M. (1) 12 Sep 1722 in Boucherville, New France
Wife: Rose Veronneau
M. (2) 26 Jan 1750 in Fort Frontenac, New France
Wife: Catherine Brunet
D. about 1758, (possibly) Fort Frontenac, New France
As a person born in Acadia during the late 17th century, Joesph Levron dit Metayer was destined for a future struggling under the thumb of British rule. But instead he took a different course as a sea captain, bringing him far away from his native colony.
Joseph was born at Port Royal, Acadia in about 1691 to François Levron dit Nantois and Catherine Agnes Savoie, one of nine children. This was during a period of hardship for Acadians, as they faced repeated aggression from the English. Census records indicated that Joseph’s family went from having a thriving farm in 1700 to one that could barely support them in 1707. During an invasion that year, many homes were burned in Port Royal, with livestock also destroyed. By 1710, the English fully took over the colony, and the Acadian ties with France were permanently severed.
As he came of age, Joseph must have sought a way to escape living under English authority. He likely began working as a seaman when he was a young man in Port Royal. It was common for a sailor to have a layover in a distant place that turned into resettlement, and Joseph eventually put down roots along the St. Lawrence River near Montreal. On September 12, 1722, he married Rose Veronneau, a native of Boucherville, a town which became his new home base.
As he came of age, Joseph must have sought a way to escape living under English authority. He likely began working as a seaman when he was a young man in Port Royal. It was common for a sailor to have a layover in a distant place that turned into resettlement, and Joseph eventually put down roots along the St. Lawrence River near Montreal. On September 12, 1722, he married Rose Veronneau, a native of Boucherville, a town which became his new home base.
The places Joseph lived during his life.
In the early 18th century, Montreal was the launching point for French fur traders who did their business on the American frontier, and Joseph became captain of a ship that served the trade. Joseph and Rose had five children between 1724 and 1738, and the gaps in their ages suggest that he was away from home for extended periods of time. Further evidence of this is in a contract dated June 15, 1741 where Joseph agreed to bring a load of goods to Pointe Chequamegon and remain there for two years in return for 700 livres. This was a trading post that was very remote — a bay on the southern shore of Lake Superior in present-day Wisconsin. At the time it was the only post in the region.
Joseph’s wife Rose died in Boucherville on December 27, 1748, and not long after, he relocated to another outpost, Fort Frontenac. He seems to have taken his youngest daughter with him, and his married son Joseph spent time there as well. Fort Frontenac was located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario and was populated with less than 150 people, 50 of whom were part of the military. By this time, it was mainly used as a supply depot and a stopping place for vessels passing through.
1750s layout of Fort Frontenac.
On January 26, 1750, Joseph married a second wife, Catherine Brunet, who was a widow. The wedding took place at Fort Frontenac. Two years later, Joseph’s daughter, Marie-Josephte, also married at the fort. Although the parish register said that she was about 17, she was actually just 13-years-old. The marriage record described her father Joseph as a captain in the service of the king, which may denote some sort of military status Involving the ship he operated.
This was the last known record of Joseph, and it’s assumed he passed away within a few years. Fort Frontenac was captured by the British in 1758, and his death may have been related to that. If so, it’s a sad commentary that the same force who attacked his community during his childhood finished him off in the end.
Children (all with Rose Veronneau):
1. Anne Levron — B. 31 Oct 1724, Boucherville, New France; D. 24 Feb 1754; M. Jacques Lussier (1720-1778), 13 Jan 1744, Boucherville, New France
2. Joseph Levron dit Metayer — B. 18 Jun 1728, Boucherville, New France; D. 29 Jan 1771, Vincennes, Illinois Territory; M. Josephe-Amable Cousteau (1728-?), 7 Feb 1747
3. Louis Levron — B. 31 May 1731, Boucherville, New France
4. Pierre Levron — B. 28 Jan 1736, Boucherville, New France
5. Marie-Josephte Levron – B. 22 Sep 1738, Boucherville, New France; D. 24 Mar 1807, La Malbaie, Quebec; M. Joseph Mercier (1725-1803), 17 Jan 1752, Fort Frontenac, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française, George F.G. Stanley, 1954
Fort Frontenac (Wikipedia article)
