ANCESTRY OF FRENCH CANADIANS

48 Pages·2016·0.42 MB·English

ANCESTRY OF FRENCH CANADIANS

TO OREGON PRIOR TO 1842

PREPARED BY
(Mrs.) RAYMONDE GAUTHIER Ph.D. HISTORY, LAVAL UNIVERSITY

© copyright 2013

(provided for the use of oregonpioneers.com June 2013- updated July 2017
reproduction of this file is prohibited without author's consent)

INTRODUCTION

HISTORY OF CANADA :
The history of Canada can be divided into two periods
a) The French Period 1608-1760
b) The English Period 1760 to this day

There are now ten provinces in Canada but the most important for this study is The
Province of Québec (called "Canada" by the French-Canadian Pioneers of Oregon)

The period we are researching is "the Fur Trade Period" which started after 1760 and
ended in 1830 when fur hats were no longer in style in Europe. The British were then in
charge of a former French country where all of the inhabitants were French speaking
Catholics. No Protestants had been allowed to settle in the French colony before 1760.

NAMES AND NICKNAMES :
Most of our ancestors came from France but you will find a few from Belgium (then
called Flandres) and from Germany (British authorities hired full companies of soldiers
from Hesse, around Berlin), add to that a few Portugese.

They had French names, of course but, most of the time they also had nicknames. The
nicknames were used to differentiate between parts of the family or to provide additional
information such as the residence of someone (if he is from Poitou, he may be called
Poitevin or Potvin, from Picardie, be called Picard, etc)

This is how it goes in a specific case :

Louis-André André/St-Amant
The name is Louis-André. At his baptism, he was put under the protection of two saints :
St-Louis and St-André. So he had a "double name".
The surname is André
The nickname is St-Amant
I have used the " / " (or slash) to replace the "dit" which means "said" or "also called"
It means that, in the catholic registers, you can find him under the name "André" or
"St-Amant".

1) All the soldiers in the French army had nicknames. Many of the ancestors of the
Oregonians were soldiers; these people were used to travel and adventure. (See
WIKIPEDIA – Régiment de Carignan-Salières (in French) and www.kronoskaf.com (in
English).
They were part of a "compagnie" or "company". Multiple companies formed a
"régiment" or "regiment". The most important regiment in the seventeenth century was
"Régiment de Carignan-Salières". It was attached to Canada from 1665 to 1668 but
about 400 decided to settle in Canada on farms attributed to them by the King. This first
regiment was replaced by "Compagnies Franches de la Marine" in1683. They had to
leave when the British took over in1760.

2) The mothers would die early, in childbirth mostly, and the father would remarry.
The children by the second wife would use a nickname to differentiate them from their
half brothers.

3) There were many people of the same name in each village, so nicknames would help
to link each person to the right ancestors.

Added to this were many other reasons for nicknames that are too complicated to explain.

PARISHES AND RELIGION :
The French-Canadians were mostly farmers and if they were not, they wanted to own
land. But they did not own the land, it belonged to the King. All they had was a right to
cultivate the land, right for which they paid rent.

They all belonged to the Catholic church and there was a church in each village alongside
the St. Lawrence River, the Richelieu and the Chaudière rivers. The registers were kept
very seriously by the parish priest to prevent people from marrying twice, once in France
and once in Canada.

For each ancestor of a pioneer of Oregon, I mentioned the name of the village in Canada
they were from, and if the name of the village had changed, I mentioned the new name.
This way everybody can find "their village of origin" on Google Maps.
TRADES :
Upon embarking for Canada, the French would specify their trade and that of their father.
Unfortunately, the parish priests did not go on with this french tradition and did not
mention the trade of the people they were marrying in Canada unless they were very
important people. That is the reason why you will read the terms "trade not mentioned"
in the lists.

PROVINCES OF France :
As you will find out many of our ancestors came from the western part of France; it was
near the sea! France before the Revolution of 1789 was divided into provinces as actual
Canada still is. For a map of the French Provinces (now they have Departments) see :
WIKIPEDIA – Provinces of France (with a map and the names of the provinces in
French)

FRENCH CANADIANS TO OREGON PRIOR TO 1842:

Abbreviations :
HBC : Hudson Bay Company
PFC : Pacific Fur Company
NWC : Northwest Company
IND : Independent

NOTE
The Voyageurs may have signed contracts with different compagnies before they
conntracted to go west of the Rockies after 1809. These contracts are not mentioned
here.
See Société historique de St-Boniface Archives (www. shsb.mb.ca) .The product of this
research is in french.
See also Hudson Bay ‘s Archives (www.gov.mb.ca). The product of this research is in
english.

1)HBC 1821-1838
ANDRÉ/ST-AMANT, Louis-André (SAMANT?)
See HBC Archives at
Born on May 15th 1795 and baptized the next day in Les Cèdres
1)Son of Jean-Baptiste André/St-Amant (trade not mentionned) and
Josephte Petit/St-Michel from Les Cèdres
Married September 1 1783, location unknown
2) Son of Louis André/St-Amant, trade not mentionned and Anne-Jeanne Samson
Married February 20 1730 in Lachine
3) Son of Louis André, soldier from Saintonge « compagnie de Périgny »,
régiment de Carignan-Salières, and Marguerite Samson
Married February 20 1730 in Lachine
Cousin to Joseph-Marie André/St-Amant

2)PFC 1810-1814
HBC 1821-1822
ANDRÉ/ST-AMANT, Joseph-Marie (SAMANT ?)
Born Feb. 29 and baptized March 1st 1780 in Les Cèdres
1) Son of Thomas André/St-Amant, trade not mentionned, and
Françoise Léger/Parisien married in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, January 11 1762
2) Son of Louis André, soldier from Saintonge « compagnie de Périgny, régiment
de Carignan-Salières » and Marguerite Samson
Married February 20 1730 in Lachine
Cousin to Louis-André André/St-Amant

3)HBC1825-1834
ARCOUET/LAJEUNESSE, Amable (ARQUOITTE)
« Milieu » and mason in Fort Vancouver and Fort Langley
Settled in French Prairie in 1833 (See Gerald S. Lenzen)
Born and baptized Sept. lst 1797 in Montréal
1) Son of Michel Arcouet/Lajeunesse, roofer , and Louise Gaudry
Married in Montréal November 10 1783
Brother of Jean (also named Léon) Arcouet
2) Son of Joseph Arcouet/Lajeunesse, trade not mentionned, and Suzanne Masson
Married in Champlain, November 18 1715
3) Son of Jean Arcouet/Lajeunesse soldier from Rochefort in Saintonge,
« compagnie de Loubias, régiment de Carignan-Salières »
And Elisabeth Pepin in Trois-Rivières in 1671

4)HBC 1841-1843
ARCOUET/LAJEUNESSE, Charles-Léon
(Also known under the name Jean Arcouet)
Born and baptized June 12 1806 in Montréal
Son of Michel Arcouet, roofer, and Louise Gaudry
Brother of Amable – same ascendance
Drown in 1843

AUSANT, Louis
See Ossant

6)HBC 1827? Or 1830
AUBUCHON/DESALLIERS, Jean-Baptiste
ANQM, greffe Henry Crebassa, February 15 1827
Engagment for 3 years to go to the « United States, Savage Countries, Uppper
Canada and Missouri River » for 1,500 « livres » signed by William Wallace
Matthews of Montréal, merchant.
Born Feb. 19 1792 and baptized the next day in Berthier (Today Berthierville)
1)Son of FrançoisAubuchon/Desalliers (trade not mentionned) and
Claire Mousseau
Married October 5 1789 in Sorel
2) Son of Jean-Baptiste Aubuchon/Desalliers, trade not mentionned, and
Angélique Babin/Pépin
Married April 30 1753 in Berthier
3) Son of François Aubuchon/Desalliers, « engagé pour l’Ouest » and
Catherine Hus/Millet
Married July 3 1724 in Sorel
4) Son of Joseph Aubuchon/Desalliers, trade not mentionned, and Louise
Dandonneau
Married April 26 1688 in Champlain
5) Son of Jacques Aubuchon/Leloyal, master carpenter from Dieppe in
Normandie, and Mathurine Poisson
Married October 8 1647 in Quebec

7)PFC 1810-1813
NWC 1813 - 1821
HBC 1821-1847
AUVRAY (OUVRE, OUVRIE ou OUVRAIS), Jean-Baptiste
Born and baptized Aug. 10 1788 in Montréal
Member of the Hunt Party 1810
1) Son of Jean-François Auvray, trade not mentionned,
From the parish of St-Jean-en-Grève in Paris and Josephte Ménard
Married September 28 1778 in Montréal
2) Son of Jean-François Auvray and Anne Kalplay of Paris (no other information)

8)HBC 1833-1848
BALLARD/LATOUR, Louis-Georges
Born and baptized March 4 1807 in Sorel
1) Son of Antoine Ballard/Latour, widow of Madeleine Aubuchon/Desalliers,
farmer of Ile Dupas, and Anne Mandeville
Married in Berthier November 19 1798
2) Son of Antoine Ballard/Latour, trade not mentionned, and Agathe
Chené/Lagrave
Married in Ile Dupas January 27 1766
3) Son of Louis Ballard/Latour, trade not mentionned, and Marguerite Brulé
Married in Ile Dupas, June 1st 1739
4) Son of Augustin Balard/Latour, trade not mentionned, and Jeanne Sylvestre
Married in Neuville, November 12 1714
5) Son of Louis Balard/Latour from Autun in Bourgogne, trade not mentionned,
and Marguerite Migneron
Married in Quebec April 14 1676

9)NWC 1813-1814
BÉLAND, Alexis
Born July 26 1790 and baptized the next day in Rivière-du-Loup (Today
Louiseville)
1)Son of Alexis Béland, widow of Elisabeth Gervais/Talbot, trade not mentioned
and Catherine Lebeau
Married in Rivière-du-Loup (Today Louiseville). October 22 1787
2) Son of Jean-Baptiste Béland, trade not mentionned, and Geneviève Proulx
Married in Montmagny, January 13 1738
3) Son of Mathurin Béland, trade not mentionned, and Anne Constantineau
Married in Neuville, July 24 1702
4) Son of Jean Béland, son of a messenger from Normandie, and Geneviève
Gandin
Married in Neuville, July 18 1677
Note – Was still working for HBC May 19 1819, when he signed a contract
before Nicolas-Benjamin Doucet, notary in Montréal, with HBC represented by
George Garden for 1,200 « livres » to go to any post where he could be needed.

10)PFC 1813
NWC 1814
BÉLANGER, André
Born and baptized June 12 1801 in St-Ours
1)Son of Michel Bélanger, widow of Amable Lamoureux, farmer, and Catherine
Larocque/Roquebrune
Married in St-Ours, May 19 1794
2) Son of Pierre-Paul Bélanger, trade not mentionned, and Claire Fournier
Married in Cap St-Ignace, October 28 1742
3) Son of Jean-François Bélanger, « seigneur » of Bonsecours (L’Islet)
And Geneviève Cloutier
Married November 16 1711 in L’Islet
4) Son of Louis Bélanger, trade not mentionned, and Marguerite Lefrançois
Married November 3 1682 in Château-Richer
5) Son of François Bélanger, mason (maybe from Normandie) and Marie Guyon
Married in Québec, July 12 1637

BELLEAU see MARTIN/BELLEAU

11)NWC 1820-1821
HBC 1821-1837
BELLEC, Pierre (BELLEQUE – BÉLEC)
Settled in French Prairie in 1833 (See Gerald S. Lenzen)
Said to be from St-Roch-l’Achigan
ANQM, greffe John Gerbrand Beek, December 12 1819 for 3 years
To go to Michillimakinac, « Dépendances du Nord-Ouest », Fort William
And « Portage de la Montagne » for McTavish, McGillivray & Co & Pierre de
Rocheblave. 700 « livres », no agent signs for the company
Settled in Wallamette in 1837
Born January 5 1797 and baptized the next day in L’Assomption
1) Son of Louis-Joseph Bellec, farmer, and Marguerite Beaudoin
Married in L’Assomption, June 26 1780
2) Son of Jean-Baptiste Bellec, trade not mentionned, and Madeleine
Janson/Lapalme
Married January, 18 1751 in L’Assomption
3) Son of François Bellec, trade not mentionned, and Marie Tellier
Married February 25 1721 in Varennes
4) Son of Guillaume Bellec and Gabrielle Baribeau
Married November 24 1687 in Batiscan
Note- All the sons of Guillaume and Gabrielle Baribeau were under contract with
fur traders prior to 1760

12) PFC 1810-1813
NWC 1813-1815
BELLEAU/LAROSE, Antoine
ANQM, greffe John Gerbrand Beek, July 123 1810 fo 5 years
To go to « les pays sauvages » as « milieu ». Alexander McKay signs,
600 « livres ». Is allowed to act as a hunter and sell half of his kill to
the company
Born Oct. 9 1789 and baptized the next day in Ste-Foy but said to be
From Cap-Santé
1) Son of Antoine Belleau/Larose, trade not mentionned, and Marie Maufet
Married February 27 1786 in Ste-Foy
2) Son of Charles-Amador Belleau/Larose, trade not mentionned, and Cécile
Girard/Brindamour
Married July 5 1745 in Ste-Foy
3) Son of Jean-Baptiste Belleau/Larose, « male nurse » and Catherine Berthiaume
Married October 23 1702 in Ste-Foy
4) Son of Blaise Belleau/Larose, farmer, from Périgord and Hélène Calais
Married September 25 1673 in Québec

13) NWC 1808- 1813
HBC 1823-1833
BERCIER, Pierre
Said by HBC to be from Berthier
Born Nov. 6 1777 et baptized the same day in Yamachiche
2) Son of Pierre Bercier, trade not mentionned, and Anne Blais
Married in Yamachiche September 10 1777
3) Son of Pierre Bercier, trade not mentionned, and Josephte Gendron
Married in Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade, January 14 1741
4) Son of Jacques Bercier, trade not mentioned, and Louise Leroux
Married in Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade September 13 1718
5) Son of Louis Bercier, joiner from Poitou, and Anne Cochet
Married circa 1668 either in Batiscan or in France

14)IND.
BERNIER, François
Born Dec. 25 1805 and baptized the same day in Maskinongé
1) Son of François Bernier, butter maker, and Geneviève Ayot
Married June 12 1797 in Maskinongé
2) Son of Jean-Baptiste Bernier, trade not mentionned, and Marguerite
Canac/Marquis
Married August 9 1756 in Ste-Famille de l’Ile d’Orléans
3) Son of Nicolas Bernier de Cap St-Ignace, trade not mentionned, and
Marguerite Galarneau
Married in Ste-Foy, March 8 1734
4) Natural son of Charles Bernier and Marie Faye
5) Son of Jacques Bernier (also named Jean de Paris) « seigneur » from Paris and
Antoinette Grenier
Married 1656 in Québec

15)NWC 1813-1814
NWC 1819
HBC 1821-1823
BERNIER, Julien
Son of Jean-Baptiste Bernier and Marie Landry
Said to be from Yamaska
Born April 15 1782 and baptized two days later
Julien Bernier was the father of Marcel Bernier (born 1819) and Isidore (born
1827) both Métis baptized in Spokane Falls

BOISVERT see DENEVERS/BOISVERT

16) NWC 1816?-1821
HBC 1821-1842
BOUCHARD, Jean-Baptiste
Born and baptized June 13 1791 in St-Philippe-de-Laprairie
1)Son of Etienne Bouchard, trade not mentionned of Baie St-Paul, widow of
Josephte Giroux and Anne-Amable Babeux
Married in St-Philippe-de-Laprairie July 14 1783
2) Son of Noël Bouchard, trade not mentionned, and Catherine Tremblay
Married July 28 1734 in Les Éboulements
3) Son of Antoine Bouchard, trade not mentionned, and Madeleine Simard
Married November 20 1704 in Baie-St-Paul
4) Son of Claude Bouchard, master taylor from Maine (France), and
Louise Gagné
Married May 25 1654 in Québec
Note- Claude’s nickname was « Le Petit Claude »

17)NWC1821-1822
HBC 1822-1824
BOUCHER, Jean-Baptiste
Brother of Paul?
Could be from Michillimakinac (Mackinac City), Michigan
Research in progress
See research made by Chalk Courchane

18) NWC 1807
PFC 1811-1813
NWC 1813-1821
HBC 1822-1823
BOULARD/ST-NICOLAS, Michel-Wilfrid?
Born and baptized April 23 1787 in Trois-Rivières
1) Son of Nicolas Boulard/St-Nicolas, trade not mentionned, and Anne Lemerle
Married July 12 1773 in unknown parish
2) Son of Nicolas Boulard/St-Nicolas, soldier « compagnie de la Martinière »
from Ile-de-France (Versailles?) and Anne Réaume
Married February 15 1745 in Québec
3) Son of Michel Boulard/St-Nicolas, trade not mentionned, and Anne Paulet
Married before 1708 in unknown parish

19)HBC 1829-1844
BOURGEAU, Joseph
Born May 22 1806 in Lavaltrie
1)Son of Quintin Bourgeot, farmer, and Angélique Henry
Married September 19 1803 in Lavaltrie
Brother of Sylvan (Birth name is Sifroid)
2) Son of Quintin Bourgeot, carriage maker, and Geneviève Dyon
Married January 23 1764 in St-François de la Rivière-du-Sud (Today
Montmagny)
3) Son of Quintin Bourgeot, carriage maker from Bourgogne, and Anne Chamard
Married November 27 1735 in Charlesbourg

20)HBC 1829-1842
BOURGEAU, Sifroid (Sylvan)
Born out of wedlock in 1803?
Son of Joseph Bourgeot, farmer, and Angelique Henry
Brother of Joseph
See above

21)PFC 1810-1813
NWC 1813-1814
BRIERE, Pierre ( BRUGUIER/BRUGUIÈRE)
Contract before Samuel Abbott, July 22 1810. Will work for James Aird in
his territory of Mississipi
Born Oct. 20 1790 and baptized the next day in Rivière-du-Loup (Today
Louiseville)
1)Son of Ambroise Bruyère, trade not mentioned, and Suzanne
Charpentier/Bellegarde
Married in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, January 21 1776
2) Son of Louis Brière, trade not mentioned and Thérèse Laroche
Married in Cap Santé November 27 1741
3) Son of Charles Brière, trade not mentioned, and Anne Pleau
Married in Neuville, September 4 1701
4) Son of Jean Brière, baker and servant, and Jeanne Grandin
Married in Québec October 19 1671

22)PFC 1810-1812
NWC 1812-1814
BROUSSEAU, Basile JR
Contract before François-Xavier Dezery, May 29 1810 for 5 years to go to
« les pays d’en haut » for Alexander McKay & Cy. 900 « livres », David Stewart
signs.
Born and baptized March 14 1784 in Berthier
1) Son of Joseph Brousseau, trade not mentionned, and Marie Gladu/Cognac
Married July 30, 1764 in Berthier
2) Son of Jean-Baptiste Brousseau, trade not mentionned, and Felicité Proulx
Married February 10 1718 in Neuville
3) Son of Jean Brousseau, joiner from Poitou, and Anne Greslon
Married September 6 1683 in Québec