The Bangle Files: #13 | Jacob and John in Court

BANQ“DISTRICT OF MONTRÉAL }

30 January 1789

Jacob Schmith, Plaintiff
Jean Bengles
Thomas Isbustes, Defendants

The plaintiff is suing the defendants for the Amount of Three Pounds Ten Schillings. The said amount was lent by the plaintiff to the defendants and was not reimbursed after several requests. The plaintiff is asking for judgment.


GEORGE THE THIRD, by the Grace of our Lord, King of Great Britain, France and Ireland, Defender of the Faith, &c. &c. &c.

To Jean Bengles }
Thomas Isbustes } Defendants in the Action

You are herewith ordered to pay to the Plaintiff the Amount of three pounds and ten schillings as mentioned in the declaration plus three schillings for the fees or to be present or be represented by your power of attorney before the Judges of the Court of the Common Pleas, in Terrebonne, on Feb. 12, at 10 AM, on which date this action will be heard and definitely judged. If you are not present, you will be condemned by default. WITNESS the Honorable hertelle de […]ville, Esquire, one of the Judges of our Court, on this 30th day of Jan. 1789, in the 29th year of our Reign.

To a Bailiff to present this to the Defendant.

I, undersigned bailiff, certified having delivered and remitted copy of the present order to the defendant, by talking to his wife on 30 January 1789.
(signed) P. Laforce
Bailiff”IMG_4874 copie

[Translated from French]


Thanks to the Thémis index database available at some libraries, including the Société de généalogie canadienne-française and BANQ Vieux-Montréal, I found documents which proved to be of most interest for my genealogical tree. And as you can see, the names of Jacob Schmidt and Jean Bangle caught my eye!

The Court of Common Pleas was the equivalent of today’s Small Claims Court. At that time, the Court of Common Pleas was hearing cases in Montréal and it also visited some small towns near Montréal, such as Terrebonne and L’Assomption. Those visits occurred twice a year, one during the winter, the other one during the summer. The Court usually spent one day in each town so that local affairs may be tried. As all hearings were scheduled for 10 AM, I can imagine the turmoil—each and everyone somehow trying to tell their story to anyone who was willing to listen while they eagerly waited to be called. One Joseph Tourville was even there for unpaid wages, probably my 3G-grandfather! I am really wondering in what building were held those hearings in Terrebonne.

Well, we know for sure that Jean Bangle was present because the minutes of the proceedings indicate that the defendants confessed and that the judge gave them a delay of six weeks to reimburse the amount due. They probably did because there is nothing else on that case.

Less than two weeks after this day, Josephte Allaire, wife of Jean Bangle, gave birth to their daughter Marie-Dorothée. And a month later, on March 10, 1789, Jean bought a house in Terrebonne. He was the first to do so as his father Adam bought his own house three years later, in 1792.

Jean Bangle conducted a few transactions before leaving the region of Terrebonne at the outset of the nineteen century. We will look at all this in two weeks.


For related posts about The Bangle Files, please refer to the Introduction Page