Chronology - putting Douglastown (Qc.) in historical perspective
(please alert us to any discrepancies or additional information)
français
1632 Nicholas Denys gains title to the entire littoral of the Saint-Lawrence, from Canso Straight to Cap-des-Rosiers.
1767 A Customs Office is in operation at Douglastown, with Edward Manwaring as first officer.
1775 A Scottish surveyor by the name of John Douglas is said to have been sent to establish the plans for a model village, a sort of english township. He begins his urban development at the mouth of the Gaspé bay and places his village at the mouth of the St. John's RIver. The Scotch surveyor is said to have ruined himself financially in this speculation as the majority of the original settlers moved on elsewhere. (Where is the truth in all of this?....according to a Mr. McPherson, magistrate, as told to Bishop Inglis, it was in 1774 that Douglas was sent by the Royal Government to do his surveying at what would become Douglastown) 
1776 Sir Charles Douglas commands the British fleet which broke the American Blockade of Québec in the spring, and remains part of the defense against raking American privateers.
1783 William LaPatoural settles on the south side of the Barachois of the St. John's River 
1783 Douglastown numbers eight familys
1784 Nicholas Cox (lieut.-governor of Gaspé) writes to governor Haldimand at Québec that he plans to lay out a town on the St. John's River, thinking that it would be a most suitable location for artificers (skilled tradesmen) and those not intending to be fishermen. 
1784 Through extensive research, Mr. Al White (address below) has discovered that there was, in fact, no town surveyor named Douglas who used his own name to label the town he was helping to map out. "Douglastown was actually surveyed by Felix O'Hara with Robert Simpson acting as his assistant..." Mr White points out. He then quotes an 1831 book by the head of the Survey General's office, Joseph Bouchette, who states "This town was laid out about 1785 and named after Admiral Sir Charles Douglas." Sir Douglas played a pivotal role in protecting Quebec City from American invaders in 1776 during the War of Independence. In 1783 he was appointed Commander in Chief of Nova Scotia's naval station, and in that role he was responsible for protecting the fisheries along the Gaspé Coast. The newsletter goes on, "In the spring of 1784 American fishing vessels began setting up flakes, stages, etc at Point St Peter and Bonaventure Island. In a letter dated July 3, 1784 Cox asks Haldimand for instructions on how to deal with the Americans. It is in this letter that Cox first proposes to create a town ... at the river St John;, Gaspé Bay... Haldimand instructs Cox to order the Americans away and to write to Douglas for assistance ... In a third letter dated September of 1784 Cox reports to Haldimand that he has asked Douglas for help in removing the Americans... Three letters - two themes: get assistance from Douglas, and the new township on the St John River." There's lots more of interest in Mr. White's highly readable and well-researched newsletter. If you want to put your name on Mr White's mailing list, you can reach him at:
Box 20027, 1395 Lawrence Avenue West
Toronto, ON
M6L 3G8
(as published in the SPEC)
1784 Robert Simpson (having received a Loyalist land grant) and Thomas Morris (an officer in the provincial navy during the american revolution) come to Douglastown 
1785 Two more loyalists, William Kennedy and Daniel McPherson, come to Douglastown.
1786 The Customs Office at Douglastown becomes independant on the demand of Felix O'Hara and a few merchants
1793  Following the special regulations instituted for the Gaspésie, General Sessions of the Peace, or Local Courts, are held under the authority of Justices of the Peace. These minor courts regulate grieveances, maintain the peace and deal with reclamations and local affairs. They have course, after the terms of the provincial Court, at four locations: Carleton, Bonaventure (later New Carlisle), Percé and Douglastown.
1800 Eight familys form the heart of Douglastown, from divers origins: (détails dans un index compilé par Mgr F.X.Bossé, curé de Douglastown en 1881) -William Kennedy, native of Irland, husband to Catherine Butler -Thomas Briand of Québec, of french origins, husband to Cecilia Yvon -Nicholas Samson, of native descent and listed as a native of Gaspé, husband to Josephte Cody -James LeRhea, native of the Ile of Jersey, husband to Catherine Samson -Maurice Hurley, Irish, husband to Élisabeth Element, of english descent -Thomas Walsh, captain, native of Irland, husband to Mary Kennedy -Isaac Kennedy, brother to William and who married Margaret Rooney, comes from the state of Connecticut, and is therefore American -Thomas Kennedy, husband to Margaret Connors 
1801 The first chapel is built on the sandbar at Douglastown (the people contribute materials and work on the construction of a small chapel 20 feet by 16 feet, and proportional in height and dedicated to the Twelve Apostles) 
18..? The first marriage blessed by a priest at Douglastown was that of Thomas Walsh and Mary Kennedy; the missionary being the abby Louis-Joseph Desjardins.
1811 Mgr Plessis, Évêque of Québec, was the first church official to touch down at Douglastown: "There is a village by the name of Douglastown, in the inner bay of Gaspé, at first occupied by american loyalist families who gradually left and were not replaced...We went to this village which consists in 15 or so houses dispersed over a large area, and separated from one another by fields and fences. The inhabitants assembled with great haste to receive the first évêque who had come to this settlement. They gathered at the church at evening, they were called in both languages, their confessions were heard during the evening, and in the morning of the morrow, 8 children and 11 adults received confirmation; about 10 received communion and, the visit over, thrusday afternoon, 9th August, thought was to return to Anse St. Georges (Grande Grève) the same day. The irish catholics of Douglastown, amongst whom stand out two brothers Thomas and Isaac Kennedy, reccomended for their humility and their hospitality, express to the évêque a great desire to receive him amongst them. The Monseigneur Plessis blessed the chapel during this visit.
1815 a frigate, the Pénélope, breaks up on the shore at Petite Vallée and abby Demers, missionary on the coast, arranges to haul the bell to shore and to install it on the chapel at Douglastown.
1819  first comprehensive list of settlers (inhabitants) at Douglastown.
1821 the royal school of Douglastown closes it's doors (along with nine others of the province) following political difficulties in Lower Canada. Payment of salaries was extremely slow, and at Douglastown, friction between the teacher and the population hastened the school's closing. (what frictions, exactly?)...
1822 abby Subry, missionnary stationed at Percé, and responsable for the mission at Douglastown, writes to the population, insisting on the urgency of constructing a bigger chapel, following the bishop's advice.
1836 Abby J.B.A.Ferland, historien, accompanies Mgr Turgeon during his pastoral visit and leaves this article which appeared in 1861 in the "Soirées Canadiennes" ..."At the summit of the slope appears the steeple of the little chapel, whose body is hidden by a bouquet of firs. Debarking, we take the same direction, amongst stacks of cod and the joyous cries of the honest citizens of Douglastown. In a moral sense, this is one of the best missions of the Gaspé district. The population is polite, intelligent and religious; presenting a social physionomy different from all surrounding settlements. This marked difference must be regarded as an effect of instruction, which is generally widespread amongst the inhabitants of Douglastown; for many years they have considered it necessary to have a good teacher amongst them."
1841 the mission records give 50 families for Douglastown, and the population demands a resident priest, especially since the building of a presbytery.
1845 abby M.Dowling becomes the first resident priest and the parish registers open the same year. From this year on the Douglastown priest serves the coast as far as Mont-Louis; a distance of 100 miles to cover, without a practicable road except for a stretch of two leagues between Gaspé and Douglastown. 
1847 wreck of the Carrick (from Ireland) at Cap Des RosiersThe number of people who perished seems to vary with the source of the information. "Les Registres Gaspesiens: Saint-Patrick de Douglastown 1843-1978" (pub. 1981, Mario Mimeault) says that the ship sailed from Sligo, Ireland with 187 "Catholic Irishmen" on board. On April 28, 1847, the ship ran aground at Cap-des-Rosiers. Only eight passengers survived. Another account comes from "Revue D'Histoire de la Gaspesie" (pub.1962). Two hundred thirty Irish Catholics fleeing their homeland in the face of famine and ill-treatment by the government ran ashore in a storm off Cap-des-Rosiers in April 1847. All but thirty perished in the wreck.. Father Dowling, first pastor of Douglastown, is said to have been on a mission in Grand-Greve on that fateful night, and made his way to Cap-des-Rosiers to minister to the survivors. One would think that a disaster of this proportion would have been better documented. But in 1847 there were many other Irish tragedies. That was the height of the Great Famine. Two hundred twenty-one Irish ships sailed to Canada, and 8000 people were buried at sea. (There was a typhus epidemic in addition to the famine.) At the Grosse-Ile quarantine station some 4500 corpses were removed from the ships, and 68,106 immigrants were examined, of whom 5424 died. Ships had to sent to Point-Saint-Charles, where 6000 Irish immigrants died and are buried. (information thanks to Lorne Drody)
1848 Father William Wallace Maylan, Missionary 
1850? A public reading room grouping the principal journals of the various english colonies of North America is established at Douglastown.
1851 Father Jerome Sasseville, Missionary 
1854 The parish of Douglastown counts 75 families, 275 confirmed et 115 children who have not yet received communion. The reverend M. Sasseville, priest, in a report transmitted to the bishop at Québec notes that "The population of Douglastown is mixed; composed of a few Irish, Irish descendants, Canadians, Jerseyais, but that the Irish element predominates. There are five english speaking canadian families and four protestant families. Though most understand french, the practice of preaching in english has prevailed. The new generation understands only english and, with the passing of the older generation, the rests of the french language will disappear."
1854 Father Edouard Severin Fafard, Missionary.
1855  March 17 , during the blessing of the new church, St.Patrick dethrones the Twelve Apostles and is invited to watch over this irish parish.
1860  The Gaspé Bay mining Co. dig the first two oil wells, one at Douglastown, the other on a branch of the York river.
1860  Douglastown is one of 14 original parishes canonically erected in March and civilly in January 1861.
1860 Father Pierre-Charles-Alphonse Winter, Rector 
1869  Father Pierre-Joseph Saucier, Rector 
1870 Father Polydore Moreau, Rector 
1877  Father Joseph-Hercule Leonard, Rector 
1878 Father Majorique Bolduc, Rector 
1881  Father François-Xavier Bossé, Rector
1882 Father Duncan Gillis, Rector 
1900  the sisters of the Congregation of Notre-Dame-du-Saint-Rosaire establish themselves at Douglastown 
1900 Xavier Kennedy is elected liberal deputy at Gaspé 
1907  Father M.F. Gauthier, Rector 
1921  Father G.E. Myles, Rector 
1935 A request was made to the authorities of the C.N.R. to have the station moved from the sand bar and placed in the village. In August of that year the request was granted. It was now at the foot of the hill and most convenient.
1940 Father J.P. Nellis, Rector 

Additional information is constantly being added...
Help us out with your knowledge of people, places, and things.... 

Write us ... Comments, questions...