Skip to main contentLetter of appointment - Appointment of John Neilson to the rank of ensign in the 3rd Battalion of the Quebec City Militia | McCord Museum
Neilson’s 1812 appointment to the rank of ensign in the Quebec City militia reflects the major role he played within his community. As a politician, he would be described as “moderate reformer,” for while acknowledging the abuses of the colonial government, he would remain an ardent defender of the British monarchical and constitutional system. He therefore supported the Canadian party and later the Patriote party until the adoption of the 92 Resolutions, which he saw as too radical. He was opposed to the rebellions of 1837 and 1838 but would fight against the union of Upper and Lower Canada, a stand that earned him election to the assembly of the United Canadas in 1841.
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Letter of appointment
Appointment of John Neilson to the rank of ensign in the 3rd Battalion of the Quebec City Militia
Date
September 17, 1812
Dimensions1 textual record ; 24.4 x 37.7 cm
Origin
Quebec, Quebec, Canada, North America
Object NumberS001/C3.3,5.6
DivisionArchives - Textual Archives
CollectionStewart
Scope and ContentBorn in Scotland, John Neilson (1776-1848) arrived in Quebec in 1791. He began working in his uncle’s publishing firm, inheriting it two years later. He would become an extremely industrious publisher, printer and bookseller, as well as owner of the Quebec Gazette/La Gazette de Québec, one of Lower Canada’s leading newspapers. In 1818 he was elected as representative for the county of Quebec in the parliament of Lower Canada, a position he would retain until 1834. In 1822 he relinquished his firm in order to avoid any possible conflict of interest. Neilson was an educated, cultivated man, very well disposed toward French-Canadian society and the French language.
Neilson’s 1812 appointment to the rank of ensign in the Quebec City militia reflects the major role he played within his community. As a politician, he would be described as “moderate reformer,” for while acknowledging the abuses of the colonial government, he would remain an ardent defender of the British monarchical and constitutional system. He therefore supported the Canadian party and later the Patriote party until the adoption of the 92 Resolutions, which he saw as too radical. He was opposed to the rebellions of 1837 and 1838 but would fight against the union of Upper and Lower Canada, a stand that earned him election to the assembly of the United Canadas in 1841.
NotesSource of title: based on the nature of the document.
Physical condition: the document is damaged along the fold; seal intact.
Physical condition: the document is damaged along the fold; seal intact.
Status
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