Jacques Baby
Encyclopedia
Jacques Baby, dit Dupéron (1731 – August 1789) was a Canadian
fur trade
r and an employee of the British Indian Department.
He was born in Montreal
in 1731. He was a trader and Indian agent at Logstown
, near the current location of Ambridge, Pennsylvania
. After the fall of New France
in 1760, he refused to swear allegiance to George III
. After he learned that his brother François
was transferring operations from France
to London
, Baby swore the oath of allegiance and resumed trading in the Detroit area. In 1777, he was appointed a captain and interpreter in the Indian Department. He owned large amounts of land on both the American
and British
sides of the Detroit River
. In 1787, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Detroit militia and, in 1788, he was named to the land board of the Hesse District. He died at Detroit in 1789.
His son James
later became a judge and a member of the Executive Council
and Legislative Council of Upper Canada
. His sons François
, James (Jacques)
and Jean Baptiste
were members of the Legislative Assembly
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
fur trade
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
r and an employee of the British Indian Department.
He was born in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
in 1731. He was a trader and Indian agent at Logstown
Logstown
The riverside village of Logstown was a significant Native American settlement in Western Pennsylvania and the site of the 1752 signing of the treaty of friendship between the Ohio Company and the Amerindians occupying the region in the years leading up to the...
, near the current location of Ambridge, Pennsylvania
Ambridge, Pennsylvania
Ambridge is a borough in Beaver County in Western Pennsylvania, incorporated in 1905 and named after the American Bridge Company. Ambridge is located 16 miles northwest of Pittsburgh, alongside the Ohio River. In 1910, 5,205 people lived in Ambridge; in 1920, 12,730 people lived there, and in...
. After the fall of New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
in 1760, he refused to swear allegiance to George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. After he learned that his brother François
François Baby (businessman)
François Baby was a Canadian businessman, militia officer, and politician.François Baby was born in Montreal to Raymond Baby and Thérèse Le Compte Dupré. He came from a family of fur traders. His father was a fur trader who had been sufficiently successful before his death, four years after...
was transferring operations from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Baby swore the oath of allegiance and resumed trading in the Detroit area. In 1777, he was appointed a captain and interpreter in the Indian Department. He owned large amounts of land on both the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and British
Kingdom of Great Britain
The former Kingdom of Great Britain, sometimes described as the 'United Kingdom of Great Britain', That the Two Kingdoms of Scotland and England, shall upon the 1st May next ensuing the date hereof, and forever after, be United into One Kingdom by the Name of GREAT BRITAIN. was a sovereign...
sides of the Detroit River
Detroit River
The Detroit River is a strait in the Great Lakes system. The name comes from the French Rivière du Détroit, which translates literally as "River of the Strait". The Detroit River has served an important role in the history of Detroit and is one of the busiest waterways in the world. The river...
. In 1787, he was appointed lieutenant-colonel of the Detroit militia and, in 1788, he was named to the land board of the Hesse District. He died at Detroit in 1789.
His son James
James Baby
James Baby was a judge and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born Jacques Bâby, the son of Jacques Baby, to a prosperous family in Detroit in 1763 and educated in Upper Canada, then part of the province of Quebec, where his uncle, François Baby, lived...
later became a judge and a member of the Executive Council
Executive Council of Upper Canada
The Executive Council of Upper Canada had a similar function to the Cabinet in England but was not responsible to the Legislative Assembly. Members of the Executive Council were not necessarily members of the Legislative Assembly but were usually members of the Legislative Council. Members were...
and Legislative Council of Upper Canada
Legislative Council of Upper Canada
The Legislative Council of Upper Canada was the upper house governing the province of Upper Canada. Modelled after the British House of Lords, it was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was specified that the council should consist of at least seven members. Members were appointed for...
. His sons François
François Baby (politician)
François Baby was a soldier, political figure and businessman in Upper Canada.He was born in Detroit in 1768, the son of Jacques Baby and nephew of François Baby. Although Roman Catholic and French Canadian, he belonged to one of the richest and most powerful families in the Western District of...
, James (Jacques)
James Baby
James Baby was a judge and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born Jacques Bâby, the son of Jacques Baby, to a prosperous family in Detroit in 1763 and educated in Upper Canada, then part of the province of Quebec, where his uncle, François Baby, lived...
and Jean Baptiste
Jean Baptiste Baby
Jean Baptiste Baby was a businessman, farmer and political figure in Upper Canada.He was born at Detroit in 1768, the son of Jacques Baby, dit Dupéront and the brother of François and James, who were also prominent figures in Upper Canada...
were members of the Legislative Assembly
Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada
The Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada was created by the Constitutional Act of 1791. It was the elected legislature for the province of Upper Canada and functioned as the province's lower house in the Parliament of Upper Canada...
.