M. (1) 23 Oct 1769 in St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec2
Wife: Marie-Marthe Fortin
M. (2) 12 Jan 1779 in St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec3
Wife: Marguerite Chouinard
D. 9 May 1805 in Lauzon, Quebec4
François-Joseph Mignault dit LaBrie seems to have suffered more than his share of tragedy during the second half of the 18th century. He was born on May 3, 1743 to Michel Mignault dit LaBrie and Ursule Soucy,1 the second youngest of their 8 children. François was baptized at St-Anne-de-La-Pocatière parish on the Côte-du-Sud (south shore of the St. Lawrence River). His grandfathers had been pioneers to the area, but by the time François came along, many families were struggling economically, and threats from the English were brewing.
François’ mother passed away in March of 1754.5 His father remarried,6 but died soon after,7 leaving François orphaned before his 13th birthday. Right around the same time, war was declared between England and France, an act that would have devastating consequences for the people of New France. The British controlled the seas and prevented French ships from delivering goods to the colony. Meanwhile, some men were called upon to abandon their farms to serve in the military. Both situations produced severe food shortages, and eventually, famine. Then in 1759, everything got much worse because the English arrived on the St. Lawrence with a large invading force.
That year, François was 16-years-old. French forces were in disarray and many settlers were left to fend for themselves. So young men did what they could to fight the invaders by forming bands of resistance fighters. It was said that many of the fighters came from the Côte-du-Sud. Was François one of them? Perhaps yes. The people of the Côte-du-Sud paid dearly for their effort to defend their colony because General Wolfe decided to punish them by sending in one of his units to destroy their homes. The habitants of La-Pocatière fled inland, but when they returned after the invasion, most of the village had been burned to the ground.8
British forces burning a farm in 1759 invasion.
Slowly, things were rebuilt along the Côte-du-Sud, and François and the others got on with their lives. On October 23, 1769, he married Marie-Marthe Fortin at St-Jean-Port-Joli.2 They settled there, having three children born between about 1770 and 1775, then Marthe died.9 François married again on January 12, 1779 to Marguerite Chouinard,3 and she soon produced three healthy children. But then followed nine more who all died as infants, most of them not living for even a single day. A sadness must have hung over their home as they buried one baby after another at the St-Jean-Port-Joli cemetery; some of the infants were not even baptized and may have actually been stillborn.
After Marguerite’s last tragic pregnancy in 1798, François lived only a few more years. He passed away on May 5, 1805 in Lauzon, Quebec.4 His widow remarried two years later, and lived until 1828.10
Children by Marie-Marthe Fortin:
1. François Mignault dit LaBrie — B. about 1770, Quebec;11 M. Therese Canac (1765-?), 7 Oct 1799, Lauzon, Quebec12
2. Marie-Marthe Mignault dit LaBrie — B. about 1774, Quebec;13 D. 6 Jun 1827, Cacouna, Rivière-du-Loup, Quebec;14 M. Joseph Pelletier (1770-?), 3 Jun 1794, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec15
3. Josephte-Theotiste Mignault dit LaBrie — B. 6 Apr 1775, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;16 D. 19 May 1811, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;17 M. Charles Chouinard (1768-1840), 19 Nov 1793, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec18
Children by Marguerite Chouinard:
1. Jean-François Mignault dit LaBrie — B. 26 Oct 1779, St-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Quebec;19 D. 26 Aug 1807, Lauzon, Quebec;20 M. Marie-Anne Fortier (1778-1858), 16 Feb 1801, Lauzon, Quebec21
2. Joseph (or Jean-Baptiste) Mignault dit LaBrie — B. 21 Jul 1781, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;22 D. 15 Jul 1846 in St-Norbert, Quebec;23 M. Marie-Charlotte Dubois (1797-?), 19 Oct 1812, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, Quebec24
3. Marguerite Mignault dit LaBrie — B. 12 Sep 1783, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;25 D. 26 Dec 1812, Lauzon, Quebec;26 M. Ambroise Bedard (1781-1876), 3 Aug 1801, Lauzon, Quebec27
4. Antoine Mignault dit LaBrie — B. 9 May 1787, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;28 D. 18 Nov 1788, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec29
5. Noël Mignault dit Labrie — B. 11 Nov 1788, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;30 D. about 10 May 1792, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec31
6. Baby Mignault dit Labrie — B. 19 Apr 1790, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;32 D. 19 Apr 1790, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec32
7. Baby Mignault dit Labrie — B. 21 Dec 1790, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;33 D. 21 Dec 1790, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec33
8. Baby Mignault dit Labrie — B. 21 Dec 1790, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;33 D. 21 Dec 1790, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec33
9. André Jérémie Mignault dit Labrie — B. 22 Jan 1792, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;34 D. 22 Jan 1792, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec35
10. Baby Mignault dit Labrie — B. 6 Aug 1793, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;36 D. 6 Aug 1793, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec36
11. Baby Mignault dit Labrie — B. 11 May 1796, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;37 D. 11 May 1796, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec37
12. Marie-Adelaide Mignault dit Labrie — B. 23 Mar 1798, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec;38 D. 28 Mar 1798, St-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec39
Sources:
1 Baptismal record of François-Joseph Mignault dit LaBrie, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2 Marriage record of François-Joseph Mignault dit LaBrie and Marie-Marthe Fortin, Q.C.P.R.
3 Marriage record of François-Joseph Mignault dit LaBrie and Marguerite Chouinard, Q.C.P.R.
4 Burial record of François-Joseph Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
5 Burial record of Ursule Soucy, Q.C.P.R.
6 Marriage record of Michel Mignault dit LaBrie and Angélique-Rosalie Morin, Q.C.P.R.
7 Burial record of Michel Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
8 The French and Indian War and the Conquest of New France, William R. Nestor, 2014
9 Burial record of Marie-Marthe Fortin, Q.C.P.R.
10 Burial record of Marguerite Chouinard, Q.C.P.R.
11 Estimated birth of François Mignault dit LaBrie based on marriage year of his parents
12 Marriage record of François Mignault dit LaBrie and Therese Carnac, Q.C.P.R.
13 Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique français listing for Marie-Marthe Mignault dit LaBrie
14 Burial record of Marie-Marthe Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
15 Marriage record of Joseph Pelletier and Marie-Marthe Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
16 Baptismal record of Josephte-Theotiste Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
17 Burial record of Josephte-Theotiste Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
18 Marriage record of Charles Chouinard and Josephte-Theotiste Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
19 Baptismal record of Jean-François Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
20 Burial record of Jean-François Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
21 Marriage record of Jean-François Mignault dit LaBrie and Marie-Anne Fortier, Q.C.P.R.
22 Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
23 Burial record of Joseph Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
24 Marriage record of Joseph Mignault dit LaBrie and Marie-Charlotte Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
25 Baptismal record of Marguerite Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
26 Burial record of Marguerite Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
27 Marriage record of Ambrose Bedard and Marguerite Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
28 Baptismal record of Antoine Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
29 Burial record of Antoine Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
30 Baptismal record of Noël Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
31 Burial record of Noël Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
32 Burial record of unnamed baby Mignault dit LaBrie, 19 Apr 1790, Q.C.P.R.
33 Burial record of 2 unnamed babies Mignault dit LaBrie, 21 Dec 1790, Q.C.P.R.
34 Baptismal record of André Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
35 Burial record of André Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
36 Burial record of unnamed baby Mignault dit LaBrie, 6 Aug 1793, Q.C.P.R.
37 Burial record of unnamed baby Mignault dit LaBrie, 11 May 1796, Q.C.P.R.
38 Baptismal record of Marie-Adelaide Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
39 Burial record of Marie-Adelaide Mignault dit LaBrie, Q.C.P.R.
