Margaret Kelly & Michael Cassin, Married May 19, 1793

These are my great great great grandparents, or 3x grandparents. they were both born in Ireland, probably County Laois, formerly Queens County. Michael was born about 1773, died in 1843, and Margaret was born about 1778 and died sometime between 1861 and 1871.  

I'm still trying to find info on their parents or siblings. Michael and Margaret were married in 1793 in Ireland and emigrated prior to 1819 to settle in the village of St. Gabriel de Valcartier, Quebec Canada where there were other Irish and Scottish settlers. 

I would like to know more history about the land and the people prior to the arrival of the settlers. The following excerpt is copied from a 4th cousin of mine who shares these 3x grandparents and has an extensive website with lots of info (link here). The excerpt mentions the land was used by Huron Indians after the Jesuits left in the early 1800s. However the account also states that after the Jesuits left the village the land soon became wilderness. It seems unlikely that in 16 years a village would return to wilderness. I suppose the original author exaggerated a bit on the overgrowth that occurred once the village was abandoned. But it does shed some light on why my Irish Catholic ancestors choose St. Gabriel de Valcartier to immigrate to.

 "The village of St. Gabriel de Valcartier, better known as Valcartier, was named as such because it is located in a valley formed by the Jacques Cartier River (Val + Cartier).  Valcartier lies 18 miles north of Quebec City.  It was originally part of the Seigniory of St. Gabriel and was ceded to Dr. Robert Gifford, a surgeon in the French Army, by King Louis XIV of France in April, 1647.  When Dr. Gifford returned to France twenty years later, he turned it over to the Jesuits.  Following the death of the last Jesuit in the early 1800's, the seigniory passed to the Crown of Lower Canada and before long became wilderness and was used by the Huron Indians of Lorette as a hunting ground.

    When England defeated the French and overtook Quebec City in 1759, they fortified the city to prevent invasion by the sea.  As the years passed, however, they grew concerned about invasion by land, so in 1815 the British government offered free passage and land to English citizens with the idea that they would settle the land to the north and south of the city and thus provide further protection from possible invaders.

    Some of the earliest settlers to these areas were United Empire Loyalists from Connecticut.  These were soon joined by immigrants from England, Ireland, and Scotland who came to farm the land.  The Valcartier census of 1861 states that the town was first settled in 1816, by a Mr. Hewston, an American.  However, the Hon. John Neilson, is often mentioned as one of four leading Quebec men who purchased the land from the government in 1815.  Neilson also later donated the land on which the Catholic, Anglican, and Presbyterian churches were later built - Neilson was Presbyterian and his wife was Catholic.

    When Valcartier opened for settlement in 1816-7, the first settlers, men, women and children included, had to walk miles through unmarked forests from Quebec City to get to their homesteads.  Many built their houses in the heavily wooded mountain ranges while some farmed the north side of the Jacques Cartier.  Initially, there were no doctors or clergymen and life was quite rugged.

    An early map drawn by surveyor, William Sax, in 1819, shows the names of some of the original settlers.  Starting at the Neilson property, (where once there was a ferry across the Jacques Cartier river) and traveling north towards Riviere aux Pins you find the following families:"

Lot #	Left Side of Road	Right Side of Road
1	reserved for mill site	reserved for mill site
2	Joseph Purse (1821)	Harris or Hinley?
3	G.J. Brooks	W. M. Bethel, Sr. (1821)
4	Jeremiah Richaby (1822)	James T. Rourke (9 May 1821)
5	N. Miller (Jan. 1822)	James Abraham (9 May 1821)
6	M. O'Hara (16 Aug. 1822)	Joseph Abraham (9 May 1821)
7	John Coote (16 Aug. 1822)	Nicholas Abraham (9 May 1821)
8	W. McNamara	John Abraham (9 May 1821)
9	Fitzpatrick	Thomas Abraham (9 May 1821)
10	Fitzpatrick	W. M. Bethel
11	M. Cassin	James Abraham (4 Aug 1821)
12	D. Cassin	Thomas Bethel
13	Curtis Billing	John Bethel
14	Curtis Billing	John Delaney
15	J. Abraham	William Delaney
16	J. Abraham	John Delaney, Jr.
17		Ed Monaghan
18		J. Abraham
19		W. Bethel

    

"By the time of the 1825 census, Valcartier had expanded to 306 inhabitants living on 1670 acres of land.  It was at this time that Adjutant Alexander Wolff settled in the district with his family.  His descendants still live in Valcartier village.

    Six years later during the 1831 census, the settlement had more than doubled to 824 inhabitants including 387 Catholics, 291 Anglicans, 120 from the Church of Scotland and 26 Presbyterians and Congregationalists.  It was in 1833 that a small chapel with accommodations for 150 people opened for service.  The Catholic registers start from 1832 in St. Catherine's de Portneuf and in 1843 in Valcartier.

    John Navin was the enumerator for the 1851 census.  He was married to Sarah Duffy.  I believe that it is possible that Sarah was the sister of Judith Duffy (my 3rd great-grandmother).  Mr. Navin stated that the area's growth was impeded by the lack of roads and the need for a bridge.  The population had grown to 1400 and there were three churches - Catholic, Presbyterian, and Anglican.  Six sawmills, an oatmeal mill, and a thrashing mill had also been built. 

        Henry Crawford, the enumerator for the 1861 census, wrote a detailed description of the area.  Population had grown to 1667 with the majority of people from the British Isles and with few French Canadians.  There was about an equal number of Catholics and Protestants, with the Protestants almost equally divided between Anglicans and Presbyterians.    Hardships with the land, including the potato blight,  lack of year round employment, and poor funding of education are described by Crawford."