John Torrance (1786-1870)

He was born at Gatehouse of Fleet in Kirkcudbrightshire. He and his brothers emigrated to Montreal via New York in 1800. Under their eldest brother, Thomas, they established a profitable retail and wholesale business. John progressed into the railroad industry in the 1830s and ran steamboats on the St. Lawrence River. He became a director of the Bank of Montreal and was closely involved with the progression of the City of Montreal from the 1820s to the 1850s. He lived at St. Antoine Hall, and his eldest son, Daniel, married one of the daughters of Cornelius Vanderbilt.