James MacPherson Le Moine
James MacPherson Le Moine (1825-1912) was a prominent Canadian folklorist, historian, public servant, and lawyer known for his extensive documentation of the cultural and natural history of French Canada. Born to a French Canadian father and an English Canadian mother, he experienced a diverse upbringing that influenced his later work. Despite facing personal loss early in life, Le Moine pursued education and a career in law, ultimately practicing in Quebec City. In 1858, he shifted focus from law to become the inspector of inland revenue, which allowed him to cultivate his passion for ornithology and conservation.
Le Moine's writings, although not always regarded as literary masterpieces, serve as valuable historical sources, particularly concerning Quebec City during the 19th century. He produced a variety of works across genres, including histories, travelogues, and essays, and made significant contributions to the preservation of Québécois culture. His dedication to research and detail earned him respect in intellectual circles, leading to his involvement with the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec and the Royal Society of Canada. Le Moine's legacy includes not only his contributions to literature and history but also his role in fostering cultural appreciation in a bilingual society.
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Subject Terms
James MacPherson Le Moine
Nonfiction Writer and Poet
- Born: January 24, 1825
- Birthplace: Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
- Died: February 5, 1912
- Place of death: Sillery, Canada
Biography
Canadian folklorist, historian, public servant, and lawyerJames MacPherson Le Moine recorded the cultural and natural history of French Canada for both French and English readers. The stories of French culture and history he documented were written primarily for an English-speaking audience, but he also wrote numerous naturalist treatises in French and served as an antiquarian, archivist, and preservationist for Québécois culture. His writings, although not considered particularly literary, provide a rich source of historical information, as well as firsthand narrative about Quebec City during the nineteenth century.
Le Moine was born in 1825 to a French Canadian father, Benjamin Le Moine, and an English Canadian mother, Julia MacPherson. His parents were from affluent seigneurial backgrounds. His mother, who died in 1828 when Le Moine was three, was from a United Empire loyalist family who had purchased their Québécois seigneury after settling in the Gaspe peninsula. After his mother’s death, Le Moine lived with his maternal grandparents, attending their village school until the age of thirteen, when he returned to Quebec City to live with his father. He added MacPherson to his name at that time, out of gratitude to his grandparents for the care he had received.
Le Moine studied at the Petit Séminaire de Quebec and then apprenticed as a barrister. He was admitted to the bar in 1850 and practiced in Quebec City, helping to establish the Institut Canadien in 1848. He served as a revenue collector while a barrister, and in 1858, he abandoned law and became the inspector of inland revenue for the district of Sillery, a position he held until his retirement in 1899.
The move to rural Sillery allowed Le Moine to indulge his interest in ornithology, and in 1861, he completed the first ornithological treatise to be written in French and published in Canada. The treatise and many naturalist pamphlets that followed it also make arguments for conservationism, observing the possibility of species extinction and suggesting protective legislation.
A specialist in Quebec City and its environs, Le Moine was a dedicated researcher and archivist who was noted for the meticulousness and extensive detail of his historical writing. He wrote in several genres: traditional histories, travelogues, essays, and sketches recounting folklore and legends. Likened by some to Walter Scott, Le Moine’s writings inspired and aided novelists, providing source material for William Kirby’s Le Chien d’or and Gilbert Parker’s The Seats of the Mighty.
Le Moine and his family’s social life at Sillery was vibrant. He did fieldwork and archival work, and was hosted significant Canadian intellectuals as well as prominent individuals from around the world. He was respected for his historical contributions; he held the presidency of the Literary and Historical Society of Quebec, was granted honorary membership in many international learned societies, assisted in drafting the constitution of the Royal Society of Canada, serving as the French section’s president, and was knighted by Queen Victoria. Le Moine died in Sillery in 1912, survived by his wife, Harriet Atkinson, and their two daughters.