In 1674, François Provost, from the West Indies Co., received a seigneurie of about 23 000 acres at Pointe-à-L’Orignac on the Ottawa River. By way of marriage contracts and inheritance, this seigneurie became the property of an old French family: Paul-Jos. Le Moyne, chevalier de Longueuil and later his son Jos.-Dominique tried to sell the tract of land without success.

In 1791, the British government separated the land in Lower Canada and Upper Canada. The seigniory was now situated in the new province of Upper Canada designated for the English immigrants to Canada.

In 1796, Nathaniel Hazard Treadwell, an American, bought the land/seigneurie for 1000 guineas, approximately $5000 (a value of $150,000 today).

In 1794 Nathaniel and his young wife, Margaret Platt from Plattsburg, came to Canada and lived in St.Andrew East. In 1800, the couple and their children moved to their new land, the seigniory of Pointe-à-L’Orignac, now known as L’Orignal. Nathaniel built a saw mill and a gristmill on the banks of Mill Creek and lived for a while on the second floor.

Nathaniel had many problems with the zoning of the land as laws that had been passed in Quebec many years before were not easily accepted by the government of Ontario. In 1812, the war between Britain and the United States caused further problems for Treadwell. He was considered an “alien enemy” and was asked to return to the States and his land was confiscated.

Charles Platt Treadwell, Nathaniel’s second son, came back to Canada in 1824 and pursued his father’s dream to establish settlers on the new land. He was successful in his quest to regain all of his father’s land. Charles was a busy man full of ideas: he is responsible for the creation of most of the roads out of the seigniory. He married Helen Macdonell in 1834 and some of their descendants are still in the area of eastern Ontario or western Quebec - Wales, Johnson, Fraser, Dewar, are some of the names connected to the Treadwells.

In 1835, Charles was named sheriff for life. In 1840, Charles asked his parents to come back to L’Orignal.

Nathaniel and his wife Margaret, Charles, his wife Helen and a few of their children are buried in Cassburn cemetery, one of the oldest in eastern Ontario.

There is much more to say on our illustrious founding family. To discover more, visit our exhibit at L’Orignal Old Jail.

L’Orignal - an historic village on the Ottawa River situated in Prescott-Russell - welcomes you this summer!