William Vondenvelden (ca. 1753 – June 20, 1809) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

-born surveyor, printer and political figure in

Lower Canada The Province of Lower Canada (french: province du Bas-Canada) was a British colony on the lower Saint Lawrence River and the shores of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence (1791–1841). It covered the southern portion of the current Province of Quebec an ...

. He was born in

Hesse-Kassel The Landgraviate of Hesse-Kassel (german: Landgrafschaft Hessen-Kassel), spelled Hesse-Cassel during its entire existence, was a state in the Holy Roman Empire that was directly subject to the Emperor. The state was created in 1567 when the Lan ...

(or Hesse-Cassel), Germany in 1753 and came to

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

as a lieutenant with the Hesse-Hanau Chasseurs, which fought for Britain during the

American Revolution The American Revolution was an ideological and political revolution that occurred in British America between 1765 and 1791. The Americans in the Thirteen Colonies formed independent states that defeated the British in the American Revolut ...

. He retired from the army and settled at

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

, becoming translator for the ''

Quebec Gazette The ''Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph'', founded by William Brown (c. 1737–1789) as the ''Quebec Gazette'' on 21 June 1764, is the oldest newspaper in North America. It is currently published as an English language weekly from its offices in Queb ...

'' in 1782. He qualified as a surveyor in 1783. In 1786, he was named justice of the peace for Gaspé district and moved to New Carlisle. He was appointed clerk of the Court of Common Pleas and clerk of the peace in 1787. He also practiced as a surveyor, including a survey for

Bonaventure Island Bonaventure Island (officially in French: île Bonaventure) is a Canadian island in the Gulf of St. Lawrence located off the southern coast of Quebec's Gaspé Peninsula, southeast of the village of Percé, Quebec, Percé. Roughly circular i ...

. Vondenvelden returned to Quebec City in 1783 and, with merchant John Jones, set up a print shop there. In 1794, Jones and Vondenvelden launched the weekly '' Le Cours du tems/The Times''. In 1795, he was named official printer for the statutes produced by the provincial parliament by Governor Guy Carleton. He was appointed assistant surveyor general for the province in the same year. In 1798, he sold his printing operation to Pierre-Édouard Desbarats and Roger Lelièvre. In 1803, with Louis Charland, he produced ''A new topographical map of the province of Lower Canada'' and a book, , describing the

seigneuries ''Seigneur'' is an originally feudal title in France before the Revolution, in New France and British North America until 1854, and in the Channel Islands to this day. A seigneur refers to the person or collective who owned a ''seigneurie'' (o ...

in the province. In 1799, he was named surveyor of the highways, streets, and lanes for the town and parish of Quebec. Vondenvelden was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada for Gaspé in 1800. He returned to his practice as a surveyor in 1804. He died at Quebec City in 1809 after having been involved in a

carriage A carriage is a private four-wheeled vehicle for people and is most commonly horse-drawn. Second-hand private carriages were common public transport, the equivalent of modern cars used as taxis. Carriage suspensions are by leather strapping an ...

accident.

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Vondenvelden, William 1809 deaths Members of the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada 1753 births