (Imbeault, Imbault ou Imbeaux) était très répandu dans la région de Charlevoix entre le 17e et le 19e siècle. Nous retrouvons les traces de l’ancêtre des Imbeault, François Imbeault (1737-1823) dit Lagrange, militaire français et de sa conjointe Catherine Ringuet, à La Malbaie–Pointe-au-Pic. Graduellement, on note la présence des nombreuses familles de la descendance plus au nord de la région, à Saint-Siméon jusqu’à St-Firmain (Baie-Sainte-Catherine). En fin de 19e et début du 20e, des Imbeau se déplacent sur la Haute-Côte-Nord. (1, 2) Né à Baie-Sainte-Catherine le 30 août 1893, Armand Imbeau est le fils de Thomas Imbeau, de Baie-Sainte-Catherine, charpentier de profession et de Marie Laprise de Grandes-Bergeronnes. Son grand-père, Louis Imbeau travaillait aux chantiers de William Price à Baie-Sainte-Catherine et à Rivière-aux-canards. La famille de Louis comprend de nombreux enfants. À cette époque, plusieurs familles Imbeau étaient installées à Baie-Sainte-Catherine. Thomas, le père d’Armand aura deux autres fils, Lucien, Thomas-Louis (Mrg Imbeau, évêque de Charlevoix) et sept filles. Armand fait ses classes en charpenterie et apprend la construction navale auprès de son père. À l’âge de 25 ans, le 22 avril 1919, il épouse à Tadoussac, Marie-Louise Caron, enseignante à l’école du village (1900 -?), âgée de 19 ans, fille de monsieur John (Benny) Caron et madame Éveline Pedneault de Tadoussac. De cette union naissent quatre enfants; Georgette (Marie-Louise-Emma-Georgette), le 11 mars 1920, décédée le 25 mai 1973. Elle épousera Émile Baril (1904-1989) de Saint-Charles de Mandeville le 30 juin 1956. Le couple n’aura pas d’enfant. Monsieur Baril sera enseignant et directeur de l’école primaire de Tadoussac; Jacques, né en 1924 à Tadoussac et décédé à La Malbaie en 2011. Il épouse le 1er octobre 1949 Jaqueline Gauthier (1930-2013), fille de Hector Gauthier, propriétaire de l’Hôtel Gauthier qui deviendra le Manoir Tadoussac, et de Émilie Brisson. Employé du ministère des terres et forêts, Jacques Imbeau est appelé à travailler à Hauterive et à Havre-St-Pierre. Un enfant naitra de cette union, Claudine, dernière de la lignée de Armand Imbeau; Simonne, décédée très jeune (1927-1939); Rachelle (1933-1937) décédée à l’âge de 4 ans; Jacqueline (19??), qui épouse Rosaire Bouchard (1924-1987) le 15 mai 1954 à Tadoussac. Le couple s’installe à Chicoutimi, parents de deux garçons Pierre et Jean, décédés en bas âge. La cale sèche Imbeau À l’extrémité ouest de la plage, donnant sur la baie avant d’atteindre L’Islet, se trouve à droite, au pied sud-est de la colline de l’Anse à l’eau, une petite crique, un bassin naturel qui prolonge l’Anse à L’Islet, dont une bande de rochers délimite l’entrée: l’«Anse à cale sèche». Se remplissant à marée haute, l’endroit donne accès au fjord profond et facilite l’entrée et la mise à l’eau des navires. Du côté de la plage, l’anse est séparée de la baie par un isthme reliant la presqu’ile à la terre ferme. Certains résidents de Tadoussac s’installent à même la plage de la baie pour construire des embarcations. En 1923, monsieur Imbeau loue l’emplacement à ses propriétaires : la Canada steamship lines. En 1930, il fonde la « Cale sèche Imbeau » à Tadoussac, une compagnie spécialisée dans la construction et la réparation de navires à coque de bois, particulièrement ceux destinés au transport du bois et à la plaisance. La cale sèche sera opérationnelle en novembre 1931. Elle sera creusée à la main l’année suivante pour améliorer sa fonctionnalité. Grâce à une subvention gouvernementale obtenue grâce à l’appui de la municipalité et du curé du Village, les citoyens sont embauchés pour deux semaines au chantier de la cale sèche. Afin de stimuler l’économie locale, au bout de deux semaines un autre groupe de travailleurs prenait la relève afin de permettre à un maximum de personne d’éteint un travail rémunéré en ces temps difficiles. Un bâtiment nécessaire à l’entreposage des matériaux et des outils sont érigés sur les rochers, là où actuellement se trouvent les installations du « Centre d’interprétation des mammifères marins ». On retrouvait dans ce garage, les divers outils du charpentier, tel que des herminettes, plusieurs fers à calfat et maillets à calfat, des tarières, chignoles à main, vilebrequins, planes, gouges, plusieurs ciseaux à bois, scies, égoïnes à chantourner, rabots de toutes grosseurs, etc. De massives portes de bois sont installées à l’entrée de l’anse afin d’y contrôler l’entrée d’eau. Les activités de constructions et de réparations s’y dérouleront jusqu’en 1965 environ, quelques années avant le décès de monsieur Imbeau. L’âge d’or des activités du chantier se situant entre 1930 et 1950. Selon les statistiques gouvernementales d’enregistrement des nouveaux navires, au cours de cette période au moins 300 caboteurs de bois à moteur furent construits au total au Québec, dont près de 40% dans la région de Charlevoix. À Tadoussac, c’est une douzaine de bâtiments qui sortiront de la cale sèche Imbeau, dont le Saint-Jude en 1935, le Victoire en 1936, le Tadoussac Transport en 1938, le Royal Trader en 1939 et le Vaillant en 1943, son bateau personnel, le St-Étienne Murray Bay en 1939, le Raguenau en 1941. Étant donné l’espace restreint de la cale sèche, les bateaux construits devaient être de petites et de moyen tonnage. (3, 4) L’essor industriel d’après guerre et la construction de routes reliant les villes et villages des régions de Charlevoix et de la Côte-Nord contribuent à la diminution des besoins en transport naval et marquent la fin de l’ère des goélettes de même que des petits chantiers maritimes. Armand Imbeau continu tout de même la réparation et l’hivernent des bateaux dans la cale sèche jusqu’en 1965 environ. Homme aux multiples talents, il réalise la construction que quelques maisons. Pour combler le temps libre qui lui reste, il bricole, répare tout ce qu’on lui confie. Il va même jusqu’à faire office de cordonnier, domaine dans lequel il excellait. Lors de la création d’un parc national, le « Parc marin du Saguenay–Saint-Laurent » en 1998, le site alors inactif, est acquis par le gouvernement provincial et intégré au parc. Aujourd’hui, sous l’administration municipale, la cale sèche Imbeau accueille les bateaux de plaisance pendant la saison hivernale. En été, le lieu sert de stationnement automobile pour les touristes. Armand Imbeau: Le citoyen impliqué L’implication sociale de monsieur Armand Imbeau est également notable. Conseiller municipal de 1928 à 1939, il a consacré sa vie à favoriser la prospérité économique de sa région et employait jusqu’à 75 personnes au tournant des années 40. (5) Armand Imbeau s’est également engagé plusieurs années dans les organismes de l’église Sainte-Croix comme marguillier ou encore à la Ligue du Sacré-Cœur. Un événement inusité : Le trésor archéologique Un événement inusité arrive à Armand Imbeau en 1923. L’année suivant son mariage, il achète la résidence de Arthur Hovington située près de L’Islet, sur un plateau surplombant l’Anse à cale sèche, orientée face à la rivière Saguenay, le jeune père de famille s’affaire à creuser la cave en terre battue. A quelques coups de pelles de la surface, il fait la découverte d’une pochette de toile contenant des pièces de monnaie anciennes. Le magot était constitué de 102 pièces. Deux d’entre elles étaient des pièces de métal blanc d’une grande équivalente à une pièce d’un dollar canadien actuel. Elles sont en bon état, sans usure excessive et portent l’effigie de Louis XIV, et date respectivement de 1655 et 1659. Deux autres du même métal sont plus petites et plus usées, datant de 1591. Le reste de la collection comprend des pièces de métal jaune, un peu plus grandes qu’une pièce de 10 cents et sont relativement usées par le temps. Elles sont de la même époque que les deux premières. (6) L’histoire ne dit pas si le « trésor » avait une grande valeur marchande qui aurait enrichi son propriétaire, mais selon les archéologues numismates consultés, la valeur historique est réellement importante. Où sont rendues ces pièces de monnaie? Après un certain temps, Armand Imbeau les donne à son garçon Jacques qui en prend un soin jaloux pendant de nombreuses années. Alors que ce dernier résidait à Hauterive, les pièces disparaissent lors d’un vol au domicile familial. Au terme d’une vie bien remplie, Armand Imbeau s’éteint à Tadoussac en 1969 à l’âge vénérable de 76 ans. Une stèle familiale est érigée au cimetière ancestral de Tadoussac. Il laisse en héritage marquant à son village une foule de réalisations économiques et de contributions sociales. Son nom, qui baptise maintenant deux navires de la Société des traversiers du Québec est connu dans toute la province et au-delà de nos frontières. Daniel Delisle PhD avec la précieuse collaboration de Claudine Imbeau, petite fille de Armand Imbeau Inconnu, Illégitimes en Charlevoix (2), les Imbeault, https://www.touslestemps.net/2-imbeault-1-2/ Inconnu, Illégitimes en Charlevoix (3), les Imbeault, https://www.touslestemps.net/imbeault-2-2/ Frank, A., Les chantiers maritimes traditionnels: il était de petits navires, Continuité, 2001, (89), 37-39 Desjardins, Robert, Les voitures d’eau, le cabotage artisanal sur le St-Laurent, 2013, http://goelettesduquebec.ca Société des traversiers du Québec, https://www.traversiers.com/fr/a-propos-de-la-societe/nos-navires/nm-armand-imbeau/ Bulletin des recherches historiques : bulletin d'archéologie, d'histoire, de biographie, de numismatique, etc., décembre 1923 Armand Imbeau Contractor and Builder of Schooners Certain people, places and events are essential to Tadoussac. The bay, one of the "beautiful bays in the world", the dunes and of course, the "Toupie" from the Prince Shoal in the distance, the little chapel, all are distinctive emblems of the place. The fire of the SS Quebec at the Quai de Tadoussac in 1950 will also remain an event that will be remembered. Among the people, we certainly recognize the names of certain witnesses of the past. This is the case of the famous captain Jos Deschênes and the entrepreneur Armand Imbeau, Tadoussaciens whose names have been attributed to the first and second generation ferries that shuttle incessantly between Baie-Ste-Catherine and Tadoussac. Long before the ferries, the Côte-Nord knew the age of navigation born of local necessity: transport of essential products from the large centers to towns and villages, and shipments of natural resources, notably wood from the sawmills of the region to distribution centers. To meet these needs, Quebec shipbuilders have developed expertise in the construction of wood, sail and later motor vessels, particularly flat-bottomed schooners allowing beaching on the shore to facilitate loading in places without dock. Among these renowned schooner builders from the Charlevoix and Côte-Nord regions, is Armand Imbeau, son of a shipwright from Baie-Ste-Catherine. Navigator, carpenter, entrepreneur, citizen involved in his community, Armand Imbeau left his mark on his profession, his city, his region and his time. Imbeau de Charlevoix The surname Imbeau (Imbeault, Imbault or Imbeaux) was very common in the Charlevoix region between the 17th and the 19th century. We find traces of the ancestor of the Imbeault, François Imbeault (1737-1823) dit Lagrange, a French soldier, and his wife Catherine Ringuet, in La Malbaie – Pointe-au-Pic. Gradually, we note the presence of many families of descent further north of the region, from Saint-Siméon to St-Firmain (Baie-Sainte-Catherine). At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th, Imbeau moved to the Haute-Côte-Nord. (1, 2) Born in Baie-Sainte-Catherine on August 30, 1893, Armand Imbeau is the son of Thomas Imbeau, of Baie-Sainte-Catherine, a carpenter by profession, and of Marie Laprise of Grandes-Bergeronnes. His grandfather, Louis Imbeau, worked at William Price shipyards in Baie-Sainte-Catherine and Rivière-aux-Canards. Louis's family includes many children. At that time, several Imbeau families were settled in Baie-Sainte-Catherine. Thomas, Armand’s father, would have two other sons, Lucien, Thomas-Louis (Mrg Imbeau, bishop of Charlevoix) and seven daughters. Armand studied carpentry and learned shipbuilding from his father. At the age of 25, on April 22, 1919, he married in Tadoussac, Marie-Louise Caron, teacher at the village school (1900 -?), 19 years old, daughter of Mr. John (Benny) Caron and Ms. Éveline Pedneault from Tadoussac. From this union are born five children; Georgette (Marie-Louise-Emma-Georgette), March 11, 1920, died May 25, 1973. She will marry Émile Baril (1904-1989) from Saint-Charles de Mandeville on June 30, 1956. The couple will have no children. Mr. Baril will be a teacher and principal of the Tadoussac elementary school; Jacques, born in 1924 in Tadoussac and died in La Malbaie in 2011. On October 1, 1949, he married Jaqueline Gauthier (1930-2013), daughter of Hector Gauthier, owner of the Hotel Gauthier which would become the Manoir Tadoussac, and of Émilie Brisson. Jacques Imbeau, employed by the Ministry of Lands and Forests, is called upon to work in Hauterive and Havre-St-Pierre. A child will be born from this union, Claudine, the last of the line of Armand Imbeau; Simonne, who died very young (1927-1939); Rachelle (1933-1937) died at the age of 4; Jacqueline (19 ??), who married Rosaire Bouchard (1924-1987) on May 15, 1954 in Tadoussac. The couple settled in Chicoutimi, parents of two boys, Pierre and Jean, who died in infancy. The Imbeau dry dock At the western end of the beach, overlooking the bay before reaching L'Islet, is to the right, at the south-eastern foot of the hill of Anse à l'eau, a small cove, a natural basin which extends the Anse à L'Islet, of which a band of rocks delimits the entrance: the “Dry dock”. Filling at high tide, the place provides access to the deep fjord and makes it easier for ships to enter and launch. On the beach side, the cove is separated from the bay by an isthmus connecting the peninsula to the mainland. Some residents of Tadoussac settle on the bay beach to build boats. In 1923, Mr. Imbeau rented the site from its owners: the Canada Steamship Lines. In 1930, he founded the “Imbeau Dry Dock” in Tadoussac, a company specializing in the construction and repair of wood-hulled ships, particularly those intended for the transport of wood and for yachting. The dry dock will be operational in November 1931. It will be dug by hand the following year to improve its functionality. Thanks to a government subsidy obtained with the support of the municipality and the village priest, the citizens are hired for two weeks at the dry dock site. In order to stimulate the local economy, after two weeks another group of workers took over to allow as many people as possible to get paid work in these difficult times. A building for the storage of materials and tools is erected on the rocks, where the facilities of the "Center for the Interpretation of Marine Mammals" are currently located. We found in this garage, the various tools of the carpenter, such as adzes, several caulking irons and caulking mallets, augers, hand chignoles, crankshafts, planes, gouges, several wood chisels, saws, scrolling hands, planes of all sizes, etc. Massive wooden doors are installed at the entrance to the cove to control the entry of water. Construction and repair activities would take place there until around 1965, a few years before Mr. Imbeau's death. The golden age of the shipyard's activities was between 1930 and 1950. According to government statistics for the registration of new ships, during this period at least 300 motorized wood coasters were built in Quebec, of which nearly 40% in the Charlevoix region. In Tadoussac, a dozen goelettes will emerge from the Imbeau dry dock, including the Saint-Jude in 1935, the Victoire in 1936, the Tadoussac Transport in 1938, the Royal Trader in 1939 and the Vaillant in 1943, his personal boat the St-Étienne Murray Bay in 1939, the Raguenau in 1941. Given the limited space of the dry dock, the boats built had to be of small and medium tonnage. (3, 4) The post-war industrial boom and the construction of roads connecting the towns and villages of the Charlevoix and Côte-Nord regions contributed to the decrease in naval transport needs and marked the end of the schooner era as well as small shipyards. Armand Imbeau nonetheless continued to repair and winterize the boats in the dry dock until around 1965. A man of many talents, he builds a few houses. To fill in the free time that remains to him, he tinkers, repairs everything that is entrusted to him. He even went so far as to act as a shoemaker, an area in which he excelled. When a national park was created, the "Saguenay – St. Lawrence Marine Park" in 1998, the then inactive site was acquired by the provincial government and integrated into the park. Today, under municipal administration, the Imbeau dry dock accommodates pleasure boats during the winter season. In summer, the place serves as a car park for tourists. Armand Imbeau: The citizen involved The social involvement of Mr. Armand Imbeau is also notable. A city councilor from 1928 to 1939, he devoted his life to fostering the economic prosperity of his region and employed up to 75 people at the turn of the 1940s. (5) Armand Imbeau was also involved for several years in the organizations of the Sainte-Croix Church as churchwarden or in the League of the Sacred Heart. An unusual event: The archaeological treasure An unusual event happened to Armand Imbeau in 1923. The year following his marriage, he bought Arthur Hovington's residence located near L'Islet, on a plateau overlooking the Dry Dock Cove, facing the Saguenay River. The young father is busy digging the dirt cellar. A few shovels from the surface, he discovers a canvas pouch containing old coins. The nest egg consisted of 102 coins. Two of them were white metal coins of a size equivalent to today's Canadian dollar. They are in good condition, without excessive wear and bear the effigy of Louis XIV, and date respectively from 1655 and 1659. Two others of the same metal are smaller and more worn, dating from 1591. The rest of the collection includes pieces of yellow metal, a little larger than a dime and relatively worn with time. They are from the same period as the first two. (6) History does not say whether the "treasure" had a great market value which would have enriched its owner, but according to the numismatic archaeologists consulted, the historical value is really significant. Where are these coins? After a while, Armand Imbeau gives them to his boy Jacques, who takes care of them for many years. While the latter resided in Hauterive, the coins disappeared during a theft from the family home. At the end of a busy life, Armand Imbeau passed away in Tadoussac in 1969 at the venerable age of 76. A family monument is erected at the ancestral cemetery of Tadoussac. He left as a legacy marking his village a host of economic achievements and social contributions. His name, which now names two ships of the Société des Traversiers du Québec, is known throughout the province and beyond our borders. Daniel Delisle PhD with the precious collaboration of Claudine Imbeau, granddaughter of Armand Imbeau

Languedoc, Adele Back to ALL Bios ​ In Memoriam Adele de Guerry Languedoc March 1904 – December 1993 On Sunday, August 5th, 2007 the congregation of the Tadoussac Protestant Chapel laid a headstone in memory of Adele de Guerry Languedoc on the chapel grounds. Adele was born in Tadoussac in the early 1900’s and summered here with her family throughout her life. Adele’s step-mother, Erie Russell Janes Languedoc, was the granddaughter of Willis Russell who, along with Colonel Rhodes, were among the first to build summer cottages at Tadoussac in the 1860’s. Erie purchased the lands that later became known as Languedoc Park after she married the widower, George de Guerry Languedoc. The four original cottages in Languedoc Park were Erie's cottage and the cottages of the three Stevenson sisters who were great granddaughters of Willis Russell. At the time of her death, she was remembered by the National Archives of Canada for her distinguished career as a librarian. Her career began with her undergraduate degree at McGill University including a library diploma and she received a Bachelor of Library Service from Columbia University in 1946. She served for five years with the American Relief for France during the Second World War and her efforts helped to restore the regional libraries that had been so damaged during the war. She also set up the first children’s library that existed outside Paris. On her return to Canada she was hired as ‘accessions librarian’ at the Canadian Bibliographic Centre which was later named the Library and Archives of Canada. She helped to build our now famous collection of Canadian literature and documents. She was named Assistant National Librarian in 1964. Through her work in Ottawa she was asked to represent Canada as a member of the UNESCO seminar on libraries and served as a consultant in Africa. The National Library News wrote of her at the time of her death “To all her work, she brought a broad, deep knowledge and experience of Canada’s French and English tradition. She is remembered by her friends in Tadoussac as a friendly, smiling member of the community sitting on her porch at her cottage in Languedoc Park. Few realised what important work she had done at the National and International level. She was a neighbour and a friend.

Price, Henry Ferrier Back to ALL Bios ​ Henry Ferrier Price 1833-1898 Henry Price was born at Wolfesfield in Sillery, Quebec, the Price family estate acquired by his father, William Price, who had arrived from Wales in 1810 and began the wood-cutting operations on the Saguenay River that would later become Price Brothers. Henry was the fourth son of William and his mother, Jane Stewart, who was descended from Scottish supporters of Bonnie Prince Charlie. They had fourteen children. In 1849, Henry left Quebec for Chile to join his uncle, Richard Price, working in his business of cattle and horses. In 1866 he married Florence Stoker Rogerson who was born in Ireland in 1841. They settled on their “Estancia” in Talcahuano, Chile where all seven of their children were born: William, Henry Edward, Teresa Jane (Aunt Terry), Arthur John, Florence Mary (Aunt Flo Bradshaw), Frederick Courtnay, and Lewellyn. In 1884 the family moved to Canada and settled in Toronto. The children were sent to different schools as they matured. William, the eldest, was sent to BCS in Lennoxville, Quebec for a year before going to school in England. He would later take over building Price Brothers and was knighted (Sir William). In Tadoussac, he rebuilt Fletcher Cottage for his family and after his father died, he built a house nearby for his mother which later became the Harry Price House. Henry Edward, the second son went to Trinity College, Port Hope as did Arthur. Fred and Lewellyn were sent to Ridley College, Ontario. Henry Ferrier died in Toronto in 1898 and is buried in Mt. Pleasant Cemetery. His wife, Florence, died in 1921 and is buried beside him. Greville Price

Smith, Mary Isabelle (Atkinson) Back to ALL Bios ​ Mary Isabelle Atkinson Smith 1911-1984 Mary was born in 1911 to Henry Atkinson and his wife, Suzanne van Bruyssel. She was the granddaughter of Ferdinand van Bruyssel who was the consul general for Belgium to Canada, 1887-1894 and founder of the Belgo Canadian Pulp Company. She had one older sister Adelaide who died in childhood. Mary married Alexander (Lex) Smith in Levis in 1931, and they lived for many years at 1210 Pine Ave in Quebec City. They had one daughter, Susan who was born in 1942. During World War II, they cared for two English refugee children, Richard and Elizabeth. Richard and Elizabeth returned to their family after the war but the two families remained in touch for many years. Mary was a talented knitter and a superb home chef as well as a community volunteer, especially with the Women’s Auxiliary, and during the war she even learnt auto mechanics! She and Lex lived for many summers at Bayview Cottage where she was the most gracious hostess. Serving dinner to 10 or 15 family and friends was not unusual. The last years of her life were spent living with her daughter Susan and her husband Keith Robbins in and around Guelph, Ontario. She is buried with Lex in Mount Hermon Cemetery in Quebec. Eve Wickwire