John McDonell (Le Prêtre)
Encyclopedia
John McDonell was a soldier, judge and political figure in Upper Canada
. During the 1830s, he began spelling his surname Macdonell.
He was born in Scotland
in 1768, the son of John MacDonell (scotus)
, and came to the Mohawk Valley
of the Province of New York
in 1773 with his family and other members of the MacDonell clan. By 1778, the family had settled north of the Saint Lawrence River
near the current location of Cornwall, Ontario
.
He joined the North West Company
and travelled west to the Qu'Appelle River
valley. He became head of the Upper Red River department and, then, the Athabasca department. Because of his piety, he was given the nickname Le Prêtre by his men.
In 1812, while returning to Montreal
, he heard that war had broken out with the United States
and joined a group of fur trade
rs planning to join an attack on the garrison on Mackinac Island
. He became a captain in the Corps of Canadian Voyageurs but was taken prisoner at Saint-Régis
.
In 1813, he settled in Hawkesbury Township
in Upper Canada
near Pointe-Fortune, where he began farming. Contrary to the usual practice of the time, he had brought his Métis
wife, Magdeleine Poitras, back with him from the west. He opened a general store and also operated a forwarding business for moving goods along the Ottawa River
. In 1816, he became a judge of the Ottawa District court and was elected to the 7th Parliament of Upper Canada
representing Prescott
. He was also a colonel in the local militia.
He died at Pointe-Fortune in 1850 and was buried at Saint-André-Est, Quebec on the other side of the Ottawa River.
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
. During the 1830s, he began spelling his surname Macdonell.
He was born in 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...
in 1768, the son of John MacDonell (scotus)
John MacDonell (Scotus)
Colonel John MacDonell of Scotus was a Spanish officer and a Highland gentleman who emigrated to the Province of New York in 1773. He was a Loyalist in the American Revolutionary War and emigrated to Upper Canada after the war....
, and came to the Mohawk Valley
Mohawk Valley
The Mohawk Valley region of the U.S. state of New York is the area surrounding the Mohawk River, sandwiched between the Adirondack Mountains and Catskill Mountains....
of the Province of New York
Province of New York
The Province of New York was an English and later British crown territory that originally included all of the present U.S. states of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Vermont, along with inland portions of Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Maine, as well as eastern Pennsylvania...
in 1773 with his family and other members of the MacDonell clan. By 1778, the family had settled north of the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
near the current location of Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall, Ontario
Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada and the seat of the United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Ontario. Cornwall is Ontario's easternmost city, located on the St...
.
He joined the North West Company
North West Company
The North West Company was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821. It competed with increasing success against the Hudson's Bay Company in what was to become Western Canada...
and travelled west to the Qu'Appelle River
Qu'Appelle River
The Qu'Appelle River is a Canadian river that flows 430 km east from Lake Diefenbaker in southwestern Saskatchewan to join the Assiniboine River in Manitoba, just south of Lake of the Prairies, near the village of St. Lazare....
valley. He became head of the Upper Red River department and, then, the Athabasca department. Because of his piety, he was given the nickname Le Prêtre by his men.
In 1812, while returning to 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...
, he heard that war had broken out with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and joined a group of fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
rs planning to join an attack on the garrison on Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island
Mackinac Island is an island and resort area covering in land area, part of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located in Lake Huron, at the eastern end of the Straits of Mackinac, between the state's Upper and Lower Peninsulas. The island was home to a Native American settlement before European...
. He became a captain in the Corps of Canadian Voyageurs but was taken prisoner at Saint-Régis
Akwesasne
The Mohawk Nation of Akwesasne is a Mohawk Nation territory that straddles the intersection of international and provincial borders on both banks of the Saint Lawrence River. Most of the land is in what is otherwise the United States...
.
In 1813, he settled in Hawkesbury Township
East Hawkesbury, Ontario
East Hawkesbury is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell. It is on the Ottawa River. Its eastern boundary is the border with the province of Quebec.-Communities:...
in Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
near Pointe-Fortune, where he began farming. Contrary to the usual practice of the time, he had brought his Métis
Métis people (Canada)
The Métis are one of the Aboriginal peoples in Canada who trace their descent to mixed First Nations parentage. The term was historically a catch-all describing the offspring of any such union, but within generations the culture syncretised into what is today a distinct aboriginal group, with...
wife, Magdeleine Poitras, back with him from the west. He opened a general store and also operated a forwarding business for moving goods along the Ottawa River
Ottawa River
The Ottawa River is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. For most of its length, it now defines the border between these two provinces.-Geography:...
. In 1816, he became a judge of the Ottawa District court and was elected to the 7th Parliament of Upper Canada
7th Parliament of Upper Canada
The 7th Parliament of Upper Canada was opened 4 February 1817. Elections in Upper Canada had been held in July 1816. All sessions were held at York, Upper Canada at the home of Chief Justice of the Court William Henry Draper...
representing Prescott
Prescott County, Ontario
Prescott County is a historic county in the Canadian province of Ontario.It was created in 1800 from a portion of Glengarry County. It was named in honor of Major General Robert Prescott, Governor of Canada at that time. First settlers were Americans, but not all were Loyalists...
. He was also a colonel in the local militia.
He died at Pointe-Fortune in 1850 and was buried at Saint-André-Est, Quebec on the other side of the Ottawa River.