A Canadian Family

Genealogy, Family History & Vintage Postcards

Kreativ Blogger Award – What’s the point?

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When I first began blogging I noticed that there were various awards going around and I asked myself: What possible purpose could these awards serve?  After all you don’t get a cash prize or even a little statue like at the Oscars (though the icon is beautiful).

But now that I’ve been blogging for a whole three months (smile) I realize that blogging can sometimes be a very lonely business so anything that breaks us out of that isolation (i.e. Carnivals, Geneabloggers  and Awards) is a good thing!

So in the interests of enlarging our Geneablogging community (and of  increasing Canadian participation) I’ve decided to nominate 7 blogs that do not belong to our Geneablogger community and that are authored by eastern-Canadian bloggers or that have eastern-Canadian content. 

So,  drumroll please!

Acadian Roots          Aline Cormier blogs from Moncton, New Brunswick about Acadian traditions and life in contemporary New Brunswick. Aline’s blog is actually an adjunct to her big website which is also called Acadian Roots. 

Calhoun McNight Genealogy          Bill Calhoun hails from Woonsocket, Rhode Island but does blog about some Acadians and French Canadians.  Bill has something I haven’t seen anywhere else which are little genealogical charts with boxes that show information when you move your cursor over them. Ah – always something new to learn!

The Kings of Chazy Lake and Associated Families          This is a fascinating new project about some descendants of French-Canadian Roys, in which the author is creating “a set of interlocking blogs so that each family can be followed in its own blog while another focuses on the land and the history.”  This blog is a great model for collaboration.

Luxegen Genealogy and Family History          Joan Miller is an Alberta blogger researching many surnames including the Canadian Kerrs, Irvines, Millers and Hendersons. Interestingly, she also shares her knowledge of certain aspects of doing genealogy in Quebec. (Edit: In her comments below Joan shares that her Kerrs are her Quebec connection. At her blog you can see her Kreativ Award in a post entitled “Doubly blessed”)

Franco-American and Quebec Genealogy         I’ve corresponded before with this American family researcher who lives near me on the south shore of the St-Lawrence – but I didn’t realize till now that she has a blog of her own!  Her name is Muriel and she’s always ready to lend a helping hand to those researching their Quebec roots.

LaBauve Genealogy          Lynn Labauve of Gainesville, Florida shares fascinating tidbits of Acadian religious and secular traditions and foklore. Always a pleasure to read.

The Witzell Family of New Brunswick          A genealogy website for the descendents of Frederic Witzell and Esther LeBreton.  This is one of my favourite blogs because I enjoy websites that post original documents and because there is so little online about the areas of Shippegan, Miscou and Lameque, New Brunswick. Read more »

February 22, 2009 Posted by | . | 9 Comments

The Battle of Riviere-Ouelle

In a former post Riviere-Ouelle: Une Paroisse Canadienne au XVII Siecle I introduced Abbe. Casgrain’s book and shared some of his genealogical tables of the founding families of Riviere-Ouelle. Today I’d like to recount some of what Abbe Casgrain had to say about one of Riviere Ouelle’s most historic moments.

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Riviere-Ouelle habitants led by their priest

The year was 1690. The British were attacking Nouvelle France (today’s Quebec) and word had reached all the French settlements that a flotilla of thirty British ships was coming down the St-Lawrence river.

Riviere-Ouelle’s leader – the seigneur de La Bouteillerie - was expected to stay at Gov. Frontenac’s side to defend the walled fortress-city of Quebec and there was no militia present because they had all been sent either to Quebec City or to other crucial points along both shores of the St-Lawrence.

So Riviere-Ouelle’s other natural leader – Father de Francheville – took charge and exhorted the habitants of Riviere-Ouelle to do their part in the defense of La Nouvelle France by preventing any disembarkment by the British.

The habitants kept an eye out for the ships – and when they were spotted on the horizon Father de Francheville led a group of men down to a hidden place where the shore juts out and waited for the British to land. They were not disappointed. Once the tide rose, Admiral Phipps from Boston (U.S.A.) sent rowboats towards the beach at Riviere-Ouelle. The tide was so high that the boats landed very swiftly on the shore where they were met by a volley of musket balls. This must have been completely unexpected because they immediately retreated in great panic and never returned!

List of habitants presumed by Casgrain to have taken part  in this incident because they wer of an age to carry arms:

Francois and Joseph Deschamps (sons of M. de la Bouteillerie who was in Quebec City), Robert Levesque, Pierre Hudon, Charles and Jean Miville, Galleran Boucher (and his 3 sons), Pierre Dancosse, Joseph Renault (and son), Guillaume Lissot (and son), Rene Ouellet (and 5 sons), Jean Pelletier, jean Lebel (and son), Pierre Emond, Mathurin Dube, Jean Mignot, Noel Pelletier, Jean Gauvin (and son) Pierre de St-Pierre, Nicolas Durand (and son), Francois Autin, Sebastien Boivin and Jean de Lavoye. Natives believed to have taken part: Pierre Oustabany, Gabriel Keskabogouet and Guillaume Meokerimat.

I am not sure why our ancestor Andre Mignier dit Lagace appears on this list. He was a soldier and he is supposed to have settled in the area by 1685. Casgrain explains the absence of four other habitants but does not mention Andre Mignier. I suppose one possibility is that he went to Quebec City with de la Bouteillerie (I’ll update this post when I have more information).

Source:

Casgrain, Abbe. H.R. (1890) Une paroisse Canadienne au XVIIe Siecle: La Riviere-Ouelle. Pub. C.O. Beauchemin & Fils

Related Posts:

Mignier dit Lagaces – French Canadians
Riviere-Ouelle: Une Paroisse Canadienne au XVII Siecle

Land Grants – La Pocatiere/Riviere Ouelle

 

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February 22, 2009 Posted by | . | , , , | 22 Comments

   

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