Controversy over the date of arrival of Ralph Merry III at the Outlet

par Maurice Langlois

Case closed? Probably

It is widely accepted that Nicholas Austin came to the Outlet of Lake Memphremagog before Ralph Merry III and built rudimentary saw mill and grist mill. The latter, first permanent settler at the Outlet, is properly credited as being the founder of Magog. However, historians do not agree on the exact year of his arrival and settlement with his family at the Outlet, now Magog. Whether he arrived in 1798 or 1799 is still debated. New evidence is given here strongly supporting the latter.

Benjamin F. Hubbard in his classic Forests and Clearings, (p. 263, 1874), writes that Ralph III « settled on No. 6, 17th Range of Bolton, now Magog, in 1798 ». H. Belden & Co., in Historical Atlas of Quebec Eastern Townships (p. 11, 1881), repeats 1798. William B. Bullock, in his 1926 edition of Beautiful Waters : Devoted to the Memphremagog Region (vol. 1, p. 56), gives March 20, 1798 as the date Ralph came in from St. Johnsbury. Harry B. Shufelt, in his book, Nicholas Austin, the Quaker… and the Township of Bolton (p. 142, 1971), no doubt inspired by B.F. Hubbard, also states that Ralph came in from St. Johnsbury to the Outlet, in 1798.

Other authors follow and support 1798 : Arthur Ling, (Paroisse Saint-Patrice de Magog,
p. 21, 1936) ; Alexandre Paradis, in Commercial and Industrial Story of Magog, p. 12, 1951) and Alphonse Girard, (Magog, up to 1950, p. 11, 1970). Jean-Pierre Kesteman, a well known and respected historian, in Histoire des Cantons de l’Est (p. 111, 1998), agrees with that same date.

On the other hand, Charles M. Day, in Pioneers of the Eastern Townships (p. 138, 1863), on direct informations from a daughter of Ralph III, the settler, quotes 1799 as the date of their arrival. More recently, Marie-Paule R. LaBrèque who wrote the biography of Ralph III for the Biographical Dictionary of Canada (vol. VI, p. 501), agrees with 1799. Lastly, Onil Dionne and Roch Lapalme, probably influenced by Day and LaBrèque, in Magog, Cent ans et plus d’histoire, 1888-1988, (1988, p. 31), quote 1799.

A most valuable piece of evidence is found in the Memoirs of Ralph Merry IV, son of the founder. The originals of his diaries were deposited with the Stanstead Historical Society by Dorothy Somers Sanborn, in August 1969. Ralph IV was born on the first of July 1786 and he clearly states in his Memoirs : « The spring before I was 13, we moved to Bolton L. C., where my father had purchased mills… ». This is consistent with the year 1799. Later on, in his diaries, he writes that his father always told him that they came to Bolton, L. C., on March 20, 1799. On that same March 20, of 1822, he enters what follows: « Twenty-three years ago, we moved to this place; my father says it was on the 20th of March ».

The year 1799 is also consistent with documents from the National Archives of Canada, concerning land grants in Lower Canada. In January 1802, Ralph III, who had settled as a squatter, had been denied a land grant in a petition for land in Bolton. The petition, supported and signed by more than 40 persons stated: « We the subscribers, hereby certify that Ralph Merry of Bolton, in the Province of Lower Canada, has been an inhabitant of Bolton for a term of three years last past… ».

The document shown here, for the first time as far as we know, is the latest, and maybe the last piece of the puzzle. It was brought to my attention by my faithful and most reliable correspondent, Bill Ayer, now living in Massuchusetts. Bill is a descendant of the founding family of Ayer’s Cliff. The notice appeared in the Courrier of New Hampshire, on July 10, 1798 (Vol. IX, issue 23, p. 4). It advertises that Ralph Merry’s farm in St. Johnsbury, (where the family lived between 1792-1799), is up for sale by Nicholas Austin of Bolton and that Merry lives near the premises. In addition to describing the property it mentions (in old English), that : « Possession will be given on the 5th of March next », which has to be March 1799. Considering the total absence of means of transportation, except through forests by oxen or horses and wagon, a two-week journey to arrive at the Outlet, is very realistic.

Ralph Merry knew Nicholas Austin from a previous trip to Bolton (1798?) and had settled in 1799 on land he did not own. In August 1800, Ralph had signed a « private paper » to acquire from Austin the land which he already occupied (lot 6, Range 17, Bolton), with the saw mill and the grist mill standing upon. This agreement was completed by a notarial deed dated February 25 1802, at Léon Lalane, N.P.

With the evidence presented above, I think it is justified to conclude that Ralph Merry III arrived at the Outlet with his family on March 20, 1799. It is common for authors to refer to previous publications in giving facts and dates. One minor error thus transmitted, is repeated and becomes fact. This is probably one reason why it is occasionally said that historians make History.

Maurice Langlois
Magog Historical Society
Published in The Townships Outlet, July 2006

21 mai 2009

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