James Bell Forsyth was a prominent Quebec

Quebec

Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....

 merchant and author. In 1831, he built Domaine Cataraqui, Sillery, Quebec

Sillery, Quebec

Sillery is a former city in central Quebec, Canada. Located just west of old Quebec City, Sillery was among the many outlying municipalities amalgamated into an expanded Quebec City on January 1, 2002. Its former territory now forms part of the new Borough of Sainte-Foy—Sillery—Cap-Rouge...

.

Background

Born at Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

, he was the son of Joseph Forsyth and Alicia Robins. The Forsyths were an influential merchant family with strong commercial ties to England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

, Scotland

Scotland

Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...

 and the colonies. Through his grandparents he was connected to the important London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 trading house of Phyn, Ellice & Co., a subsidiary of which was Forsyth, Richardson

John Richardson (businessman)

John Richardson, , was born in Scotland, the son of Thomas Richardson, merchant in Portsoy and his first wife Helen Stewart of Towiemore and by 1774 was working for Phyn & Ellice, a Scottish fur trading company out of Schenectady, New York...

 & Co., of Montreal

Montreal

Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...

, where two of his uncles, Thomas and John Forsyth, were partners; this firm prospered in the fur trade and expanded into other activities such as the agent and forwarding business. Another of his uncles, James Forsyth, was associated with Lloyd's of London

Lloyd's of London

Lloyd's, also known as Lloyd's of London, is a British insurance and reinsurance market. It serves as a partially mutualised marketplace where multiple financial backers, underwriters, or members, whether individuals or corporations, come together to pool and spread risk...

.

His father, Joseph Forsyth, came to Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 in 1784 as the agent for Forsyth, Richardson & Co., at Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

. Forsyth was educated there and in England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

Business career

In 1821, he went into partnership with The Hon. William Walker M.P., and together they succeeded Forsyth's father as the agents to Forsyth, Richardson & Co., in Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario

Kingston, Ontario is a Canadian city located in Eastern Ontario where the St. Lawrence River flows out of Lake Ontario. Originally a First Nations settlement called "Katarowki," , growing European exploration in the 17th Century made it an important trading post...

.

Family

In 1828, he married Frances, the second daughter of Mathew Bell

Mathew Bell

Mathew Bell was a seigneur, businessman and political figure in Lower Canada. His first name is also sometimes recorded as Matthew....

. His business partner, William Walker, also married one of Bell's daughters, and their brothers-in-law included Lt.-Colonel John George Irvine (son of James Irvine

James Irvine (Quebec businessman)

Lt.-Colonel The Hon. James Irvine J.P., M.P. was a businessman and political figure in Lower Canada.James Irvine was born in England in 1766, the son of Adam Irvine and Elizabeth , daughter of John Johnston , 4th laird of Outbrecks, Orkney...

), a Quebec businessman and The Hon. Edward Greive

Edward Greive

Edward Greive was a businessman and political figure in Canada East.He was a merchant at Trois-Rivières and also acted as an agent there for Mathew Bell. In 1844, he married Catherine, Bell's daughter...

 M.P. James and Frances Forsyth were the grandparents of General Sir Henry Edward Burstall

Henry Edward Burstall

Sir Henry Edward Burstall, was a Canadian general.-Education:Born at Domaine Cataraqui, Quebec City, Quebec, the son of the wealthy merchant John B. Burstall and Fanny Bell Forsyth, daughter of Joseph Bell Forsyth , the first Chancellor of Bishop's University and the builder of Domaine...

 and The Hon. George Irvine.