Surveyor, Notary, Politician, Seigneur. Joseph Papineau completed his classical education at the Seminary of Quebec in June of 1771. That year he apprenticed as a surveyor, and in 1773 received his surveyor's commission. Papineau established a successful practice, but at the same time began training as a notary. He halted his studies temporarily in 1776 to assume military obligations in the war with the Americans. In 1779, he married the daughter of the prosperous and influential François-Pierre Cherrier. The following year, Papineau received his notary commission. He purchased and renovated his father's house. His notary business remained quite busy in the time period from 1781 to 1803, at which time he purchased the seigneury of La Petite-Nation from the Seminary of Quebec. (He had received a portion of it in 1801 in lieu of fees.) The seigneury had initially belonged to François de Laval, the first Roman Catholic bishop in New France. Papineau developed an interest in public affairs, and managed a number of seigneuries other than his own. He was elected several times to the House of Assembly for Montreal. In 1815, his son Louis-Joseph was elected Speaker of the House and became the designated political heir. At that point, the elder Papineau retired from politics and became to concentrate on his seigneury La Petite-Nation, which he then sold to his son Louis-Joseph in 1817. He devoted himself to his professions of notary and surveyor. Shortly before his death in 1841, he met with Bishop Ignace Bourget and returned to Catholicism. Joseph Papineau was interred on July 12, 1841 at Basilique-Notre-Dame-de-Montréal. However, as was the case with other members of the Papineau family, this was not to be his only burial. In 1855, he was exhumed and on the third day of June buried at Montebello. The Papineau family homes in both Montebello and Montreal have been designated National Historic Sites of Canada.