Theophile Girouard (1826-1897)
Son of Joseph Girouard and Emelie Descormiers
GIROUARD, Theophile :
One of the most prominent, enterprising and succesful of the
French Canadian businessmen of the ancient capital, and its subsidiary
districts.
Born at Gentilly, Nicolet county, in the 1st December, 1826,
of the marriage of Joseph Girouard and Emilie Descormiers, he is
essentially a self-educated and a self-made man, and an admirable specimen
of the class of his fellow-countrymen who have done so much to develop
the resources of their native province.
As a lad, he laboured hard to instruct himself, and thus succeeded
in acquiring a good French and English education. As a man, he has, with
similar energy and perseverance, striven to make his way in the world,
and his efforts have been crowned with equal succeess. His experience
has been varied. In 1849, he was impelled by the gold fever to California,
like many other young and enthusiastic spirits of the time, but unlike
not a few of them, he was fairly successful during his stay of four
years there.
Returning to Canada, he engaged in the lumber business, in the
province of Quebec, and has been connected with it ever since.
For a number of years the principal seat of his operations was in the
Eastern Townships, where he also resided: but in 1872, he extended them
to the region along the north shore of the St.Lawrence below the Saguenay,
where he founded the outpost of Betsiamits for the purpose of manufacturing
and shipping lumber, and where he erected extensuve saw mills at a
cost of $152,000.
These mills are supplied with the raw material from 750 square
miles of limits, and the establishment employs from two to three hundred
men.
Theophile has also been the promoter of some of the largest
manufactures in the province. Nor has he been without honours marking
the respect and confidence orf his fellow citizxens.
He has been a captain of militia and a justice of the peace, and the
important municipallity fo Stanfold (Princeville), in the Bois-Francs
region, elected him its mayor during seven years.
In politics, he was a Conservative down to the time of the Riel
affair, when he seceded, joined the Liberal ranks, and became a Nationalist.
His travels have been extensive. Including his voyages to and
from California, he has crossed the ocean over thirty times, has visited
most of Europe, and by a singular coincidence which has happened in the
lives of few men was carried by a gale of wind to latitude 62.5~ south
below Cape Horn, while he went on another occasion as far in the opposite
direction as 62.5~ north during his travels in Sweden and the
Gulf of Bothnia.
In religion, he has always been a Roman Catholic.
On the 21st October, 1861, he married Celina Pacaud, daughter of
Charles Pacaud, of Arthabaska, by whom he has had issue five children.
His eldest son, Raoul has distinguished himself as an electrician at Ottawa.
Also one of the founders of "Union des Cantons de l'Est" a weekly
neswpaper still in existence. With James Hutton and Dr. Gravel,
founded "La Cie Manufacturiere de Stanfold" a shoe factory.
Pour toute informations, suggestions, corrections ou commentaires,
n'hesiter pas a communiquer avec moi:
pierre@girouard.com
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