The scene takes place in the Notary Public Joseph Turgeon’s office on March 10, 1789. Marie-Dorothée, John’s and Josephte Allaire’s daughter, was born just a couple of weeks before. On this day, as far as we know, John Bangle is acquiring his very first piece of land in the province of Québec.
The vendors are Jean-Baptiste Dubé, churchwarden, and his wife Marie-Claire Fournaise (sic), from Terrebonne. The purchaser, also from Terrebonne, is Jean-Baptiste Peignet—John being also identified as such in church records. The contract at issue is about a piece of land of ninety feet of frontage by ninety feet in depth situated in Terrebonne: the front being on Sainte-Marie Street; the back is adjoining lands non-conceded yet; on one side, next to Dubé Jr.’s land; and on the other side, to Bolman’s land.
Doesn’t that ring a bell to you? Remember Adam’s house bought in 1792? From what I understand, the piece of land that John is buying is adjacent to Bolman’s house, on Sainte-Marie Street, namely beside the future house of Adam Bangle.
It all ties together—at least potentially—since there is a bit of a glitch in my argument as I couldn’t find any sale contract for that land dated before 1792, meaning I can’t prove that John sold his land before May 1792. But he must have since when Adam bought Bolman’s piece of land, it was next to André Dubé’s house (Jean-Baptiste Dubé’s son actually). What happened to that land between the time it was John Bangle’s and that André Dubé became the owner thereof? I wish I had good news to share herein as well but unfortunately I don’t. As usual, I will not give up and will do more digging on this.
The most startling thing about this contract though is that the vendors promised to build a house that was to be ready by June 15 of the same year. It was to be 15 feet on each side with a stone-chimney. Moreover, they were to supply all the wood for the house and the roof (excluding the inside of the house).
For that piece of land, aside from a horse, the vendors obtained from John Bangle that he settle the rente constituée—duty, royalty or tax paid in cash—of 22 schillings and 10 sols that was due by the vendors to Janis’ widow as the land was originally acquired from her by the Dubés on November 15, 1788, before Notary Public Leguay. John has not signed this contract, both parties having declared not knowing how to write or sign.
We will see in upcoming posts that John has later bought two other pieces of land in Terrebonne. For my next article of this series, I will return to the story of Josephte Bangle (daughter of John and Josephte Allaire) and Joseph Fontaine as I found pretty interesting facts about John Bangle’s other children.