Descendants in Canada and Louisiana — Leonard Girardin

B. about 1645 in Poiters, France¹
M. 12 Oct 1671 in Quebec City, New France²
Wife: Marie-Charlotte Jolivet
D. before 18 Oct 1688 in (probably) Lachine, New France³

For most of those who came over from France to settle along the St. Lawrence in the 1600s, they produced masses of descendants who populate 21st-century Canada. But in the case of Leonard Girardin, some of his lines traveled down into the bayou country of Louisiana.

Leonard’s beginnings are sketchy. He was born in about 1645 in Poiters, France,¹ a place that supplied many colonists along the St. Lawrence River. His parents were Joseph Girardin and Jeanne Boulanger, but nothing else is known of them. Also lost to history is the date he was recruited for New France — we only know that he was established as a farmer in the Quebec City area by October 12, 1671, the date of his marriage.²

The woman who Leonard married was a Fille du Roi named Marie-Charlotte Jolivet, and by the summer of 1675, they had two children. Then the family seems to have moved to the Trois-Rivières area because Charlotte was a witness in a court case in March 1677.⁴ By the following year, they were in Lachine,⁵ which was near Montreal. Five more children were added to the family. 

Marriage record of Leonard and Charlotte.

By bringing his family to Lachine, Leonard introduced his children to life on the frontier, which in some ways set their futures. At age 13, daughter Anne-Jeanne married a soldier who would take her to the western end of Montreal island.⁶ Son Hiliare would survive being captured in an Iroquois raid, having witnessed terrible brutality.⁷ And son Joseph took the adventurous step of moving to the Gulf Coast in 1708; he would later be one of the earliest settlers of New Orleans.⁸

Between the baptism of his youngest son on May 8, 1687⁹ and the remarriage of his wife on October 18, 1688,³ Leonard passed away. A widow in New France tended to find another husband quickly, so perhaps Leonard died closer to the second date. Leonard’s wife and children seemed to have moved away from Lachine by the time of the August 1689 massacre, but may have been caught up in another Iroquois raid in Lachenaie.¹⁰ This was the danger of living around Montreal at that time.

As for the later generations of his family, two daughters would provide numerous lines in Canada, with one that trickled into fur trading outposts in the Illinois country. And son Joseph’s progenitors multiplied in the area around New Orleans, intermarrying with the Cajuns who came later, and leaving Leonard’s descendants scattered all over Louisiana today. Among Leonard’s famous descendants are Dan Aykroyd and Rudy Vallee.

Children:
1. Anne-Jeanne Girardin — B. about 1673, New France;¹¹ D. 28 Apr 1760, Ste-Anne-Bellevue, New France;¹² M. Hubert Ranger dit Laviolette (~1681-?), 30 Jul 1686, Lachine, New France⁶

2. Hillaire Girardin — B. 21 Jul 1675, Quebec City, New France;¹³ M. (1) Nicole Salois (1681-?), 26 Jan 1699, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁴ (2) Anne-Marguerite Dupuis (1705-1767), 16 Aug 1729, La Prairie, New France¹⁵

3. Charles Girardin — B. 9 Mar 1678, Lachine, New France;⁵ D. before 30 Jan 1682, (probably) Lachine, New France¹⁶

4. Catherine Girardin — B. 16 Feb 1680, Lachine, New France;¹⁷ D. 24 Feb 1724, Ste-Anne-Bellevue, New France;¹⁸ M. Joseph Lamadeleine (1673-1750), 15 Nov 1699, Lachine, New France¹⁹

5. Joseph Girardin — B. 30 Jan 1682, Lachine, New France;²⁰ D. about 1756, Louisiana, New France⁸

6. Michel Girardin — B. 28 Jan 1684, Lachine, New France²¹

7. Louis Girardin — B. 8 May 1687, Lachine, New France⁹

Sources:
1    Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Leonard Girardin
2    Marriage record of Leonard Girardin and Charlotte-Catherine Jolivet, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage record of Simon Trio and Charlotte-Catherine Jolivet, Q., C. P. R.
4    Court records of case against Michel Gauron and Marguerite Robineau, BAnQ
5    Baptismal record of Charles Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
6    Marriage record of Hubert Ranger and Anne-Jeanne Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
7    The Lachenaie Massacre November 1689 (website)
8    WikiTree listing of Joseph Girardy
9    Baptismal record of Louis Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
10  Because 14-year-old Hillaire Girardin gave an eyewitness report about the massacre, it leads to the conclusion his family was also there.
11  Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Anne-Jeanne Girardin
12  Burial record of Anne-Jeanne Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
13  Baptismal record of Hilliare Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
14  Marriage record of Hilliare Girardin and Nicole Salois, Q., C. P. R.
15  Marriage record of Hilliare Girardin and Anne-Marguerite Dupuis, Q., C. P. R.
16  Burial record of Charles Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
17  Baptismal record of Catherine Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
18  Burial record of Catherine Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
19  Marriage record of Joseph Lemadeleine Catherine Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
20  Baptismal record of Joseph Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
21  Baptismal record of Michel Girardin, Q., C. P. R.

Bounty Land and Migration West — William Sutherland

B. about 1742 in King William County, Virginia¹
M. about 1766 in (probably) Virginia²
Wife: Mary Polly Owen
D. after 22 Jun 1803, Lincoln County, Kentucky³

The story of William Sutherland was similar to many of his generation: serving as a soldier in the American Revolution led to the westward movement of his descendants. William was born in King William County, Virginia in about 1742,¹ and he was believed to be the oldest son of Fendall Sutherland (also spelled Southerland or Sutherlin) and his first wife, an unnamed daughter of John Chiles.⁴ The details of his childhood and siblings are sketchy because an 1885 courthouse fire destroyed nearly all of the records of King William County. William did seem to have at least two younger brothers, and three younger half-sisters.

At some point, William struck out on his own, settling in an area of Virginia which was near the present-day border with North Carolina.¹ He married a young woman named Mary Polly Owen in about 1766,² and they started a family which would include 10 known children. The Piedmont region where William lived as an adult was somewhat different from where he was born. This wasn’t the Virginia tidewater country with its rich soil that was ideal for growing tobacco. Instead, farms produced smaller crops — a mix of corn, wheat, and other vegetables, along with some tobacco. Unlike his father, William owned no slaves,⁵ so he worked his land himself. Many of his neighbors were of Scots-Irish or German descent, recent immigrants who had migrated into western North Carolina on the Great Wagon Road from Pennsylvania. 

Clearing the land in the North Carolina Piedmont.

There is evidence that William served in the American Revolution, and a muster roll dated June 1, 1777 under Captain George B. Wallace of Virginia lists a William Sutherlin.⁶ With a common first name, this may have been another William, but a gap in his children’s ages fits the narrative that he served as a soldier for a time (fifth child Susannah was born about 1776, and sixth child Owen, was born in about 1781).

Also supporting the fact that William served in the American Revolution is a land grant dated May 20, 1793.⁷ In lieu of money after the war, soldiers were offered large tracts of land in designated areas on the western frontier. This record stated that William was a private in the Continental Army, but that he was assigning the land for Captain Tillman Dixon, an officer who served in a North Carolina regiment. We know that William lived in North Carolina around this time because three years earlier he was listed in the 1790 U.S. Census in Burke County.⁸

The land granted to Dixon amounted to 640 acres near present-day Nashville, Tennessee, and William must have received something in return for it, because he seems to have purchased a large amount of land in Lincoln County, Kentucky. In 1801, a Lincoln County tax list described that William owned 350 acres and 5 horses.⁹ Sons William and Fendall were also listed, and youngest son George was implied to be in his household. 

1801 tax list of Lincoln County, Kentucky.

William didn’t live long in Kentucky, because on June 22, 1803, he made out his will.³ Already “weak of body,” he bequeathed his land to his sons, with Fendall receiving 150 acres, and the other three 50 acres each. William noted that sons William and Owen already lived on the land they were to receive. The will was likely proven within a short time, and Mary Sutherland was listed as a landowner in 1804,¹⁰ which almost certainly meant that William had died by that date.

The sons and daughters of William Sutherland continued a progress to the west. Three of his sons, plus youngest daughter Nancy, ended up in Putnam County, Indiana. William’s widow Mary went with them, dying in 1834 at the age of 88.¹¹ Later generations would settle in Missouri, Kansas, and other places to the west; grandson John Franklin Sutherlin would found the town of Sutherlin, Oregon.¹² You could say that it all traces to land acquired by William because of his service in the War of Independence, which began the flow of migration to the west.

Children:
1. Fendall Sutherlin — B. 25 Dec 1767, (probably) North Carolina;¹³ D. 19 Feb 1834, Putnam County, Indiana;¹³ M. Lydia Franklin (1774-1869)¹³

2. William Sutherland — B. about 1770, (probably) North Carolina;¹⁴ D. after 1 Jun 1830, (probably) Putnam County, Indiana;¹⁵ M. Mary Polly Franklin (~1770-?), about 1788, Lincoln County, Kentucky¹⁶

3. Bethany Sutherlin — about 1773, (probably) North Carolina;¹⁷ D. 1839, Jackson, Tennessee;¹⁷ M. James S. Hawkins (1764-1822), about 1791, North Carolina¹⁸

4. Millicent Sutherlin — about 1775, (probably) North Carolina;¹⁹ D. 10 May 1852, Bullitt County, Kentucky;¹⁹ M. Samuel Goldsmith (1776-1850)¹⁹

5. Susannah Sutherlin — about 1776, (probably) North Carolina;¹⁸ M. William Harper (1773-?), about 1798, Burke County, North Carolina¹⁸

6. Owen Sutherlin — about 1781, (probably) North Carolina;²⁰ D. 1858, Casey County, Kentucky;¹⁸ D. about 1866, Casey County, Kentucky; M. Mary Vandeveer (1785-1840), 22 Nov 1802, Lincoln County, Kentucky²¹

7. Mary Polly Sutherlin — about 1783, Burke County, North Carolina; D. 22 Oct 1810, Kentucky; M. Jonathan Jones (1782-1853), 7 Dec 1801, Lincoln County, Kentucky

8. George W. Sutherlin — B. 1787, Burke County, North Carolina;²⁴ D. 1841, Jackson Township, Putnam County, Indiana;²⁴ M. Elizabeth Miller (1790-1877), 1806, Kentucky²⁴

9. Nancy Sutherlin — 2 Jun 1784, Burke County, North Carolina;²⁵ D. 23 Apr 1831, Orange County, Indiana;²⁵ M. Jonathan Jones (1782-1853), 27 Jun 1811, Casey County, Kentucky²⁵

10. Jenny or Jane Sutherlin — about 1781, Burke County, North Carolina;²⁵ M. Claiborne Harris, after 1810, (probably) Kentucky²⁵

Sources:
1    Sutherlands and Their Tangled Branches, Robert J. Walsh, 1985, p. 23
2    Sutherlands and Their Tangled Branches, p. 29
3    Probate record of William Sutherland, Lincoln County, Kentucky, 22 Jan 1803, FamilySearch.org
4    There are strong indicators that William’s father was somehow connected to the Chiles family of Virginia. In March 1763, Fendall Sutherland was administrator of the estate of Walter Chiles, and the name Chiles also turned up on two land sales involving Fendall. Many have assumed that Chiles was the maiden name of Fendall’s first wife, but elsewhere there is a document that John Chiles (~1666-~1723) had two daughters, one of whom married a man named Sutherland, and the age of John Chiles suggests the mystery groom was Joseph Sutherland, not Fendall. John Chiles was the father of the Walter Chiles of the 1763 record, and Fendall would therefore be Walter’s nephew, the sort of relation for an estate administrator (Walter had no children of his own).
5    Tax lists of Lincoln County, Kentucky, 1792-1803, FamilySearch.org
6    Pay roll of Capt. George B. Wallace’s company in the Virginia Regiment, 1 Jun 1777
7    Land grant to William Sutherland, a private in the continental line of North Carolina, 20 May 1693
8    1790 U.S. Census, Burke County, North Carolina
9    1801 personal property tax list of Lincoln County, Kentucky, FamilySearch.org
10  1804 personal property tax list of Lincoln County, Kentucky, FamilySearch.org
11  Find-a-Grave listing of Mary “Polly” (Owen) Sutherlin
12  Find-a-Grave listing of John Franklin Sutherlin
13  Find-a-Grave listing of Fendel Sutherlin
14  William Sutherlin’s birth year estimate based on ages of his children
15  1830 U.S. Census, Putnam County, Indiana
16  William’s marriage year estimate based on ages of his children
17  Find-a-Grave listing of Bethernia “Thenie” (Sutherland) Hawkins
18  Sutherlands and Their Tangled Branches, p. 31
19  Find-a-Grave listing of Millicent “Milly” (Sutherland) Goldsmith
20  1850 U.S. Census, Casey County, Kentucky
21  Marriage record of Owen Sutherland and Mary Vandeveer, Kentucky, U.S., Compiled Marriages, 1802-1850, Ancestry.com
22  Sutherlands and Their Tangled Branches, p. 32
23  Marriage record of Jonathan Jones and Mary Southerland, Kentucky, U.S., Compiled Marraiges, 1802-1850, Ancestry.com
24  Find-a-Grave listing of George W. Suthelin
25  Sutherlands and Their Tangled Branches, p. 33

Father of Two New England Lines — John Poulter

B. about 1595 in (probably) Rayleigh, Essex, England¹
M. about 1630 in (probably) Rayleigh, Essex, England¹
Wife: Mary _______
D. before 30 May 1639 in (probably) Rayleigh, Essex, England¹

John Poulter was a man of 17th-century England whose life was brief, but is remembered because of the migration of his widow and children.

John was born in about 1595, probably in the town of Rayleigh in Essex, England.¹ His parents are unknown. Sometime before 1631, he married a woman named Mary, whose last name might have been Pope.¹ They had three children together.

Rayleigh is a village that dates back to antiquity, and John seems to have spent his entire life there. Besides the christening of his children, town records show that he served as church warden,¹ and in the spring of 1631, he was charged for the infraction of selling a small quantity of beer without a license.¹

Rayleigh Holy Trinity Church.

While still a young man, John wrote a will on March 18, 1639.¹ In it, he gave his son £50 and each daughter £100, to be paid when they turned 21. He left 40 shillings to his mother, Marie Poulter, so she could buy “a ring of remembrance.” He also left an annuity of 20 shillings for five years to his mother-in-law, Marie Pope, and had bequests for several other people who didn’t all seem to be his relatives.

John passed away by the end of May,¹ leaving behind his widow to raise their three young children. She would remarry three times, with second husband John Parker bringing the family to Puritan Massachusetts.¹ Son John and daughter Elizabeth (who married Jonathan Danforth) would go on to have a large amount of descendants. Through the Danforths, John was the ancestor of actresses Bette Davis and Geena Davis.²

Children:
1. Mary Poulter — B. before 10 Apr 1631, Rayleigh, Essex, England;¹ D. before 10 Mar 1674, (probably) Essex, England¹

2. Elizabeth Poulter — B. 1 Sep 1633, Rayleigh, Essex, England;¹ D. 7 Oct 1689, Billerica, Massachusetts;³ M. Jonathan Danforth (1628-1712), 22 Nov 1654, Billerica, Massachusetts⁴

3. John Poulter — B. about 1635, (probably) Rayleigh, Essex, England;¹ D. 20 May 1676, Cambridge, Massachusetts;⁵ M. Rachel Eliot (1643-1723), 29 Dec 1661, Billerica, Massachusetts¹

Sources:
1    “The Poulter Family of Rayleigh, Essex, England, and Billerica, Massachusetts,” Janet Ireland Delorey, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, V. 141, Jul 1987
2    FamousKin.com listing of Jonathan Danforth
3    Find-a-Grave listing of Elizabeth (Poulter) Danforth
4    Marriage record of Jonathan Danforth and Elizabeth Poulter, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySearch.org 
5    Find-a-Grave listing of John Poulter III