Lieut[enant?] James Prendergast
1789-1834
James Prendergast was born in County Monaghan, Ireland, in 1789,
the son of Protestant parents, John Prendergast and Maria Cory. I have
no information about his Father's family except an old family record
stating that the family came from Wales in 1381.
His Mother's family estate was called "Rock Cory Castle" and was
located in Co[unty?]. Monaghan. It followed the male line and as his
mother had no brothers, it was inherited by a cousin.
A letter in the Public Archives of Canada dated Nov[ember?]. 12,
1821, addressed to a cousin of James in Ireland, spells the name "Corry",
(The Hon[oura?]ble. F.C.L. Corry".)
James had three brothers, Robert, George and Thomas and three
sisters whose names are unknown.
In 1805, James enlisted as a Private in Ireland in Capt[ain?].
Enraght's Company of the 100th Prince Regent's Regiment of Dublin.
This regiment was to be sent on colonial service to Canada. James
sailed from Dublin with the second contingent in September, 1805, the
first having been lost at sea with no trace.
The depleted regiment, when it arrived at Quebec was joined to a
detachment of the garrison and the combined forces were known as "The
Old Fighting 99th" until disbanded in 1818.
In the years that followed, James rose to the rank of Quartermaster
Sergeant and early in the War of 1812-1815, on July 29th, 1813, he was
appointed Adjutant to a detachment of the Canadian Voltigeurs under
under L[ieutenan?]t. Col[onel?]. M. de Salaberry. On Apr[il?].11, 1814,
he was made Second Lieutenant of this detachment.
James saw much active service and was severely wounded in three
actions. He was mentioned for great daring at Chrysler's Farm on
Nov[ember?]. 11, 1813 and Major Herriott, in his reports before
Plattsburg mentions him several times for "gallantry and great daring".
James served at Sackett's Harbour, Black Rock, Chippewa, Fort Erie,
Niagara, Chrysler's Farm, Plattsburg, Lake Champlain, Chateauguay and
Isle aux Noix. In the last action, he led a small force that captured
one of the two American sloops, Growler and Eagle.
James rejoined the Old 99th as an Ensign (2nd Lieut[anant?].) on
Aug[ust?]. 29, 1825, he received permission to come to Canada also, to
settle as an "agriculturalist" and arrived there the same year. On
Oct[ober?]. 8, 1825, he wrote from Quebec asking for a grant of 1200
acres of land in Clarendon, Lower Canada, in view of his military
service, on condition that he would survey 1/4 of the Township and
collect the cost from the settlers. This proposal was refused and the
Council recommended that James obtain a grant of 500 acres in any
township that had been surveyed.
However, by early 1826, we find James signing himself as land
agent for Clarendon and conducting part of the survey of Clarendon which
started on Mar[ch?]. 10, 1826. It is thought that he took half his pay
for the work in land. It is also reported that he obtained permission
from the Government to give free grants of 200 acres of land as an
inducement to settlers but that this was soon terminated because of an
excessive rush of immigrants. It appears that a Mr. Jos[eph?]. Fortune,
a land surveyor, was also appointed a land agent on Oct[ober?]. 31, 1825,
so that James did not survey the whole Township or act as sole land
agent.
James apparently also got his 500 acre grant, probably Lots 8 and
9, Ranges 1 and 2, around 1826. Besides managing the survey, James must
have worked his own grant because although the Survey was not completed
until early in 1827, by Sept[ember?] 5, 1827, James has cleared 30
acres, put a sawmill and gristmill into operation on Lot 8, Range 1,
and built three houses for himself and his servants. This mill was the
first in Clarendon and probably the first above Bytown (Ottawa).
James was accompanied to Clarendon by his younger brother Thomas
and another brother George. The third brother, Robert, a widower, came
over in 1837.
One of the chain bearers on the Clarendon Survey was Francis
Armstrong, an Irishman from Ballinamallard, Co[unty?]. Fermanagh, who
being a religious and practical man, had convinced James that work on
the Sabbath was not productive on the Survey.
In 1829, James married Jane Maitland and they went to live at the
Mill. Jane was the daughter of John Maitland and Mary Moir who had
come to Clarendon from Paisley, Scotland. The Maitlands had come to
Clarendon about 1828 and John was appointed Postmaster of Clarendon in
1837. He had been an officer in the British Army and had fought at the
Battle of Waterloo.
On Oct[ober?]. 28, 1830, The Prendergasts first child, Mary, was
born.
On March 17, 1831, James was commissioned a Lietenant in the 2nd
Division of the Militia of the County of Ottawa which was on the Quebec
side of the river.
In 1831, Thomas Durrell, likely a resident of Quebec City, was
operating a lumber business from the settlement of Prendergast Mills
and his clerk there was John Egan. Egan later went to Aylmer, became
a member of Parliament and put the lumber business of the Upper Ottawa
on an organized basis.
There is an amusing story told about James at about this time. It
appears that he had some words with a British officer at Bytown and
James invited him to Clarendon where, he said, nobody would interfere
in the settlement of their little affair of honour. The Bytown officer
accepted the challenge and travelled up the river in a canoe accompanied
by a "second". There was some difficulty in finding someone to act as
master of ceremonies but, Francis Armstrong, the man previously
mentioned, a farmer in the vicinity, who knew something about codes of
honour and the proper handling of duels, agreed to take the job.
Unknown to the participants, he loaded the two pistols with powder only
and when neither duellist fell, Mr. Armstrong told that they were
both such poor shots that they had better shake hands and make up. The
duel was fought on Lot 1, Range 2, the old Martin Ebert place.
On March 19, 1833, the Prendergasts' second child, James, was born.
In July, 1834, James went on business to Quebec City. Unfortunately,
an epidemic of Asiatic Cholera was raging in the City. He contracted
the disease and died there on Aug[ust?]. 11, 1834. He was buried in
Quebec City.
A memorial stone was erected in his memory on the W 1/2 of Lot 1,
Range 2 of Clarendon, in a small burial plot where some of the early
settlers were buried in unmarked graves. This stone was recently
transferred to the new cemetry in Shawville.
On Sept[ember?]. 28, 1834, his last child, Maria Jane, was born
at the Mill. |
J.L.A. 1966 |
|
My Grandmother,
J.L. Armstrong
