Alexis Landry

Alexis Landry (Large-Pre, 1721 - Caraquet 1798) was commercial a Acadien.

Origins

Alexis Landry was born with Large-Pre, today in Nova Scotia, 1721. His/her father was Jean Landry and his/her mother was Claire Leblanc, sister of the notary Rene Leblanc. He was baptized the August 25th same year. Its godfather and his godmother were Pierre and Anne Leblanc.

Escape

In 1743, old of twenty-two years and single person, it left Large-Pre in 1743 to go to be established in the seigniory of Beaubassin, with Aulac. He married Marie Thérriot in 1745. They had known each other earlier, with Large-Pre. Marie was the widow of Jean Cormier, with whom it had four children. She will have seven other children with Alexis, including two pairs of twins. According to a census, he lived in 1755 with the Lake, close to the Fort Beauséjour, with Marie, nine wire and two girls. The same year, it took part in the Bataille of Strong Beauséjour. After the capitulation of the June 16th to the hands of Monckton, him and its compatriots had to leave Aulac to take refuge with the brook of Malcontents, with Cocagne, where they remained until the end of the winter. There in spring 1756, Landry, accompanied by several other Acadian, took the party to go more to north, Miramichi, hoping to live hunting and fishing, and to escape the incursions from the British soldiers. However, they knew one terrible winter, marked by the war, the famine and the plague; between 300 and 2000 Acadian perished, among which five of the children of Landry. It is extremely probable that in spring of 1757, accompanied by three families, Landry moved towards Caraquet, with the locality of Holy-Anne-of-Scrap-metal. The date of their arrival is not known to us, but the census of July 1761, carried out by Pierre Of Calvet, mentions the presence of Landry at this place. In October 1761, the captain Roderick MacKenzie carried out a raid against the establishments of the Baie of Heats. Its Acadiens prisoners were to be brought at the height Cumberland (old strong Beauséjour) but, for lack of place on the boats, 157 were left there, among which Landry and its family were. Little time afterwards, probably by prudence, Landry left Caraquet for Miscou and settled at the place called now Landrys River. Have knows according to a census that he lived with Bonaventure in 1765.

Return to Caraquet

To the spring of 1766, Landry turned over with its family to Caraquet and, the March 13rd 1769, George Walker, magistrate of Népisiguit (Bathurst), officially enabled him to be established at the place which it occupied in 1761, provided that this ground were not conceded with others. In 1784, Landry will receive the official titles from them and, three years later, the governor Thomas Carleton will concede to him the meadows and shallows located along the river of North . Since 1766, Landry devoted to a flourishing trade of imported goods obtained traders of Népisiguit, Bonaventure and Paspébiac against Morue. It was even done, in 1775, maritime manufacturer; the following year, it delivered to the company Walker de Népisiguit a Brigantin intended for a company of London. July 14th, 1794, Landry had been appointed assessor of the taxes and police chief of the ways for the parish of Caraquet.

Religious services

Alexis Landry dirigait white masses, i.e. without prètre, for the population of Caraquet. The first missionaries visited the city starting from 1768, but there was no priest resident of living of Alexis. In 1791, Landry took steps for the construction of a Chapelle in Caraquet; the missionary Joseph-Mathurin Bourg wished that it is set up close to the cemetery, and the July 10th 1793 Landry yielded officially a ground for this purpose, in the condition that him and its heirs have the free use of a closed bench of four places and that the factory assumes the cost of its service in this vault and its burial. Two years later he wrote with Pierre Denaut, coadjutor of the bishop of Quebec, expressing the hope that Mgr Hubert would remember people of Caraquet and would send a priest resident to them; he mentioned in his letter that a fire had destroyed its barn and part of its grain. Obviously, Landry dealt largely with the spiritual good of its fellow-citizens since it compensated the priest in the functions of the ministry for the baptisms, the marriages and the burials.

Death and heritage

Alexis Landry died in Caraquet on March 6th, 1798, at the 76 years age. Its tomb is in the cemetery of the Sanctuaire Holy-Anne-of-Scrap-metal. It is one of rare the survivor of the Grand Disturbance of which we know the exact place of his burial. Since 1961, a monument overhangs its tomb.

Alexis Landry was the father of at least 11 children:

Its grandson Simon Landry founded the village of Large-Handle in 1808.

Notes and references of the article

Corrine Albert-Blanchard, Caraquet: some bits of its history , Committee of the centenary of Caraquet, Caraquet, 1967. p.5

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