The Mill on Lot 190

We know that a sawmill already stood on lot 190 in 1871, thanks to a notarial act of 27 December 1871. Lubin Barabé pledged as security for a loan a parcel of some 20 arpents (an arpent is a little under an acre) in area, with a sawmill and other buildings erected on it, forming part of lot 190. That lot was unusual in that it was landlocked in the middle of the farms, and reached the road of the third rang (rang: concession road, a row of farm lots), and the chemin d’En-haut, only by strips of land some twenty feet wide.

Then, in 1874, Lubin Barabé sold to his brother Eustache, for $200.00, the northern part of lot 190, « avec dessus construit un moulin à bardeaux avec toutes les appartenances et dépendances, tel et ainsi que le terrain se trouve et que l’acquéreur dit bien connaître, l’ayant vu et visité et dit en être content et satisfait » [with a shingle mill built upon it, with all appurtenances, the land being as it stands, which the purchaser declares he knows well, having seen and visited it, and declares himself content and satisfied]. The chaussée (the dam) was from then on to be maintained in equal shares, and the two brothers bound themselves to « s’entendre dans les eaux basses pour prendre d’égalité leur tour par l’éclusage de la dite chaussée pour faire marcher chacun leur moulin » [to agree, in low water, to take turns equally at the sluicing of the said dam so that each might run his mill].

In his turn, Eustache Barabé sold in 1883, for $400.00, his own (northern) part of lot 190 to Évangéliste Roberge, a miller of Sainte-Sophie, who was held to the same obligations for the upkeep of the dam.

Then, in 1884, Lubin Barabé made over the southern part of lot 190 to Joseph Lavallée for $800.00. It is assumed that the northern part of the lot was also acquired by Joseph Lavallée, but that the deed of sale was never registered, as happened from time to time in that period. Indeed, in 1898 Joseph Lavallée gave all his property, including the whole of lot 190, to his son Henri, but a year later the son gave it all back to his father.

Then, in 1899, the lot and its mills were sold at auction, for $110.00, at the door of the church of Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets, by sheriff Charles Dumoulin. The purchaser was Théodore Jacques, but four months later he sold the whole for $250.00 to dame Henriette Baril, widow of Cyrille Gervais, who in turn, in May 1900, made over the southern part of the lot to Alphérie Paquin for the modest sum of $50.00, but kept the northern part so as to give it to her son Alfred in 1908.

Half a century later, in 1953, dame Florida Neault, widow of Alfred Gervais, gave her son Marcel the northern part of the lot, which was later acquired by Joseph Durrer.

As for the southern part, it now belongs to Jacques Delisle, of Sainte-Cécile-de-Lévrard.