James Johnston (1724–1800)
| Lt.-Col. James Johnston | |
|---|---|
.JPG) |
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| Born |
25 January 1724 Stromness, Orkney Islands |
| Died | 8 November 1800 (aged 76) Quebec City, Lower Canada |
Lt.-Colonel James Johnston (January, 1724 – 8 April 1800), J.P., was one of the earliest and principal Scottish merchants at Quebec following the fall of New France; of the firm Johnston & Purss. He was foreman of the first grand jury of the new British province of Quebec, justice of the peace, and colonel of artillery in the British militia.
Johnston was christened at Stromness, February 25, 1724. He was the second son of John Johnston (1690−1757), 3rd Laird of Outbrecks on the Orkney Mainland, and his wife Marjorie Crafts (1695−1774), daughter of John Crafts who had been an ensign in Cromwell's army before becoming a ship-owner at London. The Johnstons/Johnstones of Outbrecks (sometimes spelt Outhrecks) were a prominent Orkney family and James' father - one of the principal merchants there - had added to their land by acquiring considerable property throughout the islands at Harray, Stenness and South Ronaldsay etc., owning one-third of the town of Stromness itself. Johnston's elder brother, Joshua Johnston (1720-1794), married an heiress of the Halcro family and lived at Orphir House, becoming the first Laird of Coubister; they were the ancestors of Henry Halcro Johnston. James and Joshua's sister, Elizabeth, was the mother of James Irvine, of Quebec City.
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