Fonds

The Hart family members who are the focus of this fonds marked the political, legal, social and economic life of the Trois-Rivières and Montreal regions from the late 18^th to the 20^th century. This family was among the first in the Jewish faith to settle in the Province of Quebec, shortly after 1759. The following section presents some of its most prominent members.

Likely born in London, AARON HART (about 1724-1800) settled in Trois-Rivières around 1760, after having followed the British troops to North America. He purchased several properties in the area, including the seigneuries of Bécancour and Sainte-Marguerite. In 1768, he married his cousin from England, Dorothea Judah, with whom he had eleven children, including Moses, Ezekiel, Benjamin and Alexander (1782-1835). His involvement in the fur and retail trades, lending activities, and numerous landholdings quickly made Aaron Hart one of the richest men in Lower Canada. He bequeathed his land and assets to his sons.

MOSES HART (1768-1852), the eldest son of Aaron, was born in Trois-Rivières. He married Sarah Judah in 1799 and had three children with her, including Alexander Thomas. He also had a number of illegitimate children. Although he tried to participate in the politics of Lower Canada, he essentially made his name in finance, shipping and shipbuilding, and as a landowner.

Also born in Trois-Rivières, EZEKIEL HART (1770-1843), the brother of Moses, was a successful businessman. Elected to the Legislative Assembly of Lower Canada in 1807 and again in 1809, he was unable to take his seat in the legislature because of the controversy caused by his Jewish faith. He married FRANCES LAZARUS (1768 or 1769-about 1821) in 1794. The couple had thirteen children, including Samuel Becancour, Harriet (1801-1855), Aaron Ezekiel, Caroline Athalia (1807-1883) and Ira James Henry Craig (1809-1883).

Born in Montreal, BENJAMIN HART (1779-1855) was the fourth son of Aaron Hart. He pursued a career in business but also worked as a militia officer and justice of the peace. In 1806, he married HARRIOT JUDITH (1786-1849), with whom he had sixteen children.

The legitimate son of Moses Hart, ALEXANDER THOMAS HART (1804-1852) spent most of his life in the seigneury of Courval, which he had inherited. He and his wife MIRIAM JUDAH HART (1807-1887), married in 1840, had four children.

The son of Ezekiel Hart and Frances Lazarus, SAMUEL BECANCOUR HART (1798-1859) was a lawyer. An activist who lobbied for the political and civil liberties of Jews in Lower Canada, he was instrumental in the passage of a bill that guaranteed these rights in 1832.

Samuel's brother, AARON EZEKIEL HART (1803-1857) was a renowned lawyer and the first Jew to be called to the Bar in Lower and Upper Canada. He was also a militia officer, as well as an activist working for the rights of Jews. In 1849, he married his cousin PHOEBE DAVID (1818-1903), with whom he had four daughters.

Another son of Ezekiel and Frances Hart was ADOLPHUS MORDECAI HART (1814-1879), a lawyer, author, politician and activist for Jewish rights. He married his cousin HANNAH CONSTANCE HATTON HART (1826-1898) in 1844. The couple had six children.

The son of Benjamin and Harriot Judith Hart, THEODORE JONATHAN HART (1816-1887) was a successful businessman, a member of the Montreal militia and a philanthropist. He married Frances Michaels David in 1842, then Mary Kent Bradbury in 1845. He had a total of nine children from these two marriages.

The son of Alexander Thomas Hart, LEWIS ALEXANDER HART (1847-1923) was a notary, an author, and an active participant in politics and religion. He married Fanny Elizabeth Benjamin in 1878 and the couple had five children.

GEORGE EZEKIEL HART (1846-1883) was the son of Adolphus Mordecai and Hannah Constance Hatton Hart. A notary, he married Marie Delphine Elodie Descoteaux in 1881.

George Ezekiel's brother, GERALD EPHRAIM HART (1849-1936), worked as an insurance broker, journalist, author, historian, coin collector and collector. During his life, he lived in Montreal and Jacksonville, Florida. Gerald Ephraim Hart wrote a number of works -- including several that were published -- about history, archaeology and numismatics. A member of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Montreal, he was also president of the Society for Historical Studies of Montreal during the 1880s. From 1913 to 1923, when he lived in Jacksonville, he was the editor of the insurance newspaper, The Southern Sun.

MIRIAM HADLEY HART (1854-1925) was Gerald Ephraim and George Ezekiel's sister. Married to Alfred Abraham Belasco in 1888, she had two children.

The son of Lewis Alexander Hart and Fanny Elizabeth Benjamin, ALAN JUDAH HART (1879-1964) married Eva Vineberg in 1879. The couple had five children.