Saint-Thomas, Quebec
Encyclopedia
Saint-Thomas is a town in the Lanaudière
region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Joliette Regional County Municipality
.
became overcrowded and many of its inhabitants moved to North Jersey, forming a new village called Saint-Thomas-de-North-Jersey from 1838 onwards. That same year, the Parish of Saint-Thomas was formed on November 15. It was named in honour of Thomas-Léandre Brassard (1805-1891), pastor of Sainte-Élisabeth-de-Joliette at that time. By 1839, Saint-Thomas had 930 inhabitants.
In 1845, the Municipality of Saint-Thomas-de-North-Jersey was formed when it separated from parts of Sainte-Élisabeth, Lanoraie, and Saint-Paul-de-Lavaltrie. One of the leading persons advocating for its formation was Louis Voligny, a former French officer who is considered the founder of St. Thomas. He donated land for the construction of the church, the presbytery, and for the establishment of the cemetery. Voligny was also elected as the first mayor and his son Felix Voligny was secretary-treasurer. Consequently, the place was also known as Saint-Thomas-de-Voligny for a period of time.
In 1847, the municipality was abolished but reestablished in 1855 as a parish municipality, with Joseph Masse elected as mayor. In 1993, it changed status and became the Municipality of Saint-Thomas.
Because of Saint-Thomas' sandy soil, tobacco
began to be cultivated in the area starting in the 1930s. It became the dominatant crop, making Saint-Thomas the national tobacco capital and the largest tobacco producer in the province until 1980. Since then, tobacco has been supplanted by potato
es and is no longer cultivated there.
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 1155 (total dwellings: 1184)
Mother tongue:
Lanaudière
Lanaudière is one of the seventeen administrative regions of Quebec, Canada, situated immediately to the northeast of Montreal. It has a total population of 429,053 inhabitants.-Geography:...
region of Quebec, Canada, part of the Joliette Regional County Municipality
Joliette Regional County Municipality, Quebec
300px|rightJoliette is a regional county municipality in southwest-central Quebec, Canada. The regional county seat is Joliette. The municipality has a land area of 416.285 km² and a 2006 census population of 58,354 inhabitants....
.
History
Starting in 1790, the first few settler families arrived from the La Noraye Seignory and settled in the North and South concessions of the area, then called North Jersey. The origin of this name is not known but may be a phonetic deformation of Chertsey, the name of a neighboring district. In the 1830s, the parish of Sainte-ÉlisabethSainte-Élisabeth, Quebec
Sainte-Élisabeth is a parish municipality in the Lanaudière region of Quebec, Canada, part of the D'Autray Regional County Municipality.-Demographics:Population:* Population in 2006: 1440 * Population in 2001: 1474...
became overcrowded and many of its inhabitants moved to North Jersey, forming a new village called Saint-Thomas-de-North-Jersey from 1838 onwards. That same year, the Parish of Saint-Thomas was formed on November 15. It was named in honour of Thomas-Léandre Brassard (1805-1891), pastor of Sainte-Élisabeth-de-Joliette at that time. By 1839, Saint-Thomas had 930 inhabitants.
In 1845, the Municipality of Saint-Thomas-de-North-Jersey was formed when it separated from parts of Sainte-Élisabeth, Lanoraie, and Saint-Paul-de-Lavaltrie. One of the leading persons advocating for its formation was Louis Voligny, a former French officer who is considered the founder of St. Thomas. He donated land for the construction of the church, the presbytery, and for the establishment of the cemetery. Voligny was also elected as the first mayor and his son Felix Voligny was secretary-treasurer. Consequently, the place was also known as Saint-Thomas-de-Voligny for a period of time.
In 1847, the municipality was abolished but reestablished in 1855 as a parish municipality, with Joseph Masse elected as mayor. In 1993, it changed status and became the Municipality of Saint-Thomas.
Because of Saint-Thomas' sandy soil, tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
began to be cultivated in the area starting in the 1930s. It became the dominatant crop, making Saint-Thomas the national tobacco capital and the largest tobacco producer in the province until 1980. Since then, tobacco has been supplanted by potato
Potato
The potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well as the edible tuber. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species...
es and is no longer cultivated there.
Demographics
Population:- Population in 2006: 2861 (2001 to 2006 population change: -1.9 %)
- Population in 2001: 2915
- Population in 1996: 2987
- Population in 1991: 2748
Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 1155 (total dwellings: 1184)
Mother tongue:
- English as first language: 0.4 %
- French as first language: 96.3 %
- English and French as first language: 0 %
- Other as first language: 3.3 %