M. 7 Jan 1722 in St-Laurent-de-Montreal, New France2
Wife: Marie-Josephte Boyer
D. before 2 Jul 1742 in (probably) New France3
Evidence shows that Antoine-Joseph Bouron traveled deep into North America on at least two fur trading expeditions in the 18th century. He was born on March 18, 1696 to Jean Bouron and Anne Binet of Charlesbourg, New France.1 Antoine-Joseph was the youngest child in a family with more than its share of infant mortality; only his brother Michel was alive at his birth, and he would die at age 21.4 Antoine-Joseph also lost his mother when he was only 2-years-old;5 his father, who had remarried, passed away in 1712,6 leaving him pretty much on his own at age 16. Antoine-Joseph was last recorded as living in Charlesbourg on March 12, 1715 when he was treated at Hôtel-Dieu in Quebec City.7
At some point, Antoine-Joseph seemed to become associated with the Boyer family of Charlesbourg. His brother Michel had been briefly married to a young woman named Marie-Madeleine Vivier,8 and when she was widowed, she married Charles Boyer.9 In 1716, Boyer moved to the Montreal area, and one of his daughters, Marie-Josephte, ended up marrying Antoine-Joseph.2 It isn't known if they were acquainted in Charlesbourg and he traveled there to marry her, but he may have moved west on his own initiative. The wedding took place on January 7, 1722 at St-Laurent-de-Montreal, and this is where the couple settled, raising four children born between 1724 and about 1733.
The Montreal area was the launching off place for the fur trade, and it gave men like Antoine-Joseph an opportunity to make some money. Strong, young men were needed to go on long expeditions, and more than once, he hired on to row canoes as a voyageur. Two of his contracts survive; given the gaps in the ages of his children, there were likely several more trips. The first of these contracts was signed on August 7, 1733 at Montreal.10 Antoine-Joseph would be paid 300 livres upon his return, and was supplied with a gun, tobacco, and a pair of mitasses (Indian-style leggings) in advance of the trip. The second contract came on August 29, 1735;10 this time he would be paid 500 livres for his work, in addition to another pair of mitasses and a supply of tobacco.
By this time, the frontier had moved far to the west, and the locations for Antoine-Joseph’s trips were described as “Aux Sioux” and “Poste des Sioux.” This was likely beyond Lake Superior, north of what is now the state of Minnesota. It took months to travel there by canoe, and he stayed over for the winter, which must have been severe in such a place. There were 20 other men on the 1735 expedition whose contracts are known, and most of them were from areas around Montreal.10
A typical scene in the life of a French-Canadian voyageur.
It isn’t known when and where Antoine-Joseph died. The absence of a burial among the New France parish records raises the suspicion that he may have died out on the frontier. His death came before July 2, 1742, when his widow Marie-Josephte remarried in St-Laurent.3 She passed away later that year.11 All four of his children later relocated to the Detroit area, marrying and raising families there. Antoine-Joseph was the ancestor of Ricky Gervais.
Children:
1. Marie-Josephe Bouron — B. 22 Aug 1724, St-Laurent-de-Montreal, New France;12 D. 29 May 1758, Detroit, New France;13 M. Alexis Beienvenu dit Deslisle (1701-1763)13
2. Charles Bouron — B. 17 Oct 1722, La Prairie, New France;14 D. May 1798, Sandwich, Ontario;13 M. Marguerite Reaume (1725-1810), 7 Jan 1758, Detroit, New France13
3. Marie-Louise Bouron — B. 9 Jul 1726, St-Laurent-de-Montreal, New France;15 M. Louis Clermond Dubord (~1715-1793), 5 Oct 1744, Detroit, New France13
4. Marie-Madeleine Bouron — B. about 1733, New France;16 D. Mar 1799, Sandwich, Ontario;13 M. (1) Jean-Baptiste Putelle (1717-1752), 26 Feb 1748, Detroit, New France;13 (2) François Lacote dit Languedoc (1720-?), 8 Jan 1753, Detroit, New France; (3) François Morin dit Valcourt, 1760, Detroit, New France13
Sources:
1 Baptismal record of Antoine-Joseph Bouron, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2 Marriage record of Antoine-Joseph Bouron and Marie-Josephte Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
3 Marriage record of Jean Dumouchel and Marie-Josephte Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
4 Burial record of Michel Bouron, Q.C.P.R.
5 Burial record of Anne Binet, Q.C.P.R.
6 Burial record of Jean Bouron, Q.C.P.R.
7 Registre journalier des malades de l'Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, p. 806, 2005
8 Marriage record of Michel Bouron and Marie-Madeleine Vivier, Q.C.P.R.
9 Marriage record of Charles Boyer and Marie-Madeleine Vivier, Q.C.P.R.
10 The Societé historique de Saint-Boniface, Centre du Patrimoine, online archive of voyageur contracts
11 Burial record of Marie-Josephte Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
12 Baptismal record of Marie-Josephe Bouron, Q.C.P.R.
13 Genealogy of the French Families of the Detroit River Region, 1701-1936, p. 166, Christian Dennison, 1987
14 Baptismal record of Charles Bouron, Q.C.P.R.
15 Baptismal record of Marie-Louise Bouron, Q.C.P.R.
16 Baptismal record of Marie-Madeleine Bouron, Q.C.P.R.
