To The Public, The novel situation in which I have been recently placed… [opening lines of Québec broadside by German émigré George Pozer]

“I am now going on fifty-nine years a resident in Quebec, and I call upon the inhabitants thereof…”

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A German émigré, George Pozer (1752-1848), originally Johann Georg Pfozer, and also seen as Jean Georges or Jean-George Pfotzer, exemplified the archetype of a self-made man, rising from humble beginnings to become a significant figure in Quebec, Canada. With little education, he moved to North America at 21, eventually settling in New York and thriving in the bakery and grocery business through contracts with the British army. His early years were marked by challenges and notable interactions, including with John Jacob Astor who he admired. (Dictionary of Canadian Biography)

After the evacuation of British loyalists in 1783, Pozer briefly stayed in England before making his way to Quebec in 1785. In Quebec, he diversified into grocery, real estate, and financial trading, amassing significant wealth over three decades. Despite his financial success, Pozer’s German heritage and traditional attire set him apart in Quebec society, underscoring his perpetual role as an outsider. (ibid)

In this broadside, Pozer provides an eloquent response to legal action by the Quebec City Council over his alleged non-compliance with a city ordinance on property modifications. The broadside offers a unique glimpse into Pozer’s character, highlighting his resilience, sense of injustice, and quest for vindication.

Here, Pozer defends his actions and character, portraying himself as a victim of unreasonable and overreaching municipal regulations. (“During last fall and this spring I have removed forty steps from various houses of my property, and whilst my operatives were at work this spring, I was summoned for neglecting and refusing to remove them, as if it were in my power to do the whole work at once and without delay.”) He recounts his significant contributions to the city’s development, both financially and through acts of charity, and expresses his frustration with what he perceives as unjust treatment. (“I have contributed from the commencement to the present time, a sum not less than £2,500, and did so with all cheerfulness, as being so necessary for the improvement of the city.” [and:] “I call upon the inhabitants thereof whether I have at any time been a disturber of order, regularity or tranquillity, or whether I have been a tyrant over my tenants.”)

This public statement shows Pozer’s continuous effort for recognition in Quebec society. It highlights his struggle against status quo authority and his efforts to leverage his wealth and economic influence to make the rules fair for one and all. More than a protest, Pozer’s text represents his attempt as an immigrant to contribute to and integrate into a society that didn’t fully accept him.

The broadside is also noteworthy for Pozer’s mention of the Patriot War, also known as the Lower Canada Rebellion. A series of conflicts that occurred in 1837 and 1838, this rebellion took place in present-day Quebec. Pozer writes: “Further, in the Insurrection of 1837 the Magistracy found it necessary to establish a City Watch, and in their wisdom proposed the Engine House at the Gaol for a Watch House; Mr. Robt. Symes communicated this to me, upon which I laughed, and to obviate the rheumatisms, &c., that would afflict (certainly) many of the gentlemen from sitting therein…” The City Watch and the conversion of an Engine House into a Watch House, as suggested by Pozer, were likely responses to this period of unrest.

Price: $650.00