The Quebec Gazette – Quebec, Samuel and John Neilson, 1790

Brothers Samuel and John Neilson continued a printing dynasty that had begun with their uncle, William Brown, founder of The Quebec Gazette. 

When William Brown died in 1789, Samuel assumed control of the press. He greatly improved the quality of The Quebec Gazette and allowed more space for news and essays. Despite his brief tenure – just four years before his untimely death in 1793 from tuberculosis – Samuel managed to considerably expand the operations of the print shop. Upon Samuel’s death, the Gazette passed to his 16-year-old brother John, who until he came of age and took over the responsibility, had a guardian who acted on his behalf.

John Neilson would further expand and improve The Quebec Gazette. He maintained impeccable records, providing valuable insight into the workings of a print shop in the early 1800s. He also produced numerous pamphlets, religious texts, and schoolbooks. John Neilson was probably the first to publish music in Canada, as no other examples of Canadian musical typography have been discovered.

In 1795 Neilson purchased new type from England for the printing of hymn books, and in 1801, a new press. He brought in well trained apprentices from Scotland and the United States. Some of these apprentices eventually went on to establish their own presses, including Louis Roy, who was recruited by John Graves Simcoe to set up the first press in Upper Canada, and John Bennett, who would become Upper Canada’s first King’s Printer.

In 1818, like Joseph Howe in Nova Scotia, John Neilson entered politics, transferring control of the press to his son, Samuel. A steadfast opponent of the union of Upper and Lower Canada, he later served in the Legislative Assembly and Council of the Province of Canada.

John died in February 1848. In 1976 he was made a National Historic Person.

On November 11, 1850, Robert Middleton became sole proprietor of The Quebec Gazette, thus ending 86 years of ownership by the Brown and Neilson families.