M. about 1735 in (probably) Ouiatenon, New France2
Wife: Agnes Richard
D. between 1752 and 1756 in Illinois Territory, New France3,4
In the early days of New France, French men traded for furs in places like Montreal. But as time went on, a man had to make expeditions further and further west for his product, until it just made sense to move permanently to a remote outpost. This is what happened with François Godere.
François’ father was Antoine Emery dit Coderre, a Carignan-Sallières Regiment soldier born in 1643, and his mother was Antoine’s second wife, Marie-Anne Favreau. The Emery dit Coderre family lived at various times in Contrecœur and Boucherville. Antoine had 11 children with his first wife and 10 with his second, but the Contrecœur parish records are missing between 1698 and 1700, and that fits with the period of time François was likely born and baptized.1
The first couple of decades of the 18th century were a lively time in the area where François grew up, with convoys leaving every year for trading posts in the Great Lakes area. After his father passed away in 1716,5 François and some of his brothers were known to have signed up as voyageurs, young men hired to paddle canoes out and back. Older brother Louis went to Michillimackinac in 1717.6 We also know of two expeditions François made — one to an unspecified location out west in 1720, and one to Detroit in 1721.7,8 It’s likely that there were other fur trading trips not represented in surviving records.
By about 1737 (and probably before that date), François was living in Fort Ouiatenon,9 a French outpost on the Wabash River in what is now Indiana. We can presume that at some point he made a choice to not return to Canada. At Ouiatenon, François met Agnes Richard, the daughter of the outpost’s blacksmith, and they got married.2 François and Agnes were known to have eight children born between about 1736 and about 1752. The five oldest were boys and the youngest three were girls; their ages have been calculated here from later records.
It’s been estimated that Ouiatenon had a population of up to 3,000 people during the years François was a resident,10 many of them being from local tribes or of mixed-races (wife Agnes was mixed-race). Life centered around the fur trade, which was conducted inside the stockade walls of the fort. There was also a trading of cultures, with French traditions blending with that of the Wea tribe. This had an effect on many things, from the clothes they wore, the food they ate, and even the way they communicated.
Typical French fur traders in early 18th-century America. (Artist: Francis Back)
In 1750, the Godere family seems to have traveled to a settlement down the Wabash River, Poste Vincennes. One of François’ children was recorded there that year in a parish record — daughter Agnes was less than a year old when she drowned in the Wabash “15 leagues” from Vincennes.11 The record also stated that François and Agnes were still living in Ouiatenon at the time. Although one more child was born in about 1752,3 baby Agnes’ burial was the last record of François. His wife Agnes married another man on August 28, 1756 in Vincennes,4 so he must have died before that date. All of his surviving children lived in Vincennes, where most of them got married and raised families.
Proof that François Godere was the son of Antoine Emery dit Coderre
The evidence showing that François was one of Antoine’s offspring came in two records. On April 29, 1720, “François Émery” was hired by Jean Quesnel for an expedition from Montreal to the Great Lakes.7 The following year, on August 6th, Alphonse de Tonty hired a “François Émery dit Coderre of Contrecoeur” for a trip to Detroit.8 The only Emery dit Coderre family in Contrecœur was Antoine’s, so therefore we can safely conclude he was François’ father.
Children:
1. René Godere — B. about 1736, Ouiatenon, New France;12 D. 9 Feb 1793, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;12 M. Catherine Campeau, 3 Mar 1761, Vincennes, New France13
2. Pierre Godere — B. about 1737, Ouiatenon, New France;14 D. 24 May 1789, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;14 M. Susanne Bolon (1740-?), 5 May 1760, Vincennes, New France15
3. Louis Godere — B. 14 May 1739, Ouiatenon, New France;16 D. 15 Jun 1794, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;16 M. Barbe-Elizabeth Levron (1748-1798), 8 Feb 1770, Vincennes, New France17
4. François Godere — B. about 1740, Ouiatenon, New France;18 D. 12 Jul 1779, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;18 M. Marie-Therese Campagnot (~1745-1803), 18 Jan 1773, Vincennes, New France19
5. Toussaint Godere — B. about 1746, Ouiatenon, New France;20 D. 30 Oct 1792, Vincennes, Northwest Territory;20 M. Barbe Chapart (1758-?), about 1775, Vincennes, New France21
6. Ursule Godere — B. before Nov 1750, (probably) Ouiatenon, New France;22 D. 12 Nov 1756, Vincennes, New France22
7. Agnes Godere — B. 17 Oct 1750, Illinois Territory, New France;11 D. 6 Dec 1750, Illinois Territory, New France11
8. Marie-Josephe Godere — B. about 1752, Ouiatenon, New France;3 M. Amable-Charles Bolon (~1750-?), 26 Jan 1773, Vincennes, New France23
Sources:
1 Baptismal records of the children of Antoine Emery dit Coderre and Marie-Anne Favreau, Quebec, Catholic Parish Records, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.com
2 Marriage date estimate based on estimated birth date of oldest child, Find-a-Grave listing of René Godere
3 WikiTree listing of Marie-Joseph Godere
4 Marriage record of John Baptiste Vaudry and Agnes Richard, Indiana, Marriages, 1780-1992, FamilySearch.org
5 Burial record of Antoine Emery dit Coderre, Q., C. P. R.
6 Rapport de l’Archiviste de la Province de Québec, 1930, p. 221
7 Rapport de l’Archiviste de la Province de Québec, 1930, p. 288
8 Rapport de l’Archiviste de la Province de Québec, 1930, p. 232
9 Curatorship of François Émery Coderre, absent from the country, for the purposes of sharing the inheritances of the deceased Antoine Émery Coderre and Marie Anne Favreau, BAnQ
10 Fort Ouiatenon (Wikipedia article)
11 Burial record of Agnes Godere, Indiana, Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
12 Find-a-Grave listing of René Godere
13 Marriage record of René Godere and Catherine Campeau, I., M.
14 Burial record of Pierre Godere, Indiana, Deaths and Burials, 1750-1993, FamilySearch.org
15 Marriage record of Pierre Godere and Susanne Bolan, I., M.
16 Find-a-Grave listing of Louis Godere
17 Marriage record of Louis Godere and Elizabeth Levron, I., M.
18 WikiTree listing of François Godere (younger)
19 Marriage record of François Godere and Marie-Therese Campagnot, I., M.
20 WikiTree listing of Toussaint Godere
21 Baptismal record of Toussaint Godere (younger), Indiana, Births and Christenings, 1773-1933, FamilySearch.org
22 Baptismal record of Ursule Godere, I., B. & C.
23 Marriage record of Amable-Charles Bolon and Marie-Joseph Godere, I., M.
