Her suit estimates the properties at L38,000. The home
property was made a prize stock farm--one of the first if not the actual
first of the kind in Canada. Cattle-breeding on shares was made by him a
large enterprise among the settlers, and every year his share of
increase was collected and driven to Montreal for sale. The farm-book is
a parchment-covered ledger previously used by Sarah Visscher's uncle,
Leonard Van Buren in 1782 (who was also uncle of President Martin Van
Buren). Water-powers at various points were bought and developed with
her money, and mills erected, including those at Lacolle, Huntingdon and
Athelstan; and several thousands of acres were acquired at Huntingdon,
Lacolle, Irish Ridge, and other localities. He was almost at once
appointed a magistrate, his brother Colonel Robert Hoyle of Lacolle, was
the member of Parliament, later on her son-in-law Merrit Hotchkiss was
member and another son-in-law was Registrar of Huntingdon. At that
period several of the wealthy men of Montreal were acquiring large
tracts, apparently to form estates like the seigniories. With some of
these, Mr. Hoyle made common cause. One was a prosperous merchant,
Thomas Woolrych, who had very large holdings in what is now Huntingdon
county, and their intimacy was so close that Woolrych presented him
with his own oil portrait, in late eighteenth century costume, which is
now in the Chateau de Ramezay.
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