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George was orphaned at the age of 12. By the age of 24 he had settled in Quebec. In 1820 he was wooed by William Price who hoped that a partnership with George would give him access to the fleet of ships owned by his uncle Henry. Price soon broke up the partnership when he found shippers elsewhere. George then went into partnership with Henry Atkinson in the firm of Atkinson, Usborne & Co (shipping merchants) who had offices at 38 Peter St. and Lowndes wharf, LT, Quebec City. In 1820 he obtained from the colonial government a nine-year lease on the “Domaine of Sillery”. The property included a sizeable stretch of beach to the west of Quebec, of particular value for the reception, measuring, and loading of timber. In 1834 he bought the timber storage facility at Wolfe's Cove from his uncle Henry. Around 1838, as a prosperous timber merchant and shipper, he acquired Wolf-field Cottage, St Louis Road, Cap Rouge, eight miles from Quebec City with river frontage, formal gardens, park and 100 acres. Several of his ships sank in a the storms of 1846. George was bankrupt. Mary insisted on leaving Quebec and they decided to follow his cousin Henry to Portage-du-Fort in the Ottawa Valley. He bought 600 acres of land at Portage from Henry, on which was a failed saw mill and potash business. In 1857 Portage was a prosperous village with a population of 500. G.W.Usborne is described as a proprietor of grist and saw mills. The warehouse used by the Usborne company to supply their lumber camps can be found on the corner of Mill St and Usborne St, now converted to a house. With a second fortune restored, George built a large house at Arnprior called Edgewood. The church of St George which he built in 1856 of cut limestone on the hillside overlooking the treacherous rapids of the Chenaux falls contains a memorial stone to George and Mary. Lake Usborne can be found on the East branch of the Coulogne River. Click here for more logging photos
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 Mary Usborne  Usborne Warehouse built in 1847, now a residence.  Anglican Church of St George. The original wooden spire has been replaced with masonry. |
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