Wood Merchant
Cliquez ici pour la version française
Le Marchand de bois | The Wood Merchant
Wood merchant heading to the market ("Old Time Stuff - In the Sixties and Seventies - Going to Market to Sell His Load", circa 1897 watercolour by John Henry de Rinzy, Library and Archives Canada).
A marchand de bois sold wood, most of which was used for the construction of houses and furniture. Between 1660 and 1760, over 86% of houses in the St. Lawrence River valley were made of wood. Wood was also the primary construction material for military forts.
Another type of salesman was the marchand de bois de chauffage, who sold firewood. Wood logs and pieces sold for this purpose were often rejects from wood inventory meant for construction. The firewood merchant sold his product in towns and villages. Anyone living out in the country could essentially chop down trees and take them into town for sale.
In New France, certain traditions were respected when it came to firewood. Trees were chopped down in the fall or winter, once leaves had fallen and sap flow had slowed. The bois tendre, or softwood, such as aspen, cedar, poplar and fir, produced little heat and were consumed quickly. The bois francs, or hardwood, like ash, maple, elm, cherry and birch, burned much longer. Small pieces of softwood were used for cooking, while hardwood was used to heating the home.
Known persons who had this occupation: James Bowen, John Foran, Thomas Griffin, Henry Hardy, Angus Kennedy, John Lane (fils), Daniel McLachlin, James O'Connell, William Valentine Woods
Source: Jeanne Pomerleau, Métiers ambulants d'autrefois (Montréal, Québec: Guérin, 1990), 363-367.