M. (1) 13 Apr 1722 in Montreal, New France2
Husband: Jacques Bigras dit Fauvel
M. (2) 7 May 1752 in Detroit, New France3
Husband: Antoine (or Jean) Brizard
D. before 23 Aug 1784 in (probably) Detroit, Northwest Territory4
The story of Angélique Clement was shaped by the decisions of her husband, which left her in difficult circumstances after he died. Angelique was born in Lachine, New France on November 18, 1705.1 Her parents were Pierre Clement dit La Rivière and Marie-Catherine Prezeau, and she was the second of nine children. Angélique was one generation removed from the constant threat of Iroquois aggression. Her mother had been orphaned in the Lachine massacre, and it’s believed that her father had been a soldier sent from France in the aftermath to defend New France. Angélique’s early childhood was spent in Lachine, then the family moved to Pointe-Claire, located on the north shore of Lake St-Louis.
Record of Angelique's baptism.
When Angélique was just 16-years-old, she got married. Her husband was Jacques Bigras dit Fauvel; their wedding took place in Montreal on April 13, 1722.2 Jacques was a voyageur (a man who paddled canoes), and had already spent several years going on fur trading expeditions to the Great Lakes area. Angélique and Jacques settled in Point-Claire and within a few months, she was pregnant with their first child. The baby was born in February of the following year, but only lived for two days.5,6 By the time she was 20, Angélique had two more children who also died shortly after birth; one baby was unnamed and likely stillborn.7 Finally, on July 2, 1726, a son was born who survived infancy; they named him Jean-Pascal.8
Over the next 15 or so years, Jacques went on several expeditions as a voyageur. The routine of a fur trader's wife meant saying goodbye to your husband in spring and not seeing him return until the fall. During her husband’s trips, Angélique had to maintain the farm and see to personal business, as well as take care of the home. By 1741, the family grew with the births of eight more children, making for a very crowded house. The following year, Jacques arranged to bring young Jean-Pascal with him on a trip to the west. They were to travel in the same canoe all the way to Detroit, a place Jacques had been to before.9 But not far into the journey, the man in charge of the canoe got mad at Jacques, and pushed him overboard, causing severe injury to his leg, and the canoe had to return to Montreal.10
Angélique must have been surprised to see her husband and son show up at home only a month after they had left. But soon after, the parish records show the burial of Jean-Pascal, who died shortly after they came back.11 The injury to Jacques’ leg seems to have meant the end of his work as a voyageur. He sued the man who pushed him out of the canoe, but was only awarded 24 livres in damages.10 Meanwhile, Angélique had two more children in 174412 and 1749;13 the last one died as an infant.14
The family was financially challenged, and in 1750, they made a drastic move. Authorities in Detroit were seeking to attract settlers to set up farms there, offering free land, along with supplies and food rations on loan.3 Jacques and Angélique arrived with their nine children on August 9th and set themselves up on the south shore of the Detroit River (what is now Windsor, Ontario). But on February 4, 1751, Jacques died,15 leaving Angélique to manage on her own without her extended family nearby. Although she had sons ages 20, 18 and 16, they were said to have abandoned her within the next year, forcing her to find a new husband. On May 7, 1752, Angélique married a man from France at Ste-Anne-de-Detroit;3 his name was Antoine (or Jean) Brizard, and he agreed to pay off the debts of her first husband.
Angélique had a baby boy born in December 1753 who likely died young,16 and this was her last child. It's unknown when Angélique passed away, but she was noted as being deceased on the marriage record of her son Jean-Baptiste, dated August 23, 1784.4
Children by Jacques Bigras dit Fauvel:
1. Marie-Therese Bigras — B. 16 Feb 1723, Pointe-Claire, New France;5 D. 18 Feb 1723, Pointe-Claire, New France6
2. Marie-Joseph Bigras — B. 1 Apr 1724, Pointe-Claire, New France;17 D. 3 Apr 1724, Pointe-Claire, New France18
3. Baby Girl Bigras — B. 24 May 1725, Pointe-Claire, New France;7 D. 24 May 1725, Pointe-Claire, New France7
4. Jean-Pascal Bigras — B. 2 Jul 1726, Pointe-Claire, New France;8 D. 7 Jul 1742, Pointe-Claire, New France11
5. Louis Bigras — B. 23 Sep 1728, Pointe-Claire, New France;19 D. 30 Nov 1747, Pointe-Claire, New France20
6. Jacques Phillippe Bigras — B. 4 Dec 1730, Pointe-Claire, New France;21 D. 28 Apr 1790, Ste-Genevieve, Pierrefonds, Quebec;22 M. (1) Marie-Angelique _________, 5 Mar 1753, Pointe-Claire, New France;23 (2) Marguerite Libersan (1746-1814), 21 Feb 1764, Ste-Genevieve, Pierrefonds, Quebec24
7. Joseph-Marie Bigras — B. 1 Aug 1732, Pointe-Claire, New France25
8. Joseph-Amable Bigras — B. 9 Mar 1734, Pointe-Claire, New France;26 M. Charlotte Dufour (1739-?), 18 Apr 1755, Detroit, New France27
9. Marie-Josephte Bigras — B. 22 Apr 1736, Pointe-Claire, New France;28 D. 3 Feb 1766, Detroit, Quebec;29 M. (1) Jacques Tavernier (1736-?), 9 Jan 1751, Detroit, New France;30 (2) François Lebeau, 8 Jan 1752, Detroit, New France31
10. Marie-Angelique Bigras — B. 15 Oct 1737, Pointe-Claire, New France;32 M. François Leduc (1737-?), 3 Feb 1754, Detroit, New France33
11. Marie-Charlotte Bigras — B. 5 Sep 1739, Pointe-Claire, New France;34 M. Jean-Baptiste-Amable Drouillard (1731-1788), 25 Feb 1754, Detroit, New France35
12. Marie-Françoise-Rosalie Bigras — B. 11 Jul 1741, Pointe-Claire, New France;36 M. Jean-Baptiste Ravellette (1711-?), 25 Sep 1758, Detroit, New France37
13. Jean-Baptiste Bigras — B. 19 Jan 1744, Pointe-Claire, New France;12 D. 13 May 1822, St-Benoît, Quebec;38 M. (1) Marie-Louise Brunet dite Letang (1749-?), 22 Jan 1776, Pointe-Claire, Quebec;39 (2) Madeleine Meloche, 23 Aug 1783, Assumption, Ontario;4 (3) Catherine Sansoucy (1772-?), 4 Jun 1810, St-Eustache, Quebec40
14. Eustache Bigras — B. 4 May 1749, Pointe-Claire, New France;13 D. 11 Jun 1749, Pointe-Claire, New France14
Children by Jean Brisard:
1. Jean Brisard — B. 4 Dec 1753, Detroit, New France16
Sources:
1 Baptismal record of Angélique Clement, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2 Marriage record of Jacques Bigras dit Fauvel and Angélique Clement, Registre du fort Pontchartrain de Détroit, 1704-1800, FamilySearch.org
3 “Edward Cicotte Ledger, 1749-1752,” transcribed and annotated by Gail Moreau-DesHarnais, Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 29, #3, July 2008
4 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Favel dit Bigras and Madeleine Meloche, Canada, Ontario Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923, FamilySearch.org
5 Baptismal record of Marie-Therese Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
6 Burial record of Marie-Therese Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
7 Burial record of Baby Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
8 Baptismal record of Jean-Pascal Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
9 Fur trade contract of Jacques Bigras, 5 Jun 1742, Centre du patrimoine (website)
10 Court record of trial between Jacques Bigras and Joseph Ducharme, 28 Jul 1742 to 5 May 1743, BAnQ
11 Burial record of Jean-Pascal Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
12 Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
13 Baptismal record of Eustache Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
14 Burial record of Eustache Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
15 Jacques Bigras listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
16 Birth information comes from WikiTree and doesn’t cite an original source
17 Baptismal record of Marie-Joseph Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
18 Burial record of Marie-Joseph Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
19 Baptismal record of Louis Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
20 Burial record of Louis Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
21 Baptismal record of Jacques-Phillippe Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
22 Burial record of Jacques Phillippe Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
23 Marriage record of Jacques Phillippe Bigras and Marie-Angelique _______, Q.C.P.R.
24 Marriage record of Jacques Phillippe Bigras and Marguerite Libersan, Q.C.P.R.
25 Baptismal record of Joseph-Marie Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
26 Baptismal record of Joseph-Amable Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
27 Joseph-Amable Bigras listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
28 Baptismal record of Marie-Josephte Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
29 Death record of Marie-Josephte Bigras, Registre du fort Pontchartrain de Détroit
30 Marie-Josephte Bigras listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
31 Marriage record of François Lebeau and Marie-Josephte Bigras, Registre du fort Pontchartrain de Détroit
32 Baptismal record of Marie-Angelique Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
33 Marie-Angelique Bigras listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
34 Baptismal record of Marie-Charlotte Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
35 Charlotte Bigras listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
36 Baptismal record of Marie-Françoise-Rosalie Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
37 “French Soldiers Married in Detroit in 1758,” Gail Moreau-DesHarnais, Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 29, #4, Oct 2008
38 Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
39 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Bigras and Marie-Louise Brunet dite Letang, Q.C.P.R.
40 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Bigras and Catherine Sansoucy, Q.C.P.R.
Over the next 15 or so years, Jacques went on several expeditions as a voyageur. The routine of a fur trader's wife meant saying goodbye to your husband in spring and not seeing him return until the fall. During her husband’s trips, Angélique had to maintain the farm and see to personal business, as well as take care of the home. By 1741, the family grew with the births of eight more children, making for a very crowded house. The following year, Jacques arranged to bring young Jean-Pascal with him on a trip to the west. They were to travel in the same canoe all the way to Detroit, a place Jacques had been to before.9 But not far into the journey, the man in charge of the canoe got mad at Jacques, and pushed him overboard, causing severe injury to his leg, and the canoe had to return to Montreal.10
Angélique must have been surprised to see her husband and son show up at home only a month after they had left. But soon after, the parish records show the burial of Jean-Pascal, who died shortly after they came back.11 The injury to Jacques’ leg seems to have meant the end of his work as a voyageur. He sued the man who pushed him out of the canoe, but was only awarded 24 livres in damages.10 Meanwhile, Angélique had two more children in 174412 and 1749;13 the last one died as an infant.14
The family was financially challenged, and in 1750, they made a drastic move. Authorities in Detroit were seeking to attract settlers to set up farms there, offering free land, along with supplies and food rations on loan.3 Jacques and Angélique arrived with their nine children on August 9th and set themselves up on the south shore of the Detroit River (what is now Windsor, Ontario). But on February 4, 1751, Jacques died,15 leaving Angélique to manage on her own without her extended family nearby. Although she had sons ages 20, 18 and 16, they were said to have abandoned her within the next year, forcing her to find a new husband. On May 7, 1752, Angélique married a man from France at Ste-Anne-de-Detroit;3 his name was Antoine (or Jean) Brizard, and he agreed to pay off the debts of her first husband.
Angélique had a baby boy born in December 1753 who likely died young,16 and this was her last child. It's unknown when Angélique passed away, but she was noted as being deceased on the marriage record of her son Jean-Baptiste, dated August 23, 1784.4
Children by Jacques Bigras dit Fauvel:
1. Marie-Therese Bigras — B. 16 Feb 1723, Pointe-Claire, New France;5 D. 18 Feb 1723, Pointe-Claire, New France6
2. Marie-Joseph Bigras — B. 1 Apr 1724, Pointe-Claire, New France;17 D. 3 Apr 1724, Pointe-Claire, New France18
3. Baby Girl Bigras — B. 24 May 1725, Pointe-Claire, New France;7 D. 24 May 1725, Pointe-Claire, New France7
4. Jean-Pascal Bigras — B. 2 Jul 1726, Pointe-Claire, New France;8 D. 7 Jul 1742, Pointe-Claire, New France11
5. Louis Bigras — B. 23 Sep 1728, Pointe-Claire, New France;19 D. 30 Nov 1747, Pointe-Claire, New France20
6. Jacques Phillippe Bigras — B. 4 Dec 1730, Pointe-Claire, New France;21 D. 28 Apr 1790, Ste-Genevieve, Pierrefonds, Quebec;22 M. (1) Marie-Angelique _________, 5 Mar 1753, Pointe-Claire, New France;23 (2) Marguerite Libersan (1746-1814), 21 Feb 1764, Ste-Genevieve, Pierrefonds, Quebec24
7. Joseph-Marie Bigras — B. 1 Aug 1732, Pointe-Claire, New France25
8. Joseph-Amable Bigras — B. 9 Mar 1734, Pointe-Claire, New France;26 M. Charlotte Dufour (1739-?), 18 Apr 1755, Detroit, New France27
9. Marie-Josephte Bigras — B. 22 Apr 1736, Pointe-Claire, New France;28 D. 3 Feb 1766, Detroit, Quebec;29 M. (1) Jacques Tavernier (1736-?), 9 Jan 1751, Detroit, New France;30 (2) François Lebeau, 8 Jan 1752, Detroit, New France31
10. Marie-Angelique Bigras — B. 15 Oct 1737, Pointe-Claire, New France;32 M. François Leduc (1737-?), 3 Feb 1754, Detroit, New France33
11. Marie-Charlotte Bigras — B. 5 Sep 1739, Pointe-Claire, New France;34 M. Jean-Baptiste-Amable Drouillard (1731-1788), 25 Feb 1754, Detroit, New France35
12. Marie-Françoise-Rosalie Bigras — B. 11 Jul 1741, Pointe-Claire, New France;36 M. Jean-Baptiste Ravellette (1711-?), 25 Sep 1758, Detroit, New France37
13. Jean-Baptiste Bigras — B. 19 Jan 1744, Pointe-Claire, New France;12 D. 13 May 1822, St-Benoît, Quebec;38 M. (1) Marie-Louise Brunet dite Letang (1749-?), 22 Jan 1776, Pointe-Claire, Quebec;39 (2) Madeleine Meloche, 23 Aug 1783, Assumption, Ontario;4 (3) Catherine Sansoucy (1772-?), 4 Jun 1810, St-Eustache, Quebec40
14. Eustache Bigras — B. 4 May 1749, Pointe-Claire, New France;13 D. 11 Jun 1749, Pointe-Claire, New France14
Children by Jean Brisard:
1. Jean Brisard — B. 4 Dec 1753, Detroit, New France16
Sources:
1 Baptismal record of Angélique Clement, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2 Marriage record of Jacques Bigras dit Fauvel and Angélique Clement, Registre du fort Pontchartrain de Détroit, 1704-1800, FamilySearch.org
3 “Edward Cicotte Ledger, 1749-1752,” transcribed and annotated by Gail Moreau-DesHarnais, Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 29, #3, July 2008
4 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Favel dit Bigras and Madeleine Meloche, Canada, Ontario Catholic Church Records, 1760-1923, FamilySearch.org
5 Baptismal record of Marie-Therese Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
6 Burial record of Marie-Therese Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
7 Burial record of Baby Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
8 Baptismal record of Jean-Pascal Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
9 Fur trade contract of Jacques Bigras, 5 Jun 1742, Centre du patrimoine (website)
10 Court record of trial between Jacques Bigras and Joseph Ducharme, 28 Jul 1742 to 5 May 1743, BAnQ
11 Burial record of Jean-Pascal Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
12 Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
13 Baptismal record of Eustache Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
14 Burial record of Eustache Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
15 Jacques Bigras listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
16 Birth information comes from WikiTree and doesn’t cite an original source
17 Baptismal record of Marie-Joseph Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
18 Burial record of Marie-Joseph Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
19 Baptismal record of Louis Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
20 Burial record of Louis Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
21 Baptismal record of Jacques-Phillippe Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
22 Burial record of Jacques Phillippe Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
23 Marriage record of Jacques Phillippe Bigras and Marie-Angelique _______, Q.C.P.R.
24 Marriage record of Jacques Phillippe Bigras and Marguerite Libersan, Q.C.P.R.
25 Baptismal record of Joseph-Marie Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
26 Baptismal record of Joseph-Amable Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
27 Joseph-Amable Bigras listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
28 Baptismal record of Marie-Josephte Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
29 Death record of Marie-Josephte Bigras, Registre du fort Pontchartrain de Détroit
30 Marie-Josephte Bigras listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
31 Marriage record of François Lebeau and Marie-Josephte Bigras, Registre du fort Pontchartrain de Détroit
32 Baptismal record of Marie-Angelique Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
33 Marie-Angelique Bigras listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
34 Baptismal record of Marie-Charlotte Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
35 Charlotte Bigras listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
36 Baptismal record of Marie-Françoise-Rosalie Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
37 “French Soldiers Married in Detroit in 1758,” Gail Moreau-DesHarnais, Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 29, #4, Oct 2008
38 Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Bigras, Q.C.P.R.
39 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Bigras and Marie-Louise Brunet dite Letang, Q.C.P.R.
40 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Bigras and Catherine Sansoucy, Q.C.P.R.
