Fonds
The son of François-Amable Des Rivières (1764-1830), primary heir of James McGill, HENRI DES RIVIÈRES (1804-1865) married Marie-Angélique Berenger Hay in 1832.
A politician, landowner and prominent businessman, Henri Des Rivières worked primarily in the Montreal area and Stanbridge Township. In 1829, he purchased the seigneury of Montarville with François-Pierre Bruneau (a cousin, by marriage, of Louis-Joseph Papineau). In 1841, he completed the construction of a family manor named "Malmaison" on a property in Stanbridge Township that he and his brother had inherited in 1830. The development of this region owes a lot to Des Rivières. Since a river ran through the estate, Henri Des Rivières had a dam built to drive two mills, a sawmill and a flour mill. Later, a covered bridge was added. In 1845, the two brothers obtained permission from Bishop Ignace Bourget to establish the parish of Notre-Dame-des-Anges and had a wooden chapel built. Henri Des Rivières was also the first mayor of the municipality of Notre-Dame-des-Anges. Over the years, the family's estate was dramatically reduced by a series of financial and legal setbacks.
The daughter of Richard Hay and Marie-Angélique Bouchette, MARIE-ANGÉLIQUE HAY (HAYE) (1805-1875) was related to surveyor Joseph Bouchette. Her marriage with Henri Des Rivières produced four children, two of whom reached adulthood: François-Guillaume "Willie" (Willy) and Marie Marguerite Caroline. A very devout Catholic, she was likely the inspiration behind the creation of Notre-Dame-des-Anges, the first Catholic parish in Stanbridge Township. A dedicated wife and mother, Marie-Angélique ran a rather affluent household. She was also involved in managing the family's properties (particularly after her husband died) as well as parish administration, going so far as to house priests in "Malmaison," the family home.
FRANÇOIS-GUILLAUME DES RIVIÈRES (1840-1893) married EUGÉNIE TASCHEREAU (1846-1907), the sister of Louis-Alexandre Taschereau (Premier of Quebec from 1920 to 1936). The couple had four children, including Berthe (?-?), who married Philippe Anger, and Eugène (1879-1945), who married Marguerite Gauvreau and went on to have seven children, including Gabrielle Des Rivières (?-?).
Following the death of her husband, Eugénie Taschereau sold "Malmaison" to John Hannigan, the estate manager. To this day, the manor of "Malmaison" is still in the hands of the Hannigan family.
MARIE MARGUERITE CAROLINE DES RIVIÈRES (1842-1902) married Judge Thomas McCord (1828-1886) in 1877. It was McCord's third marriage. The couple had three girls, only one of whom reached adulthood: Marguerite Gertrude Caroline (1883-1943), an Ursuline nun in Quebec City.
Scope and Content
The Des Rivières and Taschereau Families Fonds is composed primarily of the diaries of Marie-Angélique Hay Des Rivières, as well as several journals written by her daughter-in-law, Eugénie Taschereau Des Rivières. Most of these notebooks were written in almost daily and those of Marie-Angélique Hay Des Rivières cover a 25-year period from 1846 to 1871. Their contents document the domestic and family lives of these two women who lived in the second half of the 19th century, along with daily concerns such as the health of friends and family, the weather and local road conditions.
The fonds also chronicles certain aspects of the life of Berthe Des Rivières Anger, grand-daughter of Marie-Angélique Hay Des Rivières. It contains a scrapbook of articles and notes about family marriages and deaths, as well as correspondence.
A collection of notes on ancient history, a receipt addressed to Henri Des Rivières, a greeting card and a photograph of Judge Thomas McCord complete this collection.
Classification Scheme
P752 Des Rivières and Taschereau Families
P752/A Genealogical Notes
P752/B
Marie-Angélique Hay Des Rivières
P752/C Eugénie Taschereau Des Rivières
P752/D Berthe Des Rivières Anger
P752/E Other Des Rivières and Taschereau Family
Members
Source of supplied title proper: Title based on the contents of the fonds.
Physical condition: The binding on some of the journals is fragile and/or torn.
Language: The documents are in French and English, but primarily in French.
Last update: March 29, 2019
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This project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation and Canadian Heritage.