- William Vondenvelden
William Vondenvelden (ca. 1753 –
June 20 1809 ) was a German-born surveyor, printer and political figure inLower Canada .He was born in
Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel), Germany in 1753 and came to Quebec as a lieutenant with the Hesse-Hanau Chasseurs, which fought for Britain during theAmerican Revolution . He retired from the army and settled atQuebec City , becoming translator for the "Quebec Gazette" in 1782. He qualified as a surveyor in 1783. In 1786, he was named justice of the peace for Gaspé district and moved to New Carlisle. He was appointed clerk of the Court of Common Pleas and clerk of the peace in 1787. He also practiced as a surveyor, including a survey forBonaventure Island . Vondenvelden returned to Quebec City in 1783 and, with merchant John Jones, set up a print shop there. In 1794, Jones and Vondenvelden launched the weekly "Le Cours du tems/The Times ". In 1795, he was named official printer for the statutes produced by the provincial parliament by Governor Guy Carleton. He was appointed assistant surveyor general for the province in the same year. In 1798, he sold his printing operation toPierre-Édouard Desbarats and Roger Lelièvre.In 1803, with
Louis Charland , he produced "A new topographical map of the province of Lower Canada" and a book, "Extraits des titres des anciennes concessions de terre en fief et seineurie", describing the seigneuries in the province. In 1799, he was named surveyor of the highways, streets, and lanes for the town and parish of Quebec. Vondenvelden was elected to theLegislative Assembly of Lower Canada for Gaspé in 1800. He returned to his practice as a surveyor in 1804.He died at Quebec City in 1809 after having been involved in a
carriage accident.External links
* [http://www.biographi.ca/009004-119.01-e.php?&id_nbr=2701 Biography at "the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online"]
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