Dutch Baker in 18th-Century Brooklyn — Adrian Hegeman

B. about 1683 in (probably) Pemaquid, Maine
M. (1) 15 Dec 1706 in Flatbush, New York
Wife: Elizabeth Van Wyck
M. (2) before 1719
Wife: Sarah _______
D. after 11 Aug 1762 in (probably) Brooklyn, New York

The roots of Brooklyn are found in a handful of Dutch families who first made their homes there during colonial times. One member of a prominent early family was Adrian Hegeman, who worked as a baker near the shore of the East River.

Adrian didn't start out in Brooklyn. His father, Denys Hegeman, had been serving as a soldier up in Maine, and married an English girl named Grace Dollen. They lived in the town of Pemaquid, where Adrian was born in about 1683. It was a dangerous place to try to raise a family, and the Hegemans were in the crosshairs of local tribes who were aligned with the French. In August 1689, when Adrian was about six years-old, Indians raided the settlement, attacking his family's home. They captured his mother and younger sister by force, but he escaped harm.

After bringing the remaining children to the safety of Brooklyn, Adrian's father went back to Maine in an attempt to rescue Adrian's mother, but was taken by the French. Both parents were held in Quebec, and it would be four years before they were freed. The sister who was captured in the raid presumably died early on. Adrian had a brother born while his parents were in captivity, and two more brothers were born in the next few years in Brooklyn.

Perhaps because of the experiences of his childhood, once Adrian settled in Brooklyn, he more or less stayed there for the rest of his life. On December 15, 1706, he married Elizabeth Van Wyck in Flatbush; they had four children born between 1707 and 1714, but she passed away soon after. By 1718, Adrian married a second wife whose name was Sarah (her last name is unknown), and they had six children together, with the youngest born in 1734. 

Adrian made a living as a baker in New Utrecht, then later moved his home and business to near the ferry in Brooklyn. The area was mostly rural, but by the mid-18th century, a thriving town was starting to develop near the waterfront which would one day become a major city.

Brooklyn Ferry in 1750.

On August 11, 1762, Adrian wrote his will, mentioning his wife Sarah and surviving children as his beneficiaries. Also noted was “my estate in New Jersey and elsewhere,” which likely meant Somerset County, a place where his son Adrian lived. He passed away soon after; it isn’t known when Sarah died. 

Children by Elizabeth Van Wyck:
1. Denys Hegeman — B. 1707; M. Susanne ________

2. Cornelius Hegeman — B. 1709, Flatbush, New York; M. Martje Wiltse (1725-?), 10 Sep 1740, New York

3. Elizabeth Hegeman — B. 1711; M. Jacobus Simonse

4. Dirck Hegeman — B. 1714, Flatbush, New York; M. Aeltie Dolson, 3 Dec 1738, Fishkill, New York

Children by Sarah:
1. Adrian Hegeman — B. 1 Feb 1719, New Utrecht, New York; M. Sarah Terhune (1721-?), 10 May 1742, (probably) New York

2. Sarah Hegeman — B. before 16 Jul 1721, New Utrecht, New York; M. Richard Morrel

3. Joseph Hegeman — B. before 3 Jul 1726, New Utrecht, New York: D. young

4. Lucretia Hegeman — B. 11 Aug 1728, New Utrecht, New York; M. Alexander Forbus, 30 Jun 1753, New York, New York

5. Peter Hegeman — B. 10 Nov 1731, New Utrecht, New York; M. Christina Pearsall, 4 Jul 1765, New York, New York

6. Joseph Hegeman — B. 4 Sep 1734, New Utrecht, New York

Sources:
Ten years at Pemaquid: sketches of its history and its ruins, John Henry Cartland, 1899
"The Tribulations of Denys Hegeman," Richard W. Cook, Genealogies of New Jersey Families: A-Z, pre-American notes on New Netherland families, 1996
Register of the Early Settlers of Kings County, Long Island, N.Y., Teunis G. Bergen
Genealogy website of John Blythe Dobson, which cites many sources

Father of 21 Children — Antoine Emery dit Coderre

B. 6 Aug 1643 in Sarrazac, France
M. (1) 13 Apr 1674 in Contrecoeur, New France
Wife: Marie Devault
M. (2) 1688 in New France
Wife: Marie-Anne Favreau
D. 10 Feb 1716 in Contrecœur, New France

Twenty-one children is a lot of offspring, even for an early settler in New France, but Antoine Emery dit Coderre left such a legacy. He was born in the village of Le Vieux Sarrazac, France on August 6, 1643; his parents were Megny Aymeric and Marguerite Pasquau, who had at least two other children. When he came of age, Antoine joined the military as part of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, and he sailed from La Rochelle on May 13, 1665 on board the ship La Paix. After a journey of several months, he arrived at Quebec on August 19th.

Antoine’s unit was the Contrecœur company, serving under Antoine Pécaudy de Contrecœur. Like most of the companies, the Contrecœur soldiers were sent first to build some forts along the Richelieu River, but afterwards, they camped for the winter at Montreal. This seems to have become their base of operation for the rest of the time. Like many of the men, after his service was up, Antoine chose to make his life in New France. 

Carignan-Salières Regiment soldiers in Canada.

Antoine’s company leader Pécaudy de Contrecœur also stayed on in New France, and settled in the Montreal area, and Antoine acquired a concession nearby in an agreement dated November 5, 1667. Five years later, the area became formally designated as the seigneury of Contrecœur. On November 26, 1670, Antoine was named in a document as leasing a cow in the settlement of Verchéres, also close to Montreal, so he may have farmed there at some point. He took a wife around this time, a Fille du Roi named Marie Devault; they got formally married on April 13, 1674, but this was after they already had four children. By 1687, Marie gave birth to seven more; of their eleven children, five died young.

During his marriage, Antoine moved back to Contrecœur on 90 arpents of land that fronted the St. Lawrence River. The 1681 census showed that he had 8 cattle and 16 arpents under cultivation. On December 6, 1687, Marie died, probably from giving birth to their youngest child, who also died about the same time. It wasn’t long after Antoine lost his wife that he decided to leave Contrecœur because it was so vulnerable to attack from the Iroquois; several other settlers did the same. His new home was at Boucherville, and he lived there for at least the next ten years. It was a good move because Contrecœur was attacked in 1691 and many houses were burned.

At age 44, Antoine married Marie-Anne Favreau, the 16-year-old daughter of one of the soldiers he had served with in the Contrecœur company. Antoine agreed to a contract on June 6, 1688 promising to marry her within 3 months. The actual wedding date isn’t known because the record is lost. The couple had ten children born between 1690 and 1711. Meanwhile, Antoine acquired more land, probably to have property he could pass to his many sons. On April 18, 1695, he signed a lease from merchant Pierre Perthuis for a tract that had 6 arpents of river frontage in Pointe-aux-Trembles. Then on January 27, 1699, he acquired 100 arpents of land at Saint-Sulpice.

Antoine was residing back in Contrecœur when he passed away on February 10, 1716. He was survived by his wife Marie-Anne, six daughters and eight sons. Marie-Anne remarried and lived until 1737.

About the name Coderre
Antoine added “dit Coderre” to his name at the time he migrated to New France. It was common for immigrants to add “dit names” to their surname to indicate where they came from. Most of his descendants shortened the name, with some using "Emery" and others using a variation of "Coderre." The mystery of the name Coderre may have been solved when a 20th century descendant visited the site of the village where Antoine was baptized and discovered there had been another village nearby named Le Coderc. Both places are long gone and only exist today as the ruins of some old buildings. It’s likely that Le Coderc was where Antoine lived as a boy.

Children by Marie Devault:
1. Marie-Elisabeth Emery dite Coderre — B. about 1670, New France; D. 27 Dec 1755, Contrecœur, New France; M. Nicolas Bonin, 8 Feb 1685, Contrecoeur, New France

2. Pierre Emery dit Coderre — B. 29 Jan 1671, Boucherville, New France; D. 7 Mar 1746, Lanoraie, New France; M. Marie-Jeanne Énaud, about 1720

3. Jean-Baptiste Emery dit Coderre — B. 2 Apr 1672, (probably) Contrecœur, New France; D. before 1681, (probably) Contrecœur, New France

4. Louis Emery dit Coderre — B. 14 Mar 1674, Contrecœur, New France; D. 10 May 1703, Contrecœur, New France; M. Marie-Madeleine Leclerc (?-1758), 2 May 1697, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

5. Marie Emery dite Coderre — B. 6 Feb 1676, Contrecœur, New France; D. before 1681, (probably) Contrecœur, New France

6. Antoine Emery dit Coderre — B. 4 Feb 1677, Contrecœur, New France; D. 30 Mar 1677, Contrecœur, New France

7. Marie-Madeleine Emery dite Coderre — B. 27 Feb 1678, Contrecœur, New France; D. 9 Jun 1760, Boucherville, New France; M. Mathurin Favreau (~1676-?), 11 Jan 1700, Contrecœur, New France

8. Marguerite Emery dite Coderre — B. 1680, Contrecœur, New France; D. 30 May 1758, Saint-Sulpice, New France; M. Nicolas Jouanne, 24 Sep 1708, Contrecoeur, New France

9. Françoise Emery dite Coderre — B. 3 Oct 1682, Contrecœur, New France; D. 3 Dec 1758, Saint-Sulpice, New France; M. Jean-Baptiste Laperche dit Saint-Jean (~1674-?), 11 Jan 1700, Boucherville, New France

10. Anne Emery dite Coderre — B. 24 Dec 1684, Contrecœur, New France; D. 3 Jan 1685, Contrecœur, New France

11. Marie Emery dite Coderre — B. Oct 1687, Repentigny, New France; D. 4 Dec 1687, Repentigny, New France

Children by Marie-Anne Favreau:
1. Antoine Emery dit Coderre — B. 4 Jun 1690, Boucherville, New France; D. 29 Feb 1736, Contrecœur, New France; M. Marguerite Brunel, 10 Feb 1716, Montreal, New France

2. Marie-Anne dite Coderre — B. 19 Mar 1692, Boucherville, New France; D. 4 Mar 1768, Saint-Sulpice, Quebec, M. Ignace Piché, 16 Jun 1717, Contrecoeur, New France

3. Louis Emery dit Coderre — B. 1 Jun 1694, Boucherville, New France; D. 14 Apr 1763, Saint-Ours, New France; M. Elisabeth Menard (1699-1781), 10 Nov 1719, Verchéres, New France

4. Catherine Emery dite Coderre — B. 24 Feb 1696, Boucherville, New France; 12 Aug 1768, Verchéres, Quebec; M. Michel Bouvier, 19 Mar 1718, St-Ours, New France

5. Joseph Emery dit Coderre — B. 24 Feb 1698, Boucherville, New France; D. 21 Apr 1762, Vaudreuil, New France; M. (1) Marie Perrin (1702-?), 6 Jul 1725, Ste-Anne-de-Bout-de-I’lle, New France; (2) Marie-Louise Brunet, 30 Apr 1737, Ste-Anne-de-Bout-de-I’lle, New France

6. François Godere — B. about 1700, (probably) Contrecœur, New France; M. Agnes Richard (1719-?), about 1735

7. Jean-Baptiste Emery dit Coderre — B. 23 Jan 1703, Contrecœur, New France; 7 May 1756, Saint-Ours, New France; M. Marie-Barbe Meunier, 20 Mar 1728, Contrecoeur, New France

8. Gabriel Emery dit Coderre — B. about 1705, (probably) Contrecœur, New France; D. 18 Jun 1770, Saint-Sulpice, Quebec; M. Genevieve-Agathe Dalpec (1713-?), 26 Jan 1733, Saint-Sulpice, New France

9. Jacques Emery dit Coderre — B. 2 Aug 1708, Contrecœur, New France; D. 2 Nov 1767, Saint-Ours, Quebec; M. Marguerite Gazaille (1713-?), 12 Nov 1731, Contrecœur, New France

10. Ursule Emery dite Coderre — B. about 1711, (probably) Contrecœur, New France; D. 17 Dec 1744, Saint-Denis-sur-Richelieu, New France; M. Joseph Meunier, 18 Nov 1737, Contrecœur, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
Emery dit Coderre and Coderre dit Lacaillade, Rootsweb.ancestry.com
Migrations.fr (website)

Born to Become a Fur Trader — Charles Diel

B. 29 Jan 1722 in LaPrairie, New France
M. 16 Jan 1746 in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
Wife: Felicite Sauve dit La Plante
D. about 1756 in (probably) New France

In 18th-century New France, if your father was a fur trader, and his father was a fur trader, chances were you would follow the same profession. This was true for Charles Diel, who signed up for several expeditions to the west between 1747 and 1755.

Charles was born on January 29, 1722 to Charles Diel and Jeanne Boyer, and he was the fourth of their nine children. The family lived in LaPrairie, a town across the river from Montreal. Charles Sr. had been on at least two fur trading expeditions before young Charles was born. His mother Jeanne died when he was 8-years-old, and his father remarried, then his father died when he was 12.

On January 16, 1746, Charles married Felicite Sauve dite La Plante, who was from the western end of Montreal island. The couple made their home in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, and had a son born before the year was out. By 1752, they had three more children, all girls.

It was natural that Charles become a fur trader; in addition to his father and grandfather, his two brothers Antoine and Eustache also worked in the business. Men living around Montreal could make good money, although the work was hard and often dangerous, and took them away from their families for months at a time. One source said that Charles signed up for a trading expedition to Fort Ouiatenon (present-day Indiana) in 1747. This fits with the 2-year gap between the births of his first and second children. 

Charles listed on an expedition in 1750.

In June 1751, Charles contracted with Louis St. Ange Charly for a fur trading expedition to Michilimackinac, a post at the northern end of Lake Michigan. He was paid 230 livres for the work he did on this trip. This expedition consisted of three canoes manned by at least 7 men each, and was also given permission to stop at two other trading posts in the upper Great Lakes area. 

It’s believed that Charles went on another expedition to Michilimackinac in May 1755. There’s no record of him after this date, though, and he was dead by the end of 1756. Because there’s no burial record for Charles in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, it seems likely that he died while out in the West. Did he suffer an accident on his final journey? Or perhaps got killed in another way? It’s impossible to say. His wife Felicite remarried on January 8, 1757, but she died in October 1759 not long after giving birth to a child.

Michilimackinac in the 18th century.

Children:
1. Charles Diel — B. 16 Oct 1746, (probably) Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; D. 8 Jul 1813, Vincennes, Indiana Territory; M. Elisabeth Clermond Dubord, about 1773, (probably) Illinois Territory

2. Marie-Louise Diel — B. 1 Dec 1748, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France

3. Marie-Genevieve Diel — B. 20 Apr 1750, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; D. 4 Jan 1773, Ste-Genevieve, Pierrefonds, Quebec; M. Olivier Charlebois (1736-1815), 24 Nov 1766, Pointe-Claire, Quebec

4. Marie-Charlotte Diel — B. 6 Jan 1752, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org

Indiana Diels Descended from Philippe Diel and Marie Anquetin (website)

Online Database of Voyageur Contracts

BAnQ

Her Son Crossed the Delaware — Rachel Carpenter

B. 29 Mar 1729 in Coventry, Connecticut
M. (1) 9 Nov 1749 in Coventry, Connecticut
Husband: Joshua Boynton
M. (2) 5 Sep 1754 in Coventry, Connecticut
Husband: Ebenezer French
D. 28 Feb 1816 in Westhampton, Massachusetts

Like many 18th-century mothers in colonial Massachusetts, Rachel Carpenter experienced the American Revolution through the service of her sons, with one of them involved in some of the most important events of the war. 

Rachel was born on March 29, 1729 in Coventry, Connecticut to Amos Carpenter and Deborah Long, the sixth of their thirteen children. At age 20, she married Joshua Boynton, also from Coventry. The wedding took place on November 9, 1749, and a year later, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter Phebe. Within two years, she had another daughter, but Joshua passed away on October 16, 1752.

Rachel remarried to Ebenezer French on September 5, 1754. They had eight children together born between 1755 and 1770. Ebenezer was from Northampton, Massachusetts, and in about 1762, the family moved near there. They settled in an area that would one-day become Westhampton, a place that had only one other family. Rachel’s husband cleared some land in the wilderness and built a log cabin. In 1764, they owned 20 acres of land, a horse, a “yoke of oxen,” a cow and a hog. By 1766, the family seems to have moved from that location, but they returned in 1773 as the area became more settled.

When the American Revolution was brewing in early 1775, Rachel had two sons who were reaching the age to serve in the military. The town militia was training to be ready on a minute’s notice to fight the British, and 16-year-old Ebenezer was old enough to join them. After the first shots were fired at Lexington, Ebenezer, along with his father Ebenezer, were among the Minutemen who marched to Concord. Young Ebenezer was stationed in Boston until after the Battle of Bunker Hill when he then enlisted in the Continental Army. He marched to Long Island and served with Washington’s troops as they retreated into New Jersey. He was said to have crossed the Delaware and injured a finger which had to be amputated. Later, he was present after the Battle of Saratoga when General Burgoyne surrendered to the Americans.

Rachel’s second son, Nathan, also enlisted in the army, serving as a private from July 1777 to August 1780. Sadly, Rachel lost two of her children, 12-year-old Asenath and 6-year-old Amariah, on or about March 17, 1776. Another child, Hannah also died around this time, suggesting that they must have been the victims of the same illness. The gravestone for Asenath and Amariah is the oldest one in Center Cemetery in Westhampton.

Grave of Asenath and Amariah.

In 1778, Westhampton became an incorporated town, and a minister was chosen, Enoch Hale, the brother of Nathan Hale. Before a meetinghouse could be built, Rachel and Ebenezer’s barn was used for the ordination the new minister in 1779.

Ebenezer was recorded on the 1800 U.S. Census living only with Rachel in their old age. He probably died before 1810. Rachel lived to be almost 87-years-old, dying on February 28, 1816. Her gravestone in Center Cemetery identifies her as “Mrs. Rachel F.” widow of her first husband Joshua Boynton, but oddly doesn’t mention Ebenezer.

Children by Joshua Boynton:
1. Phebe Boynton – B. 23 Nov 1750, Coventry, Connecticut; D. 30 Nov 1847, Easthampton, Massachusetts; M. Benjamin Clapp (1738-1815), 1765, Easthampton, Massachusetts

2. Anne Boynton – B. 24 Mar 1752, Coventry, Connecticut

Children by Ebenezer French:
1. Mary French — B. 1755, Southampton, Massachusetts; D. 11 Jan 1832; M. Thomas Elwell (1752-1803), 24 Oct 1775, Northampton, Massachusetts

2. Ebenezer French — B. 5 Apr 1759, Coventry Connecticut; 17 Nov 1844, Otisco, New York; M. (1) Rachel Patrick; (2) Lucy Bostwick (1760-1808), 11 Jan 1781, Westhampton, Massachusetts

3. Nathan French — B. 3 Feb 1760, Coventry, Connecticut; D. 30 Aug 1847, Westhampton, Massachusetts; M. (1) Persis Sheldon (1765-1796), 8 May1790; (2) Mary Tharp (1772-1855), 18 May 1799, Northampton, Massachusetts

4. Rachel French — B. 12 Mar 1762, Southampton, Massachusetts; D. Mar 1826, Otisco, New York; M. Elias Thayer (1752-1828), 1779

5. Asenath French — B. 12 Apr 1764, Southampton, Massachusetts; 17 Mar 1776, Southampton, Massachusetts

6. Hannah French — B. 27 Apr 1766, Southampton, Massachusetts; 1776, Southampton, Massachusetts

7. Joshua Boynton French — B. 20 Jan 1768, Southampton, Massachusetts; D. 26 Sep 1802, Westhampton, Massachusetts; M. Anna Brockway (1774-1863)

8. Amariah French — B. about 1770, Southampton, Massachusetts; about Mar 1776, Southampton, Massachusetts

Sources:
Births, Marriages and Deaths from the records of the town and churches in Coventry, Connecticut, 1711-1844, Susan Whitney Dimock, 1897
History of Western Massachusetts, Volume 2, by Josiah Gilbert Holland, 1855
Memorial of the Reunion of the Natives of Westhampton, Mass., 1866
The Descendants of Andrew Warner, 1919
Onondaga’s Centennial: Gleanings of a Century, Volume 1, Dwight Hall Bruce, 1896
Find-A-Grave.com

Husband Tortured and Killed by Iroquois — Agnes Tessier

B. 23 Mar 1659 in Montreal, New France
M. (1) 26 Nov 1675 in Montreal, New France
Husband: Guillaume Richard
M. 21 Nov 1692 in Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France
Husband: Claude Duconge
D. 24 Jan 1733 in Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

During the early days of Montreal, French settlers lived under the constant threat of violence at the hands of Iroquois. For Agnes Tessier, her life was directly affected in childhood and in her first marriage.

Agnes came from Montreal's founding families. She was born on March 23, 1659 in Montreal to Urbain Tessier dit Lavigne and Marie Archambault, the 7th of their 17 children. This was a time when Montreal was more of a frontier outpost than a city, and settlers were often attacked by raiding Iroquois. Her father Urbain was said to be fearless in defending the community, but when she was a toddler, he was taken captive by the Iroquois for several months. Luckily, some Jesuits won his release, although he lost a finger to torture.

Like many females in the colony, Agnes was just a teenager when she married her first husband, Guillaume Richard on November 26, 1675. Guillaume had been born in France, arriving in Montreal as a soldier in a force sent over to defend it from the Iroquois. Soon after Agnes married him, she became pregnant, and she gave birth to a daughter the following August. They settled outside Montreal in Pointe-aux-Trembles, and seven more children were added to the family by 1690.

Agnes' signature.

This was a time when the danger from Iroquois aggression was at its worst. On July 2, 1690, Guillaume was part of a small military force who became overwhelmed by 100 Iroquois warriors. The terrible result was that Guillaume was captured, tortured and then killed, and it took four years to recover his body for a proper burial. This was the price Agnes paid for living where she did. 

After her husband’s death, Agnes was left to raise her children alone, so on November 21, 1692, she married another soldier from France named Claude Duconge. With him, she had five more children born between 1693 and 1702. Agnes’ second husband Claude died in 1729. She lived another few years and passed away on January 24, 1733. She was buried next to her first husband in the church cemetery in Point-aux-Trembles.

Children by Guillaume Richard:
1. Agnes Richard — B. 23 Aug 1676, Montreal, New France; D. 4 Apr 1757, Repentigny, New France; M. Jean Moreau Duplessis (~1664-1735), 1 Dec 1703, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

2. Pierre Richard — B. 8 Aug 1678, Montreal, New France; D. 12 Jan 1744, L’Assomption, New France; M. Catherine Larrivee (1686-1759), 11 Oct 1706, Boucherville, New France

3. Guillaume Richard — B. 26 Feb 1680, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

4. Jean-Baptiste Richard — B. 19 Mar 1682, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; M. Marie-Anne You, 15 Aug 1718, Montreal, New France

5. Claude Richard — B. 30 Jan 1684, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

6. Marie-Anne Richard — B. 10 Apr 1686, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 17 Jul 1710, Contrecoeur, New France; M. Mathieu Coitou (1681-1752), 23 Nov 1705, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

7. Marie-Madeleine Richard — B. 14 Mar 1688, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 7 Oct 1726, Varennes, New France; M. (1) Pierre Lambeye Larose (1681-1721), 22 Nov 1706, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; (2) Pierre Desjardins (~1700-1767), 24 May 1723, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

8. Urbain Richard — B. 25 Mar 1690, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 10 Aug 1760, St-Sulpice, New France; M. (1) Marguerite Fleuricourt (1697-1740), 23 Jan 1719, Riviére-des-Prairies, New France; (2) Marie-Catherine-Collet (1695-?), 19 May 1749, St-Sulpice, New France

Children by Claude Duconge:
1. Marie-Barbe Duconge — B. 20 Sep 1693, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 7 Sep 1778, L’Assomption, Quebec; M. Ignace Goulet (1696-1776), 27 Apr 1722, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

2. Marguerite Duconge — B. 26 Jun 1696, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; M. (1) François Marie Jean Serran (1694-1731), 3 Jan 1718, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; (2) Charles Couvret (1710-1760), 22 Sep 1732, Montreal New France

3. Jean-Baptiste Duconge — B. 8 Sep 1698, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 19 Aug 1700, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

4. Catherine Duconge — B. 9 Oct 1700, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 21 Mar 1718, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

5. Guillaume Duconge — B. 27 Jun 1702, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 19 Jun 1705, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
“Richard dit Lafleur, Guillaume,” Dictionary of Canadian Biography

Colonial Woman of Brazil and Brooklyn — Heyltien Aertss

B. about 1625 in Netherlands
M. before 1647, location unknown
Husband: Jurien Probasco
D. after 1666 in New York

Heyltien Aertss was a woman from 17th-century Netherlands who had a remarkable migration story that we don’t entirely know. The facts we do have are that in her short life, she moved between three continents at a time that many Europeans hardly left the town they were born in.

The earliest record of Heyltien was as the mother in a baptism dated March 24, 1647 in the Dutch colony in Brazil (also known as New Holland). How did she come to be living in such a place? Her husband was Jurien Probasco, a man thought to be Polish, and there is no indication whether their wedding took place in the Netherlands or in Brazil. If she was married in the colony, that meant she must have arrived there either on her own or with her parents, but no records offer a clue to her actual emigration circumstance. Heyltien and Jurien went on to have two more children baptized in New Holland, one in 1649 and the other in 1651.

Being a young mother in the colony must have been a difficult life. The Dutch were barely holding onto their territorial claim, which the Portuguese thought they rightly controlled, and the two sides battled each other over a couple of decades. The settlers from the Netherlands engaged in running sugar plantations, which required much labor to operate. This usually meant owning slaves, and it’s unlikely that Heyltien and her husband could have afforded that.

The Probascos time in South America came to an end with the Portuguese takeover of the colony on January 28, 1654. Most of the Dutch left soon after, and Jurien appeared on a contract signed in Amsterdam dated June 17th. The agreement was to move to the New Netherland colony in North America. Only one of their three children has been found in records after their baptisms, so probably the other two had died young in Brazil. 

The Dutch colony in Brazil under siege in 1648.

The family ended up in Brooklyn, where Dutch Reformed church records showed Jurien as sponsor to a baptism in 1661. The following year, Heyltien made a small amount of money for sewing some shirts, likely to supplement her husband’s farm income. Presumably, life was better in North America for the Probascos, where the colony was more stable, and the climate closer to being like in Europe.

An amusing story emerges from a record dated May 14, 1662. On that day, the church gave Heyltien and her husband a cow and heifer to care for. In return for using the cow for their own milk supply, they were to donate a quantity of butter for the poor of the community. But Heyltien soon found that the cow wouldn’t give milk. Afraid that she wouldn’t be able to pay the required donation of butter, she filed an official complaint and asked for a different cow. The records don’t show how the matter was resolved. 

It’s believed that Heyltien’s husband Jurien died in 1664. She lived at least until October 1666 when she last appeared as a sponsor at a baptism. The date and place of her death are unknown.

Children:
1. Margaret Probasco — B. before 24 March 1647, New Holland, Brazil; D. (probably) young

2. Christoffel Probasco — B. before 6 June 1649, New Holland, Brazil; D. after 3 Oct 1724, (probably) Brooklyn, New York; M. Ida Stryker, before 1675, New York

3. Anneken Probasco — B. before 17 May 1651, New Holland, Brazil; D. (probably) young

Sources:
"American Origin of the Probasco Family," William B. Alstyne, Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, 1927
Register of the Early Settlers of Kings County, Long Island, New York, Teunis Bergen, 1881
"The Probasco Origins," Bryce Henderson Stevens, The Vanguard – The Newsletter of the van Aersdalen Family Association, Vol. 1, No. 2, December 1998

Dutch Brazil (wikipedia article)

He Refused a Knighthood — Nicholas Danforth

B. about Feb 1590 in Framlingham, England
M. about 1618 in England
Wife: Elizabeth _______
D. Apr 1638 in Cambridge, Massachusetts

The idea that an Englishman would ever turn down a knighthood doesn’t make any sense. But the offer presented to Nicholas Danforth in the 17th century was really a money-making scheme on the part of the king, so he firmly said no.

Nicholas was born in about February 1590 in the town of Framlingham, located in Suffolk about 90 miles northeast of London. His parents were Thomas Danforth and Jane Sudbury, and he was one of six children. He was likely well-educated; his family owned land, though they weren’t of great wealth. When he came of age, Nicholas acquired the title of “yeoman” just as his father had.

Framlingham, England. (Source: Happy Bean Photography, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

In about 1618, Nicholas married a woman named Elizabeth, whose last name is unproven. They settled in Framlingham and had seven children over the next ten years. Sadly, Elizabeth died in 1628, and was buried two days after the birth of her youngest child; Nicholas never remarried. During his years in Framlingham, Nicholas was made church warden in 1622, and he was a member of the Court Baron in 1629. This was a court that met to decide disputes between lords and tenants in a system practiced since the Middle Ages.

During this time, England was being ruled by Charles I in an era of persecution against religious non-conformists. Puritanism was popular in Suffolk and Nicholas was a follower. The king needed to raise money to fund wars with France and Spain, but he was at odds with Parliament, so he found other ways to collect from his subjects. One of them was to “offer” knighthoods to anyone owning land that had an income over £40 per year. This wasn’t a position of honor because it came with large dues that had to be paid to the king. Nicholas refused the knighthood twice, and it was said that he had to pay a fine.

This may have been the reason Nicholas left England to join the Massachusetts colony. On September 18, 1634, he arrived at Boston with his children on the ship Griffin. Soon after, he settled in Cambridge, buying several houses that had belonged to settlers who moved to Connecticut with Thomas Hooker. He was deputy to the General Court in 1635, and he was appointed along with others to lay out the boundaries of the new towns of Concord and Roxbury. On March 12, 1638, the General Court gave him a license to sell alcohol, so he may have been planning to run a tavern, but he died within a few weeks after that date.

Nicholas’ sons went on to have some prominence in New England. Jonathan became a surveyor, Samuel was a preacher, poet and astronomer, and Thomas was a Puritan leader who played a small part in the Salem witch trials. Among Nicholas’ descendants are James Garfield, Elizabeth Montgomery, Sandra Day O’Connor, Henry Fonda, Peter Fonda, Jane Fonda, Bridget Fonda, and John Lithgow.

A 1647 almanac written by Nicholas' son Samuel.

Children:
1. Elizabeth Danforth — B. about Aug 1619, Framlingham, England; D. 26 Jun 1680, Cambridge, Massachusetts; M. Andrew Belcher (1614-1673), 1 Oct 1639, Cambridge, Massachusetts

2. Mary Danforth — B. about May 1621, Framlingham, England; D. 8 Aug 1674, Groton, Massachusetts; M. Thomas Parrish (1614-?), 1637, Cambridge, Massachusetts

3. Anna Danforth — B. 3 Sep 1622, Framlingham, England; D. 9 Dec 1704, Cambridge, Massachusetts; M. Matthew Bridge (~1618-1700), 1643, Cambridge, Massachusetts

4. Thomas Danforth — B. about 1623, England; D. 5 Nov 1699, Cambridge, Massachusetts; M. Mary Withington (1623-1697), 23 Mar 1643, Dorchester, Massachusetts

5. Lydia Danforth — B. about May 1625, Framlingham, England; D. 16 Aug 1686, Saybrook, Connecticut; M. William Beaumont (~1608-1699), 9 Dec 1643, Saybrook, Connecticut

6. Samuel Danforth — B. 17 Sep 1626, Framlingham, England; D. 19 Nov 1674, Roxbury, Massachusetts; M. Mary Wilson (1633-1713), 5 Nov 1651, Roxbury, Massachusetts

7. Jonathan Danforth — B. 20 Feb 1628, Framlingham, England; D. 7 Sep 1712, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. (1) Elizabeth Poulter (1633-1689), 22 Nov 1654, Boston, Massachusetts; (2) Elizabeth Champney (1631-1713), 7 Nov 1690, Billerica, Massachusetts

Sources:
Danforth Genealogy: Nicholas Danforth of Framlingham, England, and Cambridge, N.E. and William Danforth of Newbury, Mass., John Joseph May, 1902
BCW Project (website)
Find a Grave

2,000 Acres in Hillsborough, New Jersey — Peter Dumont

B. 18 Apr 1679 in Kingston, New York
M. (1) 25 Dec 1700 in (probably) Somerset County, New Jersey 
Wife: Femmetje Janse Van Middleswart
M. (2) 23 Feb 1707 in (probably) Somerset County, New Jersey
Wife: Catelyntje Rapalje
M. (3) 16 Nov 1711 in Flatbush, New York
Wife: Jannetje Vechten
D. (probably) Jul 1744 in Somerset County, New Jersey

Availability of large amounts of land was a strong motivator for migration in colonial America. This is likely why Peter Dumont decided to move from up the Hudson River to central New Jersey.

Peter was born in Kingston, New York April 18, 1679 to Wallerand Dumont and Grietje Hendricks. Kingston was a community about 100 miles north of Manhattan; it had survived a couple of massacres inflicted by local tribes, and Peter’s father had been a Dutch soldier sent to help defend it. Peter had five older siblings and one older half-sister from his mother’s earlier marriage.

It was in about 1699 that Peter left New York to settle in Somerset County, New Jersey. Many Dutch colonists were attracted to the area because the English authorities wanted to populate it, and had guaranteed the Dutch the right to practice their religion. Peter committed himself to the region when on June 10, 1702, he purchased 2,000 acres for £380. The land was located in Hillsborough township, on the south side of the Raritan River. It stayed in the family for several generations and part of it would one day be owned by a U.S. Senator and descendant of Peter named Frederick Freylinghuysen. 

 

Typical 18th-century Dutch farm in New Jersey.

When it came to family life, Peter stayed within the Dutch community. On Christmas Day of 1700, he married Femmetje Janse Van Middleswart. She was the 16-year-old daughter of Jan Van Middleswart, another early settler of Somerset County, originally from Flatbush. Peter and Femmetje soon had three sons, but sadly, she died on September 25, 1706. Peter married a second wife, Catalyntje Rapalje, on February 1, 1707, but she died about a week after giving birth to a baby girl two years later. Then on November 16, 1711, Peter married Jannetje Vechten. They had eight children born between 1715 and 1735.

Peter was an elder of the First Reformed Church of Raritan, and in 1738, an assemblyman of New Jersey from Somerset County. He made out his will on March 29, 1740 dividing his land amongst his four sons by his third wife. His two sons by his first wife had previously received land from their maternal grandfather. His will was proved July 17, 1740. Peter died in 1744 and was buried in a family plot on his own land. One of his great-grandsons, Peter Dumont Vroom, became governor of New Jersey in the early 19th century. 

Children by Femmetje Janse Van Middleswart:
1. Doort Dumont — B. before 12 Feb 1702; D. young

2. John Dumont — B. before 29 Aug 1704, Ulster County, New York; D. 14 Jul 1753, Somerset County, New Jersey; M. Annatje Hooglandt (1707-?), 17 Nov 1727

3. Abraham Dumont — B. 25 Apr 1706, Raritan, New Jersey; D. 7 Aug 1787, Raritan, New Jersey; M. Mattie Bergen, 10 Aug 1733

Children by Catelyntje Rapalje:
1. Catelyntje Dumont — B. before 27 Apr 1709, Raritan, New Jersey; M. Christian La Grange, before 3 Apr 1728 

Children by Jannetje Vechten:
1. Margaret Dumont — B. 24 Jan 1715, Raritan, New Jersey; D. 11 Feb 1743; M. George Bergen (~1710-?), 3 Jun 1738

2. Hendrick Dumont — B. 22 Mar 1717, Raritan, New Jersey; D. 8 Nov 1760, New York, New York; M. (1) Mary Traverier (~1720-~1749), 20 Dec 1743, Raritan, New Jersey; (2) Catherine Oothout (1722-1775), 29 Nov 1749, Somerset County, New Jersey

3. John Baptist Dumont — B. 13 Apr 1719, Raritan, New Jersey; D. 18 Dec 1776, (probably) Hillsborough, New Jersey; M. Marie Van Duyne (1725-1763), 6 Nov 1745, New Jersey

4. Gerretie Dumont — B. 23 Mar 1721, Raritan, New Jersey; D. 25 Jan 1747, Middlesex County, New Jersey; M. George Vroom (1713-1756), 4 Feb 1741, Somerset County, New Jersey

5. Jannetje Dumont — B. 27 Apr 1723, Raritan, New Jersey; M. Peter Vroom (1722-1768), 20 Aug 1750, New Jersey

6. Peter Dumont — B. 11 Nov 1725, Raritan, New Jersey; D. 21 Nov 1808; M. Brachie Vroom (1725-1791), 19 May 1748, New Jersey

7. Rynear Dumont — B. 3 Apr 1728 Raritan, New Jersey; D. before 23 Aug 1769; M. Annatje Brouwer (1730-?)

8. Ignatius Dumont — B. before 10 Jun 1730, Somerset County, New Jersey; D. young 

Sources:
“Wallerand Dumont and his Somerset County Descendants,” John B. Dumont, Somerset County Quarterly, Volume 1, 1912
The New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, Volumes 28-29, 1897

Served Near Battle of Tippecanoe — François Ravellette

B. 9 Nov 1791 in Vincennes, Northwest Territory
M. (1) about 1816 in (probably) Vincennes, Indiana
Wife: Elizabeth Turpin
M. (2) before 1850 in (probably) Vincennes, Indiana
Wife: Angeline
D. 7 Dec 1857 in (probably) Vincennes, Indiana

François Ravellette may have been a soldier in the Battle of Tippecanoe, although the evidence isn’t definitive. Even if he wasn't in the famous battle, he was close by when it happened.

François was born on November 9, 1791 to Louis Favel Ravelette and Françoise-Agnes Godere, one of about 12 children. The Ravellettes were Creoles living in Vincennes, in the territory that would one-day become Indiana. It’s likely that François received no formal education. His early life was spent during a transition of when settlers from Virginia and Kentucky were becoming dominant as the old French settlers sold off their land to them.

When François came of age, the people in and around Vincennes were under the threat of tribes nearby who raided their homes. In 1811, the Indians united under a Shawnee chief named Tecumseh who sought to keep the settlers from taking all of their land. This led to American forces confronting the Indians on November 9th at the Battle of Tippecanoe. There is a record that shows François served as a private in the 1st Regiment of Indiana from November 13th to November 21st. He was paid $1.99 for his nine days of service. The battle took place four days before the period of time on François’ pay stub, but it’s possible that he was involved in the battle as well. 

Battle of Tippecanoe.

Record showing François served as a private for 9 days.

The following year, François volunteered as a private in the War of 1812 as a part of the Indiana Rangers, but there are no other details about his service. The Indiana Rangers had been formed in 1807 as a mounted force who patrolled against Indian attack. During the War of 1812, the Rangers were used to help the regular American army fight the British; two companies were based in Vincennes and François joined one of them.

When the war was over, François got married to Elizabeth Turpin, a teenaged girl from a Vincennes Creole family. Between 1817 and 1833, they had at least seven children. Elizabeth died in about 1835, and François remarried to a woman named Angeline sometime before 1850, but there’s no record that they had children. The 1850 census shows that François’ youngest three sons were living his household and they had likely never attended school.

François died on December 7, 1857, probably in Vincennes. It isn't known when and where his second wife died.

Children:
1. Pierre Ravellette — B. 8 Oct 1817, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 9 Aug 1895, Muhlenburg County, Kentucky; M. Elenore Metaie, 29 Dec 1841, Vincennes, Indiana

2. François Louis Ravellette — B. 14 Sep 1819, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 26 Dec 1863, Vincennes, Indiana; M. Susanne Gaile (1827-1869), 23 May 1842, Vincennes, Indiana

3. Louise Ravellette — B. 24 Jul 1822, Vincennes, Indiana

4. Jean Baptiste Ravellette — B. 8 Oct 1824, Vincennes, Indiana

5. Joseph Arthur Ravellette — B. 10 Jul 1827, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 6 Nov 1875, Vincennes, Indiana; M. Marcellette Mette (1831-?), 5 Sep 1860, Vincennes, Indiana

6. Marie Joseph Ravellette — B. 12 May 1831, Vincennes, Indiana; D. (probably) Oct 1832, Vincennes, Indiana

7. Benjamin Ravellette — B. 21 Apr 1833, Vincennes, Indiana; D. 25 Aug 1864; M. Indiana Mahoney, 9 Jul 1853, (probably) Vincennes, Indiana

Sources:
“Ravellettes from Indiana Roys, Griffith, etc.,” Genealogy.com
1850 U.S. Census
United States War of 1812 Index to Service Records
Indiana Rangers (Wikipedia article)
Battle of Tippecanoe (Wikipedia article)
A complete survey of cemetery records, Knox County, Indiana, collected and compiled by Mrs. Alta Amsler

Gunsmith, Lawyer, Innkeeper, Soldier — Ebenezer Pomeroy

B. 30 May 1669 in Northampton, Massachusetts
M. (1) 4 May 1691 in Northampton, Massachusetts
Wife: Hannah Strong
M. (2) 26 Dec 1692 in Northampton, Massachusetts
Wife: Sarah King
D. 27 Jan 1754 in Northampton, Massachusetts

Ebenezer Pomeroy was called “a man of energy and ability” and this was reflected in the many roles he had during his life. He was born on May 30, 1669 in Northampton, Massachusetts to Medad Pomeroy and Experience Woodward, the fourth of their eleven children. The Pomeroys were one of the founding families of Northampton and Ebenezer’s father was one of the town leaders. Medad Pomeroy was a gunsmith, and Ebenezer no doubt learned this skill from him.

Ebenezer's birth record.

On May 4, 1691, Ebenezer married Hannah Strong, who sadly died before the year was out. Then on December 26, 1692, he wed Sarah King. They had a large family of nine children with the youngest born in 1711; only their first child died young.

By 1704, Ebenezer was involved in civic matters in Northampton. That year, he was appointed attorney in a dispute between Northampton and neighboring Hatfield over the location of their border. In colonial times, the title “attorney” was applied to men considered educated enough to make legal decisions for the community. There’s nothing to suggest Ebenezer had any formal training to serve as an attorney; he must have impressed others that he had the ability to prepare and present a legal argument, and was therefore chosen to represent the town.

Ebenezer was later involved in a case about rerouting the river to prevent flooding of some land. In 1710, he served on a committee to organize the project, but when the work was done in 1724, some land owners had benefited much more than others. A petition suggested that having everyone pay the same tax to fund the project was unfair, so Ebenezer presented the legal argument that men who profited from the project should pay more than those who didn’t.

Other positions Ebenezer held included high sheriff and church deacon. He was part of a committee to build a town jail in 1706, a structure that remained in use for almost 70 years. Also he was part of a three-man committee appointed in 1721 to administer loans, and he was appointed justice of the peace in 1735 and in 1743.

Ebenezer became one of the biggest landowners in Northampton. He acquired 9 acres in 1709 when his aging father deeded him some land. He later added to it, and his property became known as the “Pomeroy Homestead.” After 1706, he used his home as one of the town taverns when he was approved for a license to sell “strong drink." The house he built and lived in passed to descendants; it was known as “Old Red Tavern” and stood until 1827.

Along with everything else he did, Ebenezer was an officer in the militia, and he served in King William’s War and Queen Anne’s War. One action he took part in was an invasion of New France in 1711. The English sent a total of 5,000 men on 15 ships plus 40 other boats. Most of them were British Regulars, but the mission also included 900 colonial militia men. Ebenezer was said to have been captain of one of 18 companies from Massachusetts. The fleet left Boston on July 30th, and because they didn’t have expert pilots, it ended up being a disaster. When the ships entered the St. Lawrence River, bad storms drove many onshore, wrecking them. About 850 soldiers drowned, and the survivors had to retreat back to Nova Scotia.

The 1711 Quebec Expedition disaster.

Three of Ebenezer’s also sons served in the military, and they each died because of it. His son Simeon drowned in the Connecticut River while returning from a 1725 expedition against Indians, and his son Daniel was killed in a battle of the French and Indian War at Lake George in 1755.

Ebenezer's son Seth led part of a 1745 expedition to capture Fort Louisbourg in New France, and Ebenezer wrote him a letter just before the battle:

“…in this town the parents and some other relatives of those gone in the expedition, have constantly set apart some time every week to pray to God for success in this grand affair, and we have good reason to believe that it hath not been in vain, for God hath in a remarkable manner smiled upon the fleet and army.”

Seth survived that war, but at the outset of the American Revolution, he was appointed Brigadier General, and he was considered to be America’s first general of that rank. He tried to turn the post down because of his age, but was drafted into accepting it. Seth was right about being too old, because on a march to help Washington in New York, he collapsed and died.

Ebenezer’s second wife Sarah died in 1747, and on January 27, 1754, Ebenezer passed away at the age of 84.

Children (all by Sarah King):
1. Sarah Pomeroy — B. 22 Nov 1693; D. young

2. John Pomeroy — B. 1 Apr 1696, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 4 Jun 1736, Northampton, Massachusetts; M. Rachel Sheldon, 19 May 1718, Northampton, Massachusetts

3. Ebenezer Pomeroy — B. 18 Sep 1697, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 22 Apr 1774; M. Elizabeth Hunt (1701-1782)

4. Sarah Pomeroy — B. 5 Feb 1700, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 3 Apr 1777, Northampton, Massachusetts; M. Noah Wright (1699-1775), 12 Dec 1721, Northampton, Massachusetts

5. Simeon Pomeroy — B. 21 Feb 1702; D. 24 Apr 1725, Connecticut River

6. Josiah Pomeroy — B. 29 Dec 1703, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. about 1790; M. Lydia Ashley (1710-1772), 9 Nov 1731, Northampton, Massachusetts

7. Seth Pomeroy — B. 20 May 1706, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 19 Feb 1777, Peekskill, New York; M. Mary Hunt (1705-1777), 14 Dec 1732

8. Daniel Pomeroy — B. 27 Mar 1709, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 8 Sep 1755, Lake George, New York; M. (1) Mary Clapp (1713-1734), 25 May 1733, Northampton, Massachusetts; (2) Rachel Moseley (1715-1797), 4 Nov 1636, Northampton, Massachusetts

9. Thankful Pomeroy — B. 12 Jul 1711, Northampton, Massachusetts; D. 12 Aug 1790, Goshen, Massachusetts; M. Gad Lyman (1713-1791), 22 Jun 1738, Northampton, Massachusetts

Sources:
History of Northampton, Massachusetts, From Its Settlement in 1654, Volume 1, James Russell Trumbull, Seth Pomeroy, 1898
Early Northampton, Massachusetts D.A.R., 1914
History and Genealogy of the Pomeroy Family, Albert Alonzo Pomeroy, 1912
Find-A-Grave

Serving Drinks at Crosby Place — Simon Crosby

B. 6 Aug 1637 in Cambridge, Massachusetts
M. 15 Jul 1659 in Braintree, Massachusetts
Wife: Rachel Brackett
D. 22 Jan 1725 in Billerica, Massachusetts

If you visited Billerica, Massachusetts during the second half of the 17th-century, you would have likely come to know Simon Crosby, who ran the town’s tavern. Records show that he wasn’t always in line with the law in Puritan New England, but his house was usually open to travelers needing a drink or a bed for the night.

Simon was born on August 6, 1637 in Cambridge, Massachusetts to Simon Crosby and Anne Brigham. His parents had recently migrated to America from England; Simon had two brothers, one older and one younger. When Simon was two-years-old, his father died. Six years later, his mother married a minister named William Thompson, and moved to Braintree, where she had one more child. Simon’s step-father was a graduate of Oxford, and two of his step-brothers went to Harvard, as well as Simon’s older brother, Thomas, who went on to become a minister.

On July 15, 1659, Simon married Rachel Brackett in Braintree. Between 1660 and 1684, they had nine children, all of whom lived until adulthood. In 1660, Simon acquired land in the new town of Billerica from a grant holder who failed to improve the property. In the years that followed, he continued buying land in a total of 17 purchases between 1661 and 1685; most of it was in small parcels of under 5 acres and some of it was swamp land. It’s believed that Simon didn't move to Billerica until about 1662. On February 10, 1663, he was chosen as a “surveyor of highways.” He became a constable in 1664, and again in 1677.

The house that Simon first built for his family was a log cabin and it was said to be fairly solid and good for use as a garrison. During King Philip’s War, Simon housed an officer with some of his troops. Meetings about civil matters in Billerica often took place at his house, especially after he replaced his log cabin with a bigger house in 1678. This seems to relate to his later role as innkeeper. Simon’s farm was owned by his descendants for at least 250 years. The house he built in 1678 became known as “Crosby Place,” and remained in use until 1878 when fire destroyed it.

On November 27, 1672, Simon was approved by town authorities to become a tavern keeper. It’s thought that the location of his house was the reason for his new profession because it was on the main road, but also because he often took on the role of hosting meetings, suggesting he liked to engage in social activity. He ran his tavern until around 1686, when it was recorded that he “refused to hold it any longer.” But in 1688, he was cited by the town for selling alcohol without a license, so he must have opened his business again. After the citation, Simon applied for a new license in 1690, which he renewed in 1692. 

1688 record showing charge against Simon for serving drinks without a license.

From the details in the inn keeper’s license, we get a good description of Simon’s job. His primary function was to serve alcohol, which may have included wine, beer, ale, cider, run and brandy. He couldn't serve drinks to “Indians or Negroes,” though, and playing games such as cards, billiards, dice or nine pins was forbidden. The tavern was to close at 9 o’clock at night during the week, at sundown on Saturdays, and on Sundays, he couldn’t open at all. It’s known that he also served meals as well as drinks. Plus he was required to provide at least two beds for travelers to sleep in, but they couldn’t stay for more than two days at a time. Most importantly, he had to avoid providing his services to “any rogues, vagabonds, thieves, sturdy beggars or masterless men or women or other notorious offenders.”

Besides running a tavern with and without a license, Simon exhibited brash characteristics in other ways. An incident that came to trial in June of 1683 involved him deliberately starting a fire, perhaps to clear some brush, which then spread to a neighbor’s fence. According to witnesses, all sons of Simon, the neighbor Thomas Richardson came out and threatened Simon, shoving him to the ground. It seems likely that there was more to the story to provoke such a reaction, but this is missing from the records.

Another charge was made in court against Simon the following year. At a place on the Merrimack River near where he lived, Indians had harvested salmon for perhaps hundreds of years. The local tribe knew the fish were in abundance at this spot, but Simon and two other men decided to spoil their efforts by putting pots in the river, thereby making it impossible to scoop the fish out with nets. Several Indians represented by Daniel Gookin brought a case against the three men; it isn’t certain how it was decided, but the law was clearly not in the favor of Simon.

Indians fishing with nets.

Simon was known to have owned at least one slave in his lifetime. The man was African and his name was Dick; he was said to have died in 1674. In New England, those who were enslaved generally worked as servants for their masters, leading very isolated lives; perhaps Dick assisted in Simon’s tavern, though he may have simply been a household servant for the Crosby family.

It’s not known how many years Simon continued to run his tavern. In 1717, he made out his will, and on January 22, 1725, he died at the age of 87. His estate amounted to almost £850, most of the value being in his real estate. His wife Rachel survived him, but the date of her death is unknown. 

Children:

1. Rachel Crosby — B. 24 Aug 1660, Braintree, Massachusetts; D. 24 Sep 1721, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Ephraim Kidder (1660-1724), 4 Aug 1685, Billerica, Massachusetts

2. Simon Crosby — B. about 1663, (probably) Billerica, Massachusetts; M. (1) Hannah Everett (1670-1702), 1688, Billerica, Massachusetts; (2) Abigail Whittaker (1671-1755), 16 Mar 1702, Billerica, Massachusetts

3. Thomas Crosby — B. 10 Mar 1665, Billerica, Massachusetts

4. Joseph Crosby — B. 5 Jul 1669, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 1736, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Sarah French (1671-1727), 4 Aug 1691, Billerica, Massachusetts

5. Hannah Crosby — B. 30 Mar 1672, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 3 Oct 1752, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. (1) Samuel Danforth (~1670-1742), 8 Jan 1695, Billerica, Massachusetts; (2) Enoch Kidder (1664-1752), 4 Jun 1743, Billerica, Massachusetts

6. Nathan Crosby — B. 9 Feb 1675, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 11 Apr 1749, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Sarah Shedd (1678-1747), 28 Sep 1706, Billerica, Massachusetts

7. Josiah Crosby — B. 11 Nov 1677, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 7 Oct 1745, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. Mary Manning (1679-1722), 2 Nov 1703

8. Mary Crosby — B. 23 Nov 1680, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 7 May 1748, Billerica, Massachusetts; M. John Blanchard (1677-1750), 7 Aug 1701, Billerica, Massachusetts

9. Sarah Crosby — B. 27 Jul 1684, Billerica, Massachusetts; D. 1734, Mendon, Massachusetts; M. William Rawson (1682-1769), 26 Oct 1710, Billerica, Massachusetts

Sources:

Simon Crosby the Emigrant: His English Ancestry and Some of His American Descendants, Eleanor Francis Crosby, 1914

“The Lost History of Slaves and Slave Owners in Billerica,” Christopher M. Spraker, Historical Journal of Massachusetts Volume 42, No. 1, 2014

Find A Grave

Leaving His Family in Debt — Joseph Levron dit Metayer

B. 18 Jun 1728 in Boucherville, New France
M. 7 Feb 1747 in Fort Frontenac, New France
Wife: Josephe-Amable Custeau
D. 29 Jan 1771 in Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

Joseph Levron dit Metayer was a farmer who owed a lot of money at the time he died, and his children were held responsible for it decades later. He was born on June 18, 1728 in Boucherville, a town near Montreal. His father was Joseph Levron dit Metayer, a sea captain involved in the fur trade, and his mother was Rose Veronneau. Joseph had four siblings.

When he came of age, Joseph headed west to Fort Frontenac, a military outpost at the eastern end of Lake Ontario. There on February 7, 1747, he married Josephe-Amable Custeau, who was from Montreal. Within the next two years, they had two children born at the fort, a son and a daughter. Joseph’s father, now widowed, was remarried at the fort in 1750.

Joseph was looking to move on and saw an opportunity in Detroit. As New France spread to the west, authorities sought to populate places that were on the fringes to make them more secure from invasion. In 1749, a program was begun that offered incentives for people to set up farms in the Detroit area. Any man bringing his family there would receive land to cultivate and enough supplies to get started. Joseph decided to take up the offer the following year, and he arrived on August 19th with his wife and young daughter. His son seems to have been left behind in Fort Frontenac and died there in September 1751; perhaps he was too sick to travel and stayed behind in the care of his grandfather.

18th-century map showing Detroit and the south shore settlement.

A month after Joseph’s arrival in Detroit, a census was taken that showed him living on the south shore of the Detroit River in what is now part of Windsor, Ontario. His new farm included two oxen, two cows, one hog and six poultry, presumably all given to him as part of the deal. Also on that side of river was the Huron mission, where Joseph had daughters baptized in 1754 and 1756. Sometime before about 1759, the family left Detroit and moved to Post Vincennes, perhaps as a result of military activity in Detroit during the war with England. Joseph likely continued farming in Vincennes as his family grew; by about 1770, he had five more children.

Then on January 29, 1771, Joseph died at the age of 42. He was heavily in debt at the time of his death, owing a man named André Lacoste the equivalent of over $1,000 in cash plus $450 in goods, totaling an equivalent of more than $40,000 in today's dollars. In 1799, the heirs of Lacoste sued to collect the debt from the Joseph’s descendants, which included four of his children, a granddaughter, and some of their spouses. The case was decided in the favor of the Lacoste heirs, but it’s not known whether Joseph’s heirs paid the debt or not.

1799 court summons for Joseph's descendants.

Children:
1. Jean-Baptiste Levron — B. about 1747, Fort Frontenac, New France; D. Sep 1751, Fort Frontenac, New France

2. Barbe-Elizabeth Levron — B. 20 Dec 1748, Fort Frontenac, New France; D. 11 Sep 1798, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Louis Godere (1739-1794), 8 Nov 1770, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

3. Marie-Amable Levron — B. about 2 Jan 1754, Detroit, New France

4. Marie-Charlotte Levron — B. about 28 Jan 1756, Detroit, New France; Jean-François Mallet (1746-?), 30 Jan 1770, Kaskaskia, Illinois Territory

5. Marie-Josephine Levron — B. about 1759, Post Vincennes, New France; D. 26 Feb 1835, Vincennes, Indiana; M. François Turpin (~1743-1809)

6. Joseph Eugene Levron — B. 14 Oct 1760, Post Vincennes, New France; D. 1824, Vincennes, Indiana; M. Celeste Cardinal (1766-?)

7. Rose Genevieve Levron — B. about Feb 1763, Post Vincennes, New France

8. Marie-Louise Levron — B. about 28 Aug 1765, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

9. Louis Levron — B. about 1770, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory; M. Marie Sauvagesse, 18 Jul 1787, Vincennes, Northwest Territory

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)

Revue d’histoire de l’Amérique française, George F.G. Stanley, 1954
The Windsor border Region: Canada’s Southernmost Frontier, Ernest J. Lajeunesse, 1960
St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church Records: Baptisms 1749-1838, Barbara Schull Wolfe, 1999
Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (website)

Accused of Hitting Woman — Robert Drousson dit Lafleur

B. About 1656 in (probably) Clermont, Auvergne, France
M. 25 Aug 1681 in Beauport, New France
Wife: Marie-Jeanne Tarde
D. 13 Jul 1730 in Longueuil, New France

During colonial times, the area around Montreal featured a colorful society with sometimes rugged characters. One of them was Frenchman Robert Drousson dit Lafleur, who was once charged with striking a woman in a public place. 

Robert was likely born in Clermont, France, to Jean Drousson and Mathine Heritiere. Nothing else is known of Robert’s origins, nor when and why he migrated to New France. He first turned up in records in his marriage to Marie-Jeanne Tarde on August 25, 1681. The wedding took place in Beauport, where the couple lived for the first few years of their marriage. After she gave birth to a daughter in 1683, they moved to near Montreal, settling in the town of La Prairie, and they had another 8 children, with the youngest born in 1706.

That same year, Robert’s daughter Marguerite became pregnant out-of-wedlock. The father was unnamed in the baptism of the baby girl, who was born on April 30th. Two years later, another of Robert's daughters, Madeleine, became pregnant. This time he sought to take legal action against the father of the child, Pierre You de la Découverte, accusing him of seducing his daughter. Pierre You was a well-known adventurer who ran a successful, though illegal, fur trade business, so perhaps Robert felt he could get some money out of him. It’s not known how this was resolved, but the second child, another girl, was born on September 9th and baptized in Montreal. 

Within a few years, Robert moved his family to Longueuil, and it was here that he got into some trouble. During the spring of 1713, Robert was involved in a scuffle, or a confrontation that turned violent, between himself and two other people, Barbe Beauchamp and André Bouteiller. The activity took place at Barbe’s husband’s mill, and Robert was said to have threatened Barbe, and struck her with his bayonet, plus assaulted André in some way. The case was tried in court between June 26th and July 14th, with witnesses that included three women. A doctor reported that Barbe’s injury was only slight. From the record, it’s not clear if Robert was punished for what he may or may not have done.

Part of the court record of the 1713 incident involving Robert.

An incident that happened a couple years later suggests that the Drousson family had a bad reputation. This again involved daughter Madeleine who had now arranged to marry a young man from another Longueuil family, Laurent Benoit. The suitor had been a witness at Robert’s trial, but it isn’t known if this played into his relationship with Madeleine. In a somewhat unusual case, his parents filed a lawsuit to nullify their agreement to marry — the Benoits wanted a better match for their son! Madeleine was soon out a husband, though she rebounded by marrying someone else.

Robert lived into his 70s, dying on July 13, 1730 in Longueuil. His wife survived him and died in Montreal in 1741.

Children:
1. Marie-Louise Drousson — B. 18 Mar 1683, Beauport, New France; D. 17 Dec 1742, La Prairie, New France; M. Jean-Baptiste Raymond dit Toulouse (~1666-~1737), 10 Feb 1699, La Prairie, New France

2. Marguerite Drousson — B. 12 Aug 1685, La Prairie, New France; D. 17 Aug 1768, Chambly, Quebec; M. Jean LaFort dit LaForest (~1683-?), 28 May 1708, Montreal, New France

3. Etienne Drousson — B. 11 Oct 1687, La Prairie, New France; D. 11 Oct 1687, La Prairie, New France

4. Marie-Madeleine Drousson — B. 3 Apr 1689, La Prairie, New France; D. 25 Aug 1747, Montreal, New France; M. Louis-Antoine Edeline (1690-?), 15 Jan 1720, Longueuil, New France

5. Marie-Jeanne Drousson dite Robert — B. 27 Apr 1692, La Prairie, New France; D. 8 Jun 1706, Montreal, New France

6. Françiose Drousson — B. 7 Nov 1694, La Prairie, New France; D. 10 Apr 1695, La Prairie, New France

7. Marie-Josephte Drousson dite Robert — B. 13 Apr 1700, La Prairie, New France; D. 7 Apr 1754, Chambly, New France; M. Jean-François Courault dit Coulon (1699-1761), 15 Feb 1734, Longueuil, New France

8. François Drousson — B. 12 Feb 1703, La Prairie, New France; D. 8 Jun 1778, La Prairie, Quebec, M. Marie-Madeleine Charles

9. Ange Drousson — B. 17 May 1706, La Prairie, New France; D. 25 Feb 1785, Longueuil, Quebec, M. Marie-Josephe Charles

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
“My Ancestry & their descendants plus misc research,” Denis Paul Edeline, RootsWeb.Ancestry.com

Pregnant Journey by Canoe — Marie-Madeleine Thunay

B. about 1672 in Cap-de-la-Madeleine, New France
M. (1) 2 May 1690 in Champlain, New France
Husband: François Xavier Pelletier dit Antaya
M. (2) 9 Jan 1698 in Montreal, New France
Husband: Pierre Mallet
D. about Feb 1738 in Detroit, New France

When we picture a hardy individual braving the wilderness to engage in the fur trade, it’s usually an image of a man. But sometimes women showed equal courage, and one such person was Marie-Madeleine Thunay. Not only did she travel by canoe between Montreal and Detroit at least 16 times, but she was in the final months of a pregnancy the first time she did it.

Madeleine was born in about 1672 at Cap-de-la-Madeleine, New France, to Félix Thunay dit Dufresne and Élisabeth Lefebvre, one of five children. The family moved to nearby Batiscan when she was very young. Her father, who was a doctor, died when she was about 11-years-old; her mother remarried, then died four years later.

Madeleine married her first husband, François-Xavier Pelletier dit Antaya, on May 2, 1690 in Champlain, New France, and the following year, she gave birth to a boy. Her husband was hired for a fur trading expedition in August 1691. It isn’t known if he made other such trips, but it’s likely he was away from home a number of times, given that there were no other children born to them. By 1698, François-Xavier died, and Madeleine married fur trader Pierre Mallet, with the wedding taking place on January 9, 1698 at Montreal. They soon had two children, born in 1698 and 1700.

For the next few years, Madeleine lived in Montreal as her husband spent much of the time out west. In 1703, she sued a Montreal merchant named Pierre de Lestage regarding some dispute over her accounts with him. While it was common for wives to represent their husbands while they were away, this mention of Madeleine involved in a lawsuit suggests that she was more actively working along with her husband. In another court record in 1705, she testified as a witness at a trial of a young military officer accused of raping a 16-year-old girl. 

Part of the 46-page file for Madeleine's 1703 court case showing her signature.

In 1706, Pierre decided to bring his family to settle at Detroit, one of the most remote places in New France. Detroit had been founded by Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac as a trading outpost five years earlier, and its survival as a permanent settlement was uncertain. Cadillac recruited families from the Montreal area to help populate it. In June 1706, 270 people set out by canoe, including Pierre, Madeleine, their two young children, and her 14-year-old son from her first marriage. And there was another traveler along with them: Madeleine was in the third trimester of a pregnancy. In addition to their household possessions, the family also brought goods to trade with tribes in the region.

The route to Detroit took the settlers up the the St. Lawrence River and into Lake Ontario; from there, they paddled nearly the length of the lake, keeping close to the southern shore — a total of over 500 miles. Each night, they camped along the shore, using their canoes as shelters. During this part of the trip, a message came from Detroit that there had been violence with the Indians, so no one knew what they faced when they arrived. But they continued on anyway, eventually landing at a point near Niagara Falls, where the canoes were unloaded. Then everyone, including Madeleine, trekked 8 miles to reach navigable water on the other side of the falls. This was followed by another long canoe trip to the western end of Lake Erie.

The arrival of the expedition on August 8th is considered to be the beginning of Detroit’s permanent settlement. Just one week later, Madeleine gave birth to a baby boy whom they named Antoine. With the threat of more hostility from the Indians, some of the settlers immediately returned to Montreal when the canoe convoy went back, but Madeleine’s family stayed, and Pierre was granted a plot of land to rent the following year.

Records show that over the next several decades, Madeleine was a frequent traveler between the St. Lawrence River area and Detroit. In 1707, the family made the trip so that trading merchandise could be purchased in Montreal; they returned to Detroit in the fall with their stock. Two sons were born in 1708 and 1710, then during 1712, another journey was made back to Montreal where her final child, a boy, was born in October. It seems that Madeleine and the children remained there until about 1716; Pierre likely was going out west alone on trading expeditions during this time. 

Canoe similar to the ones used by Madeleine. (Source: Billy Hathorn, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

Two court records involving non-payment of debts named Madeleine as a defendant. The first of these cases was dated August 23, 1712 and demanded she and Pierre pay 3,355 livres, a huge amount of money. The following year shows that Madeleine was the lone defendant in a lawsuit for neglecting to pay the salaries of men hired by her. This again suggests that Madeleine was handling some of the transactions for Pierre’s fur trading business, and that she sometimes lived in Montreal while he was out west. Further evidence was that when one of their children died in 1716, 8-year-old François, Pierre was absent from the burial.

Madeleine seemed to be reunited with Pierre in Montreal by May 1717, a date when they obtained a loan to purchase more trading merchandise. Soon after, they headed back to Detroit. They stayed there until the early 1720s, then turned up again in Montreal in May 1724 on another mission to buy merchandise. After one more trip to back west, in the spring of 1726, Madeleine appears to have gone to Montreal without Pierre to get more goods for trade. Her 500-mile journey began in June and included six of her grandchildren ages 1-year- to 8-years-old. The group headed back to Detroit in August.

It’s likely that Madeleine made more trips like this on succeeding years, because in the summer of 1728, we find her back in Montreal. On August 19th, Madeleine was mentioned on a voyageur's contract signed in Montreal as being a representative of her husband's business. That same year, she was given permission by the governor of Montreal to return to Detroit by canoe. She was allowed two canoes and 16 men for the trip, and the travelers included her sons Antoine and Paul, now ages 22 and 17. Then in 1730, Madeleine went back to Montreal to witness the marriage of her son Antoine on August 11th. She obtained loans from merchants before she returned to Detroit.

There’s evidence that when Madeleine was in Montreal, she had a home to stay in, because on June 17, 1733, she was given power-of-attorney by her husband to sell their house on Rue Boudoir. She travelled back there again that year, found a buyer for the house, and used the money from the sale to invest in trade merchandise. When Madeleine returned to Detroit, it was likely the final time she made the long trip.

Marie-Madeleine died in about February 1738, likely at Detroit. After her death, her husband Pierre moved to the Illinois country; he passed away at Kaskaskia on November 2, 1738. The following year, two of their sons, Pierre and Paul, left on a trading expedition going even further into the North American continent. They were the first Europeans to reach what is now Santa Fe, New Mexico by crossing the Great Plains, perhaps evidence of a sense of adventure they got from their mother Madeleine. 

Children by François Xavier Pelletier die Antaya:
1. Jean-François Pelletier — B. 15 Aug 1691, Sorel, New France; D. 8 Nov 1722, Detroit, New France; M. Marie-Louise Robert (1698-1776), 25 Mar 1718, Detroit, New France

Children by Pierre Mallet:
1. Marie-Catherine Mallet — B. 27 Oct 1698, Montreal, New France; M. Pierre Perthuis, Mar 1716, Montreal, New France

2. Pierre Mallet — B. 20 Jun 1700, Montreal, New France; D. after 1750

3. Antoine Mallet — B. 16 Aug 1706, Detroit, New France; M. Marie-Therese Maillot (1708-?), 11 Aug 1730, Montreal, New France

4. François Mallet — B. about 1708; D. Nov 1716, Montreal, New France

5. Paul Mallet — B. about 1711, Detroit, New France; D. 1753, Arkansas Post, New France

6. Jean-Baptiste Mallet — B. 25 Oct 1712, Montreal, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
“8 August 1706: Fort Pontchartrain Becomes a Permanent Settlement on Le Détroit du Lac Érié,” Suzanne Boivin Sommerville, Michigan's Habitant Heritage Journal, 2006
Centre du Patrimoine fur trading contract online database
Mallet, Pierre Antoine, Online Dictionary of Canadian Biography