Charles-Jean-Baptiste Chaboillez (July 9, 1736 - September 25, 1808), of

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, was one of the most influential

French Canadian French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

fur trader The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

s after the

British Conquest of New France British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

and a founding member of the

Beaver Club The Beaver Club was a gentleman's dining club founded in 1785 by the predominantly English-speaking men who had gained control of the fur trade of Montreal. According to the club's rules, the object of their meeting was "to bring together, at sta ...

. Chaboillez Square in Montreal was named for his nephew, The Hon. Louis Chaboillez, in 1813.

Early life

He was the eldest son of

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

r Charles Chaboillez (1706-1757), and his wife Marie-Anne (1711-1778), the daughter of another well-known fur trader, Jean-Baptiste Chevalier (1677-1746). After his father's death, his mother returned to

and purchased a spacious house on Rue Saint-Paul for 9,000 ''

livres The (; ; abbreviation: ₶.) was one of numerous currencies used in medieval France, and a unit of account (i.e., a monetary unit used in accounting) used in Early Modern France. The 1262 monetary reform established the as 20 , or 80.88 gr ...

''. From 1751, Chaboillez with his brothers was active in the fur trade between

Michilimackinac Michilimackinac ( ) is derived from an Ottawa Ojibwe name for present-day Mackinac Island and the region around the Straits of Mackinac between Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.. Early settlers of North America applied the term to the entire regio ...

Grand Portage Grand Portage National Monument is a U.S. National Monument, United States National Monument located on the north shore of Lake Superior in northeastern Minnesota that preserves a vital center of fur trade activity and Anishinaabeg Ojibwe heritag ...

and

. By 1769, he had already amassed a personal fortune of some 30,000 ''

'' and the following year an investment of £2,550 in the fur trade put him in the forefront of Canadian investors.

Fur Trade

Chaboillez was a client of Montreal merchant

Jean Orillat Jean Orillat (1733 – 1779) was a Canadien-born merchant in Quebec who was captured by American supporters during the American Revolutionary War. The son of Jean Orillat and Marie Dupuy, he was born in Barbezieux and came to Canada at a young age ...

and he was supplied from Michilimackinac by

John Askin John Askin (1739–1815) was an Irish fur trader, merchant, and colonial official. He was instrumental in the establishment of British rule in Upper Canada. Early years He was born in Aughnacloy, Ireland in 1739; his ancestors are believed to ...

. He maintained business relations with

Benjamin Frobisher Benjamin Frobisher (1742 – April 14, 1787) was born in England, the son of Joseph Frobisher and Rachel Hargrave and immigrated to Canada about 1763. Two brothers also immigrated to Canada and all three were involved with the fur trade and its e ...

, who went

surety In finance, a surety , surety bond or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a surety or guarantor to pay ...

for him in 1778 and again in 1783. That year, Frobisher and Chaboillez guaranteed an expedition costing £3,500 which Benjamin and his brother

Joseph Frobisher The Hon. Joseph Frobisher (April 15, 1748 – September 12, 1810) M.P., J.P., was one of Montreal's most important fur traders. He was elected to the 1st Parliament of Lower Canada and was a seigneur with estates totalling 57,000 acres. ...

sent to

. In 1785, he went into partnership with other

outfitters and merchants at

, one being Étienne-Charles Campion, to form the ''General Company of Lake Superior and the South''. The objective of the 'General Society', was to engage in the fur trade in the upper

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

region for a period of three years. In 1786, Chaboillez joined with McTavish, the Frobisher brothers,

James McGill James McGill (October 6, 1744 – December 19, 1813) was a Scottish Canadian businessman and philanthropist best known for being the founder of McGill University, Montreal. He was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada for Montreal ...

and others merchants to ask

Sir John Johnson Brigadier General Sir John Johnson, 2nd Baronet (5 November 1741 – 4 January 1830) was an American-born military officer, magistrate, landowner and colonial official in the British Indian Department who fought as a Loyalist during the American ...

to establish peace among the Indian tribes in the upper Mississippi region. During the winter of 1792–93 Chaboillez was in partnership with George Edme Young, and they engaged 42 men to go to Michilimackinac and the Mississippi.

Farming and Militia

Chaboillez acquired several farms around

, including one on the Côte de Liesse on

Montreal Island The Island of Montreal (french: Île de Montréal) is a large island in southwestern Quebec, Canada, that is the site of a number of municipalities including most of the city of Montreal and is the most populous island in Canada. It is the main ...

and another on the

Seigneury ''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 ...

Châteauguay Châteauguay ( , , ) is an off-island suburb of Montreal, in southwestern Quebec, located both on the Chateauguay River and Lac St-Louis, which is a section of the St. Lawrence River. The population of the city of Châteauguay at the 2021 Cens ...

, both purchased in 1779. In 1788, he was in possession of three islands on the

Hochelaga Archipelago The Hochelaga Archipelago (), also known as the Montreal Islands, is a group of islands at the confluence of the Saint Lawrence and Ottawa rivers in the southwestern part of the province of Quebec, Canada. Population On 1 July 2021, the Ho ...

, including Île à l'Aigle, which he turned into a livestock farm. He was churchwarden of the parish of Sainte-Anne-de-Michillimakinac and was appointed Captain in Montreal's 2nd Militia Battalion and in 1799 he was promoted major, retiring in 1802.

Final Years

Chaboillez had held an important place in the Canadian

. In 1778,

wrote to

commenting on him: "I know no person so well off in the North Trade as he is."Dictionary of Canadian Biography
/ref> In 1802, he was appointed storekeeper for the Indian Department at St. Joseph Island in

Upper Canada The Province of Upper Canada (french: link=no, province du Haut-Canada) was a part of British Canada established in 1791 by the Kingdom of Great Britain, to govern the central third of the lands in British North America, formerly part of the ...

. He returned to Montreal in 1807, where he died the following year, however, his fortune had vanished. His business hit serious difficulties in the 1790s from which he never recovered, and at his death he was heavily in debt by many thousands. Much of his debt (some £5,000) was owed to his son-in-law,

Simon McTavish Simon McTavish may refer to * Simon McTavish (kayaker) (born 1996), Canadian sprint kayaker * Simon McTavish (fur trader) Simon McTavish (1750 – 6 July 1804), of Montreal was a Scottish-born fur trader and the chief founding partner ...

, who had predeceased him. By McTavish's will, all debts owed to him by Chaboillez were to be cancelled and McTavish's generosity had then gone one step further by providing his father-in-law with an annuity of £150 a year.

Family

In 1769, at

, Chaboillez married Marguerite Larchevêque (1749-1798), daughter of merchant Jacques Larchevêque, dit La Promenade. As her

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment b ...

, his wife brought 40,000 ''

'' in the form of a lot with house, furnishings, silverware, and cash. Mrs Chaboillez's sister, Mrs Charlotte (Larchevêque) Jobert, was the mother of Charlotte Jobert who married

of Beaver Hall. The Chaboillezs were the parents of nine children, but only five survived infancy: *Charles Chaboillez (1772-1812), of Terrebonne, the second of four

Canadiens French Canadians (referred to as Canadiens mainly before the twentieth century; french: Canadiens français, ; feminine form: , ), or Franco-Canadians (french: Franco-Canadiens), refers to either an ethnic group who trace their ancestry to Fren ...

to be made a partner in the

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 is present-day Western Canada and Northwestern Ontario. With great weal ...

. He married Jessy Dunbar Selby Bruyères Bruce (1792-1857), daughter of Captain John Bruce. After his death, at

his widow remarried Lt.-General Sir Robert Bartley (1789-1843) K.C.B., grandfather of Sir Edmund Bartley-Denniss. *Marie-Marguerite Chaboillez (b.1775), married (1)

, senior partner of the North West Company (2) William Smith Plenderleath, recognised son of General Gabriel Christie and his mistress Rachel Plenderleath. *Adélaïde Chaboillez (1781-1847), married

Joseph Bouchette Lt.-Colonel Joseph Bouchette (May 14, 1774 – April 8, 1841) was the Canadian Surveyor-General of British North America. His book, ''Topographical Description of the Province of Lower Canada'' was published at London in 1815 and also translated in ...

, Surveyor-General of the Canadas *Marie-Charlotte Chaboillez (1784-1805), became a

nun A nun is a woman who vows to dedicate her life to religious service, typically living under vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in the enclosure of a monastery or convent.''The Oxford English Dictionary'', vol. X, page 599. The term is o ...

at the

Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal The Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal (founded in 1645) was the first hospital established in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ''Hôtel-Dieu'', literally translated in English as ''Hotel of God'', is an archaic French term for hospital, referring to the origi ...

. *Marie-Louise-Rachel Chaboillez (1786-1853), married The Hon.

Roderick Mackenzie of Terrebonne Lt.-Colonel The Hon. Roderick Mackenzie of Terrebonne (c.1761 − August 15, 1844) was a prominent Canadian fur trader, landowner and politician. He was a partner in the North West Company and a member of the Beaver Club at Montreal. He was a lifel ...

References

External links

*
The Quebec History EncyclopediaMemorable Manitobans
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chaboillez, Charles 1736 births 1808 deaths American fur traders Canadian fur traders Pedlars (fur trade) People from Montreal Persons of National Historic Significance (Canada)