1. Objectifs

Intentions :
L’objectif de cet article est de présenter la correspondance entre deux frères de Georgeville (Bas-Canada) en 1838-1839 et de montrer les tensions qui existent entre eux pour contribuer à l’historiographie de la famille et ses croisements avec l’histoire coloniale du Bas-Canada.

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
L’auteur appuie son analyse principalement sur les lettres échangées entre les frères Chauncey et William Bullock en 1838 et 1839. Les archives se trouvent èa plusieurs endroits dont la Brigham Young University et Duke University, aux États-Unis.

Type de traitement des données :
Réflexion critique
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

«Family historians have written extensively about the nature of the ties between husband and wife as well as between parents and their offspring, but sibling relationships have received relatively little attention despite the obvious importance of the role they played in emotional and social development. Furthermore, reflecting the fact that the very words “brotherhood” and “sisterhood” imply a close bond between equals, historical studies that have been published on the subject tend to focus on the positive aspects of the relationship. The fact remains, however, that the closeness of the sibling connection has never prevented the growth of mutual competitiveness, jealousy, and animosity, particularly between those of the same gender.» (p. 651-652) «The surviving correspondence between Chauncey and William Bullock reveals how the already tense relationship between the two brothers deteriorated as the result of an earlier armed conflict, Lower Canada’s Rebellion of 1837–1838.» (p. 652) «The Bullock correspondence, therefore, takes us deeper than the conflict at the colonial and community level to reveal how in this particular case, it resulted in a bitter divide within a single family.» (p. 652)