William Bent Berczy

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William Bent Berczy
A man aged around 60 with thick white hair and a heavy black suit stands between an ornate wooden chair and a table.
Berczy in Montreal in 1862
Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada for Kent County, Ontario
In office
1828 (1828)–1834 (1834)
Personal details
Born(1791-01-06)January 6, 1791
London, Great Britain
DiedDecember 9, 1873(1873-12-09) (aged 82)
Sainte-Mélanie-d'Ailleboust, Quebec, Canada
Spouse(s)
​
(m. 1819)​
RelationsCharles Albert Berczy (brother)
Pierre-Louis Panet (father-in-law)
ParentsWilliam Berczy (father)
Jeanne-Charlotte Allamand (mother)
OccupationFarmer, painter, politician
Military service
Allegiance The Canadas
 Lower Canada
Branch/serviceCanadian Militia
Years of servicec. 1812
1845–1863
RankColonel
UnitCanadian Chasseurs
8th Military District
Battles/wars

William Bent Berczy (January 6, 1791 – December 9, 1873) was a farmer, painter and political figure in Upper Canada.

Life[]

Early years[]

He was born in London, England in 1791, the son of German immigrants William Berczy and Jeanne-Charlotte Allamand, and came to old York County in Upper Canada with his family in 1794. He grew up in York (now Toronto) (1794-1798, 1802-1804), Montreal (1798-1802, 1804-1812) and Quebec City (1804-1812) - wherever his father's development work required the family to relocate.

War of 1812 and farming[]

He served in the Corps of Canadian Chasseurs during the War of 1812 and was at the Battle of Crysler's Farm. From 1818 to 1832, he lived on and off on a property near Sandwich (now Windsor), where he grew tobacco.

Politics[]

From 1828 to 1834, he represented Kent in the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada from the 9th to 11th Parliament. Despite representing Kent, Berczy was residing mostly at York during legislative sitting or in Sainte-Mélanie in then Lower Canada after 1832.

Move to Lower Canada and later years[]

In 1832, he settled on the property at Sainte-Mélanie-d'Ailleboust of his wife, Louise-Amélie Panet (married 1819), who had inherited it from her father, seigneur Pierre-Louis Panet. Berczy was lieutenant-colonel in the Lower Canada with the 8th Military District, Canadian Militia unit based in Berthier, Quebec from 1845 to 1863, reaching the rank of colonel.

He died in Sainte-Mélanie-d'Ailleboust, Quebec in 1873, predeceased by his wife in 1863 and brother Charles Albert Berczy in 1858. Berczy and Panet died without having any children. He is buried at St-John's Anglican Cemetery in Kildare.

Huron Indians Leaving their Residence near Amherstburg, Upper Canada, on a Hunting Excursion

Paintings[]

Like his father he was a painter. Two paintings by Berczy hang in the National Gallery of Canada, Huron Indians leaving residence near Amherstburg[1] and Blessing of the Fields.

References[]

  1. ^ [1] "Huron Indians leaving their Residence near Amherstburg", painting by William Bent Berczy, appearing on lower half of page 60, Aboriginal Ontario: Historical Perspectives on the First Nations edited by Edward S. Rogers, Donald B. Smith, publ. 1994.

External links[]

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