Toponymie | Canton de Potton | Place Names

You might well wonder why description of a place which no longer exists would even be mentioned in a book about the place names of Potton.  It is because much of Potton's earliest history transpired in the vicinity of what is now called Chemin Miltimore and Chemin des Marguerites – at a place called Meig's Corner, near the Chapel Hill Cemetery. 

The little settlement, that was also for a time called Coit's Corners, existed near Miltimore Road, between Mansonville and Highwater, and has long since disappeared.  Its exact location a mystery.  Because Miltimore Road intersects with Route 243, it was thought by some that this was the location of Meig's Corner.  It appears however that Meig's Corner was somewhat to the north of Route 243.  The Taylor and Thomas descriptions seem to support that Meig's Corner was much higher, where only the Chapel Hill cemetery stands a silent sentinel to the early 1800's, when there was to be found here what seems to have been a small village. 

“The first store in Potton was opened by Levi A. Coit at the Corners named after himself (later Meigs' Corner).  There was also a distillery* at that place owned by the Heaths.  The lead, or pewter, pipe was taken at the time of the Rebellion and melted down for bullets.  This distillery stood near where the house of Samuel Elkins now stands.  (But now long gone!)  Another distillery* was near where the old chapel stood.  This was owned by David Perkins, Esq., father of Levi A Perkins.  The first school house in Potton was erected at Meigs' Corner in 1809.”^[1]  “A large building was erected at this place in 1809, or thereabout, which was designed to serve the double purpose of a meeting-house and a school-house. (…)  This was the first school-house in Potton, and for twenty years, the only one.”^[2]  (“this place” was Coit's Corners, which seemed to have been a well established community before Mr. Manson established mills in Mansonville.)  In it were found a school, a store, a post-office and two distilleries.  It very well could have known some rollicking good times! Oral history  reports that a potashery and a brick making business also existed in this vicinity as well. (See further notation regarding distilleries*)

A so-called High School was established in 1825, receiving a government grant of $96 per annum.  This school continued for about six years.  Although the first post-office in Potton was established at Knowlton Landing with Levi Knowlton as Potton's first “postmaster”, it was later removed to Coit's Corners, with Levi Coit the first postmaster in Coit's Corners.  The first settlers to Meigs' Corner came from Sanbornton, N.H., in November 1798 and “commenced labour on the land now owned by Mr. Meigs”.  Jacob Garland (1754-1843) and his son-in-law Jonathan Heath (1774-1839) arrived to carve out a homestead for their families.

Meigs' Corner replaced the name of Coit's Corners, when a Mr. Meigs moved closer to the actual “corner”.  Elsewhere in this booklet, you will find a reference to “Old Stewart Road”, an old trail leading from West Potton, site of the Ruiter settlement, along the height of land to the vicinity of Meigs' Corner, where the “road” is thought then to have descended and followed easier terrain to the mills and commerce being developed at the place known as Mansonville.  This route is indicated on early maps and shown in the Belden Atlas of 1881.  Curiously, its location was even noted by the representative of the Ministry of Transport Quebec in a recent conversation.

The proximity to the “border” and its comparative importance as a settlement was also felt in the Rebellion of 1837.  Cyrus Thomas in his Contributions to the History of the Eastern Townships – published in 1866, devotes no less than 10 pages to descriptions of Meig's Corner and its families.  He notes its importance in the religious development of Potton^[3]. 

Although there is no way to confirm any relationship with the “Mr. Meigs” of Meigs' Corner (because a given name was not recorded in documents so far examined), a Harley S. Meigs, who died January 8, 1899 at the age of 75 years 5 months, is buried in Mansonville Cemetery with his wife, Emily Scott Meigs, who died December 4, 1891 at the age of 62 years 6 months.  There are no other graves with this name in this cemetery or any other of Potton that have been so far found.

With regard to the distilleries present in Potton – we have found through reading Taylor's volumes in particular:  “An examination into this subject would reveal that a most astonishing quantity of whiskey was manufactured and consumed by these early people.  As their land was new and generally very productive, after the first few years the farmers raised a large surplus of grain, which, till a market was available, was mostly converted into whiskey and taken as a beverage.  Distilleries became exceedingly numerous, the making and selling of this article being pursued and recognized as a respectable and legitimate employment.”^[4]