A Voyageur to Sioux Territory — Antoine-Joseph Bouron

B. 18 Mar 1696 in Charlesbourg, New France¹
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. Charles Bouron — B. 17 Oct 1722, La Prairie, New France;¹² D. May 1798, Sandwich, Ontario;¹³ M. Marguerite Reaume (1725-1810), 7 Jan 1758, Detroit, New France¹³

2. Marie-Josephe Bouron — B. 22 Aug 1724, St-Laurent-de-Montreal, New France;¹⁴ D. 29 May 1758, Detroit, New France;¹³ M. Alexis Beienvenu dit Deslisle (1701-1763)¹³

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 Charles 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 Marie-Josephe 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.

The Family Business of Fur Trade — Charles Diel

B. 5 Aug 1688 in La Prairie, New France
M. (1) 17 Feb 1716 in La Prairie, New France
Wife: Marie-Jeanne Boyer
M. (2) 9 Sep 1732 in Boucherville, New France
Wife: Marguerite Robert
D. 20 Jun 1734 in Longueuil, New France

For Charles Diel, fur trading was practically in his blood. He was born across the river from Montreal in La Prairie on August 5, 1688 to Charles Diel and Marie-Anne Picard. This was at a time when men in that region launched expeditions into the west in order to acquire furs from the Great Lakes Indians. Charles’ father was heavily involved in such efforts, and had signed a contract to go up the Ottawa River just days before young Charles was born. There were nine children in the family, but one of Charles’ brothers died young, and another was captured by Iroquois, never to return home. His mother died when he was 8-years-old, and his father was left to raise the children alone.

It’s likely that Charles’ father influenced him to take up fur trading. The earliest record showing him going on an expedition was in 1713, when on October 1st of that year, he was hired for a trip to Detroit. Typically a trip that left that late in the year meant he would have wintered there before returning in the spring with a canoe full of pelts. Charles was 25, so it probably wasn’t his first time on an expedition. Another contract dated May 28, 1718 had Charles making another journey to Detroit. It’s not known how many other times Charles traveled to the fur trading outposts, but he never made his permanent home in the west.

French fur traders.

On February 17, 1716, Charles married the daughter of a fur trader, Marie-Jeanne Boyer. Just a year later, she gave birth to twin girls; the couple would eventually have nine children, including a set of twin boys. The family made their home in La Prairie, which became Longueuil when part of the town was split off. Sadly, Jeanne passed away on December 23, 1730 before any of the children came of age. Charles took a second wife on September 20, 1732, a widow named Marguerite Robert. Their time together was short because on June 20, 1734, Charles died.

The family tradition of fur trading was carried on by Charles’ sons. Oldest son Charles signed up for expeditions in 1747 and 1751, Eustache was known to have made 8 trips to outposts on the Great Lakes, and Joseph had at least two fur trading journeys. And son Antoine made his life in the west, first settling at Kaskaskia (present-day Illinois) and later at Ste-Genevieve, one of the earliest settlements in what is now Missouri.

Children (all by Marie-Jeanne Boyer):
1. Marie-Jeanne Diel — B. 24 Jan 1717, La Prairie, New France; D. 18 Feb 1769, La Prairie, Quebec; M. Jean-Baptiste Robidoux (1712-?), 28 Apr 1738, Longueuil, New France

2. Marie-Louise Diel — B. 24 Jan 1717, La Prairie, New France; D. 30 Apr 1730, New France

3. Anne Diel — B. 20 May 1720, La Prairie, New France; D. 25 Feb 1737, New France

4. Charles Diel — B. 29 Jan 1722, La Prairie, New France; M. Marie-Felicite Suave (1727-1759), 15 Jan 1746, Ste-Anne-de-Bellvue, New France

5. Antoine Diel — B. 5 Feb 1724, Longueuil, New France; D. 6 Jul 1775, Ste. Genevieve, Illinois Territory; M. Elisabeth Aubuchon

6. Eustache Diel — B. 5 Feb 1724, Longueuil, New France; D. 27 Jul 1793, St-Jean-François-Regis, Quebec; M. (1) Angelique Caille (1728-1772), 7 Apr 1750, La Prairie, New France; (2) Therese Rivard (1733-1787), 29 Aug 1774, St-Jean-François-Regis, Quebec

7. Joseph-Marie Diel — B. 21 Mar 1726, Longueuil, New France

8. Jeanne-Marie-Anne Diel — B. 11 Sep 1727, Longueuil, New France; D. 21 Nov 1760, La Prairie, New France; M. François Dupuis (1709-1764), 14 Feb 1752, La Prairie, New France

9. Marie-Josephe Diel — B. 18 Aug 1729, Longueuil, New France; D. 6 Jan 1788, Les Cèdres, Soulanges, Quebec; M. Andre Lalonde (1717-1800), 7 Apr 1750, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)

Guiel, Chagnon, Diel, Dyel, Yelle Genealogy (website)
A Drifting Cowboy (website) 

17th Century Coureur de Bois — Antoine Boyer

B. 10 Apr 1671 in La Prairie, New France
M. (1) 4 Feb 1690 in La Prairie, New France
Wife: Marie Perras dite LaFontaine
M. (2) 9 Sep 1737 in La Prairie, New France
Wife: Catherine Surprenant
D. 27 Mar 1747 in (probably) St-Lambert, New France

Like many young men where he lived in New France, Antoine Boyer made money trading in furs. He was born on April 10, 1671 on the south coast of the St. Lawrence River, across from Montreal. Antoine’s parents were Charles Boyer and Marguerite Tenard, and he was one of six children, two of whom died young. The family lived in a place called St-Lambert, but it had no church of its own, and the children were baptized in neighboring La Prairie. Antoine’s mother died when he was about 7-years-old and his father remarried soon after.

Antoine wasn’t yet age 19 when he got married. His bride was Marie Perras, the youngest daughter of a barrel maker and farmer who lived nearby. The wedding took place on February 4, 1690 at the church in La Prairie. Their first child was born that year in December; they would have 13 total, with the youngest born in 1716.

In 1690, Antoine used 600 livres he made from trading furs to purchase some land with his brother-in-law, Pierre Perras, so it's known that he was a coureur de bois by that date. The coureurs de bois were men who worked in the fur trade without a license, a common practice in the Montreal area. Laws had been passed by the authorities that put a limit on the number of licensed fur traders, but the appeal of making easy money was too great for many men on the frontier. Coureurs de bois were so numerous around Montreal that they were rarely prosecuted, so the risk was worth taking. 

Typical coureur de bois of the 17th-century.

The life of a fur trader like Antoine involved hiring himself out to companies for expeditions out west. During the 1690s, the bartering with Indians took place in camps or outposts in present-day Ontario and the Great Lakes area; traders were also pushing into the Illinois country as well. Antoine agreed to a contract on August 17, 1694 working for Sieur Charles Legardeur; his charge was to “make a voyage to the Ottawa Indians.” It isn’t known how many other trips Antoine made during this time.

Later in his life, Antoine took on another role as a military man, and he became the captain of the St-Lambert militia in 1729. Captains were chosen by the governor, and were tasked with training local men who could take up arms when needed. When there wasn’t a military need for their service, captains also took on a leadership role, conveying requests and complaints about civic matters to the central authorities. The captains also sometimes acted as police officers in their communities. The period when Antoine led his town’s militia was relatively peaceful, and it isn’t known if he participated in any military action.

Antoine’s wife Marie passed away on May 9, 1736, and Pierre married a second wife, Catherine Surprenant, on September 9th of the following year. Catherine had been widowed twice; she was the aunt of one of his sons-in-law, and her niece would marry Antoine’s son in 1742. Intermarriage between the small number of families in St-Lambert and La Prairie was common.

Antoine died on March 27, 1747 at the age of 76. His wife Catherine survived him, dying in 1762. The tradition of fur trading was carried on by his son and grandson, both named Charles Boyer. In 1788, grandson Charles built a trading outpost far in the north of present-day Alberta, Canada.

Children:
1. Marie Boyer — B. 19 Dec 1692, Montreal, New France; D. 5 Nov 1766, St-Philippe, Quebec; M. (1) Jean-François Baptiste Patenaude (1689-1720), 21 Nov 1712, La Prairie, New France; (2) Maurice Demers, 9 Feb 1722, La Prairie, New France

2. Marie-Jeanne Boyer — B. 16 Aug 1694, St-Lambert, New France; D. 23 Dec 1730, Longueuil, New France; M. Charles Diel (1688-1734), 17 Feb 1716

3. Marie-Anne Jeanne Boyer — B. 1 Feb 1696, St-Lambert, New France; D. 18 Jun 1731, Longueuil, New France; M. Pierre Betourne (1698-1750), 8 Nov 1723, La Prairie, New France

4.Jean-Antoine Boyer — B. 11 Jun 1697, St-Lambert, New France; D. 12 Aug 1768, La Prairie, Quebec; M. (1) Marguerite Demers (1694-1732), 14 Jul 1722, La Prairie, New France; (2) Marie-Anne Haguenier (1714-1746), 7 Jan 1736, La Prairie, New France

5. Marie-Josephe Boyer — B. 5 Oct 1701, St-Lambert, New France; D. 23 Dec 1708, St-Lambert, New France

6. Pierre Boyer — B. 30 Mar 1703, St-Lambert, New France; D. 1 Apr 1703, St-Lambert, New France

7. Pierre Boyer — B. 23 May 1704, St-Lambert, New France; D. 6 Apr 1747, La Prairie, New France; M. Marie-Anne Gervais (1710-1737), 10 Jan 1729, Longueuil, New France

8.Jacques Boyer — B. 21 Mar 1706, St-Lambert, New France; D. 4 May 1795, St-Constant, Quebec; M. Marie-Anne Surprenant (~1713-?), 3 Feb 1733, La Prairie, New France

9. Marie-Jospehe Boyer — B. 3 Sep 1709, St-Lambert, New France; D. 25 Jul 1777, La Prairie, New France; M. Pierre Surprenant (1705-1779), 20 Nov 1730, La Prairie, New France

10. Antoine Boyer — B. 2 Mar 1711, St-Lambert, New France; D. 18 Feb 1717, St-Lambert, New France

11. Charles Boyer — B. 21 Jan 1713, St-Lambert, New France; D. 14 Jan 1801, La Prairie, Quebec; M. Marie-Jeanne Surprenant (1718-1770), 8 Oct 1742, La Prairie, New France

12. Joseph-Marie Boyer — B. 21 Sep 1714, St-Lambert, New France; D. 13 Jun 1797, La Prairie, New France; M. (1) Marie-Angelique Roy (1717-1738), 4 Feb 1737, La Prairie, New France; (2) Michelle Lamarque (1712-1792), 21 Oct 1743, La Prairie, New France

13. Louis Boyer — B. 21 Jun 1716, St-Lambert, New France; D. 1 Jul 1716, La Prairie, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)

A Drifting Cowboy (blog)Minnesota Eh? A Foley/Perras Family History, Gerald Foley
WikiTree

Delivering Goods to Forts — Louis Clermond Dubord

B. about 1715 in (probably) Île-Aux-Castors, New France
M. 5 Oct 1744 in Detroit, New France
Wife: Marie-Louise Bouron
D. about Jan 1793 in (probably) Northwest Territory

The life of Louis Clermond Dubord survives in fragments from 18th century fur trading outpost contracts and records. By piecing together the known facts, we can get somewhat of a picture of who he was: a man who supported his family by shuttling goods between remote places.

Louis was born in about 1715 to Charles Dubord dit Clermond and Marie Ripault; some sources give his birthplace as Île-Aux-Castors, New France. He was baptized at Sorel on March 17th, which was the closest town to Île-Aux-Castors. The family seems to have moved to Grondines within a couple of years, and Louis had several younger siblings born there.

Nothing is known of Louis’ early years until he was about 24-years-old, agreeing to a contract to go out west. The document was dated August 27, 1739, signed in Montreal, and was a fairly standard agreement for a one-year fur trading expedition. Louis’ was to become a voyageur, helping to paddle a canoe of merchandise all the way to Poste des Ouabache, an early name for the trading post known as Vincennes (Ouabache = Wabash). Upon his return to Montreal with a load of pelts, he would be paid 400 livres. It isn’t known if this was his first trip, but he made another similar journey in 1740, this time to the outpost at Green Bay.

With at least two fur trading expeditions under his belt, on May 30, 1741, Louis was hired by the company of Louis Damour de Clignancourt to go to Fort Miami, an outpost at the present-day site of Fort Wayne. De Clignancourt ran a prosperous fur trading business out of Montreal. It was said that during the 1740s, de Clignancourt hired about 180 men to transport supplies to outposts in the Great Lakes area and Illinois country, and Louis was one of the men. The outposts were easy targets for invasion, and they depended on food, gunpowder and other necessities for their survival, so it was an important job. This time his contract was for three years, and his payment would be 900 livres.

18th-century outposts of the French fur trade. 

Louis next turned up in records at his wedding: on October 5, 1744, he married Marie-Louise Bouron at Fort Detroit. He may have been living there at the time, but this isn’t clear from records. Louis and his wife produced a large family, and because most of the records for their children’s baptisms are missing, the list of them has to be pieced together from a variety of information found elsewhere. Some records of the children are confusing because their first names are inconsistent from record to record, in particular daughter Veronique who was also called Louise, and daughter Elisabeth who was also called Ursule. To further complicate things, there are other daughters also named Louise and Ursule. (The list presented below is a best attempt at identifying them.)

At some point after Louis was married, he had the job of “aide-major to the militia;” he was noted that way on his son’s Detroit baptism on April 21, 1760, and he likely served in this function for several years. The role of an aide-major was to do administrative work for the commander of the militia, and for Louis, this meant handling the supply deliveries. For a time in about 1749 and 1750, Louis was based at Fort Miami; whether or not his family was with him isn’t known. He was recorded on several invoices as having furnished supplies at the fort. Louis was also mentioned in a letter written by the Fort Miami commander on April 9, 1750: “I sent off the second of this month the man named Clermont, who is domiciled at this post, to go to Ouiatenon and to Terre Haute to buy the provisions which you ordered me to lay in by your letter of the fourth of August last. I have given him a detachment of ten men of this garrison to escort him.”

The 1750s were a time of war on the French-Canadian frontier, with British forces ultimately taking over New France. By 1762, Fort Detroit had fallen and a census was made to identify the French population. Louis was listed as living on the south shore, and having four sons and four daughters, with a description that his family was “poor.” With the departure of the French military, and with the colony of New France ceasing to exist, Louis no longer had an income as aide-major. It’s likely that he was still living at Detroit the following year during Pontiac’s Rebellion, an attempt by Indians to drive out the English that ultimately failed. After that, the British took firm control of Detroit.

1763 Siege of Fort Detroit.

Within a couple of years, Louis and his family relocated to Post Vincennes. His wife Louise was godmother to a child in Vincennes on November 23, 1765, placing them there by that date; several other church records mention family members, with Louis himself serving as a godfather on November 28, 1766. By then, he was 50-years-old, and likely became a part of the Creole community in Vincennes, but it’s not certain that he stayed there permanently since he doesn't seem to be among the French men who signed the 1778 Oath of Allegiance to the Americans.

Researchers have said that Louis died in January 1793 at an unnamed place that may have been Vincennes or another former outpost in the area. His wife Louise outlived him, and died in about 1808. That year, the heirs of three of his daughters formed a petition regarding their mother’s estate, which was described as 400 acres of land near Vincennes. This helps to identify some of Louis’ children and also suggests he was recipient of one of the land grants awarded to men who were heads of households in Vincennes at the end of the American Revolution.

Children:
1. Marie-Louise Clermond Dubord — B. about Sep 1745, Detroit, New France; D. about 1793; M. Joseph Bordeau (1730-1789), 14 Apr 1760, Detroit, New France

2. Joseph Clermond Dubord — B. about May 1747, Detroit, New France

3. Veronique [Louise] Clermond Dubord — B. about 8 Mar 1749, New France; M. Guillaume Dapron (~1750-~1787), 16 Jun 1768, Sandwich, Quebec

4. Ursule Clermond Dubord — B. 7 Apr 1751, Detroit, New France; D. 10 Dec 1790, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Joseph Chabot (1744-1791, 18 Jan 1773, Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

5. Charles-Amable Clermond Dubord — B. 11 Feb 1753, Detroit, New France

6. Elisabeth [Ursule] Clermond Dubord — B. 1 Dec 1754, Detroit, New France; D. before 1808, (probably) Vincennes, Indiana Territory; M. Charles Diel (1746-1813), about 1773

7. Bonaventure Clermond Dubord — B. 3 Dec 1756, Detroit, New France

8. Michel Clermond Dubord — B. 21 Apr 1760, Detroit, New France

9. Marguerite Clermond Dubord — B. 18 May 1762, Detroit, New France; D. 11 Dec 1810, Ste. Genevieve, Missouri Territory; M. Pierre Ranger (~1750-1828)

10. Pierre Clermond Dubbed — B. 5 Apr 1764, Detroit, Quebec

11. Jean-François Clermond Dubord — M. Ursule Cherou

Sources:
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org

Genealogy of the French Families of the Detroit River Region, 1701-1936, Christian Dennison, 1987
Online Database of Voyageur Contracts
Illinois on the eve of the Seven Years’ War, 1747-1755, Theodore Calvin Pease, 1940
“Fall 1762 Census of Detroit — Part 4 — Land of the Hurons to Riviére au Canard,” Diane Wolfe Sheppard and Gail Moreau-DesHarnais, Michigan’s Habitant Heritage Journal, 2015
“Records of the Parish of St. Francis Xavier,” Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia, Vol. 12, 1901
Wabash Valley Visions & Voices (website)
Siege of Fort Detroit (Wikipedia article)

Supplier to the Fur Trade — Pierre Perthuis dit Lalime

B. 18 Feb 1645 in Amboise, Touraine, France
M. (1) 10 Dec 1668 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Claude Damise
M. (2) 13 Feb 1707 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Françoise Moisan
D. 16 Apr 1708 in Montreal, New France

During the late 17th century, Montreal was a center of the fur trade business, and Pierre Perthuis dit Lalime seized upon the opportunity to make a living there as a merchant and supplier. He was born on February 18, 1645 to Sylvain Perthuis and Mathurine Racicot in Amboise, Touraine, France. It’s known that Pierre had at least one older brother and one younger sister, and that his father was a merchant, which perhaps rubbed off him a bit.

By age 20, Pierre joined the military, which was organizing an effort to send about 1,000 soldiers to New France. The force was divided into 12 companies and Pierre found himself in the one headed by the leader of the entire regiment, Henri de Chastelard de Salières. Soldiers often acquired nicknames, and Pierre was known as “Lalime,” although it’s not clear why. The men were stationed at Fort Barraux between Grenoble and Chambery before leaving for New France. The Saliéres company boarded the ship L'Aigle d'Or which departed La Rochelle on May 13, 1665; the ship was barely seaworthy, and made it to Quebec on August 19th after a journey of over three months.

Soon after their arrival, Pierre’s company was sent into Iroquois country where the soldiers constructed a wooden palisade called Fort Sainte-Therese, one of three such forts along the Richeleau River. Then they went to Montreal, and were based there until the soldiers’ terms of service were up in 1668. Many chose to return to France, but Pierre and others decided to stay. On December 10th, he married Claude Damise, one of the Filles du Roi who had arrived that year. The couple settled in Montreal, and Pierre became a fur trading merchant.

By the late 1660s, Montreal had a marketplace of men who supplied expeditions to the trading posts around the Great Lakes. Those venturing out west needed merchandise to trade with the Indians, as well as provisions for their trips. And on their return, they had to have someone who would buy their pelts for export back to France. It was said that Pierre was successful partly because he had a network of relatives and contacts in France who helped him. Over his life he built up a decent amount of wealth; he was described as a “bourgeois merchant,” and as being in "the second stratum of merchant-outfitters.”

17-century fur trade market in Montreal.

Pierre and his wife Claude started their family with the birth of a daughter in 1670, which was followed by two more children within a couple of years, one of whom died young. In about 1675, they moved to the new settlement of Pointe-aux-Trembles located to the north of Montreal. While Pierre was away on a trip, Claude became pregnant by another man, giving birth to a baby boy in March of 1676. How Pierre reacted to this isn’t known, but the child was adopted by another couple far away in Beauport. A year later, Pierre and Claude resumed having children together, eventually totaling 12, with the last one born in 1691.

Pierre’s name turned up in several court cases, some where he was owed money as a merchant. In one court record dated July 1694, he sued a man based in Quebec City named Jean Jung who was supplying goods from his father in France. The complaint stated that some of the barrels that were delivered by Jung were only half full and Pierre demanded a settlement. In 1686, Pierre testified in a scandalous murder trial. Jean Aubuchon was a Montreal merchant who was found dead in his bed. His wife accused her lover, Jacques Paillerault, of killing her husband. Pierre was one of many colleagues who testified at the trial; it took 3 years, but the man was acquitted.

On October 6, 1705, Pierre’s wife Claude died, and he remarried to a woman named François Moisan on February 13, 1707 in Montreal. Their time together was short because Pierre passed away April 16th of the following year. The value of his estate was about 50,000 livres, a substantial amount of money. Pierre was an ancestor of Alex Trebek, Ricky Gervais and Tyrone Power.

Children (all by Claude Damise):
1. Catherine Perthuis — B. Jan 1670, Montreal, New France; D. 17 Feb 1736, Riviére-des-Prairies, New France; M. Pierre Maguet (1663-1725), 7 Jan 1686, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

2. Jean Perthuis — B. Feb 1672, Montreal, New France; D. (probably) young

3. Jeanne Perthius — B. Dec 1673, Montreal, New France; M. Nicolas Deroche (1652-1737), 22 Nov 1688, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

4. Élisabeth Perthius — B. 7 Feb 1677, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 23 Apr 1703, Montreal, New France; M. Claude Caron (1672-1759), 20 Jun 1695, Montreal, New France

5. Marie Perthuis — B. 8 Sep 1678, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 23 Dec 1766, Chateauguay, Quebec; M. Vital Caron (1673-1745), 24 Jan 1698, Montreal, New France

6. Geneviéve Perthuis — B. 17 Oct 1680, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 28 Aug 1774, Montreal, Quebec; M. (1) Urbain Gervaise (1673-1713), 19 Mar 1701, Montreal, New France; (2) Louis Renaud (1683-?), 5 Apr 1717, Lachine, New France

7. Marguerite Perthuis — B. 23 Jul 1682, Montreal, New France; D. 11 Mar 1703, Montreal, New France

8. Angélique Perthuis — B. 1 Jan 1684, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 25 Apr 1755, Montreal, New France; M. Louis Lefebvre dit Duchouquet (~1672-1741), 28 Sep 1700, Montreal, New France

9. Anne-Françoise Perthuis — B. 26 Jan 1685, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 31 Jan 1685, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

10. Pierre Perthuis — B. 16 Apr 1686, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 1708, Deerfield, Massachusetts

11. François Perthuis — B. 1 Oct 1688, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

12. Pierre Perthuis — B. 19 May 1691, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France; D. 6 Dec 1758, Pointe-Coupée, Louisiana, New France; M. (1) Angélique Caron (1690-1715), 24 Jan 1713, New France; (2) Catherine Mallet

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)

Habitants and Merchants in Seventeenth-Century Montreal, Louise Dechêne, 1993WikiTree
Bibliotheque et Archives nationales, Quebec (website)

Pioneer Merchant and Farmer of Detroit — Pierre Mallet

B. 16 Feb 1676 in Montreal, New France
M. 9 Jan 1698 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Marie-Madeleine Thunay
D. 2 Nov 1738 in Kaskaskia, New France

While other men were the founders of Detroit, it was people like Pierre Mallet who made the settlement permanent. He lived there during its early history, one of the French fur traders who became a pioneer settler.

Pierre was born in Montreal to French immigrants Pierre Mallet and Marie-Anne Hardy on February 16, 1676, the last of their six children. As a young man, he followed the lead of his older brothers and pursued the life of a voyageur. Pierre signed up for an expedition at age 18 in 1694; it’s not known if this was his first trip. Typically a young man would be assigned to help paddle a canoe to one of the outposts in the Great Lakes region, leaving in late spring and returning in the autumn. Upon arrival back in Montreal with a canoe filled with beaver pelts, he would be paid the amount agreed to in his contract. It’s likely Pierre went on several such trips during this part of his life.

Loading a canoe. (AI-generated image.)

Between expeditions, Pierre found the time to get married, and on January 9, 1698, Marie-Madeleine Thunay became his bride in Montreal. Madeleine was the widow of François Xavier Pelletier who had recently died, leaving her with a young son. Pierre and Madeleine soon had two more children born in 1698 and 1700. Evidence suggests Pierre continued to go on fur trading expeditions during these years, leaving his wife to manage the household in Montreal.

One of the places Pierre visited was Fort Detroit, an outpost established in 1701 on the river that connects Lake Erie to Lake Huron. The fort was built with the intention to establish a permanent settlement—a wooden enclosure that included houses for settlers. In 1706, Detroit founder Antoine de La Mothe Cadillac attracted families from Montreal to move there, and this included Pierre, his wife and children. They traveled in a convoy of canoes that carried 270 settlers and the goods they needed to set up their new households, plus 150 soldiers and a number of laborers. During the long journey, Pierre’s wife Madeleine was in the final stages of a pregnancy, and she gave birth to a healthy boy on August 16th, just one week after they arrived at Detroit.

Fort Detroit circa 1710.

Along with the hardships of the frontier, the new arrivals at Detroit also faced a threat from nearby Indians who had recently attacked the fort. This drove some of the people to return to Montreal, but Pierre and his family chose to stay. He was one of only three men on the 1706 convoy who were known to have brought merchandise to trade with the Indians. On March 10th of the following year, grants of land were formalized, and Pierre received a house and garden, as well as a farm beyond the limits of the village. He was required to pay Seigneur Cadillac 8 livres in rent per year, and 10 livres for “other rights,” presumably the permission he needed to engage in fur trading.

During the next several years, Pierre operated as a fur trader based in Detroit. This also required him to make trips back to Montreal in order to acquire goods to trade, and one such trip was documented in 1707 with his wife and children joining him. They returned to Detroit in the fall. Pierre was the father of two more sons born at Detroit in about 1708 and 1711. By October 1712, the family was back in Montreal again, where Pierre and Madeleine had their youngest child. One of their sons, 8-year-old François, died in Montreal in November 1716, but only Madeleine was present at the funeral. It’s not known if Pierre was again living in Detroit, or was simply away on a fur trading expedition; most likely, he divided his time between Montreal and Detroit during those years. It’s likely that sometimes he went out west on his own during these years.

By the late 1720s, Pierre seemed to be based in Detroit, hiring others to transport merchandise to and from Montreal. On August 19, 1728, Madeleine represented Pierre in Montreal on a contract for a man to work for him. Shortly after, she got permission to move to Detroit with their two sons, Antoine and Paul, and after that, the family settled there for good.

Madeleine passed away in February 1738, and afterwards, Pierre left Detroit for the more remote outpost of Kaskaskia, which was in present-day Illinois. He died there on November 2nd of that year. Pierre’s legacy as a voyageur lived on in his sons Pierre and Paul, who engaged in a venture that took them by land all the way to present-day New Mexico; they were the first white men to travel that route. It’s believed that Paul wound up in the Arkansas Territory, starting a line of descendants there; Paul was captured in Mexico on a later expedition, and sent to Spain, where he likely died.

Children:
1. Marie-Catherine Mallet — B. 27 Oct 1698, Montreal, New France; M. Pierre Perthuis, 18 Mar 1716, Montreal, New France

2. Pierre Mallet — B. 20 Jun 1700, Montreal, New France; D. after 1750, (possibly) Spain

3. Antoine Mallet — B. 16 Aug 1706, Detroit, New France; M. Marie-Therese Maillot (1708-?), 11 Aug 1730, Montreal, New France

4. François Mallet — B. about 1708; D. Nov 1716, Montreal, New France

5. Paul Mallet — B. about 1711, Detroit, New France; D. 1753, Arkansas Post, New France

6. Jean-Baptiste Mallet — B. 25 Oct 1712, Montreal, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org

“8 August 1706: Fort Pontchartrain Becomes a Permanent Settlement on Le Détroit du Lac Érié,” Suzanne Boivin Sommerville, Michigans Habitant Heritage, 2006

Cadillac’s Village, or Detroit Under Cadillac: With List of Property Owners, and a History of the Settlement 1701-1710, Clarence Monroe Burton, 1895

Mallet, Pierre Antoine, Online Dictionary of Canadian Biography 

Pushed From a Canoe — Jacques Bigras dit Fauvel

B. 14 Sep 1696 in Montreal, New France
M. 13 Apr 1722 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Angélique Clement
D. 4 Feb 1751 in Detroit, New France

The story of Jacques Bigras dit Fauvel includes a colorful detail that likely reflected a brash personality — while working in the fur trade, he made someone mad enough to shove him out of the canoe he was in.

Jacques Bigras was born on September 14, 1696 in Montreal, the oldest son of fur trader, François Bigras dit Fauvel, and his wife, Marie Brunet. He grew up in a household that would have 13 children. No doubt Jacques’ father got him started in the fur trading business. By 1713, François Bigras’ days of going on expeditions were behind him, but he was very active in hiring others to go out west. This was around the time Jacques likely went on his first trip as a voyageur, committing to a long journey by canoe to an outpost far from home. A typical fur trading expedition left Montreal in late spring and returned in autumn. Jacques' work required him to paddle many miles a day, often for 18 hours, carrying the boats and goods across land if the water wasn’t navigable. He probably wasn't very tall, because large men didn’t easily fit into a canoe, but he was strong, and perhaps had a sense of adventure.

One of Jacques’ earliest known expeditions was to Fort Detroit in 1717. At the time, he lived in Lachine, but his contract signing took place in Montreal where the company that hired him was based. The agreement specified he was to bring 100 livres worth of merchandise with him, and he was forbidden to pocket any of the profits. Jacques was promised to be paid upon returning to Montreal with a canoe of pelts.

After several years of presumably making many trips on the Great Lakes, the time came for Jacques to find a wife and start a family, so on April 13, 1722, he married Angélique Clement in Montreal. The couple settled in Pointe-Claire, not far from Lachine. It was a good place for coming and going on fur trading expeditions because of its location on the St. Lawrence River west of Montreal. Jacques and Angélique had their first child with the birth of a daughter in 1723. They had a total of 14 children, with the last one born in 1749. Sadly, the three oldest and the youngest died as infants.

Jacques' signature.

Jacques continued to work as a voyageur during the prime of his life. In 1727 and 1736, he was hired for trips to Michilimackinac, an outpost at the place where Lake Huron meets Lake Michigan. His other known trips took him to Detroit, a journey he must have become very familiar with. Jacques’ contracts showed he earned 190 livres in 1739, 160 livres in 1740 and 190 livres in 1741; in 1739, he also received 20 livres worth of tobacco.

The contract Jacques agreed to in 1742 was somewhat different because it also included his son Pascal, who was almost 16-years-old. The agreement stated they would go to Detroit together in one canoe, with Jacques as one of the men steering it. The salary for both of them was lumped together as 280 livres, some of which would be paid in merchandise and some in money. And it was specified that they would each receive two articles of clothing for the trip: a pair of mitasses and a codpiece. Mitasses were tube-like leggings made of skins, a style worn by Indians, which suggests this was how Jacques typically dressed on the trips he made.

Unfortunately, the expedition didn’t go as planned. On June 24th, as the voyageurs were paddling toward the Great Lakes, the man leading Jacques’ canoe, Joseph Ducharme, gave an order that Jacques refused to follow. So Ducharme got mad and pushed Jacques out of the canoe, badly injuring his leg. This forced the canoe to return to Montreal, and Jacques went home with his son. Sadly, young Pascal died just a couple of weeks later, and was buried in Pointe-Claire on July 7th. Then Jacques took Ducharme to court seeking 300 livres in damages. He ended up being awarded only 24 livres, to be paid to him by Ducharme. 

Pushed from a canoe. (AI-generated image)

The injury Jacques suffered in the canoe incident seems to have ended his fur trading career. At almost age 50, he was also probably getting too old for the rigorous work of a voyageur. In 1750, he gave it up for good, but not the frontier-life, because he decided to move his entire family to Detroit. Property was being offered to those who would commit to cultivating the land; included in the deal were free tools and rations. Jacques arrived on August 9th with his wife Angélique and their surviving children. At first, Jacques was given a plot on the north side of the river, but he asked for land on the south shore, and it was granted.

Jacques didn’t live to make a career as a farmer; he died on February 4, 1751, before the first crops could be planted. It was reported that his widow, Angélique, was financially abandoned by their sons. In 1752, she married another man, Antoine Brizard, who agreed to pay off the debts that Jacques left behind.

Children:
1. Marie-Therese Bigras — B. 16 Feb 1723, Pointe-Claire, New France; D. 18 Feb 1723, Pointe-Claire, New France

2. Marie-Joseph Bigras — B. 1 Apr 1724, Pointe-Claire, New France; D. 3 Apr 1724, Pointe-Claire, New France

3. Baby girl Bigras — B. 24 May 1725, Pointe-Claire, New France; D. 24 May 1725, Pointe-Claire, New France

4. Jean-Pascal Bigras — B. 2 Jul 1726, Pointe-Claire, New France; D. 7 Jul 1742, Pointe-Claire, New France

5. Louis Bigras — B. 23 Sep 1728, Pointe-Claire, New France; D. 30 Nov 1747, Pointe-Claire, New France

6. Jacques Phillippe Bigras — B. 4 Dec 1730, Pointe-Claire, New France; D. 28 Apr 1790, Ste-Genevieve, Pierrefonds, Quebec; M. Marguerite Libersan (1746-1814), 21 Feb 1764, Ste-Genevieve, Pierrefonds, Quebec

7. Joseph-Marie Bigras — B. 1 Aug 1732, Pointe-Claire, New France

8. Joseph-Amable Bigras — B. 9 Mar 1734, Pointe-Claire, New France; M. Charlotte Dufour (1739-?), 18 Apr 1755, Detroit, New France

9. Marie-Josephte Bigras — B. 22 Apr 1736, Pointe-Claire, New France; M. Jacques Tavernier (1736-?), 9 Jan 1751, Detroit, New France

10 Marie-Angelique Bigras — B. 15 Oct 1737, Pointe-Claire, New France; M. François Leduc (1737-?), 3 Feb 1754, Detroit, New France

11. Marie-Charlotte Bigras — B. 5 Sep 1739, Pointe-Claire, New France; M. Jean-Baptiste-Amable Drouillard (1731-1788), 25 Feb 1754, Detroit, New France

12. Marie-Françoise-Rosalie Bigras — B. 11 Jul 1741, Pointe-Claire, New France; M. Jean-Baptiste Ravellette, 25 Sep 1758, Detroit, New France

13. Jean Baptiste Bigras — B. 19 Jan 1744, Pointe-Claire, New France; D. 13 May 1822, St-Benoît, Quebec; M. (1) Marie-Louise Brunet dite Letang (1749-?), 22 Jan 1776, Pointe-Claire, Quebec; (2) Madeleine Meloche, 23 Aug 1783, Assumption, Ontario; (3) Catherine Sansoucy (1772-?), 4 Jun 1810, St-Eustache, Quebec

14. Eustache Bigras — B. 4 May 1749, Pointe-Claire, New France; D. 11 Jun 1749, Pointe-Claire, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
François Bigras (Wikipedia article)
Dictionnaire biographique des Ancêtres québécois, Michel Langlois
Bigras, François, l’ancêtre (website)
Montreal Notarial Records, Canadian Archives Manuscripts
Online Database of Voyageur Contracts
BAnQ (website)

Orphan Becomes Fur Trader — François Bigras dit Fauvel

B. 26 Jul 1665 in La Rochelle, France
M. 31 Aug 1693 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Marie Brunet
D. 25 Jul 1731 in Montreal, New France

Often a person’s circumstances when they're a child leads to their path in life. For François Bigras dit Fauvel, his situation likely caused him to migrate to New France, and he found opportunity there on the frontier. 

François Bigras was born on July 26, 1665 in La Rochelle, France to Mathurin Bigras and Catherine Parenteau. He had 8 siblings, one of whom was a twin sister named Françoise. François was educated enough to be able to read and write. He might have gone on to a career that would use those skills, but by the time he was 12-years-old, his mother and father had both died.

La Rochelle.

Without the support of parents, François likely fell into the care of relatives in La Rochelle. The bustling port city was where ships left for America, and this may have been a factor for him to move there. He also had an aunt, Marie Parenteau, who had migrated in 1671 as a Fille du Roi, so the decision was made that he would join her there. Marie had married a merchant and barrel-maker named Pierre-Antoine Fauvel, and the couple lived with their children in Quebec City. It’s believed that when François stayed with them, “dit Fauvel” was added to his name.

When François was 17-years-old, the time had come to make his own living, and on July 14, 1682, he signed a contract to be an indentured servant of a doctor living in Côte-de-Lauzon named Louis Moreau, who was the husband of his mother’s cousin. Along with room and board, François would receive 40 livres for one year, and 50 livres for each of the next two years, but just 6 months later, Dr. Moreau died from an “accident at home.” This left François looking for work elsewhere.

On November 6, 1684 François signed on to work for a notary in Trois-Riviére named Ameau dit Saint-Séverin. The pay was decent, at 60 livres the first year, 80 livres the second and 110 livres the third. It’s likely that his writing skills came into play while he worked for the notary. He also might have had an opportunity to meet merchants and other such people doing business in New France. Meanwhile, François acquired a grant of land on Île d’Orleans; the plot he purchased on October 2nd was 40 arpents deep with 6 arpents of river frontage. 

Working for a notary. (AI-generated image)

Around this same time, François was looking further west, perhaps lured by the money that could be made in the fur trade. Up until this time, the explorer La Salle had a monopoly in dealing furs in areas beyond the Great Lakes, but after this arrangement changed, merchants in Montreal began organizing expeditions, and François made his way to that town. In his dealings, he met a man named Mathieu Brunet dit LeTang, and expressed an interest in marrying his daughter, Marie, so a contract was drawn up. The only thing that prevented the wedding from happening immediately was the age of the bride: she was 7-years-old. The marriage was agreed to on August 25, 1685, but François would have to wait a few years for the wedding.

The next few years had François working for a merchant in Trois-Riviéres, then he returned to Quebec City in February 1686. It’s not known if he stayed long. It’s possible that François went on fur trading expeditions during these years although the records don’t show that. Finally, on August 31, 1693, he married Marie Brunet in Montreal. They had 13 children together born between 1694 and 1719, settling in Lachine in 1697.

Later, in 1713, François was involved in an expedition to the “Lake of Erie Strait,” although it doesn’t seem that he made the trip. The following year, he hired men to travel to Michilimackinac, a trading post where Lake Huron meets Lake Michigan. These expeditions happened late in his life when he was almost 50-years-old; by this time, his oldest son was beginning to work in the fur trade, and several more of his sons would follow.

François died in Montreal on July 25, 1731. His wife Marie, whom he contracted to marry so young, survived him, and passed away in 1756.

Children:
1. Marie-Louise Bigras — B. 28 Oct 1694, Lachine, New France; D. 19 Jun 1772, Pointe-Claire, Quebec; M. André Franche-Laframboise, 16 Oct 1713, Pointe-claire, New France

2. Jacques Bigras — B. 14 Sep 1696, Lachine, New France; D. 4 Feb 1751, Detroit, New France; M. Angelique Clement, 13 Apr 1722, Pointe-Claire, New France

3. Marie-Françoise Bigras — B. 4 May 1698, Lachine, New France; M. René Aubin, 15 Jun 1716, Pointe-Claire, New France

4. François Bigras — B. 19 Feb 1700, Lachine, New Francec; D. 16 Jun 1781, St-Martin, Quebec; M. (1) Marie-Thérese Devoyau-Laframboise, 31 Jul 1724, St-Laurent, New France; (2) Marie-Thérese Bautron-Major, 31 May 1734, St-Laurent, New France

5. Marguerite Bigras — B. 26 Nov 1701; M. René Venet, 11 Aug 1722, Pointe-Claire, New France

6. Marie-Angelique Bigras — B. 20 Aug 1703, Lachine, New France; M. François Calvé, 30 Aug 1733, Pointe-Claire, New France

7. Alexis Bigras — B. 27 Jun 1705, Lachine, New France; D. 12 Feb 1791, Pointe-Claire, Quebec; M, (1) Marie-Catherine Prézeau, 3 Feb 1728, Pointe-Claire, New France; (2) Marie-Anne Meloche, 13 Feb 1764, Ste-Genevieve, Quebec; (3) Marie Benoit, 26 Feb 1781, Ste-Genevieve, Quebec

8. Joseph Bigras — B. 27 Mar 1707, Lachine, New France; M. Marie-Charlotte Goujon, 10 Jan 1729, Montreal, New France

9. Judith Bigras — B. 11 Feb 1709, Lachine, New France; D, 15 Jul 1755, Ste-Genevieve, New France; M. (1) Michel Desmoulins dit Lagiroflée, 15 Feb 1729, Pointe-Claire, New France; (2) Jean-Baptiste Gauthier, 3 Nov 1751, Pointe-Claire, New France

10. Marie-Anne Bigras — B. 12 Jul 1711, Lachine, New France; M. (1) Nicolas Briquet-Beque, 4 Nov 1731, Pointe-Claire, New France; (2) Etienne Groulx dit St-Marcel, 1 May 1764

11. Antoine Bigras — B. about 1713; M. Jeanne Cantureau, 14 Oct 1734, Quebec City, New France

12. Genevieve Bigras — B. 29 Apr 1714, Pointe-Claire, New France; M. (1) Jean Bernet-Larose, 1 Mar 1734, Pointe-Claire, New France; (2) Jean Spaure, 7 Jan 1761, Montreal, New France

13. Marie-Madeleine Bigras — B. 1 Dec 1719, Pointe-Claire, New France; D. 26 May 1722, Pointe-Claire, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
François Bigras (Wikipedia article)
Dictionnaire biographique des Ancêtres québécois, Michel Langlois, 1998
Bigras, François, l’ancêtre (website)

Finding Opportunity as a Fur Trader — Charles Diel

B. about 1653 in Normandy, France
M. (1) 31 Aug 1676 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Marie-Anne Picard
M. (2) 17 Apr 1702 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Marie-Françoise Simon dite Lapointe
D. after 18 Nov 1725 in New France

As a boy, Charles Diel traveled to New France with the French army, then he made a career in the wilderness. He was born in about 1652 somewhere in Normandy, France to Phillipe Diel and Marie Anguetin. There are different towns named on each of his marriage records: Ste-Colombe near Rouen, and St-Rémy near Dieppe, and it's not known which was his birthplace. His father was said to be a laborer, and Charles likely received no education.

When Charles was 13-years-old, he boarded the ship Saint-Sebastien traveling with the Carignan-Sallières Regiment to America. Charles may have been a soldier (boys were sometimes enlisted as drummers or helpers), but he also may have been an indentured servant. The trip was difficult as the ship broke down along the way, and it took 112 days to arrive at their destination. Charles acquired the nickname “Lepetit Breton,” which likely referred to his youth among the older men around him.

Soldiers of the Carignan-Sallières Regiment in Canada. (drawing by Francis Back)

The activities of Charles’ first few years in New France are sketchy. He was said to be attached to the La Foulle Company of the Carignan-Sallières Regiment, which was sent to build forts in the Trois-Rivieres area, and Charles might have participated in that work. His name appeared among the 400 men who decided to remain in New France when the army was shipped back to Europe in 1668. In 1672, Charles was mentioned in a record which showed he was a resident of La Prairie, a settlement near Montreal. He had land there in a seigneury run by the Jesuits; his plot was 20 arpents deep with 4 arpents of river frontage. The settlers in La Prairie farmed their land during the day, but had their homes inside the fort, where they were protected from possible Iroquois attack.

On August 31, 1676, Charles married Marie-Anne Picard, daughter of Montreal pioneer, Jacques-Hugues Picard. At the time of the wedding, Charles was 24-years-old and his bride was not yet 13. She gave birth to their first child, a girl, in 1678, and they had eight more children, with the youngest born in 1695.

There is evidence that Charles was making trips out west as early as 1677. The first record of him at a French outpost was on a census taken that year at Fort Frontenac; he was listed as a man who “brought supplies” there. It’s likely he made several trips to Fort Frontenac and/or other places in the Great Lakes region during those years. The French had been pushing into the interior of North America to do business with various tribes; the Indians brought furs to gathering sites where the French would offer up beads, mirrors, metal tools, and other goods in exchange.

Charles had enough fur trading experience under his belt to organize an expedition with two partners in 1684. On September 23rd, a contract was drawn up spelling out the arrangement of a trip to Michilimackinac with Antoine Cailler and Pierre Lefebvre. The three men were authorized for over 2,616 livres of credit to pay for the goods they brought with them. Michilimackinac was at the point where Lake Huron meets Lake Michigan; Charles and his partners had never been there and hired a guide for the journey.

In 1688, Charles was known to go on another fur trading expedition, this time to “the Outaouais country,” which was up the Ottawa River. He seems to have partnered again with same two men, plus one other partner, Andre Denny. Their credit agreement was for 1,063 livres, less than half of what they paid for goods four years earlier.

Between his long trips, he continued to spend time with his wife and children in La Prairie. His oldest son Pierre was kidnapped by Iroquois sometime during the late 1680s or early 1690s, and the boy never returned to the family, growing up among the Indians. Sadly, on February 4, 1697, Marie-Anne died at the age of 33. Five years went by before Charles married again, to Marie-Françoise Simon dite Lapointe. The wedding took place in Montreal on April 17, 1702, and they had four children born between 1705 and 1710.

Charles seems to have been involved in a custody arrangement for one of his granddaughters, Marie-Anne Bory. The child was born in Lachine on June 13, 1706 to Charles’ daughter, Marie-Anne, but sadly the young mother passed away just two years later, and in 1711, the child’s father died as well, leaving her an orphan. In a meeting held on November 24, 1712, Charles was given the girl to raise. But the following year on May 15th, he was summoned by the court to hand over his granddaughter to François Lesaulnier, who claimed he had a verbal agreement to be guardian for Marie-Anne. There is no further mention of this in any records, nor of the girl herself. 

Court summons for Charles Diel in case involving custody of his granddaughter.

It’s not known exactly when Charles died. In his later years, his name appeared on several transactions of property and other records, with a final mention that he was alive at the time of his daughter Françoise’s marriage contract on November 18, 1725. He was certainly dead by the late 1730s. His widow Marie-Françoise died in 1757.

Children by Marie-Anne Picard:
1. Marie-Marguerite Diel — B. 18 Apr 1678, Montreal, New France; D. 26 Jul 1715, Montreal, New France; M. (1) Pierre Perras (1674-1699), 18 Nov 1696, Laprairie, New France; (2) Julien Bariteau Lamarche (1672-1736), 13 May 1700, La Prairie, New France

2. Pierre Diel — B. 24 Nov 1680, Montreal, New France

3. Jacques Diel — B. 2 Mar 1683, La Prairie, New France; D. young

4. Marie-Anne Diel — B. 7 May 1684, La Prairie, New France; D. 9 Dec 1684, La Prairie, New France

5. Marie-Anne Diel — B. about 1685, La Prairie, New France; D. 15 May 1708; M. François Bory (1676-?), 27 Oct 1704, La Prairie, New France

6. Charles Diel — B. 5 Aug 1688, La Prairie, New France; D. 20 Jun 1734, Longueuil, New France; M. (1) Marie-Jeanne Boyer (1694-1730), 17 Feb 1716, La Prairie, New France; (2) Marguerite Robert (1683-1766), 9 Sep 1732, Boucherville, New France

7. Marguerite Diel — B. 14 Jun 1691, La Prairie, New France; D. 25 May 1763; M. Jean Lacombe, 3 Feb 1711

8. Jacques Diel — B. 2 Feb 1693, La Prairie, New France; M. Marie-Anne Crepin, 13 Jul 1715

9. Catherine Diel — B. 9 Aug 1695, La Prairie, New France; D. 10 Aug 1695, La Prairie, New France

Children by Marie-Françoise Simon dite Lapointe:
1. Marie-Josephte Diel — B. 1705, St-Vincent-de-Paul, Laval, New France; D. 13 Jun 1775, St-Vincent-de-Paul, Laval, New France

2. Therese Diel — B. 1707; D. 6 Sep 1777, St-Vincent-de-Paul, Laval, New France

3. Marie-Françoise Diel — B. 19 Jan 1708, Montreal, New France; M. René Lariviere, 1 Dec 1725

4. Jean-François Diel — B. 24 Dec 1710, Montreal, New France; M. Françoise Potier, 2 Jun 1738, Kaskaskia, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)

Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
Charles Diel, Our First Canadian Ancestor (website)
A Drifting Cowboy (website) 

Lured to the West by Fur Trading — Louis Antoine Edeline

B. 22 Sep 1690 in Longueuil, New France
M. 15 Jan 1720 in Longueuil, New France
Wife: Marie-Madeleine Drousson
D. 4 May 1758 in Detroit, New France

The story of Louis Antoine Edeline was typical of many men born in his time and place — in 18th-century Montreal, he found opportunity in the fur trade, and ended up bringing a line of his family to the western frontier.

Louis started out life in Longueuil, New France, born there on September 22, 1690 to Charles Edeline and Jeanne Braconnier, the ninth of their ten children. Both of Louis’ parents were immigrants from France; his father was a farmer and shoemaker, who served the local church as a beadle. 

When Louis was 20, his mother and father died, and he was left on his own. He was living near the hub of the fur trading industry, and within a couple of years, he signed up to be a voyageur. The job of a voyageur took great strength and endurance, with workdays that were sometimes 18 hours long. It involved paddling canoes loaded with furs and goods for great distances, and unloading them each night to set up camp. A typical journey took many weeks as the convoys made their way hundreds of miles into the interior of North America. In certain places there was no navigable water, so the men picked up the canoes and carried them. Their destinations were remote and sometimes required that they stayed through the winter before they made the reverse trip back home.

Voyageurs from French Canada. (AI-generated image)

Louis’ earliest known contract is dated October 1, 1713. In it, he committed to the service of one year, traveling during late summer to Fort Detroit, spending the winter, and returning the following summer. For this, he would be paid 200 livres once he came back to the Montreal area. About a year later, he agreed to another contract, only this time he would be paid 300 livres. He likely went on several other expeditions during this period of his life.

Being a voyageur left little time to find a wife, but on January 15, 1720, he finally got married. His bride was Marie-Madeleine Drousson, a woman 30 years of age who also had never been married. Marie-Madeleine was the mother of an 11-year-old daughter born out of wedlock; the father had been a much older married man and the nature of their affair isn’t known. For a time, Louis seemed to settle down in Longueuil and a daughter was born in October. Another came in 1722, and then a son in 1725; both of these children died young. Five years passed before his youngest child was born, another son.

The reason for the gap in ages of Louis’ youngest children was because by 1727, he once again became a voyageur. That year’s contract had him going on an expedition to Michilimackinac, a fur trading outpost where Lake Huron meets Lake Michigan. He also made trips in 1730, 1733, 1734 and 1737 to Detroit. Each of these trips started in late spring and returned in the fall; he made smaller amounts of money than when he spent the winter, but with a family back in Longueuil, it was probably difficult to be away for so long. Then in 1738, he committed to an expedition that would last for three years; he traveled further than ever, to Ouiatenon, a trading post in present-day Indiana. The contract promised him 900 livres for his work, a large sum of money, but he wouldn’t be able to see his family until 1741. 

The routes of Louis' journeys to the West.

During the years 1742 to 1745, Louis’ name appeared in the records of Longueuil and Montreal as a witness to several weddings, so it’s known that he lived there for at least part of those years. He was in his early 50s then, but he still wasn't ready to retire from his work, and by 1747, he returned to the West. That year he was serving as a clerk at Fort des Miamis, where on July 3rd, he was paid 196 livres for writing a financial report for an officer named Douville. Fort des Miamis (later known as Fort Wayne) was a military outpost to protect French interests in the fur trading territory. Not long after Louis got paid, Douville and most of his men, presumably including Louis, left the fort to go to Detroit, and while they were gone members of the Huron tribe burned down the fort.

It’s not known if Louis ever returned to the Montreal area. On August 25, 1747, his wife died in Montreal, and most likely he was in Detroit at that time. Louis had two surviving children; his daughter was married, so only his 17-year-old son, Louis Victor, was alone. Two years later, the young man joined his father in Detroit. The two were known to be living on the south shore of the Detroit River between July 26, 1749 and January 26, 1751 (although Louis may have also served at the rebuilt Fort des Miamis for part of 1750). Settlers living at Detroit had an arrangement where they were given land, supplies and provisions in return for a commitment to cultivate a farm, and Louis was one of those who participated in the program.

Within a few years, the world Louis knew came to an end when the British took over most of French America. Detroit wasn’t captured until 1763, but Louis had died on May 4, 1758. His son Louis would soon after move to the remote settlement of Vincennes, Indiana, where he would become a leader in his community.

Children:
1. Marie-Louise Antoinette Edeline – B. 25 Oct 1720, Longueuil, Quebec; D. 25 Apr 1748, Montreal, Quebec; M. Jacques Denis dit Lyonnais (1716-1755), 25 Nov 1743, Montreal, Quebec

2. Marie-Josephe Edeline — B. 21 Jun 1722, Montreal, Quebec; D. (probably) young

3. Antoine Edeline — B. 13 Feb 1725, Longueuil, Quebec; D. 19 Oct 1727, Longueuil, Quebec

4. Louis Victor Edeline — B. 23 Dec 1730, Longueuil, Quebec; D. 28 Apr 1799, Vincennes, Northwest Territory; M. Marie Joseph Thomas (~1743-~1808), 14 May 1759, Fort Detroit, New France

Sources:
“My Ancestry & their descendants plus misc research,” Denis Paul Edeline, RootsWeb.Ancestry.com
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org

Online Database of Voyageur Contracts

“Edward Ciccotte Ledger, 1749-1752,” Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 29, #3, 2008

An Entrepreneur in Early New France — Alexandre Turpin

B. 30 Apr 1641 in Ars-en-Ré, France
M. (1) 8 Aug 1661 in Ars-en-Ré, France
Wife: Catherine Delor
M. (2) 30 Oct 1684 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Marie-Charlotte Beauvais
M. (3) 25 Feb 1702 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Marie-Josephe Gauthier
D. before 17 Aug 1709 in (probably) New France

Because of the paper trail he left, we know a lot about the 17th-century life of Alexandre Turpin in New France. He was primarily a fur trader, but he also dabbled in many other types of business along the St. Lawrence River.

Alexandre was born on April 30, 1641 In Ars-en-Ré, France to René Turpin and Marie Robin. Ars-en-Ré is on an island just off the coast of La Rochelle, so perhaps Alexandre began looking to the west when he was a boy. When Alexandre was 20-years-old, he married Catherine Delor, with the wedding taking place on August 8, 1661 at the church in Ars-en-Ré. Sometime within the next five years, the couple migrated to America settling in Quebec City, where they had five children born between 1666 and 1677. 

St-Etienne Church in Ars-en Ré, France. (Source: Xauxa (Håkan Svensson), CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons)

During this time, Alexandre showed up in many records. Often the word “bourgeois” was given after his name, including a document dated October 9, 1671 about the money a tenant living in his house owed him. Alexandre seemed to be resourceful, and along with supplying loans to other settlers, he was also dealing in “merchandise and other things,” which included selling wine. It was as a merchant that he seemed to find his calling, and in 1678, he teamed up with a gunsmith named Étienne de Xaintes to form a fur trading company. On March 28th, he terminated the rental for his Quebec City house to prepare to move to Montreal, where he could do business with the Indians.

Before Alexandre left for Montreal, a contract was drawn up for his partnership with de Xaintes. Although they would share the money they made while trading for furs, Alexandre seemed to be the one to handle much of the business. He agreed to acquire the goods they would trade with the Indians (beads, glass, metal tools, etc.), as well as supplies they needed; records show he spent 2,500 livres, an enormous sum of money. Alexandre was also assigned to keep track of what they sold and what they got in return. According to the contract, they were equally responsible for “the rent of the house, the food, the firewood, and other things which will be necessary for their partnership [in Montreal].” 

Alexandre's distinctive signature on several documents.

Alexandre arrived in Montreal, where he conducted his business at a marketplace that was set up every summer. Hundreds of Indigenous people brought canoe-loads of beaver pelts to the gathering spot (they often traveled in large groups to avoid conflicts with tribal enemies). After Alexandre permanently settled in the area, he became a regular trader at the market, and in some years, went on expeditions that traded at outposts in the Great Lakes area. He also supplied goods for other fur traders, and funded them as well. And in 1682, he was known to have operated an inn for lodging men who were getting ready to make trips to the west.

Alexandre’s dealings at Montreal also brought charges against him for illegal fur trading, and in October 1680, he was arrested along with five other men for “having been in the depths of the woods [without permission] and having conducted trade in peltries with the natives of distant nations.” The ruling came down on November 18th that each man was guilty and had to pay a fine of 2,000 livres. It’s interesting to note that Alexandre was the oldest of the men who were charged, so he was therefore thought to be the leader in this “criminal” activity.

By 1683, Alexandre and his family were living at a building called “The Frog Pond,” located in the south part of Montreal west of Rue St-Paul. The lease he signed on April 9th designated his occupation as “wine merchant,” but this was the last time that appeared in records. That year, a new description of Alexandre showed up on records: he was a fencing master. This seems like an odd skill to have in a colonial setting, but it seems like another way he found to make some money was to teach them the art of sword fighting. He would continue to be identified as a fencing master over the next 20 years.

Alexandre’s wife Catherine passed away in 1683, and on October 30, 1684, he married the sister of his son-in-law, a 17-year-old girl named Marie-Charlotte Beauvais. Between 1685 and 1700, they had eight children. A sign that Alexandre was involved in yet another type of business was in a few documents showing he had purchased a large quantity of small pans for making baked goods. One document listed that he had 48 “pastry shells,” various baking utensils, and contracts for hiring four cooks. The speculation is that for a time during the late 1680s, Alexandre and Charlotte were running some sort of bakery in Montreal. There’s evidence that commercial space was acquired for this purpose, in that some masonry work was ordered on May 26, 1689 to build a cheminée d’une boulangerie, which translates as a “chimney for a bakery.” 

Operating a bakery in Montreal. (AI-generated image)

During 1692, Alexandre’s entrepreneurship took him all the way back to France. That fall, he sailed to his home country for the purpose of making business arrangements for his various activities in Canada. He was gone for an entire year and his wife was left to handle alone things at home. In 1700, Alexandre and Charlotte actually arranged for a legal separation, but it wasn’t anything to do with their feelings for one another — it was strictly so that she wouldn’t have liability for his debts. The thinking was perhaps that if he died, she would be protected, but as it turned out, Charlotte passed away on Christmas Day of that year after giving birth to her eighth child

On February 25, 1702, Alexandre took a third wife, Marie-Josephe Gauthier. After attending a baptism for a grandchild that September, it’s believed that Alexandre made a trip out west without permission from authorities, going all the way to Michilimackinac. During his absence of about two years, his wife Marie gave birth to an out-of-wedlock child; court testimony stated, “her husband having deserted her to go to the Ottawa Country, she had the misfortune to become pregnant due to the unwelcome solicitation of François Brunet dit Le Bourbonnais, who seduced her while she was living at the home of her family.…” Upon Alexandre’s return, she became pregnant with what would be his last child, who was born on August 17, 1705. 

It’s not known exactly when and where Alexandre died, but his third wife remarried on September 16, 1709, so it was before that date. Alexandre left a legacy of success in the fur trade, and several of his sons followed in his footsteps, settling at the trading post of Kaskaskia in present-day Illinois. He was an ancestor of Dan Aykroyd.

Children by Catherine Delor:
1. Jeanne Turpin — B. 24 Sep 1666, Quebec City, New France; D. 12 Nov 1666, Quebec City, New France

2. Élisabeth Turpin — B. 23 Oct 1667, Quebec City, New France; D. 2 Jan 1747, Montreal, New France; M. Raphael Beauvais (1654-1734), 24 May 1683, Montreal, New France

3. Alexandre-Romain Turpin — B. 2 Jun 1670, Quebec City, New France; D. 10 Aug 1747, Montreal, New France

4. Jean-Baptiste Turpin — B. 7 Oct 1673, Quebec City, New France

5. Marie-Madeliene Turpin — B. 30 Aug 1677, Quebec City, New France; M. Noel Levasseur (1680-1740), 3 Apr 1701, Montreal, New France

Children by Charlotte-Marie Beauvais:
1. Jean-Baptiste Turpin — B. 23 Nov 1685, Montreal, New France; D. 1784, Montreal, New France; M. Marguerite Fafard (1686-1756), 5 May 1710, Detroit, New France

2. Louise Turpin — B. 6 Apr 1687, Montreal, New France; D. 11 Jul 1687, Montreal, New France

3. Jeanne Turpin — B. 7 Sep 1688, Montreal, New France; D. 9 Sep 1688, Montreal, New France

4. Charlotte-Marie Turpin — B. 12 Jul 1691, Montreal, New France; D. 17 Jul 1767, Soulanges, Quebec; M. (1) Nicolas Legros (1678-1720), 25 Feb 1713, Lachine, New France; (2) Simon-Joseph Reaume (1697-?), 10 Sep 1722, Lachine, New France

5. Louis Turpin — B. 15 May 1694, Montreal, New France; D. 20 Dec 1752, Kaskaskia, New France; M. (1) Marie Coulon (~1694-1724), 1719, Kaskaskia, New France; (2) Dorothee Mechipoueoua (~1694-?), 11 Sep 1724, Kaskaskia, New France

6. Joseph Turpin — B. 21 Jun 1696, Montreal, New France; D. about 1750, Kaskaskia, New France; M. Hypolite Chauvin de La Freniere (1718-1757), 7 Nov 1731, New Orleans, New France

7. Jacques Turpin — B. 25 Jul 1698, Montreal, New France; D. 3 Jul 1723, Kaskaskia, New France

8. Marie-Madeleine Turpin — B. 18 Dec 1700, Montreal, New France; D. 26 Nov 1777, Montreal, Quebec; M. Pierre Babin Lacroix (1692-?), 13 Apr 1723, Boucherville, New France

Children by Marie Gauthier:
1. Marie-Suzanne Turpin — B. 17 Aug 1705, Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; D. 25 Oct 1797, L’Acadie, Quebec; M. Jean-Baptiste LaRoche (1696-1753), 29 Oct 1723, Montreal, New France

Sources:
Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours, Cyprien Tanguay, 1890
Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997
The Family of Joseph Turpin, Sadie Greening Sparks, 18 Oct 2000, sadiesparks.com [http://www.sadiesparks.com/josephturpin.htm]
Phantoms of the French Fur Trade, Timothy J. Kent, 2015
The Fur Trade: Fort St. Joseph Archaeological Project Booklet Series, No. 2, Rachel B. Juen and Michael S. Nassaney
Find A Grave