A drifting cowboy: June 2016

Wednesday, June 29, 2016

It must be in my Genes...

It must be in my Genes... maybe it explains my love of canoeing, and the silent places that can only be reached by paddle and portage.

I've always known I had some distant relatives that were French-Canadian, but until 2010, I didn't know anything about them. (See French Connection below)

Yet, somehow deep within my DNA, I've always carried a desire to learn about North America's fur trade, and her magical backcountry forests.

More than that, I've had a love affair with Canoes and Canoeing for more than half a century.

Fur Trade Ancestors from LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada:

2. Gabriel Pinsonneau son of Gabriel Pinsonneau and Marie-Louise Vielle, born on 03 Mar 1803 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec; died on 16 Dec 1877 in Wilna, Jefferson Co., NY

4. Gabriel Pinsonneau (Pinsono) son of Joseph Pinsonneau (Pinsono) and Marie Madeleine Duquet, born on 05 Aug 1770 in St Philippe, Quebec; died after 1813 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Québec

1797, 11 août - Engagement de Gabriel Pinsonneau, de la Prairie, à Jacques & François Lasette pour aller à Détroit. Étude Louis Chaboillez. Gabriel avait 27 ans en 1797. Il est le fils de Joseph Pinsonneau et de Marie-Madeleine Duquet. Il épousera Marie Vieille-Cosse le 8 février 1802.

8. Joseph Pinsonneau (Pinsono) son of Jacques Pinsonneau dit Lafleur and Marie Elisabeth Bourassa, born on 10 Apr 1733 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec; died after 1779 in Longueuil, Quebec

1763, 29 avril - Engagement de Joseph Pinsonneau dit Lafleur, en qualité de voyageur, à Michel Laselle marchand voyageur de Montréal. Étude Hadiesne G. Joseph avait 30 ans en 1763, il est le fils de Jacques Pinsonneau dit Lafleur. Il avait épousé Marie Anne c en 1755, puis Marie Madeleine Duquet en 1761.

10. Michel Viel dit Cossé son of Pierre Viel (Vielle) dit Cosse and Renée Dudouet, born about 1724 in Cossé, Mayenne, Pays de la Loire; died on 07 Mar 1805 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Québec

14. Pierre Barette dit Courville son of Louis Courville Barrette (Baret) and Marie Josephe Poupart, born on 02 Feb 1748 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec; died on 31 Jan 1794 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Québec

1778, 18 mai—Engagement de Pierre Barette" aux S" William G Jean Kay pour aller ft Mlchilimakinac.-Étude P. Lalanne, flls.

16. Jacques Pinsonneau dit Lafleur son of François Pinsonneau dit Lafleur and Anne LeBer, born on 13 Apr 1682 in Contrecoeur, Quebec; died on 22 Mar 1773 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec

28. Louis Courville Barrette (Baret) son of Guillaume Barrette and Jeanne Gagné, born on 24 Feb 1717 in Napierville, Quebec; died on 30 Jan 1753 in St Constant, LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec

30. Francois Dupuis son of Moise Dupuis (Depuis) and Marie Anne Christiansen, born on 14 Feb 1709 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine; died on 19 Sep 1764 in St-Philippe, LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec

3 June 1695 – Sieur Charles Deniau (8 great uncle) hired René Dupuis to make a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Claude Maugue]

32. François Pinsonneau dit Lafleur, born in 1646 in Saintogne, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France; died on 26 Jan 1731 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Québec

38. Jacques Deneau dit Destaillis son of Marin Deneau dit Destaillis and Louise Therese LeBreuil, born on 02 Nov 1660 in Montréal, Quebec; died on 29 Jun 1720 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec

5 July 1688 ‒ Claude Greysolon, sieur de LaTourette, hired Charles Deniau (8 great uncle) and Jacques Deniau (7 great grandfather) for a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar]

From: "Minnesota, eh?" - Jacques Deneau, involved but his brother Charles and a total of 19 Deneau family members are listed on 69 voyageur trips. 25 March 1685 – Antoine Bazinet hired Charles Deniau dit Destaillis (8 great uncle) for a voyage to Sault Ste. Marie [Bourgine]

56. Guillaume Barrette son of Guillaume Barette and Louise Charrier, born on 27 May 1678 in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec; died on 07 Jan 1745 in (Notre-Dame) LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Québec

58. Joseph Poupart son of Pierre Poupart and Marguerite Perras dit La Fontaine, born on 08 Jun 1696 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec; died on 16 Apr 1726 in Montréal, Quebec

4 juillet 1751.—Permis du gouverneur de la Jonquière au sieur Fonblanche, négociant, de partir de Montréal avec un canot équipé de sept hommes pour se rendre aux Illinois, " en passant par le sud ". Défense de faire aucune traite avec les Sauvages ailleurs qu'au poste des Illinois et ses dépendances. Rôle des engagés du dit canot : Joseph Poupart, de Saint-Lambert ; André Jeannot Lachapelle, de Repentigny ; François Drousson, de Contrecoeur ; Joseph Jobin, de L'Assomption ; Antoine Boyer, de la Longue-Pointe ; Michel Montigny, de Saint-Michel ; Charles Pothier, de Montréal.

60. Moise Dupuis (Depuis) son of Francois Dupuis (Dupays) and Georgette Richer, born on 10 Jul 1673 in Québec, Quebec; died on 19 Jan 1750 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec

From "Narratives and ldentities in the Saint Lawrence Valley, 1667-1 720": He was linked to large fur trading families, however, "Moïse may have been among the French who attacked Schenectady in 1692." He seems to have remained in Schenectady, either as a trader, a wounded soldier or as a prisoner, long enough to find a spouse.

62. Charles Diel son of Charles Diel dit Le Petit Breton and Marie Anne Picard, born on 05 Aug 1688 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec; died on 21 Jun 1734 in Chambly, Quebec

1 October 1713, Gilles Lecours and Charles Cusson hired Charles Diel to make a voyage to Détroit [Antoine Adhémar]

28 May 1718, Pierre Roy hired Charles Diel to make a voyage to Détroit [RAPQ1930, p. 223 - also see the entries for François Roy, Étienne Roy, and Louis Roy for this same time period].

70. Francois Leber son of Robert LeBer and Colette Cavelier, born in 1626 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France; died on 19 May 1694 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec

Francois and his three sons were "Coureur-de-bois". They were known as the fathers of the fur trade. See: Narratives and ldentities in the Saint Lawrence Valley, 1667-1 720. His brother Jacques is the partner of Charles Le Moyne; together they owned the oldest fur trading post in Montreal.

6 May 1685 ‒ Claude Greysolon, sieur de LaTourette, hired Joachim Leber (8 great uncle) for a trip to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Bourgine]

27 June 1688 ‒ René Legardeur, sieur de Beauvais, hired François Bourassa (8 great uncle) and Joachim Jacques Leber (8 great uncle) for a voyage des 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar]

11 May 1690 ‒ René Legardeur, sieur de Beauvais, hired Pierre Bourdeau, André Babeu, François Bourassa (8 great uncle), and Joachim Leber (8 great uncle) for a voyage to Michilimackinac [Antoine Adhémar]

31 August 1693 – Sieurs Guillaume Boucher and François Leber (8 great uncle) hired Claude Caron to make a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Claude Maugue]

76. Marin Deneau dit Destaillis son of Clement Deneau (Denyau) and Julienne Roualt, born in 1621 in DeLuche Pringe, Du Mans, Maine, France; died on 29 Oct 1678 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada.

112. Guillaume Barette son of Guillaume Barette and Thiphaine Anne Carin, born on 03 Apr 1633 in Belizeville En Caux, Eure, Haute-Normandie, France; died on 21 Jul 1717 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada

114. Pierre Gagne (Gagnier) son of Pierre Gagne (Gasnier) and Marguerite Roset (Rouzee), born on 24 Feb 1645 in Le Mans, Sarthe, Pays de la Loire, France; died on 26 Mar 1726 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Québec

From "Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 33, #4": 6 September 1712 – Jean Baptiste Forestier hired Pierre Gagné to make a voyage to Détroit [Antoine Adhémar]

116. Pierre Poupart son of Jean Poupart and Marguerite Frichet, born about 1653 in Bobigny, Paris, Ile-de-France, France; died on 07 Jun 1699 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada (Pierre was killed by the Iroquois at age 40 in 1699 and Marie married a second time to Joseph Boyer)

3 Sept. 1670, Nicolas Perrot was asked by Intendant Jean Talon to accompany as an interpreter Daumont* de Saint-Lusson, a commissary assigned “to the country of the Ottawas, Amikwas, Illinois, and other Indian natives discovered and to be discovered in North America in the direction of Lake Superior or Freshwater Sea, in order to search out and discover mines of all kinds there, particularly copper mines . . . in addition to taking formal possession in the king’s name of all the inhabited and uninhabited country. . . .” Perrot then formed a new trading company, this time with Jean Dupuis, Denis Masse, Pierre Poupart, Jean Guytard and Jacques Benoît, and set out with Saint-Lusson. The two travellers stayed at Montreal for some time, and in October went to Lake Huron via the Ottawa River, Lake Nipissing, and French River. They spent the winter on Manitoulin Island, and the following spring Perrot dispatched Indian emissaries to the northern nations with authority to invite them to Sault Ste Marie “in order to hear the king’s words which the Sieur Saint-Lusson was bringing to them and to all nations”; for his part, he went among the nations in Baie des Puants to invite them to this important gathering.

118. Gabriel Lemieux son of Gabriel Lemieux and Marguerite Leboeuf, born on 04 Sep 1663 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec; died on 18 Sep 1739 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec

From "Michigan’s Habitant Heritage (MHH), Vol. 35, #1" - 8 May 1690, Jean Baptiste Migeon, sieur de Bransat, hired Gabriel Lemieux for a voyage to the Ootawas (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar]

120. Francois Dupuis (Dupays) son of Francois Dupuis (Dupays) and Marguerite Resneau, born in 1634 in Gorre, Haute-Vienne, Limousin, France; died in 1681 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada

124. Charles Diel dit Le Petit Breton son of Philippe Diel and Marie Hanquetin, born before 1652 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France; died on 13 Apr 1702 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada

1684 - Leger Hebert of Cap de la Trinite has a trade permit and hires Charles to go to the Outaouais country with Pierre Lefebvre and Antoine Caille on 20 September 1684 for the sum of 630 livres. Because they had never been there before, they are guided by Jean Lesieur dit La Calot who promises to lead them to Michillimakinac without receiving part of their share. That same day, they borrow the value of "2616 livres and six sols" of merchandise. Charles Diel is 31 years old at the time of the trip to Michillimakinac and has been married to Marie Anne Picard for 8 years. He traded for furs with the Indians in the middle of the Great Lakes at Ft. Michillimakinac. However, he was at his daughter's burial on or about 9 DEC 1684, so he did not winter over on this trip.

1688 - Jean Deniau guarantees them of other trips for Hilarie Bourgine. The first voyage is followed by a second in 1688. On 31 July of that year, he promises Antoine Caille to go to the Outaouais to "put forward the good of their association". On the third of August, with Pierre Lefebvre and Andre Danny, he borrows 1063 livres, 2 sols, and six sums of money from Hilarie Bourgine, and, on the same day, in company of Antoine Caille and Pierre Lefebvre, 81 livres, 15 sols and six deniers from the same. On 20 October 1704, he rents to his son-in-law, Francois Bory, for five years, the land of St. Lambert, Laprairie. He sells the moist land to Nicolas Varrin dit Lapistole on 24 July 1707 for the sum of 600 livres.

16 SEP 1692, Charles Diel, Antoine Cailler, and Pierre Le febvre appeared at a judicial hearing concerning a payment in fur to Madame Perrot of Laprairie with furs that they apparently transported from Michillimakinac to Montreal for a third party.. ???? pg. 95 Edge of Empire

126. Antoine Jacques Boyer son of Charles Boyer and Marguerite Ténard was born on 10 Apr 1671 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec; died on 27 Mar 1747 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec

From: "Minnesota, eh?" - Pierre [Perras] and his brother-inlaw, Antoine Boyer, bought land conjointly in 1690 for 600 livres from the sale of beaver pelts.

3 July 1688 ‒ René Legardeur, sieur de Beauvais, hired Joseph Boyer (9 great uncle) for a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar]

17 September 1694 – Charles Legardeur, sieur de L’Isle, hired Antoine Boyer (8 great grandfather) to make a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar]

234. Pierre Peras dit La Fontaine son of Peter Perras Fontaine and Jane Asnier, born about 1616 in La Rochelle, Manche, Basse-Normandie, France; died on 30 Apr 1684 in (Notre-Dame) LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Québec, Canada

From: "Minnesota, eh?" - Pierre had three sons and sons-in-laws involved in the fur trade as "Coureur-de-bois." After his death Denise, his wife, had to do some fur trading with the Catholic Iroquois to make ends meet. Also see: "17th Century Fur-Trade and Military-Expedition Families."

1 May 1692 – Jacques de Lamarque, acting for Nicolas Laurens dit Lachapelle hired Jean Perras (9 great uncle) to make a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar]

7 June 1694 – Charles Legardeur, sieur de L’Isle, hired Pierre Mallet, Pierre Tessier, Jean Brunet dit Létang, and Pierre Perras dit Lafontaine (9 great uncle) to make a voyage to Michilimackinac [Antoine Adhémar]

238. Andre Robidou dit Lespagnol son of Manuel Robidou and Catherine Alve, born in 1643 in Galice, Burgos, Castilla-Leon, Spain; died on 01 Apr 1678 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada

From: "Robidoux Chronicles: - 1666 census for the town of Québec lists Andre as a sailor… is it there that he began working as a voyageur for Eustace Lambert, a prominent interpreter, settler and fur trader? Working for Lambert, Andre ferried goods and supplies up and down the St. Lawrence for a cents a day and lodging and board.
252. Charles Boyer son of Pierre Boyer and Denise Refence, born in 1631 in Vançais, Deux-Sevres, Poitou-Charentes, France; died on 16 Feb 1698 in LaPrairie de la Madeleine, Quebec, Canada

From: "Minnesota, eh?" - The involvement of whole families in the fur trade is obvious. Not only was our ancestor, Jacques Deneau, involved but his brother Charles and a total of 19 Deneau family members are listed on 69 voyageur trips. Fourteen members of the Demers family, including Joseph, were recorded on 36 voyageur trips. Ten members of the Boyer family, including Antoine Boyer, the husband of Marie Perras, are listed on 31 voyageur trips. In all 736 contracts of voyageurs are listed for La Prairie de la Magdeleine residents, while these lists do not include the trips these same men made on their own as coureurs des bois.

Fur Trade Ancestors from Quebec and Montreal, Canada:

34. Francois Bourassa son of Francois Bourassa and Marguerite Dugas, born in 1659 in Luçon, Eure-et-Loir, Centre, France; died on 09 May 1708 in Montréal, Quebec

In 1686, François Bourassa made a voyage to Hudson Bay for the Compagnie du Nord [Langlois, Vol. I, p. 254].

27 June 1688, René Legardeur, sieur de Beauvais, hired François Bourassa and Joachim Jacques Leber to make a voyage des 8ta8ats (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar, RAPQ1930, p. 196].

11 May 1690 René Legardeur hired Pierre Bourdeau, André Babeu, François Bourassa, and Joachim Leber for a voyage to Michilimackinac [Antoine Adhémar, MNR, Vol. I, p. 247; RAPQ1930, p. 198]

May 12 1690, Pierre Bourdeau consented to a debt for merchandise from André Babeau, Joachim Leber, and François Bourassa, voyageurs, for their voyage to the Ottawa [Bourgine and Roy, Vol. 11, p. 34].

72. Denis Duquet son of Joseph Duquet and Jeanne Barbie,born about 1622 in Bordeaux, Gironde, Aquitaine, France; died on 26 Nov 1675 in Québec, Quebec

1659: As a young man Denis Duquet became a wealthy fur trader. He became a member of the "Traite de Tadoussac" (1) the first fur-trading post in European North America (established in 1600, eight years before the founding of Québec City). The Traite de Tadoussac was the embarkation warehouse and trading post from which the furs were sent to France.

158. Jean Cusson son of Jean Cusson and Jacqueline Pepin, born on 11 Nov 1630 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France; died on 08 Apr 1718 in St Sulpice, Quebec, Canada

11 May 1690 ‒ Nicolas Perrot hired Jean Cusson (7 great grandfather), and Michel Cusson, frères, for a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar]

Engagement de Jacques Cusson voyageur à Charles Feron dit Sanscer (sic) pour faire le voyage dans les pays d’ Haut et y monter un canot de marchandises. (20 mai 1719).

Charles Cusson (1672 - 1727), my 9th great-uncle, was a voyageur with Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac on 24 July 1701 when he established a settlement at Detroit.

198. Jean Mignault dit Chatillon son of Nicolas Mignault and Madeleine DeBrie, born on 20 Apr 1622 in Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine, Ile-de-France, France; died in 1680 in Montmorency, Quebec, Canada

11 Jan 1648, Governor Montmagny sent Jean Mignault to the "Huron's Country" (in french, le pays des Hurons) to invite them to the fur trade.

250. Jacques-Hugues Picard son of Gabriel Picard dit LaFortune and Michelle Clavier, born about 1618 in St Columbin, Nantes, Bretagne, France; died on 22 Dec 1707 in Our Lady of Montreal, Quebec, Canada

29 April 1693 – Eustache Prévost, Jean Sauviot, and their unnamed associates hired Jacques Picard (9 great grandfather) to make a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar]

Philippe Amiot and his sons

148. PHILIPPE AMIOT (Amyot)(9th great-grandfather), Born 1602, in Chartres, Eveche de Soissons, Picardie, France, arrived in Canada in the summer of 1635. He was accompanied by his wife, Anne Convent, and two sons, Mathieu and Jean. In 1636, another son, Charles was born at Québec.

There is some evidence to suggest Philippe was a Coureur-de-Bois.   Three years after his arrival in New France, Philippe Amiot died 26 Sep 1639, in Québec. However, through his sons, Mathieu and Charles, he established a long line of descendants which today number in the thousands.

74. MATHIEU AMIOT (Amyot), dit Villeneuve (1628-1688) (8th great-grandfather), was for some years an interpreter for the Jesuits; he worked in their house at Trois-Rivières and perhaps also in the Huron country.

JEAN AMIOT (Amyot) (1630-1648) (9th great-uncle), interpreter and indentured employee of the Jesuits among the Hurons. Jean Amiot spent several years in the Huron country, and seems to have lived at Trois-Rivières from 1645 on.

The Indians called him “Antaïok.” In 1647 he outran and captured an Iroquois who had taken part in the martyrdom of Father Isaac Jogues. He was a remarkable athlete; in a tournament at Quebec he beat all the young Indians who tried to race against him, either on foot or on snowshoes.

On 23 May 1648, when he was about to get married, Jean Amiot was drowned off Trois-Rivières with a companion, François Marguerie. His body was carried down by the current and recovered on 10 June opposite the Saint-Joseph de Sillery mission, where the burial took place.

CHARLES AMIOT (Amyot) (9th great-uncle) (1636-1669), fur-trader and merchant; was educated at the Jesuit college and when he was barely 14 years old he accompanied Father Bressani as a servant on a trip to the Huron country.

He was also a merchant interested in eel fishing and in the fur trade. It was his travels among the Papinachois Indians that gave him something of a reputation during his lifetime. On those occasions he accompanied Father Henri Nouvel a Jesuit who landed at Quebec in the summer of 1662.

They left Quebec in November 1663, and presumably went to the Île Verte and the Île aux Basques, then to the Île Saint-Barnabé, finally spending the winter with a band of Algonquins Indians in the neighborhood of Lake Matapédia or Lake Mitis.

Amiot returned to the Île aux Basques in March 1664 and went down to Quebec, where he arrived on 5 April, whilst Father Nouvel remained on the island with his flock.

On 21 April 1664 Father Nouvel crossed to the north shore. He waited near Tadoussac for Father Druillettes, who arrived only on 3 May. The latter decided to go and serve the Indians of the Saguenay. For their part, Father Nouvel and Charles Amiot, the sole Frenchmen to accompany Druillettes, left Tadoussac the same day (3 May) and penetrated overland, with a band of Papinachois Indians, as far as the river Peritibistokou (des Outardes), which they reached on 14 May.

The travelers camped there until 2 June, went upstream for a whole day, and made a portage that brought them to the river Manikouaganistikou (Manicouagan). They got to Lake Saint-Barnabé (Manicouagan) on 9 June. A band of Papinachois Indians who had never met a white man was waiting for them there. The missionary preached the gospel and the traders bartered furs. Father Nouvel named the spot the Saint-Barnabé mission. The expedition returned to Quebec on 30 June 1664.

In November Father Nouvel again left Quebec for Tadoussac. This time Amiot apparently stayed at Quebec. Father Nouvel spent the winter of 1664–65 in the Lake St. John region, and returned in the spring. At the end of May 1665 he went back to the Saint-Barnabé mission together with two Frenchmen whom a Relation identifies as Amiot and Couture. Father Godbout specifies that “for this last voyage among the nations of the north, he [Amiot] had taken Guillaume Couture, Noël Jérémie, and Sébastien Prouvereau, on 28 May 1665.” They had arranged to meet the Papinachois Indians at the mouth of the Manicouagan. But they had to go up the river without a guide, for the Indians did not appear at the rendezvous. They returned to Quebec on 26 July.

Father Nouvel returned to the north shore regularly until 1670, but the Relations make no further mention of Amiot’s being with him. Perhaps the latter preferred to stay at Quebec with his family and attend to his general store. Amiot died on 10 Dec. 1669.

Father Nouvel had a much longer career. In the succeeding years he exercised his ministry between Michilimackinac and Sault Ste. Marie.

It must be in my Genes...

Northwesterns -- Voyageur, canoe and fur trade adventure stories
http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/northwesterns-voyageur-canoe-and-fur.html

Loons and other icons of the northwoods
http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/11/loons-and-other-icons-of-northwoods.html

Mountain Man -- Fur Trade Rendezvous
http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2013/02/mountain-man-fur-trade-rendezvous.html

My first canoe camping trip -- over forty years ago
http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/my-first-canoe-camping-trip-nearly.html

Getting it all together -- canoe camping in the BWCA
http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/getting-it-all-together-canoe-camping.html

Montana canoe adventure -- floating the Missouri
http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/montana-canoe-adventure-floating.html

Stealth of the paddle--finding the silent places
http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/10/stealth-of-paddle-finding-silent-places.html

Everyone must believe in something -- I believe I'll go canoeing
http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2011/12/everyone-must-believe-in-something-i.html

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Great Granddad Jean Canoes to Huron Country

Paul Kane painting "Encampment Among The Islands Of Lake Huron"

Jean Mignault dit Chatillon (my 9th great-grandfather) was a pioneer of New France. Jean Mignault was a native of Chatillon, near Paris, France.

At Larochelle, France on 1 Apr 1643, Jean Mignault enlisted as a soldier for the nobleman, Antoine Cheffault, sieur de Reygnardière, one of the directors of the Campagnie General de la Nouvelle France (Company of One Hundred Associates of New France). Jean received 33 livres and five sous as an advance on his wages which was to be 60 livres per year for the three year contract.

The ships La Madeleine d’Olonne and La Marie de Dieppe departed Larochelle on 27 Apr 1644, Jean was aboard one of them.

Nothing is recorded about him following the first 3 years after his arrival in Québec.

On May 4th 1647, he is mentioned in the "Journal des Jésuites" (Journal of the Jesuits). Here he left Sillery, as the leader of some French men and a group of Hurons, to fight the Iroquois near Ville Marie (Montreal).

On 11 Jan 1648, Governor Montmagny sent Jean Mignault to the "Huron's Country" (in french, le pays des Hurons) to invite them to the fur trade.

He was headed for Trois-Rivières, with 7 Hurons, preparing for his departure to the Huron Indians country. Before departing he left a chest with its key in trust with the Jesuits. He also transported another box to Denis Duquet (my 8th great-grandfather), husband of Catherine Gauthier, residents of Quebec since 1637.

Also, prior to leaving, Jean had his arquebus (gun) repaired at a cost of seven livres and ten sols by the blacksmith Jean Bonnart dit Lafortune.

Jean along with two Christian Indians began a journey to the land of the Hurons.

Another passage in the "Journal des Jésuites" adds, "Jean Mignault went on ahead to bring the words of the Governor to the Hurons, in order to let them know the state of affairs down here, with the order to do and say only what the Father Superior of the Hurons ordered him."

In order to reach the mission of Sainte Marie among the Hurons, the paddlers had to cross more than 300 leagues, passing up the Outaouais River, across many portages, down the French River to Georgian Bay to present day Midland, Ontario. The trek would take about a month.

Three Huron Chiefs

Late in the year 1648, Jean commanded a group of six Frenchmen along with Algonquins and Hurons to hunt down the Iroquois.

On 10 Nov 1648, Jean married Louise Cloutier at Notre Dame de Quebec, Quebec.

In 1657, Jean his wife lived at Beauport and admitted to owing 82 livres to Michel Moreau for merchandise received (was the money used to purchase trade goods for a fur trade adventure?).

Through the Journal of the Jesuits, we learn that on 27 Oct 1661, the Mignault house burned down.

The 1666 census shows Jean listed as a habitant and tailor living at Beauport with his wife, their six children and a domestic servant and weaver, Paul Foucault.

The 1667 census adds that Jean worked 35 arpents of land in the fief of Zacharie Cloutier, his father-in-law, and that he owned a homestead where there were 16 arpents of cleared land but no one residing there.

Jean Mignault next obtained a concession of four arpents at the Grand Anse, in the seigneurie of La Pocatiere. After a short stay, Jean relinquished this land and settled again at Riviere Ouelle where he died and where in 1681, Louise Cloutier was mentioned with three of her children as owner of three head of cattle and two arpents of cultivated land.

Our Lineage from Jean Mignault dit Chatillon:

Jean Mignault dit Chatillon (1622 - 1680) - my 9th great-grandfather

Thérèse Mignot Dit Chatillon (1651 - 1728) - daughter of Jean Mignault dit Chatillon

Marie Francoise Ouellet (1682 - 1728) - daughter of Thérèse Mignot Dit Chatillon

Joseph Mignier dit Lagace (1706 - 1778) - son of Marie Francoise Ouellet

Jean Baptiste Mignier Lagace (1749 - 1828) - son of Joseph Mignier dit Lagace

Jean Baptiste Mignier Lagasse (1776 - 1835) - son of Jean Baptiste Mignier Lagace

Marie Emélie (Mary) Meunier dit Lagassé (1808 - 1883) - daughter of Jean Baptiste Mignier Lagasse

Lucy Passino (1836 - 1917) - daughter of Marie Emélie (Mary) Meunier dit Lagassé

Abraham Lincoln Brown (1864 - 1948) - son of Lucy Passino

Lydia Corinna Brown (1891 - 1971) - daughter of Abraham Lincoln Brown - my grandmother

Monday, June 20, 2016

Uncle Charles was a Voyageur for Cadillac

Charles Cusson (1672 - 1727), my 9th great-uncle, was a voyageur with Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac on 24 July 1701 when he established a settlement at Detroit.

Cadillac led 100 French voyageurs and 100 Algonquins to "le détroit" (the strait) where they built Fort Pontchartrain du détroit from logs. Their goal is to protect the French fur trade in the Great Lakes from the English and Iroquois.

27 May 1701, Voyageur Contract

"Marché pour le detroit… 27 mai 1701, Adhémar, notaire royal"

"Present were Messieurs Jean Bochart, chevalier, Seigneur de Champigny and Noroy, Counselor of the King in his Councils, Intendant of Justice, police and finances in all the country of La Nouvelle France, acting for and in the name of His Majesty as one party; and Louis Babie of Champlain, Laurent Renauld of Montréal, Charles Dazé of la Rivière des Prairies, Jacques Lemoine of Batiscan, Claude Crevier of Trois-Rivières, René Besnard Bourjoly of Trois-Rivières, François Benoit dit Livernois of Longueuil, Pierre Moriceau of Montréal, Charles Cusson of Montréal, Jean Lemire dit Marsolet of Montréal, Jean-Baptiste Guay of Montréal, Jacques Brisset of l’Île-du-Pas, [Jean] François Frigon of Batiscan, Pierre Lagrave of Montréal, [André Babeuf of La Prairie, deleted], Pierre St. Michel, Michel Roy of Ste-Anne, Edmon Roy dit Chatelreau of Ste-Anne, Simon Ballargé of Cap-de-la-Magdeleine, Claude Rivard L’Orangé of Batiscan, Mathurin Feuilleverte, Jean Turcot of Charlesbourg, Jean-Baptiste Montmelian St-Germain of Québec, # [inserted in the margin: Pierre Desautels dit Lapointe, Henry Belleisle [a] Surgeon], Louis Fafart Lonval of Trois-Rivières, François Pacho of Batiscan, Jean-Baptiste Vanier of Charlebourg, Pierre Toupin of Beauport, René Lintot of Trois-Rivieres, Joseph Cartyé, Jacques Duran, Pierre Colet of Québec, Alexis Lemoine of Batiscan, Louis Chauvin of Montréal, Gabriel Obuchon of Montréal, Latour of Montréal, Lambert Cuillerié of Montreal, Pierre Roy of Ste-Anne, Louis Vaudry of Montréal, Pierre Richard of Montréal, Louis Badaillac of Montréal, Guillaume Vinet dit La Rente, Jean-Baptiste Gatineau, and Louis Gatineau dit Lameslée,

All voyageurs being at present in this said city, as the second party, which parties have contracted and been hired for the following: Be it known that the Said Voyageurs have voluntarily and in good faith hired themselves out, promised, and do promise to faithfully serve the King, to go to Détroit under the leadership of Sieur de Lamothe Cadillac, who will command at the said place of Détroit under the orders of Monsieur Le Chevallier de Callières, governor and lieutenant general for the King in all this country of New France, to whom or to whosoever commands in his place, the said voyageurs promise to obey, to work, and to do all that he will command them, during which time the said voyageurs will not be allowed to do any trading for their profit, directly or indirectly, in any manner at all, subject to the penalty of the laws and of the loss of their wages and salary hereafter declared. This contract is made with the understanding that the hirees will be fed at the expense of the King according to the usual custom for voyageurs, and in addition there will be paid to them in this city or to their procureur [agent] holding their procuration [power of attorney] in good form passed before a notary for each year of service beginning the 1st day of June next year, be it known: to each of the said

Louis Babie; Laurant Renauld; Charles Dazé; Jacques Lemoine; Claude Crevier; René Besnard Bourjoli; François Benoit dit Livernois; Pierre Moriceau; Charles Cusson; Jean Lemire dit Marsolet; Jean Baptiste Guay; Jacques Briset; François Frigon; Pierre Lagrave, [André Babeuf, deleted], Michel Roy, Edmon Roy dit Chatelreau; Simon Bailiarge; Claude Rivard L’Orangé; Mathurin Feuilleverte; Jean Turcot; Jean Baptiste Montmelian St. Germain; Pierre St. Michel; Gatineau Duplessy; Desautels; and BelleIsle, the sum of 300 livres money of France, which totals 400 livres du pays [of the country of New France], and to each of the said"

-- Translated by Suzanne Boivin Sommerville, French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan

Charles Cusson was the son of Jean Cusson and Marie Foubert

Five of Charles' brothers -- Jean, Michel, Ange, Nicolas and Joseph were all active as fur-traders from 1690 to 1713, all having received permission to travel to the west.

The west, in this case, was probably no further than the Great Lakes. To control the fur trading and collect appropriate taxes, the French government issued passports (permits), a form of license.

They were difficult to acquire since in many years, only 25 were issued. To conduct fur trading or to travel west without a passport was considered illegal and subject to punishment, most often fines or the confiscation of furs.

They travelled with Nicolas Perrot and Bissot de Vincennes, noted fur-traders and interpreters, to distant places like Indiana, passing by Detroit, Lake Erie and Lake Superior.

Our Lineage:

Charles Cusson (1672 - 1727) - my 9th great-uncle

Jean Cusson (1630 - 1718) - father of Charles Cusson (my 9th great grandfather)

Marie Cusson (1658 - 1732) - daughter of Jean Cusson

Marie Rivet (1673 - 1705) - daughter of Marie Cusson

Marie-Françoise Deneau dit Destaillis (1698 - 1737) - daughter of Marie Rivet

Marie Madeleine Duquet (1734 - 1791) - daughter of Marie-Françoise Deneau dit Destaillis

Gabriel Pinsonneau (Pinsono) (1770 - 1813) - son of Marie Madeleine Duquet

Gabriel (Gilbert) Passino (Passinault) (Pinsonneau) (1803 - 1877) - son of Gabriel Pinsonneau (Pinsono)

Lucy Passino (1836 - 1917) - daughter of Gabriel (Gilbert) Passino (Passinault) (Pinsonneau)

Abraham Lincoln Brown (1864 - 1948) - son of Lucy Passino

Lydia Corinna Brown (1891 - 1971) - daughter of Abraham Lincoln Brown (my maternal grandmother)

If my dad was still alive he would be very much surprised to learn mom's family was in Detroit more than two hundred years before he was born there in 1914.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Cousin Charles Boyer Was a Nor'Wester

Cousin Charles Boyer - my 1st cousin 8x removed - was the son of Charles Boyer and Jeanne Suprenant (Supernant). He was baptized at La Prairie de la Magdelaine, Nouvelle France in 1744. He was part of an extended family who had been Voyageurs or Coureurs des bois for generations.

Charles was a trader with the North West Company (La Compagnie du Nord-Ouest) from its beginnings in 1779 maybe through its merger with the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1821. When and where he died is unknown.

North West Company

Nor'Wester is a shortened version of North-Wester -- a North West Company agent, Wintering Partner or servant; a trader or engagé who winters in the hinterland; or a veteran of these experiences.

The North West Company had been established in Montreal about 1779, and lasted until it merged with the Hudson's Bay Company in 1821.

Michilimackinac, Sault Ste. Marie and Grand Portage

Traders Forrest Oakes, Peter Pangman, Joseph Fulton, and Charles Boyer, were active at Michilimackinac -- as early as1761 -- Sault Ste. Marie, and at Grand Portage near the head of Lake Superior between 1771 and 1781.

Assiniboine River

Thomas Correy, Forrest Oakes and Charles Boyer were independent traders from Montreal who established the first Pine Fort probably in 1768. It met resistance from the local Assiniboines who wanted to preserve their middleman status in the trade to the west and south. Following a devastating smallpox epidemic which struck down many of the native people and some of the traders it was abandoned in 1781.

One old source says it was called Assiniboine House. Charles Boyer seems to have been one of Alexander Henry's clerks who, in 1780, was with a trader named Bruce on the Assiniboine River. They were attacked -- in the spring of 1781 -- by a numerous band of Indians, but saved the fort after an heroic defense.

Thank you to the Canadian Park Service

Fort Vermilion 1788

In 1788 Charles Boyer built a Post near the junction of the Boyer and Peace rivers. Other fur traders quickly followed, not wanting to be left out of the area's rich fur harvest. Trapping remained the principal trade of the area's Aboriginal, Metis, and Euro-Canadian inhabitants until the early 1900s.

Boyer's Fort was also known as Old Establishment, and was located on the north side of the Peace River.

About La Prairie de la Magdelaine's Coureurs des bois and Voyageurs

Two good canoe routes from the La Prairie de la Madeleine area reached directly to the best beaver pelts on the continent.

A trip by the Ottawa and Mattawa Rivers was fairly safe from the Iroquois and English attacks but required much portaging. The other route through the upper St. Lawrence and the lakes to Niagara, Detroit, Michilimackinac and Green Bay passed through a long stretch where voyageurs were threatened by Iroquois interference. Voyageurs were primarily in the business of bringing merchandise to central depots and hauling furs from the depots to Montreal.

By the 1670’s, some of the habitants began to fan out to deal with the Indians in their own territories. Called “coureurs des bois,” a name which means “wood runner,” they were seen as outlaws because they traded illegally in the eyes of the French authorities and independently.

They enjoyed the adventure, money, the beauty of nature, and a life free of conformity and the harsh work of farming. Living closely with the
Indians, they adapted to Indian ways and dress, and soon were as skilled as the Indians in the ways of the forest. Most cared little for tomorrow. This lifestyle appealed more strongly to the French temperament than to that of any other European race.

One coureurs des bois reported that “there is no life so happy, none so independent, no place where a man enjoys so much variety and freedom as in the Indian country.” These wandering coureurs des bois were perplexing to the authorities. Even when Louis XIV decreed that the first offense for being a coureurs des bois would be flogging, a second offense branding with the Fleur de Lys, and a third offense punished by life in the galleys or by the death penalty, this mattered little to men who didn’t intend to get caught a first time. Most persons in New France conspired to protect the coureurs des bois from the law. When they were hauled before a judge, they were usually at most fined and turned loose to continue their trade.

Among our ancestors at LaPrairie, most of the able-bodied men were either coureurs des bois or voyageurs, often serving in both capacities at different times. A tradition developed in families where older experienced men cared for the younger sons of habitants. All three sons of Pierre Perras and Denise Lemaitre were involved in the fur trade, as were their sons-in-law, Pierre Poupard, Claude Faye, Jacques Boyer, and Joseph and Eustache Demers.

The involvement of whole families in the fur trade is obvious. Not only was our Deneau ancestor, Jacques, involved but his brother Charles and a total of 19 Deneau family members are listed on 69 voyageur trips. Ten members of the Boyer family, including Antoine, the husband of Marie Perras, his son Charles, and his grandson Charles (the subject of this post) are listed on 31 voyageur trips.

In all 736 contracts of voyageurs are listed for La Prairie residents, while these lists do not include the trips these same men made on their own as coureurs des bois.

Ancestry lineage

• Charles Boyer (1744 - ) - my 1st cousin 8x remove
• Charles Boyer (1713 - 1801) - my 8th grand uncle - father of Charles Boyer
• Antoine Jacques Boyer (1671 - 1747) my 8th great grandfather - father of Charles Boyer
• Marie-Jeanne Boyer (1694 - 1730) - daughter of Antoine Jacques Boyer
• Marie Anne Diel (1727 - 1760) - daughter of Marie-Jeanne Boyer
• Marie Anne Dupuis (Dupuy) (1753 - 1807) - daughter of Marie Anne Diel
Marie Angelique Baret (Barette) dit Courville (1779 - 1815) - daughter of Marie Anne Dupuis (Dupuy)
• Marie Emélie Meunier dit Lagassé (1808 - 1883) - daughter of Marie Angelique Baret (Barette) dit Courville
• Lucy Pinsonneau (1836 - 1917) - daughter of Marie Emélie Meunier dit Lagassé
• Abraham Lincoln Brown (1864 - 1948) - son of Lucy Pinsonneau (aka Passino)
• Lydia Corinna Brown (1891 - 1971) - my grandmother - daughter of Abraham Lincoln Brown

Bibliography

For more about Charles Boyer and his adventures with the North West Company see:

The English River Book: A North West Company Journal and Account Book of 1786, By North West Company by Harry W. Duckworth.

Rainy River Country: A Brief History of the Region Bordering Minnesota and Ontario by Grace Lee Nute.

‪Lines Drawn Upon the Water‬: ‪First Nations and the Great Lakes Borders and Borderlands‬ by ‪Karl S. Hele‬

Forrest Oakes, Charles Boyer, Joseph Fulton, and Peter Pangman in the Northwest, 1765-1793 by Arthur S. Morton

Minnesota, eh? by Jerry Foley - http://fahfminn.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Minnesota-eh-book.pdf

A drifting cowboy