James McGinnis, my 5th great-grandfather, was born in 1783 in Derry, Ireland. Around 1808, he marries Jane Suitor and they eventually have 7 children, all born in Ireland.
James served in the British military and fought in the Peninsular War (1808-1814), which was the British (and their allies Spain and Portugal) fighting against the invading forces of Napoleon's France. James was wounded in the Battle of Albuera on May 16, 1811. The British sustained heavy casualties in the battle after being surrounded by Polish and French lancers.
'The Flag. Albuhera, May 16, 1811'. Oil on canvas by William Barns Wollen (1857-1936). https://collection.nam.ac.uk/detail.php?acc=2001-04-325-1
After James recovers from his injuries, the family immigrates from Ireland to Canada. This move is likely related to his military service and the granting of land by the British government. Following the Peninsular War and the War of 1812, Britain promoted emigration to Lower Canada by offering military veterans land grants in the Eastern Townships. These grants were meant to reward military service, increase the population, and bolster British influence in the French-speaking colony. Lower Canada was a British colony from 1791 to 1840. Through Confederation on July 1, 1867, Lower Canada became part of the Province of Quebec.
By 1836, the McGinnis family had arrived in St. Catherine's Range within the St. Sylvestre Township, which is part of the Eastern Townships. The family eventually settles on the Ninth Range within Leeds Township. At the age of 86, on April 27, 1869, James was officially granted 75 acres in Leeds, Mégantic County, Quebec. He died in 1873 and is buried in the Presbyterian/Methodist Cemetery in the village of Leeds. His children continued to live in the Eastern Townships. However, within three generations, descendants of James & Jane, along with many other Irish families from the Eastern Townships, moved west in the hope of new opportunities on the prairies.
Like many places in Quebec's Eastern Townships that once had English names, as the English-speaking populations declined, the places have been renamed with French names. If you're looking for it on a map, Leeds is now known as St.-Jacques-de-Leeds.
