History of La Pocatière, Québec, Canada

In 1672, François Pollet de La Combe-Pocatière received the seigneurie de la Grande-Anse as a gift from his father-in-law, Nicholas Juchereau de Saint-Denys. This territory became the parish of Ste-Anne-de-La-Pocatière, and later, the city of La Pocatière.

n 1678, Monsignor de Laval erected a parish under the name of La Combe on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, in the Kamouraska region. This soon took on the name of Grande-Anse, sometimes Sainte-Anne-de-la-Grande-Anse, which it kept until 1721. This name emphasizing that the river forms a cove about 14 km from the Pointe Saint-Roch at the tip of the Ouelle River, the Amerindians referred to a natural entity as Kamitsitsit or Kannissigit, “place” where there are many beavers, and the Francophones as La Grande Anse. In addition to the name of La Combe, the places were also designated under that of Sainte-Anne-du-Sud, in order to designate them from Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, called Sainte-Anne-du-Nrd for a short period, on the northern north shore of the St. Lawrence.

Quebec, March 25.
We understand that the wife of one Andre Ouellet dit Rochette, of the parish of Ste. Anne, (la Pocatiere) is on the point of giving her husband a twenty-sixth child; but the parish priest, always read to take his Dixme, claims, him, by right, as his own, and wishes to have him brought up under his paternal care. It is well known that the 26th of all farm produce is due to the Church. [Mercury]

seigniory, in the co. of Kamouraska, is bounded N.E. by the S. of Riviere Ouelle; S.W. by St. Roch des Aulnais; in the rear by Ixworth; in front by the St. Lawrence. - This seigniory is one of the least in extent and wealth on the south side of the St. Lawrence. It is about 1 1/ 2 league in breadth, and 1 1/ 2 league in depth. It was granted, Oct. 29, 1672, to Demoiselle Lacombe, and is now the property of Monsr. Schmidt. It is divided into 3 ranges of concessions, and all the lands susceptible of cultivation are conceded... The soil is very fertile and produces grain of all sorts; most of the concessions are under a good system of agricultural management, and thickly inhabited: the land approaching the mountains is of good quality, but none of it is under tillage. Among a variety of fine timber, abundance of capital red pine is produced, also white pine, maple, black birch, epinette, and sapin. - This S. is watered by the rivers Ste. Anne and St. Jean, and by several minor streams....

At Lotbinere, on 27th of July, at the age of 100 years and several months, Charlotte Oullet, of the parish of St Anne de la Pocatiere. This lady was one of a member of other young girls of St Ann, who put on men's apparel and shouldered the musket to drive out a detachment of English regulars who were amusing themselves by setting fir to the barns and dwellings of the inhabitants of St Anne during the siege of Quebec in 1759.

In 1859, La Pocatière opened the first agricultural school in North America. It has continued in this tradition with L'Institut de technologie agricole.

www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/ en/ article/ la-pocatiere/

The Journal de Quebec states that a poor farmer of St. Anne de la Pocatiere, who had heard that a relative of this father in Europe had died, leaving a large fortune, and who had sent papers to claim his share of the inheritance, received the other day from Frankfort a draft on the British North American Bank for $109,500 as a first installment. Elated with joy, he had promised to pay off the debt of the Parish Church and to build a convent at his own expense. He came to Quebec with the Notary of the Parish, and in company with many friends, to draw the money from the bank, when the draft was discovered to have no value.

STE. ANNE DE LA POCATIERE, a post village and parish of Quebec, co. of Kamouraska, on the S. shore of the St. Lawrence, and on the G. T. R., 86 miles below Quebec. The village is most beautifully situated, and contains, besides a church and several hotels, a college, one of the most extensive in the province, usually attended by about 209 students, 11 stores, a printing office, and a telegraph office. Pop. of parish 3,134.