History
Jean-Joseh Trestler
Born Johann Joshef Tröstler
(1759 - 1813)
1798
Construction of the central section of the House.
1813
Death of Jean-Joseph Trestler at the age of 56.
1806
Construction of the est wing. (living room)
1757
Birth of Jean-Joseph Trestler in Mannheim
1783
Trestler work as a street vendor
1793
Death of Marguerite Noël
1778
Jean-Joseph is hired as a mercenary serving de British Crown.
1794
Second marriage with Marie-Anne Josephte Curtius. They will have 4 sons.
1808
M. Trestler is elected to the Assembly as deputy of York
1805
Construction of the west wing. (vault)
1785
First marriage with Marguerite Noël. They will have 4 daughters.
Jean-Baptiste Curtius-Trestler
Son of Jean-Joseph Trestler
& Marie-Anne Josephte Curtius
(1798 - 1871)
Iphigenie Trestler
Daughter of Jean-Batiste Curtius-Trestler
& Wife of Antoine-Aimé Dorion
(1825 - 1855)
Sir Antoine Aimé-Dorion
Husband of Iphigénie Trestler
(1818 - 1891)
Two of his sons (Michel-Joseph and Hennry-Daniel) passed away before him. Nonetheless, his son, Jean-Baptiste Curtius, a physician-surgeon, became his mother's confidant following the death of his father and was appointed the administrator of the Trestler properties. The only son to marry, his five children passed on the Trestler name. A daughter, Iphigénie, married Sir Antoine-Aimé Dorion, who was the leader of the Liberal Party of Canada immediately before Wilfrid Laurier, and served as Deputy Premier for a short period of time, during which he used the house as his secondary residence. The town of Dorion, which separated from Vaudreuil in 1891 (the year of his death), bears his name.
Eulalie Dorion (one of Iphigénie’s daughters) married the Honourable Christophe-Alphonse Geoffrion (1843-1899), a famous Montréal lawyer. They lived in the central section of the home. Between 1860 and 1880 the Trestler heirs divided the land and other items they inherited in 1813. The main house was kept but it was subdivided into three sections and turned into summer homes where the Tooke, Nash and Béique families lived. In 1927, the house was purchased by securities broker, Gustave Rainville, who used it as a secondary home. Major changes were made at that time.
In 1951, the house was sold to Donald Taylor, president of St-Raymond Paper. In 1969, it was designated an “Architectural Monument of National Importance” by Indian and Northern Affaires. Purchased and restored by Judith and Louis Dubuc in 1971, it was a designated “Bien culturel et monument historique” by the ministère des affaires culturelles du Québec. In 1984, the property was acquired by the Fondation de la Maison Trestler thanks to the financial support of the Macdonald Stewart Foundation and Parks Canada. The Fondation de la Maison Trestler subsequently embraced the mission of promoting the development, outreach and accessibility of La Maison Trestler.