Our 8th great-grandfather, Pierre Poupart (c. 1653–1699), was not merely a blacksmith; he was a specialist artisan whose work was vital to the survival and expansion of the French fur trade. His short life in La Prairie (dying at around age 46) was critical to securing our family's economic future.
1. The Significance of the "Trade Axe Maker" Title
In 17th-century New France, the distinction between a general blacksmith and a trade axe maker was crucial:
• Manufacturing Importance: Axe heads—especially the small Belt Axes and Trade Axes—were the single most common metal object traded to Indigenous partners. They were the essential tool that revolutionized work and hunting on the frontier.
• Economic Strategy: The French Crown encouraged local production of key trade goods to reduce reliance on expensive, slow imports from Europe and to undercut Dutch and English traders. By making axes locally in La Prairie, Pierre Poupart was involved in a strategic colonial industry.
• The La Prairie Location: Pierre practiced his trade in La Prairie, the main staging ground and portage hub south of Montreal, strategically located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. This location was the jumping-off point for canoe brigades heading west toward the Great Lakes (the Ottawa Route). A trade axe maker here would have had direct access to both merchants needing goods and voyageurs needing repairs before they departed.
2. The Poupart Family and the Fur Trade Pipeline
Pierre's specific trade is consistent with the subsequent generations of our family, showing a clear economic pipeline established by the family's patriarch:
Generation
Individual
Profession
Connection to the Trade
GEN 2
Pierre Poupart (8th GG)
Blacksmith & Trade Axe Maker
Manufactured the primary tools used in the fur trade.
GEN 3
Joseph Poupart (7th GG)
Voyageur
Used the tools and participated in the transport side of the trade.
GEN 5
Jean-Baptiste Meunier dit Lagacé (4th GG)
Voyageur
Continued the family tradition of working in the transport and commerce of the trade.
The Poupart family essentially moved from manufacturing the tools of the fur trade (Pierre) to participating in the trade itself (Joseph and Jean-Baptiste). This sequence is a perfect illustration of how specialized crafts supported the larger economic movement into the interior.
3. The Marriage Connection
Pierre Poupart's marriage to Marguerite Perras dit La Fontaine (our 8th great-grandmother) is historically significant:
• Marguerite was the daughter of Denise Lemaitre, the pioneer of La Prairie who was tragically killed by the Iroquois in 1691.
• Pierre Poupart's skill as a smith provided economic stability to the surviving family members of a frontier martyr. By settling in La Prairie and contributing a vital industrial skill, he helped rebuild the community that had suffered brutal attacks.
Pierre Poupart was an early example of colonial industrial expertise, whose essential craft allowed the next generations to thrive in the risky, mobile world of the voyageur.
THE FRONTIER WORKHORSE: BELT AXES AND BAG AXES
The small axe, often termed the Belt Axe or the even smaller Bag Axe, was the foundational utility tool of the fur trade era. While later images of the American frontier often feature the massive "Tomahawk" or poll axe, the lighter, more portable hatchet was by far the most ubiquitous and historically significant tool carried into the Canadian wilderness.
Defining the Difference
The term "Tomahawk" is an Anglicized borrowing from various Eastern Algonquian languages, but in practice, it came to describe any hand-held axe used on the frontier. The differences you noted are key to understanding their function:
Axe Type
Average Head Size
Primary Function
Significance
Belt Axe
Typically 5" to 6" tall
General utility, light chopping, moderate camp tasks.
Common tool carried by nearly all frontiersmen and traders.
Bag Axe
4" to 5" tall (like the example)
Lightweight, essential bushcraft and fine camp chores.
Ideal for the highly mobile coureur des bois or voyageur concerned with minimizing weight during long portages.
The Axe as a Voyageur's Tool
For the coureur des bois—the "runner of the woods"—the axe's value lay strictly in its utility-to-weight ratio. These men were responsible for everything from building temporary shelters to maintaining their canoes:
• Canoe Repair: The small, sharp head of the Bag Axe was crucial for shaping birch bark patches and preparing the delicate cedar splints used to repair the lightweight trade canoes that were prone to damage on rapids and portages.
• Essential Camp Chores: As you noted, its size was perfect for processing firewood (cutting kindling, splitting small logs), sectioning game after a hunt, and driving stakes for traps or shelters.
• The Weight Compromise: A voyageur might carry 90 to 180 pounds of gear and trade goods on a portage. A massive, heavy poll axe was an impractical burden. The Bag Axe was the essential trade-off, offering maximum utility for minimum weight.
Not All Tomahawks Were Created Equal: The Trade vs. The War Axe
the observation that the Bag Axe was "hard pressed to be an effective weapon" is accurate, highlighting the core distinction between axes on the frontier:
1 The Trade Axe (Belt/Bag Axe): This was a commodity. They were inexpensive, mass-produced in European centers (like Rouen or Sheffield), and highly valued by Indigenous peoples primarily as tools for processing game, building, and harvesting. They were the great equalizer, dramatically improving efficiency across North America.
2 The Spontoon and Pipe Tomahawk: These were later, more specialized forms, often appearing in the 18th and 19th centuries. The Spontoon (spear-pointed) and the famous Pipe Tomahawk , though certainly capable of use as tools, were often status symbols and dedicated weapons intended for warfare or diplomacy. They were heavier, more complex to manufacture, and generally not the everyday workhorse of the early voyageur.
In the hands of the coureur des bois ancestors, the tiny Bag Axe was the silent, humble, indispensable key to survival and commerce in the early wilderness.
Our ancestor, Pierre Poupart (8th great-grandfather) was a blacksmith who made trade axes for fur trading families in La Prairie.
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