William Henry Jeffrey

William Henry Denning Jeffrey (31 January 1811 — 14 April 1895) was an English-born Canadian merchant, shipbuilder, militia officer, and pioneering entrepreneur in the asbestos mining industry.

Early life Born in Devonport, Devon, England, Jeffrey immigrated to Quebec where he established himself as a businessman and community figure.

Career On 30 November 1853, William Henry Jeffrey was appointed lieutenant (cornet) in the Quebec Cavalry Corps by order of the Adjutant General’s office, as published in the official militia promotions of the Province of Canada.

In July 1877, Jeffrey was among the notable figures in Richmond, who welcomed Prime Minister Sir John A. Macdonald during his visit to the Eastern Townships. A contemporary newspaper account lists him alongside local officials and political leaders present at the Richmond railway station, where Macdonald received an address from the community before continuing on to Sherbrooke.

In 1879, Welsh miner Evan Williams identified asbestos on a hillside in Shipton Township known as “Webb’s Ledge” and recognized its commercial potential. Under the terms of the agreement, Webb received royalties of $10 per ton of fibre produced in summer and $5 per ton in winter. These rights, granted under a 20-year lease signed in 1879, allowed Jeffrey to explore for and extract asbestos and other minerals, erect buildings, and use local water sources, in exchange for paying a 20 percent royalty on net profits to the landowner.

Personal life Jeffrey married Elizabeth Batson Noad on 14 November 1840 at the Anglican Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, he was 29 and she was 16 years old.

Jeffrey and Noad had 10 children. The 1861 census records the family as follows: "Merchant, born England, 50; wife EB turning 37; Children and age turning: son HJ 18; Amelie 10; Ida 9; Florence 7; son? WH 7 -all at school; Louise 5; Constance 3; living away at school in Toronto: Charlotte 16; Annie 15; Francis 12".