Great-Grandfather Jean-Baptiste Meunier Meets the Poncas

Jean-Baptiste Meunier (Mignier or Minier) dit Lagassé (Lagacé) (1749–1828), my 5th great-grandfather, was born before 8 Apr 1749 in la-Pocatière, Quebec, Canada.  He died 15 Sep 1828 in Laval, Quebec, Canada.  He married Marie Judith Gravel Brindeliere (1757 - 1779) 30 Oct 1775 in Cap-St-Ignace, Québec.  He was the son of Joseph Meunier Lagassé (Lagacé) (1706 - 1778) and Felicite Caouette (Cahouet) (1709 - 1783).

Jean was also a brother of two famous voyageurs: Andre and Charles Mignier dit Lagassé, both of whom used the Lagassé surname.  Both of these brothers traveled with the famous explorer, map maker David Thompson.

About the Surname

This family descends from Andre Migner (Meignier, Meunier, Minier) dit Lagacé (Lagassé) a French soldier assigned to the Carignan-Salières Regiment that had been sent to Quebec in 1665 by King Louis XIV to protect the French settlers from marauding Iroquois Indians.  In the army he was called by his nickname or noms de guerre, "La Gachette", which means "trigger" and is used to describe someone who can shoot with great ability -- a sharpshooter.  La Gachette eventually evolved to be Lagacé.

This family is difficult to track because of the many different spellings of both the surname "Meunier" and the dit name (called, said, or also known as) "Lagacé."

For whatever reason it appears the Lagassé name was dropped by Jean-Baptiste Meunier and some of his descendants.  However, a great-grandson, George Pinsonneau (changed to) Pierce identified his mother Marie Emélie Meunier (1808–1883) as a Lagassé many years later.

Missouria, Otoe and Ponca Indians by Karl Bodmer

Trading with the Poncas

Research reveals that Jean-Baptiste Meunier became a voyageur and traveled to the Missouri River and other Tributaries of the Mississippi.  About 1794, Jean-Baptiste Meunier and his partner, Jacques Rolland, established trading house near a village of the Ponca Indians on the Missouri River.  

1778 Voyageur contract

Jean-Baptiste Meunier - (1778, Feb 20 - Ezechiel Solomon hired Jean-Baptiste Meunier, voyageur de Laprairie de La magdeleine to go to Mississippi, and spend the winter, Notary Antoine Foucher) From the Archives of Quebec, M620/0097

Ponca Village on the Missouri River by Karl Bodmer

Sources

From: Jean-Baptiste Trudeau on the upper Missouri (1794-1796), his journal

[Translation: Two years later, Jean Meunier reached the Poncas village at the mouth of the Niobrara and may be made ​​by grant Carondelet , governor of Louisiana , the exclusivity of trade with this nation for a four-year period starting in 1794.]

[Translation: Jean-Baptiste Meunier, from Vercheres , settled in St. Louis before 1789 , the year he would have been the first white man to discover the Poncas located 400 miles upstream from Missouri. In 1794 is exclusive holder of license deals with this nation. Trudeau to meet again (see sheets 53, 55, 71 and 76 of the manuscript ) . Meunier was more engaged . In some names are spelled Menier , Monier or Munier.]

From: French-Canadian Trappers of the American Plains and Rockies (http://www.ameriquefrancaise.org/en/article-363/) (edited)

There were the settlers of French-Canadian origin operating in the Illinois country. They plied the Missouri River and other tributaries of the Mississippi deeper into the South, seeking additional fur-trading opportunities. 

It must also not be forgotten that there were a large number of subordinates, regular employees, from both small and large companies, as well as the self-employed, all of whom worked to assure the day-to-day operation of the fur-trading industry.

In the last decade of the 18th century, Jacques d'Eglise, Pierre Dorion, Pierre-Antoine Tabeau, Joseph Gravelines, Jean-Baptistes Meunier, Joseph Ladéroute, and Pierre Berger were all involved in operations along the Missouri, as were literally hundreds of others during the decades that would follow.

These are characters who have all long disappeared without a trace, except for their names written in various ledgers-the only written record left in a world where illiteracy reigned supreme.

From: Archaeology at French colonial Cahokia, by Bonnie L. Gums

1794 to 1809 - Jean Baptiste Meunier (Munier); a records search in the Illinois State Archives and the St. Clair County Archives failed to locate any notice of sale by Meunier after 1809.

From:  Prologue to Lewis and Clark: The Mackay and Evans Expedition, by ‪W. Raymond Wood‬
Eight years later, in 1793, the trader Jean Baptiste Meunier (or Monier) claimed that he was the first European to visit and "discover" the Ponca.  He and his partner, Jacques Rolland, nevertheless dealt with them from a trading house they established near the Ponca village. 

From: Before Lewis and Clark: Documents Illustrating the History of the Missouri, 1785-1804, edited by ‪Abraham Phineas Nasatir‬
See the letter from Meunier And Rolland to Carondelet, St. Louis, 1794.

It appears his son Jean Baptiste Meunier also became a voyageur
Jean Baptiste Meunier (Mignier) said Lagassé (Lagacé) (1776–1835), my 4th great-grandfather, was born 24 Apr 1776 in Terrebonne, Quebec, Canada.  He died before 1835 in St-Laurent, Québec, Canada.  He married Marie Angelique Baret (Barette) dit Courville (1779 - 1815) 21 Oct 1799 in Laprairie, Quebec, Canada.

1800 Voyageur contract

(1800, Feb 14 - James & Andrew McGill hired Jean-Baptiste Meunier voyageur de Chambly to go to Mississippi, and spend the winter, notary Louis Chaboillez) From the Archives of Quebec, M620/1200.

Descendancy Chart

Jean-Baptiste Mignier (Meunier) Lagasse (Lagace) (1749 - 1828) -- my 5th great-grandfather

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

Marie Emélie Meunier Lagassé (1808 - 1883) -- daughter of Jean-Baptiste Mignier (Minier) Lagasse (Lagace)

Lucy Passino (1836 - 1917) -- daughter of Marie Emélie (Mary) Meunier Lagassé -- my 2nd great-grandmother (our French Connection)


UPDATE 2019:

An exciting new find about Jean-Baptiste Meunier (Mignier or Minier) dit Lagassé (Lagacé) (1749–1828), my 5th great-grandfather.

We know he was a fur trader trading with the Ponca Indians circa 1789-1799, and we have found many different references with his name spelled various ways (Monier, Munie, Meunier, etc).

The Ponca village was generally located on the Missouri River at the confluence of the Niobrara River.

Today I found a copy of "The Spanish regime in Missouri" by Louis Houck, published in 1909. In it he is called Juan Munie.

I've copied the following three pages that represent his license to trade with the Poncas given by the Spanish government...

Cousin Charles Legacé on the Columbia Plateau with David Thompson (Corrected 2022)

Charles Mignier Lagasse (Lagace), Nor'Wester, -- my 6th great-uncle, was born 28 November 1744, in Ignace, Quebec, Canada; his death date and place are unknown.  Charles was the son of Joseph Mignier dit Lagace (1706 - 1778) AND Felicite Caouette (Cahouet) (1709–1783)

Spouse: Marie Madeleine Aubé dit Aubert, born 07 August 1747, in Rivière-Ouelle

Children: i. Andre Lagasse (Mignier) dit Lagace (1775 - ), ii. Charles Mignier dit Lagace (1777 - )

CORRECTION July 2022: Charles Lagasse (Mignier Lagace) 1777-1823 -- 1st cousin 6x removed and NOT his father is the subject of this post.

1792 NWC Voyageur Contract

LAGACE, CHARLES [Charles Lagasse (Mignier Lagace) 1777-1823 -- 1st cousin 6x removed]
Last Name: LAGACE
Last Name Standardized: LAGACE
Given Names: CHARLES
Contract Date: 17920328
Contract Place: MONTRÉAL
Length of Contract: 1
Parish: CHICOT
Parish (Standardized): St-Cuthbert
Destinations: DANS LE NORD [translation: North past Grand Portage]
Functions: GOUVERNAIL, SECOND GOUVERNAIL
Function Notes: SECOND GOUVERNAIL ET GOUVERNAIL DANS LES TERRES
Merchant Company: MCTAVISH, FROBISHER & CO.
Notary Name: Chaboillez, Louis
Wages: 900 LIVRES
Advance at Signing: 156
Contract Notes: - DOUBLE ÉQUIPEMENT - PAYER 8 PI SUR LE GRAND PORTAGE - S’OBLIGE DE CONTRIBUER AU FOND
Archive Source: BANQ, Greffes de notaires
Microfilm Number: M620/1197

Charles Lagasse, Nor'Wester, on the Columbia River Plateau

Charles Lagasse, or Lagace  may have joined the North West Company (NWC), under the leadership of McTavish and Frobisher, earlier than 1792, but we know for sure he was engaged by them on March 28, 1792.

Charles Lagasse went on to become a long time NWC employee who spent much of his time in the Columbia River plateau area with David Thompson. 

From: New light on the early history of the greater Northwest: the manuscript journals of Alexander Henry, fur trader of the Northwest Company and of David Thompson, official geographer of the same company 1799-1814, AND from Lives Lived West of the Divide: A Biographical Dictionary of Fur Traders. Working West of the Rockies, 1793-1858, by Bruce McIntyre Watson, we learn:

As early as April, 1800 Charles Lagasse was with David Thompson on the Upper Saskatchewan River.

From October 5th through the 23rd 1800, Charles Lagasse went with David Thompson to the Kootenay Indians.  Thompson set Charles up with trade goods, so he could winter with the Kooteneys during the winter of 1800-1801.  In the spring of 1801, Charles Lagasse returned to Rocky Mountain House to meet with Thompson.

From ‪Parkways of the Canadian Rockies‬: ‪A Touring Guide to Banff, Jasper, Kootenay, and Yoho National Parks‬, we learn that the first white men to go up the Saskatchewan River and over Howse Pass were two North West Company voyageurs named Le Blanc and La Gassi (Lagasse), who were sent by David Thompson to winter on the west side of the Rockies with the Kootenay Indians in 1800.

On November 7, 1808, Charles Lagasse went with David Thompson on a journey from Boggy Hall to Kootenay House.   

Between 1808 and 1810, Charles Lagasse was with David Thompson in the Rocky Mountains.

In the spring of 1810, in the Saleesh area, David Thompson paid Charles Lagasse for the hire of three horses, but on May 17th 1810, David Thompson attempted to force him to duty for which Charles Lagasse said he was not fit, so Thompson listed him as a deserter.

On June 22nd 1811, Charles Lagasse reappears with David Thompson at Ilthkoyape Falls (also known as Kettle Falls) on the Columbia.  Thompson named the falls Ilthkoyape Falls and the Indians who fished there Ilthkoyape Indians. These are among the forebears of Indians who are today organized as the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation.

On August 29th 1811, Charles Lagasse went south on the Columbia River with the David Thompson expedition as they headed up the Columbia after stopping at Astoria.

In 1812, Charles Lagasse re-engaged on a two year contract in the Columbia (to be free in Montreal in 1814).

In 1813-14, Charles Lagasse wintered at Fort George (Astoria).

On April 4th 1814, Charles Lagasse was noted as being a bowsman on John Clark’s canoe on the brigade to Fort William and Montreal.

Charles Lagasse returned to the Columbia area and continued his association with the NWC until 1821, when his contract was transferred to the Hudson’s Bay Company during its merger with the North West Company.

In 1821, but he was listed as a ‘freeman’ (meaning his contract had expired).

After 1822, Charles Lagasse does not seem to have been engaged by the HBC.  Had he expired?  His date and place of death remain unknown.

Bruce McIntyre Watson's work suggests that Charles may have married a Flathead Indian woman: "Charles La Gasse appears to have taken as a wife, Emme, Flathead (c.1795-1855).  Two of their children may have been Pierre (c.1815-1882) and Josette/Suzette (c.1812-1896) although oral tradition indicates that “Pierre”, a brother of Charles, was the father of the two children but no such “Pierre” appears in any extant records."

Additional Sources:

The Travels of David Thompson 1784-1812, Volume II Foothills and Forests, by Sean T. Peake

Historic Hikes in Northern Yoho National Park, by Emerson Sanford, Janice Sanford Beck

The First Explorers of the Columbia and Snake Rivers, by J. Neilson Barry

The Washington Historical Quarterly, Vol. 11, No. 3, Jul., 1920, David Thompson's Journeys in Idaho (Continued), by T. C. Elliott

Our Lineage from Charles Mignier Lagace (Lagasse):

Charles Mignier dit Lagace (1744 - ) -- my 6th great-uncle

Joseph Mignier dit Lagace (1706 - 1778) -- father of Charles Mignier dit Lagace

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

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

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

Lucy Passino (1836 - 1917) -- daughter of Marie Emélie Meunier dit Lagassé -- my 2nd great-grandmother (Our French Connection)

Uncle Pierre, Nor'Wester goes to Portage de la Montagne

"Expedition at Kakabeka Falls" by Frances Anne Hopkins

In 1802, Pierre Pinsonneau, a Nor'Wester -- my 5th great-uncle -- signed a contract to make two voyages to the Northwest. 

His one year agreement species that he will go to Fort Kaministiquia and to Portage de la Montagne (also known as Mountain Portage in English).

My guess is that the intent was to transport trade goods to the old French Fort Kaministiquia, and then to return to Montreal to obtain more trade goods to be taken over the Mountain Portage perhaps to the Rainy Lake Post.

The contract…

PINSONNEAU, PIERRE
Last Name: Pinsonneau
Last Name Standardized: PINSONNEAULT
Given Names: Pierre
Contract Date: 1802, Dec 6
Contract Place: Montréal
Length of Contract: 1
Overwintered: Yes
Parish: L’Acadie
Parish (Standardized): L’Acadie
Destinations: Nord Ouest, Fort Kaministiquia, Portage de la Montagne
Functions: GOUVERNAIL
Function Notes: - Faire deux vogages du Fort Kaministiquia au Portage de la Montagne, exempt du Nepigon [Translation: Make two voyages: Fort Kaministiquia and Portage de la Montagne, free of Nepigon]
Merchant Company: MCTAVISH, FROBISHER & CO.
Company Representative: Mr. W. McGillivray
Notary Name: Chaboillez, Louis
Wages: 1300 LIVRES
Advance at Signing: 600 LIVRES
Contract Notes: - l’équipement double - s’oblige de contribuer d’un pour cent sur ses gages pour le Fonds des Voyageurs - soixante-huit mots rayés - passer par Michilimakinac, s’il en est requis [Translation: double equipment - is obliged to contribute one percent of his wages for the Voyageurs Fund - sixty-eight words struck - through Michilimakinac, if required]
Archive Source: BANQ, Greffes de notaires
Microfilm Number: M620/1201

Contract points of interest…

Kakabeka Falls by Lucius R. O'Brien

Voyageurs used the Portage de la Montagne (Mountain Portage) -- a 1.3 km carry -- around Kakabeka Falls on Kaministiquia River as a major route to the northwest.

Nor'Westers were employees of the North West Company. The North West Company (NWC) was a fur trading business headquartered in Montreal from 1779 to 1821.

HBC post, Fort William by William Armstrong

In 1807, the North West Company renamed Fort Kaministiquia as Fort William. After 1821, it was a Hudson's Bay Company trading post.

Pierre's contract also states, "free of Nipigon."  After the Treaty of Paris in 1763, the Lake Nipigon area passed into the hands of the Hudson's Bay Company.

With great wealth at stake, tensions between the rival companies increased to the point where several armed skirmishes broke out, so it would be wise for a Nor"wester to avoid a post owned by the Hudson's Bay Company.  In 1821, the two rival companies were forced to merge.

Pierre's contract says his function is that of "gouvernail" (rudder man or steersman) in the canoe. Within each fur trade canoe, less-experienced voyageurs took on role of middle paddlers called "milieux", more experienced men took up the more high-paying positions of steersman or "gouvernail" and bowsman or "avant."

About Pierre Pinsonneau...

Pierre Pinsonneau (Pinsono), was born 29 Jun 1765 in Laprairie, Quebec, Canada. He died after 1826, at an unknown location.  He married Anne-Felicite Bisaillon on13 Jul 1790, in Laprairie, Quebec, Canada. 

Pierre was the son of Joseph Pinsonneau (1733–1779) and Marie Madeleine Duquet (1734–1791); and brother of Gabriel Pinsonneau (1770 - 1807), my 4th great-grandfather.

A Canoe Load of French-Canadian Ancestors

My French-Canadian Fur Trade Ancestors in the 17th and 18th Century...
compiled and edited by Jerry England 2016

• Direct ancestors are in red text.

1620s

Jean-Baptiste Godefroy de Linctot, Sieur -- 10th great-uncle (1626, served Samuel Champlain in the capacity of interpreter)

Thomas Godefroy de Normanville -- 10th great-uncle (1626, served Samuel Champlain in the capacity of interpreter)

1630s

Philippe Amiot -- 9th great-grandfather (1636, Coureur de bois near Trois-Rivières)

1640s

Mathurin Gagnon -- 11th great-uncle (1645-63, was a member of Communauté des habitants (Compagnie des habitants), colonial merchants who held the fur trade monopoly in New France.  He and his bothers Jean and Pierre operated a general store and became outfitters in the Lower Quebec)

Jean Mignault dit Chatillon -- 9th great-grandfather (1648, Governor Montmagny sent Jean Mignault to the "Huron's Country")

Jean Amiot -- 9th great-uncle (1640s, Interpreter and indentured employee of the Jesuits among the Hurons.  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.

1650s

Mathieu Amiot -- 8th great-grandfather (1650s, Interpreter, fur trader for the Jesuits in the Huron country)

Denis Duquet -- 8th great-grandfather (1659, member of the Traite de Tadoussac)

1660s

Charles Amiot -- 9th great-uncle (1660s, Interpreter, fur trader for the Jesuits in the Huron country)

Pierre Duquet sieur de La Chesnaye -- 8th great-uncle (1663, Accompanied Guillaume Couture on expedition to the Northern Sea - reached the Rupert River)

Andre Robidou dit Lespagnol -- 9th great-grandfather (1666, working as a voyageur for Eustace Lambert, a prominent fur trader)

Jean Baptiste Desroches -- 8th great-grandfather (1667, formed a trading company with Nicolas Perrot, Toussaint Baudry, and Isaac Nafrechoux.  Together they traveled west to Ottawa Country, and to Green Bay in 1668)

Jacques Leber -- 9th great-uncle (1669, partner with Charles Le Moyne for Lachine's first Fur Trading Post)

1670s

Pierre Poupart -- 8th great-grandfather (1670, Voyageur for Daumont de Saint-Lusson and Nicolas Perrot when they claimed the Great Lakes for France)

Pierre Peras dit La Fontaine -- 9th great-grandfather (1670s, Pierre, his three sons and sons-in-laws involved in the fur trade as Coureurs des bois)

Charles Diel dit Le Petit Breton -- 8th great-grandfather (1677, voyageur with Frontenac at Fort Frontenac)

1680s

Nicolas Desroches -- 8th great-uncle (1682, Apr 17 - François Hazeur, marchand, de Québec, engages Denis Turpin, Ignace, Hébert et Nicolas Desroches, for exploration and trade with 8ta8ats (Ottawa Indians))

Jacques Nepveu (Neveu) -- 1st cousin 9x removed (1684, Sep 27 - Henri de Tonty, governor of Fort St. Louis de la Louisianne under the authority of De La Salle, engaged voyageurs, Jacques Nepveu (Neveu), and Anthoine Duquet Madri to go to Fort St. Louis de la Louisianne where they will trade merchandise for beaver skins)

Denise Lemaistre -- 9th great-grandmother (1684, fur trading with the Catholic Iroquois AND 1691, massacred by the Iroquois)

Charles Deneau dit Destaillis -- 8th great-uncle (1685, Antoine Bazinet hired Charles for a voyage to Sault Ste. Marie)

Joachim Leber -- 8th great-uncle (1685, Voyageur to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians))

Francois Bourassa -- 7th great-grandfather (1686, Voyageur to Hudson's Bay for the Compagnie du Nord)

Laurent Barette -- my 8th great-uncle (1686, voyageur on Henri de Tonti’s search for La Salle on the Mississippi River)

Daniel Joseph Amiot dit Villeneuve -- 8th great-uncle (1686, voyageur on Henri de Tonti’s search for La Salle on the Mississippi River)

Francois Leber -- 8th great-grandfather (1688, to Ottawa Country.  Francois and his three sons were Coureurs des bois known as the fathers of the fur trade)

Joseph Boyer -- 9th great-uncle (1688, Voyageur to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians))

Louis Duquet sieur Duverdier -- 8th great-uncle (1689, 28 Aug - Engagement de Louis Duquet Sr Duverdier et Louis Provencher au Sr Nicolas Perrot, Michililmackinac)

1690s

Jean Cusson -- 7th great-grandfather (1690, Voyageur for Nicolas Perrot to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians)  Jean Cusson and Marie Foubert had six of his sons, Jean, Michel, Charles, Ange, Nicolas and Joseph who were all active as fur-traders from 1690 to 1713. All having all received permission to travel to the west.

Michel Cusson -- 9th great-uncle (1690, May 11 ‒ Nicolas Perrot hired Jean Cusson, and Michel Cusson, frères, for a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar]

Jean Gabriel Picard -- 9th great-uncle (26 August 1691 ‒ Claude Greysolon, sieur de LaTourette, hired Jean Gabriel Picard to make a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar])

Antoine Jacques Boyer -- 8th great-grandfather (1690, Coureur de bois who bought land with 600 livres from the sale of beaver pelts.  1694, Charles Legardeur, sieur de L’Isle, hired Antoine to make a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians)

Gabriel Lemieux -- 9th great-grandfather (1690, Voyageur and courier de bois to Michilimackinac and Sault Ste. Marie)

François Bourassa2 -- 8th great-uncle (1690, Voyager to Michilimackinac)

Joseph Farfard (Fafart) -- 1st cousin 9x removed (1690, 5 May, 7 May, and 8 May ‒ François Garconnes de Boisrondel/t, acting for François Daupin, sieur de LaForest, hired Daniel Joseph Amiot, Joseph Bénard, Joseph Fafard, Louis Fafard, frères, and Jean Lat for a voyage to the Illinois [Antoine Adhémar – four contracts]

Joseph Bénard -- 1st cousin 9x removed (1690, 5 May, 7 May, and 8 May ‒ François Garconnes de Boisrondel/t, acting for François Daupin, sieur de LaForest, hired Daniel Joseph Amiot, Joseph Bénard, Joseph Fafard, Louis Fafard, frères, and Jean Lat for a voyage to the Illinois [Antoine Adhémar – four contracts]

Antoine Duquet dit Madry -- 8th great-uncle (1691, 16 Aug - Engagement de Antoine Duquet dit Madry à François de Laforest, Michililmackinac)

Antoine Martin dit Montpellier -- 1st cousin 9x removed (1694, May 21 - Louis Rouer de Villeray, acting for the ancient company of Jean Oudiette and Pierre Benac, in the name of Charles Catignon, reached an agreement with Antoine Martin dit Montpellier, of St Bernard, Charles Cadieux, of Beauport; Charles Neveu/Nepveu 1st cousin 9x removed and François Dumesny, of Québec; to go to Michilimackinac to hunt for the furs that Nicolas Perrot had sent sieur Amiot (probably Daniel Joseph) to bring to the Jesuit warehouse in the name of Jacques Charles Patu/Pattu, manager of the ancient company of Oudiette [Chambalon and Roy, Vol. 18, p. 72])

Jean Perras -- 9th great-uncle (1692, Voyageur to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians))

Moise Dupuis -- 7th great-grandfather (1692, courier de bois to Schenectady, NY)

Jacques Hugues Picard -- 9th great-grandfather (1693, Voyageur to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians)

Francois Leber2 -- 8th great-uncle (1693, Voyageur to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians))

Maurice Benard -- 1st cousin 9x removed (1694, 16 September – Amador Godefroy, sieur de St. Paul, and Antoine Lepellé hired Maurice Bénard dit Bourjoly for a voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) [Antoine Adhémar]

Joseph Moreau -- 9th great-uncle (1696, April 11 - Montreal, voyageurs Joseph Moreau and Louis Durand signed a contract with Marie-Therese Guyon, the wife of Antoine de Lamothe-Cadillac to go to  Michilimackinac with merchandise to be delivered to Commander Cadillac at Michilimackinac)

1700s

Jean-Baptiste Neveu -- 1st cousin 9x removed (also written Nepveu; he is sometimes called Sieur de La Bretonnière), Montreal merchant and fur trader, seigneur; baptized Jean on 20 Dec. 1676 in Quebec, son of Philippe Neveu, a tailor, and Marie-Denise Sevestre; d. 24 June 1754 in Montreal.

Charles Cusson -- 9th great-uncle (1701, voyageur with Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac when he established a settlement at Detroit)

Pierre Rivet -- 8th great-uncle (1703 - hired as a voyageur to go to Detroit)

Jean Rivet -- 8th great-uncle (1705 - hired as a voyageur to go to l'Ouest)

Rene Rivet -- 8th great-uncle (1705, May 30 - hired as a voyageur to go to l'Ouest)

Pierre Beauchamp -- 8th great-uncle (1705, Jun 5, Voyageur to Détroit and again 9 March 1709)

Jacques Beauchamp -- 8th great-uncle (1705, May 30, Engaged to go to Détroit and again 9 March 1709)

Jacques Godé (Godet) -- 1st cousin 9x removed (1707, Voyageur to Fort Pontchartrain du Detroit)

1710s

Pierre Gagne -- 8th great-grandfather (1712, Voyageur to Détroit)

Jean Baptiste Moreau -- 8th great-grandfather (1716, Apr 30 - Nicolas Perttuis embauché Jean Moreau voyageur de Batiscan aller à Michilimackinac, notary Adhemar)

Charles Diel2 -- 7th great-grandfather (1718, Pierre  Roy hired  Charles  Diel  to make  a  voyage  to  Détroit)

1720s

Joseph Poupart -- 7th great-grandfather (1723, August 27, Charles Chesne embauché Joseph Poupart voyageur de LaPrairie, aller à Détroit, Notary Adhémar)

Jean Baptiste Amiot -- 1st cousin, 8x removed ( 1724, was employed as a blacksmith at Michilimackinac)

Alexis Rivet -- 8th great-uncle (1728 - hired as a voyageur to go to Détroit du lac Érié)

1730s

Pierre Barette dit Courville -- 7th great-uncle (1734, Voyageur to Michilimachinac)

Gabriel Lemieux -- 8th great-grandfather (1734, May 28 - Ustache Gamelin embauché Gabriel Lemieux  voyageur aller à poste des associes [Kamanistigouia???], notary Lepailleur de LaFerté)

Rene Bourassa -- 6th great-uncle (1735, voyageur for Pierre Gaultier de La Verendrye to Michilimachinac and beyond)

Pierre Rivet -- 8th great-uncle 30 years later (1736, May 28 - Gatineau et Hamelin embauché Pierre Rivet aller à Poste de la Riviere St- Joseph Notary Claude-Cyprien-Jacques Porlier)

Nicolas-Pierre Rivet -- 1st cousin 8x removed (1738, May 16 - Marin Hurtebize embauché Nicolas Rivet aller à poste des Illinois Notary François Lepailleur de LaFerté)

1740s

Charles de Langlade -- husband of Charlotte Ambroise Bourassa my 1st cousin 7x removed (1745, Established a fur trading post at Green Bay, Wisconsin. He is called the "Father of Wisconsin." He was also a War Chief during the Revolution.)

Charles Diel3 -- 7th great-uncle (1747, voyageur to Wabash, Indiana)

1750s

Joseph Poupart -- 1st cousin 8x removed (1751, Jul 2, Jacques Quesnel embauché Joseph Poupart voyageur de LaPrairie, gouvernail, aller à Illinois, notary Adhemar)

Augustin Barrette -- 7th great-uncle (1751, Voyageur to Michilimachinac)

Francois Moise Dupuis -- 6th great-grandfather (1752, Jun 2 - Nicolas Volant embauché Francois Dupuis voyageur de LaPrairie aller à Michilimackinac, notary Adhemar)

Etienne Duquet dit Desrochers -- 6th great-grandfather (1753, Apr 13, Toussaints Pothier embauché Étienne Duquet voyageur de LaPrairie, gouvernail, aller à Michilimackinac, notary Danré Blanzy)

Jacques Poupart -- 1st cousin 8x removed (1753, Apr 8, Toussaints pothier embauché Jacques Poupart voyageur de LaPrairie, gouvernail, aller à Michilimackinac, notary Danré Blanzy)

Joseph Gagne -- 8th great-uncle (1754, May 17 - Dominique Godet hired Joseph Gagne voyageur de LaPrairie to go to Detriot, Devant or Gouvernail, Notary Louis Claude Danré de Blanzy)

1760s

Joseph Pinsonneau -- 5th great-grandfather (1763, Voyageur to Michilimachinac)

1770s

Pierre Barette dit Courville -- 5th great-grandfather (1778, Voyageur to Michilimachinac)

Jean-Baptiste Meunier -- 5th great-grandfather (1778, Feb 20 - Ezechiel Solomon hired Jean-Baptiste Meunier, voyageur de Laprairie de La magdeleine to go to Mississippi, and spend the winter, Notary Antoine Foucher)

1780s

Charles Boyer -- 1st cousin 8x removed (1788, Built a Post near the junction of the Boyer and Peace rivers for the North West Company.)

1790s

Gabriel Pinsonneau -- 4th great-grandfather (1797, Voyageur  to Michigan for a trading company owned by brothers Jacques and Francois Laselle)

François Rivet -- 2nd cousin 7x removed (1791, Nov 8 - Jacques Giasson embauché François Rivet voyageur de L’Assomption aller à Chaque fois que nécessaire (Wherever required) Nord excluded, 3 years, Notary Louis Chaboillez)

Charles Lagace -- 6th great-uncle (1792, Mar 28 - McTavish, Frobisher & Co. (NWC) hired Charles Lagace to go to the North through Grand Portage, function Gouvernail or rudder man, Notary Louis Chaboillez)

Michel Vielle dit Cossé -- 5th great-uncle (1793, Mar 19 - Engaged as a voyageur to go to dans le Nord-Ouest du Canada (far north west) for traders McTavish, Frobisher and Company aka North West Company)

Louis Barette dit Courville -- 5th great-uncle (1795, Aug 21 - Jacques & François Laselle hired Louis Barette dit Courville to go to Detroit)

Joseph Vielle dit Cossé -- 5th great-uncle (1797, Feb 14 - Engaged as a voyageur to go to Nord Ouest [North West], Nipigon and Lac Superieur for traders McTavish, Frobisher and Company aka North West Company, Company Representative: Alexander Mackenzie)

Joseph Pinsonneau (Pinsono) -- 5th great-uncle -- b/o Gabriel Pinsonneau -- 4th great-grandfather (1799, Mar 3 - McTavish, Frobisher and Co (NWC) embauché Joseph Pinsonneau voyaguer de LaPrairie aller à Detroit, Notary Chaboillez)

1800s

Jean Baptiste Meunier -- 4th great-grandfather (1800, Feb 14 - James & Andrew McGill hired Jean-Baptiste Meunier voyageur de Chambly to go to Mississippi, and spend the winter, notary Louis Chaboillez)

Daniel Bourassa -- 2nd cousin 6x removed (Born 1780, Den Haut, Mackinac, Michigan, may also be known as Topinabee, the Potawatomi chief)

Pierre Pinsonneau (Pinsono) -- 5th great-uncle -- b/o Gabriel Pinsonneau -- 4th great-grandfather (1802, Dec 6 - McTavish, Frobisher and Co (NWC) embauché Joseph Pinsonneau voyaguer de LaPrairie aller à Fort Kamanistiguia, gouvernail, Notary Chaboillez)

Andre Lagasse -- 1st cousin 6x removed -- (1803, Apr 19 signs 4 year contract to act as a guide and interpreter for the North West Company, and to go to the Red River, Swan River and Lake Winnipeg.)

Jean Baptiste Meunier dit Lagacé (1776–1835), my 4th great-grandfather -- (1803, Oct 6 - McTavish, Frobisher & Co. (North West Company) hired Jean-Baptiste Meunier voyageur de St-André-d’Argenteuil to go to Lac De La Pluie (Rainy Lake), notary Louis Chaboillez). From the Archives of Quebec.  Notes: Go through Michilimakinac if required, make two trips from Kamanatiguià Fort to Portage de la Montagne, and give six days of drudgery - and help carry the three canoes in the land.

In 1972, my aunt Muriel shared her genealogy work with me.   I learned my 2nd great-grandmother Lucy was born to French-Canadian parents.  Because her maiden name had been Americanized to Passino it took more than 35 years to discover my true French-Canadian roots.

Finally, in 2010, I discovered the family name was really Pinsonneau.  During the past six years I have pieced together a family history that goes back to the very beginning of New France.

What is most fascinating to me is the fact that we are descended from so many voyageurs.

Without any knowledge that I had ancestors involved in the fur trade I spent years studying and reenacting the fur trade era.

This page is a work in progress…

For vignettes about some of these ancestors see:

Fur Trade Timeline and My French-Canadian Ancestors
http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2016/08/a-canoe-load-of-french-canadian.html 

Cousin François Rivet Mountain Man - Traveled with Lewis and Clark

François Rivet, Sr. (my 2nd cousin 7x removed), the son of Nicolas-Pierre Rivet and Marie-Madeleine Gauthier dit Landreville of L'Assomption parish, Quebec, was baptized at the St. Sulpice Church on 7 June 1754.  He was a great-grandson of Maurice Rivet (1642 - 1712), my 8th great-grandfather, who was the first to immigrate to New France (Canada) in 1664.  François died at French Prairie, Oregon 15 Sep 1852, at age 96

François Rivet came from a family of Voyageurs 

1780s, According to records in the archives of Quebec, François signed at least three legal voyageur contracts in the 1790s,  Chances are good that he also worked as a coureur de bois during the 1780s and 1790s.

1791, Here is an excerpt from Quebec's archives: (1791, Nov 8 - Jacques Giasson embauché (hired) François Rivet voyageur de L’Assomption aller à (to go to) Chaque fois que nécessaire (Wherever required) Nord excluded, 3 years, Notary Louis Chaboillez). 

François Rivet's grandfather, Pierre Rivet, and his father, Nicolas-Pierre Rivet, were Voyageurs

1703 - 1736, Contracts for Pierre Rivet (my 8th great-uncle) from the archives of Quebec: (1703 - hired as a voyageur to go to Detroit).  Pierre Rivet was still a voyageur 30 years later: (1736, May 28 - Gatineau et Hamelin embauché Pierre Rivet aller à Poste de la Riviere St- Joseph Notary Claude-Cyprien-Jacques Porlier)

1738, Contract for Nicolas-Pierre Rivet (my 1st cousin 8x removed) from the archives of Quebec: (1738, May 16 - Marin Hurtebize embauché Nicolas Rivet aller à poste des Illinois Notary François Lepailleur de LaFerté)

After 1800, François worked his way up Missouri River with other Trappers

Before 1800, François Rivet crossed into the Mississippi drainage and traveled with several seasoned Indian traders and trappers.  They worked their way up Missouri River where they met and learned about Kansa, Omaha, Yankton Sioux, Teton Lakota, Arikara, Mandan, and Hidatsa tribes.

1802-03, St. Louis entrepreneur Regis Loisel took a trading adventure to the Teton Lakota. An engagée called "La Riviere" was nearly shot by the Bois Brulé band. This was most likely François Rivet, who then returned to St. Louis, with Loisel, the following spring.

Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark and The Corps of Discovery

1803-04, Winter - St. Louis entrepreneur Auguste Chouteau obliged Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark by engaging eight voyageurs to paddle a cargo pirogue. Three others were hired to assist the soldiers in working a keelboat. Pierre Cruzatte le borgne (one-eye) would be the bowman while François Labiche set the stroke as the first oar.

The third, François Rivet, joined the expedition at St. Charles, but agreed to go only as far as the Mandans. The Corps of Discovery wintered at the Mandan/Hidatsa villages that year.

1804, November - Francois, and three others: DeChamps, Malboeuf and Carson, were discharged, so they built a hut of their own next to Fort Mandan, and remained there under the protection of the expedition during the winter of 1804–05.

1805, Spring - François and Philippe Degie, who had attached himself to the party on October 18, 1804, built a canoe of their own and descended the Missouri with Warfington's return party as far as the Arikara nation.

1805, September 8 - General James Wilkinson led pirogue party, including Francois Rivet, that departed St. Louis for the upper Missouri River. Their intent was to ascend the Missouri and enter the Yellowstone River (River Piere jaune).

1806 - When Lewis and Clark returned from the Pacific they found Francois Rivet living among the Mandans.

Mountain Man and Trapper in the Pacific Northwest

1807, September - John Mcclellan, Francois Rivet, and a large party of American and Canadian independent trappers (perhaps including Charles Courtin, Registre Bellaire, and Michel Bordeaux dit Bourdon) encamped in the Bitterroot Valley. McClellan sent word to Thompson of the Northwest Company (then on the Columbia River) not to encroach on their Bitterroot trading territory.

1808 - Rivet was with Captain McClellan when he explored the Clark Fork River and identified a practical route between the Missouri and Columbia river.

1807-08, Winter - Rivet escaped when eight men of the Bitterroot camp, including the leader John McClellan, were killed in a battle with Blackfeet or Gros Ventres.

1808, Winter - François Rivet was short on ammunition and obliged to trade with the North West Company. The British leader, David Thompson, had set up an outpost at the falls of the Kootenay River.

1809 - Perhaps François Rivet was with Manuel Lisa's trading company, while he was in the Flathead country of northwest Montana.

1809, October - David Thompson, North West Company trader, is now building the Flathead Post (Salish House above the falls of the Clark Fork River, near Libby, Montana) with Finan McDonald, James McMillan, Michel Kinville, Metis, Francois Sans Facon, Metis, Francois Gregoire, Metis, Pierre Gregnon, Metis, François Rivet, Metis, Brucier, Pembrook (Pemruck), Bellaire, James McMillan and a voyager, likely Michel Bordeaux dit Bourdon, Metis and Jean Baptiste Boucher.

1809, François was making a living trapping beaver when he formed a country relationship with a young Flathead (some say Salish) widow who was later identified in Catholic mission records as Therese Tete Platte. She had married a neighboring tribesman when she was about 19 and had a baby girl before she entered the relationship with François. The couples' first child received his father's name, François.

François Rivet and the North West Company

1813 - François was now employed by the North West Company and living among the Flatheads.  He was still there in 1824, working as both trapper and interpreter.

1811, June - David Thompson was under orders to descend the Columbia River and confirm an arrangement with the rival Pacific Fur Company. En route from Spokane House to the departure point at Kettle Falls, Thompson found the Rivet family camped along the trail with four tents of Indians.

1813 - Competition between the North West Company and the rival Pacific Fur Company provided François Rivet with a competitive market. Until the two staffs merged in 1813-14, François Rivet kept to a middle ground.

In a list compiled at Astoria, François was described as a freeman hired for one year as an interpreter for 600 livres an arrangement that continued at Spokane House until 1816.

1818 - François Rivet and his family continued to tent and travel with the Salish.

At Spokane House in the fall of 1818, the North West Company trader Peter Skene Ogden set up with Rivet's young step-daughter, Julia. Their son Charles was born on September 5, 1819.

1821, The North West Company and Hudson's Bay Company finally gave up their unproductive rivalry and formed a new organization.

François Rivet and the Hudson's Bay Company

1824 - François joined the Alexander Ross Snake Country brigade of 140 trappers operating from Boise to Bear Lake and the upper Snake in the Yellowstone Park region. In Ross' journal Francois Rivet is described as an interpreter owning 2 guns, 6 traps, 15 horses and 1 lodge

1824, December - Peter Skene Ogden took over the brigade and Ross returned east to the Red River settlements.

When Ogden took the lead of the Snake River Expeditions his goal was to trap all of the beavers in the region - including most of the southern part of Idaho - jointly held by the U.S. and Britain.

It was a "scorched earth" policy to discourage rival American trappers from wanting to invade what Hudson's Bay Company considered their hunting domain.
 
On the first expedition, Ogden took his family with him in a party of 120 men, women and children, which included Julia's stepfather Francois Rivet.

1829 - Francois Rivet, now known as "Old Rivet," transferred to Fort Colville on the upper Columbia, and in 1832, at the age of seventy-five, he was placed in charge of the post by the Hudson's Bay Company.

Fort Colvile (also Fort Colville) was built by the Hudson's Bay Company at Kettle Falls on the Columbia River in 1825 and operated in the Columbia fur district of the company.

Retirement to French Prairie, Oregon

1838 - Francois Rivet had been employed by the Hudson's Bay Company from 1821 to 1837, and in 1838 Francois retired and settled at French Prairie in the Willamette Valley, Oregon.

The same year, 1838, saw the arrival of the Catholic fathers in the Willamette Valley, Old Rivet and Therese Tete Platte were among several dozen couples married formally in the "big wedding" immediately instigated by the priests. Thereafter Francois Rivet appears regularly in church records as godfather to children of his old companions or as witness to their marriages.

Prior to the land laws of 1850, while sovereignty of the Oregon country was still in abeyance, settlers merely laid claim to any unoccupied area to their liking. Rivet chose a tract south of the St. Paul Mission, apparently sharing it with his sons Antoine and Joseph, who were now farmers on the Prairie with families of their own.

Francois Rivet's name does not appear as a taxpayer in 1844 nor on the census roll of 1850, yet he was certainly living on his claim on those dates.

Among the disputed lists of voters at the Champoeg meeting in 1843 his name is never given as one of those present, but he was one of three vice presidents at a meeting the following year, when a memorial, commonly known as "The French Petition" was addressed to Congress, asking for some assurance of governmental interest in Oregon and protection against Indian uprisings.

Francois Rivet died in Oregon 27 Sep 1852, at age 96. He is buried in the Old Saint Paul Roman Catholic Mission Cemetery, Saint Paul, Marion County, Oregon

Sources:

‪The Mountain men and the fur trade of the far West‬, by ‪LeRoy Reuben Hafen‬, published by ‪A. H. Clark Co.‬, 1968

Sign-Talker: The Adventure of George Drouillard on the Lewis and Clark Expedition

The Travels of David Thompson 1784-1812: Volume II Foothills and Forests 1798–1806

French Canadians, Furs, and Indigenous Women in the Making of the Pacific Northwest

By Honor and Right: How One Man Boldly Defined the Destiny of a Nation

The Intrepid Voyageurs - Lewis and Clark Trail Heritage Foundation

Collections of the State Historical Society of Wisconsin

Oregon Trail Timeline 1792-1815

"Names of people in the West, during the Fur Trade"

Lineage from  François Rivet (1754 - 1852) -- my 2nd cousin 7x removed

Nicolas-Pierre Rivet (1719 - 1811) -- father of François Rivet

Pierre Rivet (1683 - 1753) -- father of Nicolas-Pierre Rivet

Maurice Rivet (1642 - 1712) -- father of Pierre Rivet

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

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 - 1807) -- son of Marie Madeleine Duquet

Gabriel Pinsonneau (1803 - 1877) -- son of Gabriel Pinsonneau

Lucy Passino (1836 - 1917) -- daughter of Gabriel Pinsonneau -- my 2nd great-grandmother

Pierre Poupart and One Hundred Years of Voyageur Descendants

1670s...
Pierre Poupart my 8th great-grandfather was a Voyageur for Daumont de Saint-Lusson and Nicolas Perrot in 1670 when they claimed the Great Lakes for France.

SEE: 1670, Daumont de Saint-Lusson and Nicolas Perrot Claim the Great Lakes
http://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/2016/07/1670-daumont-de-saint-lusson-and.html

From: French-Canadian Exploration, Missionary Work, and Fur Trading in Hudson Bay, the Great Lakes, and Mississippi Valley During the 17th Century – Part 6 1674 to December 1681 by Diane Wolford Sheppard

August 1679, we find an incident that took place at Michilimackinac: "La Salle and Tonty arrested four of the men who had deserted La  Salle’s trading group after they heard rumors that the Griffon would never reach Michilimackinac (Gabriel Barbier dit LeMinime, Le Barbier, Poupart, and Saint Croix)" It is unclear exactly who this Poupart is, but it seems likely to be our Pierre Poupart.

We know Pierre was killed by the Iroquois on 7 June 1699, at LaPrairie.  He was just 40 years old.

1720s...
Joseph Poupart my 7th great-grandfather A voyageur to Detroit: (1723, August 27, Charles Chesne embauché Joseph Poupart voyageur de LaPrairie, aller à Détroit, Notary Adhémar).  He is the son of Pierre Poupart (1653 - 1699) and Marguerite Perras dit La Fontaine (1665 - 1708)

1750s
Joseph Poupart my 1st cousin 8x removed A voyageur to the Illinois Country: (1751, Jul 2, Jacques Quesnel embauché Joseph Poupart voyageur de LaPrairie, gouvernail, aller à Illinois, notary Adhemar).  He is the son of Jean Baptiste Poupart (1689–1730) and Marie Catherine Gervais (1689–1763), and the grandson of Pierre Poupart (1653 - 1699).

Jacques Poupart my 1st cousin 8x removed is a voyageur at Michilimackinac: (1753, Apr 8, Toussaints pothier embauché Jacques Poupart voyageur de LaPrairie, gouvernail, aller à Michilimackinac, notary Danré Blanzy).  He is another son of Jean Baptiste Poupart (1689–1730) and Marie Catherine Gervais (1689–1763), and the grandson of Pierre Poupart (1653 - 1699).

It's curious to note that we also find Etienne Duquet dit Desrochers -- 6th great-grandfather (from an entirely different branch of the family tree) also contracted on the same trip: (1753, Apr 13, Toussaints Pothier embauché Étienne Duquet voyageur de LaPrairie, gouvernail, aller à Michilimackinac, notary Danré Blanzy)

1790s...
Jean-Baptiste Poupart my 2nd cousin 7x removed is a voyageur at Michilimackinac: (1799, July 19, James Robertson & Co. embauché Jean-Baptiste Poupart voyageur de LaPrairie, devant, aller à Michilimackinac, notary Chaboillez)  He is the son of Jacques Poupart (1720–1810) and Marie Anne Goyau (1726–1769), and great-grandson of Pierre Poupart (1653 - 1699).

This Jean-Baptiste Poupart (1762–1832) my 2nd cousin 7x removed was born 16 MAY 1762 in Laprairie, Quebec, Canada, and died 25 JAN 1832 in Châteauguay, Quebec, Canada. He married 22 Oct 1787 in Longueuil, Quebec, Canada to Marie Suzanne Debuc (Dubuque)(1768–1844).

I believe there is a good chance he is the same Jean-Baptiste Poupart (Poupard) who is sharing property with Gabriel Pinsonault -- my 4th great-grandfather -- in Chateauguay on the 1825 Lower Canada Census (See Below: Page 1098, Publication Number MG 31 C1, FHL Film Number 2443958).

 

Our Lineage from Pierre Poupart to Lucy Pinsonneau -- my 2nd great-grandmother:

Pierre Poupart (1653 - 1699) -- 8th great-grandfather

Joseph Poupart (1696 - 1726) -- son of Pierre Poupart

Marie Josephe Poupart (1725 - 1799) -- daughter of Joseph Poupart

Pierre Barette dit Courville (1748 - 1794) -- son of Marie Josephe Poupart

Marie Angelique Baret (Barette) dit Courville (1779 - 1815) -- daughter of Pierre Barette dit Courville

Marie Emélie Meunier dit Lagassé (1808 - 1883) -- daughter of Marie Angelique Baret (Barette) dit Courville

Lucy Pinsonneau (Passino) (1836 - 1917) -- daughter of Marie Emélie (Mary) Meunier dit Lagassé -- my 2nd great-grandmother

Cousin Andre Lagasse was an Interpreter for David Thompson

In 1803, Andre Lagasse -- my 1st cousin 6x removed -- signed a 4 year contract to act as a guide and interpreter for the North West Company, and to go to the Red River, Swan River and Lake Winnipeg.

Andre's contract dated April 19, 1803:

Last Name: Lagasse

Last Name Standardized: LAGACE

Given Names: André

Contract Date: 1803, Apr 19

Contract Place: Montréal

Length of Contract: 4 years

Overwintered: Yes

Parish: MONTRÉAL

Parish (Standardized): Montréal

Destinations: Grand Portage, Nord et Dépendances (North and Dependencies), RIVIÈRE ROUGE (Red River), Lac Winipique ou rivière du Cygne (Winnipeg lake or the Swan River)

Occupation: NL

Functions: GUIDE, Interprete

Function Notes: Guide et interprete pour la rivière rouge, Lac Winipique ou la rivière du Cingne (Translation: Guide and interpreter for the Red river, Swan river and lake Winnipeg)

Merchant Company: Alex Mackenzie & Co. (Also known as the North West Company at that time)

Company Representative: NL

Notary Name: Gray, Jonathan A.

Wages: 1500 Livres ou chelins par année (or shillings per year)

Advance at Signing: 0 NL

Advance at Departure: 0 NL

Contract Notes: - passer par Michilimakinac, s’il en esr requis. - équipement double d’un guide (Translation: Michilimakinac go through, if required ESR . - Equipment doubles as a guide)

Archive Source: BANQ, Greffes de notaires

Microfilm Number: M620/1535 00214

Journals of Alexander Henry and David Thompson

We know from Journal entries and records kept by explorers Alexander Henry and David Thompson that Andre was part of their adventure among the Indians on the Red, Saskatchewan, Missouri, and Columbia Rivers.

About Alexander Henry (from wikipedia)

Alexander Henry 'The Younger' (1765 – 22 May 1814), was an early Canadian fur trader, explorer and diarist. From 1799 until his premature death in 1814 he kept an extensive diary which is the most complete record ever printed of the daily life of a fur trader in the north. These journals cover everything that happened to him in a most matter-of-fact manner and have yielded much material for historians and other researchers of that time period in North American history.

In 1792, with his well-known uncle of the same name, Henry became a partner in the North West Company and he was later a wintering partner of the XY Company and the Pacific Fur Company. His diaries record his travels from Lake Superior to the Pacific Ocean. In Canada, he travelled through Ontario, Manitoba, Assiniboia, Keewatin, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. In the United States of America his travels took him through areas that comprise the modern states of Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. 

He encountered many different tribes of Indians, and in the north saw much of the Chippewas, the three tribes of the Blackfeet, the Crees, Assiniboines, Sioux, Sarcees, and others. In the south, he reached the Mandans, the Minitari, the Rees, and even the Cheyennes, south of the Missouri River. On the west coast he saw many tribes of the Columbia River, such as the Wanapum. In 1808, he travelled with David Thompson from Lake Winnipeg to Fort Vermilion, Alberta.

From Fort George, Henry and Donald McTavish (first cousin of Simon McTavish) were being taken back along the Columbia River by five sailors of the Royal Navy to the warship HMS Isaac Todd when their boat capsized and they drowned.

About David Thompson (from wikipedia)

David Thompson (30 April 1770 – 10 February 1857) was a British-Canadian fur trader, surveyor, and map-maker, known to some native peoples as "Koo-Koo-Sint" or "the Stargazer." Over Thompson's career, he travelled some 90,000 kilometres (56,000 mi) across North America, mapping 4.9 million square kilometres (1.9 million square miles) of North America along the way. For this historic feat, Thompson has been described as the "greatest land geographer who ever lived."

Thompson's decision to defect to the North West Company in 1797 without providing the customary one-year notice was not well received by his former employers (Hudson's Bay Company). However, joining the North West Company allowed Thompson to pursue his interest in surveying and work on mapping the interior of what was to become Canada. 

In 1797, Thompson was sent south by his employers to survey part of the Canada-US boundary along the water routes from Lake Superior to Lake of the Woods to satisfy unresolved questions of territory arising from the Jay Treaty between Great Britain and the United States. By 1798 Thompson had completed a survey of 6,750 km (4,190 mi) from Grand Portage, through Lake Winnipeg, to the headwaters of the Assiniboine and Mississippi Rivers, as well as two sides of Lake Superior.

In 1798, the company sent him to Red Deer Lake (Lac La Biche in present-day Alberta) to establish a trading post. The English translation of Lac la Biche-Red Deer Lake-first appeared on the Mackenzie map of 1793.

Thompson spent the next few seasons trading based in Fort George (now in Alberta), and during this time led several expeditions into the Rocky Mountains.

In 1804, at the annual meeting of the North West Company in Kaministiquia, Thompson was made a full partner of the company and spent the next few seasons based there managing the fur trading operations but still finding time to expand his surveys of the waterways around Lake Superior. However, a decision was made at the 1806 company meeting to send Thompson back out into the interior. Concern over the American-backed expedition of Lewis and Clark prompted the North West Company to charge Thompson with the task of finding a route to the Pacific to open up the lucrative trading territories of the Pacific Northwest.

Andre Lagasse's Fur Trading Adventures:

From: New light on the early history of the greater Northwest : the manuscript journals of Alexander Henry ... and of David Thompson ... 1799-1814, page 28...

"A very successful winter was spent at Park River. Henry took at his station, 643 beaver skins, 125 black bear, 23 brown bear, 2 grizzly bear, 83 wolf, 102 red fox, 7 kitt, 178 fisher, 96 otter, 62 marten and 97 mink. 

Michael Langlois, clerk on the Red River Brigade, who remained in charge of the party at Morris during the winter of 1800- '01, had also a station at Hair Hills (Pembina Mountains) that winter. The returns showed 832 beaver skins, 52 black bear, 20 brown bear, 4 grizzly bear, 111 wolf, 82 red fox, 9 kitt, 37 raccoon, 108 fisher, 60 otter, 26 marten, 68 mink and various other skins, bags of pemmican, kegs of grease and bales of meat. 

Andre Lagasse, "a voyageur, conductor," in the Red River Brigade was sent from Morris to trade with the Indians in the Pembina Mountains the winter of 1800-'01. With him went Joseph Dubois, "voyageur, steerer or helmsman," and later they were succeeded by Joseph Hamel, "'voyageur and midman" in the Red River Brigade."

AND From: New light on the early history of the greater Northwest : the manuscript journals of Alexander Henry ... and of David Thompson ... 1799-1814, page 50: 

"There were many portages on the route from Lake Superior, ranging in length from short distances to 3,000 feet, over which both canoes and goods were packed, each man carrying from 90 to 180 pounds, the bowman and the helmsman carrying the canoe. 

In the first canoe there were — First, Alexander Henry, the bourgeois ; second, Jacques Barbe, voyageur, conductor or bowman; third, Etienne Charbonneau, voyageur, steerer; fourth, Joseph Dubois, voyageur, steerer; fifth, Angus McDonald, voyageur, midman; sixth, Antoine Lafrance, voyageur midman ; seventh, Pierre Bonga, a negro servant of Mr. Henry. 

Second canoe — Eighth, Michael Langlois (sometimes mentioned as Coloret), clerk, with his wife and daughter; ninth, Andre Lagasse (sometimes mentioned as Lagace or La Gasser), voyageur, conductor, with his wife; tenth, Joachim Daisville (sometimes mentioned as Danville and once as Rainville in transcribing Henry's Journal), voyageur, steerer; eleventh, Andre Beauchemin, voyageur, midman ; twelfth, Jean Baptiste Benoit, voyageur, midman. 

Third canoe — Thirteenth, Jean Baptiste Demerais, interpreter, wife and two children; fourteenth, Jean Baptiste Larocque, Sr., voyageur, conductor; fifteenth, Jean Baptiste Larocque, Jr., voyageur, steerer; sixteenth, Etienne Roy, voyageur, midman; seventeenth, Francois Rogers, Sr., voyageur, midman. 

Fourth canoe — Eighteenth, Joseph Masson (or Maceon), voyageur, conductor, wife and child; nineteenth, Charles Bellegarde, voyageur, steerer; twentieth, Joseph Hamel, voyageur, midman ; twenty-first, Nicholas Pouliotte, voyageur, midman."

ALSO FROM: New light on the early history of the greater Northwest : the manuscript journals of Alexander Henry ... and of David Thompson ... 1799-1814, page 51

"No. 9. No question of identity in this case.—There is at least one other of same surname, Charles Lagasse, or Lagace, who was with Thompson on the Upper Saskatchewan in April, 1800 ; went with him to the Kootenays, Oct. 5th-23d, 1800" -- I believe this is Andre's brother (See his HBC contract at end of this post).

More about André Lagassé

André Meunier dit (Lagacé) Lagassé, was baptised 19 AUG 1775 in La Pocatière, Quebec, Canada.  An unidentified source has his death as  3 Jun 1856, but I cannot find that record.

On 16 Oct 1798, in  Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Québec he married Marie Marthe Thiboutot (Boutotte)(1747–1759)

André was the son of Charles Migner Lagacé born 28 Nov 1744, died 23 Jan 1819, AND Marie Madeleine Aubé dit Aubert.  And, he was the grandson of Joseph Migner (Lagacé) Lagassé AND Felicite Caouette.

Lineage to Lucy Pinsonneau:

Andre Lagasse (Mignier) dit Lagace (1775 - ) -- 1st cousin 6x removed

Charles Mignier dit Lagace (1744 - ) -- father of Andre Lagasse (Mignier) dit Lagace

Joseph Mignier dit Lagace (1706 - 1778) -- father of Charles Mignier dit Lagace

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 Pinsonneau (Passino) (1836 - 1917) -- daughter of Marie Emélie (Mary) Meunier dit Lagassé -- my 2nd great-grandmother

The document above, from the Archives of Winnipeg, is the transfer of a contract for Charles Lagasse from the North West Company to the Hudson's Bay Company after their merger in 1821.  I believe this Charles is perhaps the younger brother of Andre.

Great-uncle Joseph a NWC Voyageur who Travelled with Alexander Mackenzie

Joseph Vielle dit Cossé -- 5th great-uncle -- was a voyageur in the employ of Alexander Mackenzie when they travelled to Grand Portage in 1797, however Joseph's contract was for a 3 year period, so he obviously went further West.  Perhaps Joseph was with explorer David Thompson, who in 1797, was sent south by the North West Company (NWC) to survey part of the Canada-US boundary along the water routes from Lake Superior to Lake of the Woods to satisfy unresolved questions of territory arising from the Jay Treaty between Great Britain and the United States.

Joseph Vielle dit Cossé contract: (1797, Feb 14 - Engaged as a voyageur to go to Nord Ouest [North West], Nipigon and Lac Superieur for traders McTavish, Frobisher and Company aka North West Company, Company Representative: Alexander Mackenzie)

Joseph's younger brother Michel was also employed by the NWC

Michel Vielle dit Cossé (1793, Mar 19 - Engaged as a voyageur to go to dans le Nord-Ouest du Canada (far north west) for traders McTavish, Frobisher and Company aka North West Company)

The contracts for both brothers state they are Bowmen (Avant) the man located in the front (or bow) of the canoe who acted as the guide.

Joseph and Michel Vielle dit Cossé are brothers and the sons of Michel Vielle dit Cossé (1724 - 1805) our 5th great-grandfather and Marie Elisabeth Marier (1740 - 1785) our 5th great-grandmother.  Their sister Marie-Louise Vielle (1780 - 1813) was my 4th great-grandmother who married Gabriel Pinsonneau (Pinsono) (1770 - 1807) my 4th great-grandfather.  He was also a voyageur who travelled to Michigan in 1797, for a trading company owned by brothers Jacques and Francois Laselle).

Our lineage from the Vielle dit Cossé brothers:

Joseph Vielle dit Cossé (1767 - ) -- 5th great-uncle AND Michel Vielle dit Cossé (1771 - 1810) -- 5th great-uncle



Michel Vielle dit Cossé (1724 - 1805) -- father of Michel Vielle dit Cossé



Marie-Louise Vielle (1780 - 1813) -- daughter of Michel Vielle dit Cossé



Gabriel (Gilbert) Passino (Passinault) (Pinsonneau) (1803 - 1877) -- son of Marie-Louise Vielle



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 -- Grandmother

Sir Alexander Mackenzie was a Scottish explorer

Mackenzie is best known for his overland crossing of what is now Canada to reach the Pacific Ocean in 1793.  As a major partner in the North West Company, he was based in Montréal from 1794 to 1799, but travelled to Grand Portage, New York, and Philadelphia on company business.

In 1799, Alexander Mackenzie severed ties with the company (owing in part to conflict with Simon McTavish) and sailed for England. The next year he joined a rival company, the XY Company or New North West Company (which quickly became known as Alexander Mackenzie and Company). In 1801, Mackenzie published his Voyages from Montreal to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans (1801), which garnered him considerable public and literary attention.

In fact, Mackenzie’s book, Voyages from Montreal to the Frozen and Pacific Oceans (1801), would inspire and guide other explorers. Several editions were published, including a pirated French version and two German editions. United States President Thomas Jefferson presented an American edition of Mackenzie’s book to Meriwether Lewis, who would carry it to the Pacific on his famed expedition with William Clark in 1804–6.

The firm of McTavish, Frobisher and Company, founded in November 1787, effectively controlled eleven of the North West Company’s twenty outstanding shares.

1797, Feb 14, Engagement of Joseph Vielle dit Cossé (1767-_) (5th great-uncle); voyageur, to go to Nord Ouest [North West], Nipigon and Lac Superieur for traders McTavish, Frobisher and Company aka North West Company. Hired by company representative Alexander Mackenzie. The contract states he is a Bowmen (Avant) the man located in the front (or bow) of the canoe who acted as the guide.