Presentation for the FCHSC - Part 5 - LA PRAIRIE VOYAGEUR GRANDFATHERS

La Prairie Voyageurs and the Fur Trade

Presentation for the French-Canadian Heritage Society of California

October 27, 2019

If you are researching a voyageur ancestor please see this...

So you think you have a Voyageur in the family tree, eh?

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/02/so-you-think-you-have-voyageur-in.html

V. — LA PRAIRIE VOYAGEUR GRANDFATHERS

🛶 ANDRE ROBIDOU DIT L’ESPAGNOL (1643-1678) (9th great-grandfather) 

son of Manuel Robidou (1620-1667) and Catherine Alve (1618-1667)

BIRTH 1643 • Galice, Burgos, Castilla-Leon, Spain

DEATH 1 APR 1678 • La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, Canada

Marriage 1667 to Jeanne Denote (1647-1701) 👑Filles du Roi

• 1661, Andre Robidou, a sailor, was a Spaniard who came to New France as an engage of Eustache Lambert, a prominent interpreter, settler and fur trader. Andre Robidou married Jeanne Denote, a Filles du Roi. They had five children before Andre died at age 35, leaving Jeanne a widow. With a family to support, Jeanne soon married Jacques Suprenant, who had come to New France with the Carignan-Salières Regiment, with whom she added eight more children.

⚜️CHARLES DIEL DIT LE PETIT BRETON, père (1652-1702) (8th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/charles-diel-dit-le-petit-breton_6.html

son of Philippe Diel (1618-1676) and Marie Anquetin (Hanquetin) (1630-_)

Marriage 1676 to Marie Anne Picard (1663-1697)

• 1665, soldier with La Fouille Company of the Carignan-Salières Regiment. 

• 1673, one of the earliest habitants of La Prairie de la Magdeleine.

• 1677 Sep 7, He was a Voyageur carrying supplies to Fort Frontenac.

⚜️FRANÇOIS PINSONNEAU DIT LAFLEUR (1646-1731) (7th great-grandfather) parents unknown

Birth 1646 • Saintogne, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France

Death 26 JAN 1731 • La Prairie (Notre-Dame-de-La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine), Québec

Marriage 1673 to Anne LeBer (Leper) (1647-1732) (a King's Daughter - 👑filles du roi)

• 1665, soldier in the Saint-Ours Company of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, arrived on the ship La Justice 14 September 1665.

🛶 PIERRE POUPART (1653-1699) (8th great-grandfather) 

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/pierre-poupart-voyageur-grandfather.html

son of Jean Poupart (1625-1682) and Marguerite Frichet (1625-1682)

Marriage 1682 to Marguerite Perras dit La Fontaine (1665-1708)

• 1670, Voyageur for Daumont de Saint-Lusson and Nicolas Perrot when they claimed the Great Lakes for France • 1667, Nicolas Perrot - Lake Superior  • 1685, Aug 4 — Obligation by Pierre Poupart of the Prairie de la Madeleine to François Hazeur, for 132 books eighteen sols eleven deniers for goods, payable on return from his trip to the 8ta8ats (Ottawas).

🛶 PIERRE GAGNE (Gagnier) (1645-1726) (8th great-grandfather)

son of Pierre Gagne (Gasnier) (1610-1656) and Marguerite Roset (Rouzee) (1615-1685)

Marriage 1670 to Catherine Daubigeon (1653-1712)

• 1670, Nov 19 — CELEBRATION OF THE FIRST MARRIAGE IN THE LA PRAIRIE PARISH, THAT OF PIERRE GAGNÉ TO CATHERINE DAUBIGEON • La Prairie's Captain of Militia and a Coureur des Bois.

🛶 FRANCOIS BOURASSA (1659-1708) (7th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/03/francois-bourassa-voyageur-grandfather.html

son of Francois Bourassa (1630-1684) and Marguerite Dugas (1635-1698)

 Marriage 1668 to Marie Le Ber (1666-1756)

• 1686, voyageur to Hudson Bay, as part of the de Troyes Expedition, for the Compagnie du Nord • 1690 Michilimackinac • 1690, Ottawa Indians

• Francois Bourassa and his three sons: Rene Bourassa dit LaRonde (1688-1778), Francois Joachim Bourassa (1698-1775), and Antoine Bourassa (1705-1780), were known as "THE FATHERS OF THE FUR TRADE."

• 1736, his son René Bourassa, became a partner of Pierre Gaultier de

Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye, and established a Fort on the

Vermillon River (mouth of Crane Lake, MN); later he was a trader at Michilimackinac.

🛶 FRANCOIS LEBER (Lebert) (1626-1694) (8th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/francois-leber-voyageur-grandfather.html

son of Robert LeBer (1601-1625) and Colette Cavelier (1605-1694)

Marriage (1) to BEF 1656 to Marguerite Leseur (1628-1662) (2) 1662 to Jeanne Testard (1642-1723) (8th great-grandmother) 

• 1688, voyageur to Ottawa Country. • 1693, Aug 31—Engagement of François Le Ber to de Claude Caron aux sieurs Guillaume Boucher for a trip to the 8ta8ats (Ottawas)

• 1684, Francois’ brother Jacques LeBer and his partner Charles Le Moyne had a store in Montréal where they bought furs for France

🛶 JACQUES DENEAU DIT DESTAILLIS (1660-1720) (7th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/03/jacques-deneau-dit-destaillis-voyageur.html

son of Marin Deneau dit Destaillis (1621-1678) and Louise Therese LeBreuil (1634-1727)

Marriage 1690 to Marie Rivet (1673-1705)

• 1688, 5 July, Claude Greysolon, Sieur de LaTourette hired Charles and Jacques Deniau Voyageurs for a trip to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians) • 1719, accused of illegally selling brandy to savages

🛶 ANTOINE JACQUES BOYER (1671-1747) (8th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/03/antoine-jacques-boyer-voyageur.html

son of Charles Boyer (1631-1698) and Marguerite Ténard (1645-1678)

Marriage 1690 to Marie Perras (1673-1736)

• 1690, Coureurs des bois Antoine Boyer and Pierre Perras bought land conjointly for 600 livres from the sale of beaver pelts • 1694, Ottawa Indians

🛶 JEAN CUSSON (1630-1718) (9th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/03/jean-cusson-voyageur-grandfather.html

son of Jean Cusson (1605-1656) and Jacqueline Pepin (1606-1663)

Marriage 1656 to Marie Foubert (1640-1715)

• 1690, Voyageur for Nicolas Perrot to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians)

• 1704, Ottawa Indians

🛶 GABRIEL LEMIEUX (1663-1739) (8th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/gabriel-lemieux-voyageur-grandfather_9.html

son of Gabriel Lemieux (1626-1700) and Marguerite Leboeuf (1636-1671)

Marriage 1690 to Jeanne Robidoux (1673-1736)

• 1690, 8 may-—voyageur for Migeon de Branssat to go to pays des 8ta8ois • 1692, Ottawa Indians • 1737, Détroit

🛶 MOÏSE DUPUIS (DEPUIS) (1673-1750) (7th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/moise-dupuis-voyageur-grandfather.html

son of Francois Dupuis (Dupays) (1634-1681) and Georgette Richer (1647-1799) 👑filles du roi

Marriage 1699 to Marie Anne Christiansen (1676-1750)

• 1692, courier de bois and trader at Schenectady, NY -- from "Narratives and ldentities in the Saint Lawrence Valley, 1667-1720"

🛶 CHARLES DIEL, fils (1688-1734) (7th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/charles-diel-fils-voyageur-grandfather.html

son of Charles Diel dit Le Petit Breton (1652-1702) and Marie Anne Picard (1663-1697)

Marriage 1716 to Jeanne Boyer (1694-1730) (7th great-grandmother) (2) 1732 to Marguerite Robert (1683-1766)

• 1713, May 28 -  Engagement of  Voyageurs Charles Diel and Charles Cusson to Gilles Recourt—Notary  • 1718, May 28, Pierre Roy hired Charles Diel to make a voyage to Détroit.

🛶 JOSEPH POUPART (1696-1726) (7th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/joseph-poupart-voyageur-grandfather.html

son of Pierre Poupart (1653-1699) and Marguerite Perras dit La Fontaine (1665-1708)

Marriage 1724 to Marie Anne Lemieux (1706-1777)

• 1715, Mar 5, Engagement of Voyageur Joseph Poupart to Charles Le Gardeur to make the trip to Michilimackinac, Notary Adhémar. • 1723, August 27, Charles Chesne hired Joseph Poupart voyageur de La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine, to go to Détroit, Notary Adhémar.

🛶 ETIENNE DUQUET DIT DESROCHERS (1694-1762) (6th great-grandfather) 

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/etienne-duquet-dit-desrochers-voyageur.html

son of Jean Duquet dit Desrochers (1651-1710) and Catherine-Ursule Amiot (1664-1715)

Marriage 1722 to Marie-Françoise Deneau dit Destaillis (1698-1737)

• 1751, Jun 4, Igance Bourassa hired Étienne Duquet voyageur de La Prairie to go to Michilimackinac • 1752, Michilimackinac • 1753, Michilimackinac

🛶 FRANCOIS MOISE DUPUIS (1709-1764) (6th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/francois-moise-dupuis-voyageur.html

son of Moise Dupuis (Depuis) (1673-1750) and Marie Anne Christiansen (1676-1750)

Marriage 1733 to Marie Anne Roy (1712-1750)

• 1752, Jun 2, Nicolas Volant hired Francois Dupuis voyageur de La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine to go to Michilimackinac.

🛶 JOSEPH PINSONNEAU (1733-1779) (5th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/joseph-pinsonneau-voyageur-grandfather.html

son of Jacques Pinsonneau dit Lafleur (1682-1773) and Marie Elisabeth Bourassa (1695-1766)

• 1763, April 29, Engagement of Joseph Pinsonneault dit Lafleur, as a voyageur, to Michel Laselle, a Montréal merchant.

🛶 PIERRE BARETTE DIT COURVILLE (1748-1794) (5th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/03/pierre-barette-dit-courville-voyageur.html

son of Louis Courville Barrette (Baret) (1717-1753) and Marie Josephe Poupart (1725-1799) Marriage 1772 to Marie Anne Dupuis (Dupuy) (1753-1807)

• 1778, Voyageur to Fort Michilimackinac

🛶 JEAN-BAPTISTE MEUNIER LAGACE père (1749-1828) (5th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/jean-baptiste-meunier-dit-lagace-pere.html

son of Joseph Mignier (Meunier) Lagasse (Lagace) (1706-1778) and Felicite Caouette (Cahouet) (1709-1783)

Marriage 1775 to Marie Judith Gravel Brindeliere (1757-1779)

• 1778, Ezechiel Solomon hired Jean-Baptiste Meunier, voyageur de La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine de la Magdeleine to go to Mississippi, and spend the winter 

• 1794, Jean-Baptiste Meunier and his partner, Jacques Rolland, established trading house near a village of the Ponca Indians on the Missouri River.

🛶 LOUIS COURVILLE BARRETTE (1717-1753) (6th great-grandfather) 

son of Guillaume Barrette (1678-1745) and Jeanne Gagné (1683-1719)

Birth 24 FEB 1717 • Napierville, Quebec, Canada

Death 30 JAN 1753 • St Constant, La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine, Quebec, Canada

Marriage 1741 to Marie Josephe Poupart (1725-1799)

• Father and Brother of Voyageurs

🛶 GABRIEL PINSONNEAU (1770-1807) (4th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/gabriel-pinsonneau-voyageur-grandfather.html

son of Joseph Pinsonneau (Pinsono) (1733-1779) and Marie Madeleine Duquet (1734-1791)

Marriage 1802 to Marie-Louise Vielle (1780-1813)

• 1797, August 11, Engagement of Gabriel Pinsonneau, of La Prairie-de-la-Madeleine, to Jacques & François Lasette to go to Detroit. Notary Louis Chaboillez.

🛶 JEAN-BAPTISTE MEUNIER LAGACE fils (1776-1835) (4th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/jean-baptiste-meunier-lagace-voyageur.html

son of Jean-Baptiste Mignier (Meunier) Lagasse (Lagace) (1749-1828) and Marie Judith Gravel Brindeliere (1757-1779)

Marriage 1799 to Marie Angelique Baret (Barette) dit Courville (1779-1815)

• 1800, Feb 14, James & Andrew McGill hired Jean-Baptiste Meunier voyageur de Chambly to go to Mississippi, and spend the winter

• 1803, Oct 6, McTavish, Frobisher & Co. (North West Company) hired Jean-Baptiste Meunier voyageur de St-André-d’Argenteuil to go to Lac De La Pluie (Rainy Lake), notary Louis Chaboillez). From the Archives of Quebec. Notes: Go through Michilimakinac if required, make two trips from Kamanatiguià Fort to Portage de la Montagne, and give six days of drudgery, and help carry the three canoes in the land. • 1803, 6 octobre.—Engagement de Jean-Bte Meunier, des Eboulies, A McTavlsh Froblsher G Co. pour aller au Lac de la Pluie.—Étude Ls Chaboillez. • 1805, 2 février. - Engagement de Jean Bte Meunier dit Lafleur, de Chambly, à James & Andrew McGill & Co. pour aller dans les pays d'en haut, notary Louis Chaboillez

A FEW QUEBEC BASED FUR TRADE ANCESTORS

Anne Godefroy (1615-1678) (9th great grandmother) daughter of Pierre Godefroy de Linctot (1585-1666) and Perrette Cavalier (1590-1636) • 1652 Arrival at Quebec, Canada

Marriage 1630 to Jean Testard dit Lafontaine (1612-1705)

🛶 Two brothers of Anne Godefroy, 9th great grandmother: Thomas Godefroy de Normanville and Jean Godefroy de Lintot arrived in New France with Samuel de Champlain.

• 1626. They both served under Champlain in the capacity of interpreters. 

🛶 Mathieu Amiot (Amyot) Sieur de Villeneuve (1628-1688) (8th great-grandfather)

son of Philippe Amiot (Amyot) dit Villeneuve (1602-1639) and Anne Convent (1605-1675) Marriage 1650 to Marie Catherine Miville (1632-1702)

• 1640s, Interpreter and fur trader for the Jesuits in the Huron country.

🛶 Jean Mignault dit Chatillon (1622-1680) (9th great-grandfather)

son of Nicolas Mignault (1600-1648) and Madeleine DeBrie (1600-1648)

Marriage 1648 to Louise Cloutier (1632-1699)

• 1648, Governor Montmagny sent Jean Mignault to the (le pays des Hurons) "Huron's Country" to invite them to the fur trade. 

🛶 Denis Duquet (1605-1675) (8th great-grandfather)

son of Joseph Duquet and Jeanne Barbie

Marriage 1638 to Catherine Gautier (1625-1702)

• 1659, member of the "Traite de Tadoussac"

⚜️André Meunier (Mignier) dit Lagacé (1641-1727) (8th great-grandfather)

son of Michel Mignier Lagace (1602-1678) and Catherine Masson (1620-1669)

Marriage 1668 to Jacquette Michel (1630-1710) (a King's Daughter - 👑filles du roi)

• 1665, a French Sharpshooter in the Berthier Company of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, arrived on the ship Le Brézé 30 June 1665.

🛶 Jean Baptiste Desroches (1621-1684) (8th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/jean-baptiste-desroches-voyageur.html

son of Jean Antoine Desroches (1585-1652) and Antoinette Unknown (1585-_)

Marriage 1647 to Francoise Godé (Gaudet) (1631-1715)

• 1667, formed a trading company with Nicolas Perrot, Toussaint Baudry, and Isaac Nafrechoux. Together they traveled west to Ottawa Country, and to Green Bay in 1668.

🛶 Jacques Hugues Picard (1618-1707) (9th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/jacques-hugues-picard-dit-lafortune.html

son of Gabriel Picard dit LaFortune (1590-1660) and Michelle Clavier (1598-1660)

Marriage 1660 to Antoinette Liercourt (1634-1707)

• 1693, voyageur to Ottawa Indians

🛶 Jean Baptiste Moreau (1657-1727) (8th great-grandfather)

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2019/04/jean-baptiste-moreau-voyageur.html

son of Jean Moreau (1635-1710) and Catherine Leroux (1635-1689)

Marriage 1692 to Marie Anne Rodrigue (1673-1720)

• 1703, voyageur to Detroit via Lake Erie • 1704, Fort Le pont Chartrain du lac Êrié • 1705, Fort Le pont Chartrain du lac Êrié • 1716, Michilimackinac • 1717, Michilimackinac • 1718, Michilimackinac


Continued Part 6... https://voyageur-legacy.blogspot.com/2019/10/presentation-for-fchsc-part-6-few-more.html

Presentation for the FCHSC - Part 4 - VOYAGEURS AND THEIR CANOES

La Prairie Voyageurs and the Fur Trade

Presentation for the French-Canadian Heritage Society of California

October 27, 2019

IV. — VOYAGEURS AND THEIR CANOES

Voyageur, the French word for traveler, we now know, refers to the contracted employees who worked as canoe paddlers, bundle carriers, and general laborers for fur trading firms from the 1650s until the 1850s. 

The voyageurs were the backbone of trading companies, like the North West Company (NWCo), moving furs and trade goods over a route that spanned roughly 3100 miles or more.

Canoes were loaded with trade goods, and set off from Lachine in May. 

They proceeded to the church of St-Anne-de-Bellevue, where they received a blessing, which signaled the start of their trip.

Voyageurs were expected to work at least 14 hours a day, paddle 50 strokes a minute and be able to carry two "pièces" of 90 pounds each across every portage. 

It was hazardous work. Voyageurs suffered from drowning, hernias, broken limbs, twisted spines, rheumatism as well as clouds of black flies and mosquitoes against which the best repellent was a mixture of bear grease and skunk urine. 

The voyageur's daily routine was a back-breaking one: for the 6 to 8 weeks he was traveling, he was roused as early as 3 a.m., and set off without eating breakfast. 

Before 8 o'clock, a breakfast stop was made on a beach. At around 2 in the afternoon, a midday lunch was served on the boat, though often lunch was only an opportunity to chew a piece of pemmican or a "biscuit" while paddling. 

A stop was made for a few minutes each hour to allow the men to have a pipe. This event was so important that distances came to be measured in pipes: 3 pipes might equal 15 to 20 miles of travel. 

A 20 mile long lake would be measured as 4 pipes or 4 hours of travel, depending on wind and waves. 

At nightfall, the canoes were unloaded and turned over to serve as shelters. 

Supper, which was pre-cooked the night before, was warmed and served. 

The men dropped down on turf, moss or the beach with their heads under the overturned canoes. A tarp provided protection from wind and rain. 

During the night, a kettle filled with 9 quarts of peas and water was hung over the fire, added to it were strips of pork. This simmered until daylight, when the cook added four "biscuits" and continued to let it simmer. 

At dawn there were awakened, and canoes were loaded and launched. 

The swelling of the peas and biscuit had now filled the kettle to the brim, so thick that a stick would stand upright in it. 

Three pipes, or about 12 miles of paddling were done before breakfast.

Many voyageurs had long hair, which served as protection from the mosquitoes which beset all those who voyaged. 

Voyageurs dressed themselves with a cotton shirt, red toque, buckskin leggings, and pair of moose hide moccasins, a hooded capote, and a red assomption sash. 

There were two categories of voyageurs

• the "Montreal men", or "pork eaters" who paddled from Montreal to Grand Portage [after 1803 — Fort William] for the annual rendezvous and back to Montreal. The term "pork-eater" or "mangeur de lard" comes from the fact that French-Canadians were accustomed to eating pork meat boiled in a soup, a meal quite enjoyed by hard-working farmers.

• the "North men" or "hivernants" were voyageurs who wintered in the interior and brought down furs to Grand Portage to meet the summer brigades coming from Montreal. 

At the Height of Land, a rite of passage was practiced that would allow a voyageur to "become" a north man. 

The newcomer was sprinkled with water from the first north-flowing stream, and made to promise never to kiss another man's wife without his permission. 

This ended with the drinking of rum and a barrage of back-slapping. 

Within the two categories of voyageurs, there were three sub-types

• the avant or bowman: the man located in the front (or bow) of the canoe who acted as the guide.

• the gouvernail or steersman: the man who would sit or stand at the stern (rear) and steer the craft by order of the bowman.

• the milieu or middleman: the men lacking experience began as paddlers in the middle. 

After becoming knowledgeable with the art of canoeing, they would become steersmen. 

Because of the skill and experience required, the bowsmen and steersmen were paid twice the rate of middlemen.

Because the voyageur system was developed under the French regime, most of the men hired by trade companies were French-Canadians, they were recruited in French-Canadian villages and towns in the St Lawrence Valley.

Notably Québec, Montréal, Trois-Rivières and smaller villages like Sorel, La Prairie, Châteauguay, Chambly, Boucherville, Longueuil, St-Ours and L'Assomption.

The Canoe – The Workhorse of the Fur Trade

It is not known for sure when the birch bark canoe was first developed. 

However, the Indians’ birch bark canoe was the ideal craft for the fur trade where traveling through the interior required a light weight craft that could be carried across frequent portages and yet manage a heavy load of cargo.

It is known that the Algonquin Indians began using birch bark canoes patterned after those designed by the Ojibwe around the time the fur trade began.

Voyageur Canoe Types

Several different types of canoes were used. They differed mostly in length and the number of men they could carry along with the trade goods or fur pelts. 

The two most common types were…

• Canot du Maitre (Montreal Canoe) used on the trip from Montreal to Grand Portage, where a large canoe was needed. 

It must be able to handle the dangerous waters of the Great Lakes and it had to handle large amounts of trade goods and provisions going out as well as the fur pelts coming back. 

The Montreal Canoe was 30 to 40 feet long and was manned by 8 to 12 voyageurs. 

Empty, it could weigh more than 200 lbs., but could still be carried by four men over the portages as necessary.

Contents of a Montreal Canoe as it leaves Montreal for Grand Portage:

• Sixty packages of merchandise and provisions weighing roughly 90 lbs. each, placed on either side of the canoe to make a balanced load.

• Eight men minimum. Each man was allowed one bag of personal belongings weighing 40 lbs.

• Total weight approximately 8000 lbs or 4 tons.

• Canot du Nord (North Canoe) used most often between the remote outposts and Grand Portage. 

It was about 18 to 22 feet in length and was manned by 2 to 6 voyageurs. This canoe was often light enough to be carried by two men.

The contents of the North Canoe would be mostly fur pelts and the personal belongings of the men while heading to Grand Portage. Some food provisions would also be included.

On the return trip, the contents would consist of trade goods and some provisions. A typical list of contents in addition to the men and their personal gear would include:

• Merchandise (trade goods including cloth, blankets, beads, etc.), 5 bales at 90 lbs. each.

• Canal tobacco for trading, 1 bale.

• Kettles for trading, 1 bale.

• Guns for trading, 1 case.

• Iron works for trading, 1 case.

• New twist tobacco for trading, 2 rolls.

• Lead balls for the guns, 2 bags.

• Lead shot for the guns, 2 bags.

• Flour for trading, 1 bag.

• Sugar for trading, 1 keg.

• Gunpowder, 2 kegs.

• High wine, 10 kegs containing 9 gallons each, for trading.

• Total weight 3000 lbs. or 1½ tons.

Traveling By Canoe

The fur traders generally traveled in groups of canoes called a brigade. 

The brigade was under the general authority of the bourgeois or partner, but while they were canoeing the avant or bowman was in charge. He would establish the route and set the pace for each day’s travel. 

He was responsible for the navigation of the brigade and the safety of their precious cargo. The bourgeois could override his directions, but usually did not. 

The avant was highly experienced and knew exactly what the canoe and crew could handle.

A brigade could consist of 4 to 8 canoes that would usually travel together.

To and From Montreal

The trip from Montreal to Grand Portage and back included long sections on the Great Lakes. The heavily loaded canoes generally stayed very close to shore when possible. 

There was a real risk of capsizing in sudden waves since winds could come up suddenly. The value of the cargo in each direction made caution necessary. 

However, there were sections where a choice would have to be made between caution and speed. 

Each of the Great Lakes has large bays that may be miles wide at their openings. On reaching a bay, the avant would have to choose between traveling into the bay and cutting straight across in open water or adding miles to the trip by staying close to shore.

From The Interior to Grand Portage

Traveling through the interior meant crossing smaller lakes and maneuvering up or down rivers. 

The risk of bad weather creating a hazard in open water was much less than for those traveling the Great Lakes. 

However, the smaller lakes and rivers meant many more portages. 

Since each portage involved carrying thousands of pounds of pelts, goods and equipment over rough terrain, there was a real incentive to find ways to avoid portages. 

Often, this meant taking the risk of running a rapids.

When a brigade would reach a portage around a rapids, a high water level might increase the temptation to run the rapids. 

Rocks in the rapids would be hidden by the high water and offer alternate routes that might not be available when the water was low. 

In many cases the canoe may have been emptied to avoid losing the cargo, but cutting the time it would take to portage the canoe itself. 

Skilled paddlers would be given the responsibility to see that the canoe made it safely to the other end. 

From journals we know that damage and even destruction of canoes was common. The fate of those paddling the canoe was often drowning in the rapids.

Lining was another navigation technique that could be used when the current is too fast to paddle against, and when the shoreline is free of snags.

A line of 60 to 100 feet long was attached to the full canoe and pulled from shore while the steersman and gear remain in the canoe. 

Canoe Paddles

Paddles were hand carved from single pieces of wood. Cedar was often the first choice because it had good strength and was light weight without being brittle.

The avant in the bow and the gouvernail in the stern had longer paddles since they were often standing while navigating. 

Their paddles might be as long as 6 feet. 

The milieux had shorter paddles that probably reached to chin or eye level. 

Most of the paddles were painted on the blade. Red was a favorite color, but patterns and designs might be used as well. 

A good paddle with balance and a comfortable grip was a prized possession. 

With thousands of strokes each day, voyageurs had to have a good paddle.

Continued Part 5... https://voyageur-legacy.blogspot.com/2019/10/presentation-for-fchsc-part-5-la.html

Presentation for the FCHSC - Part 3 - VOYAGEURS OR COUREURS DES BOIS

La Prairie Voyageurs and the Fur Trade

Presentation for the French-Canadian Heritage Society of California

October 27, 2019

III. — VOYAGEURS OR COUREURS DES BOIS

La Vérendrye, Explores Western Canada in 1732

These two terms have had broad and overlapping uses, but their meanings in the context of the fur trade were more distinct. 

Voyageurs were the canoe transportation workers in organized, licensed long-distance transportation of furs and trade goods in the interior of the continent. 

Another name sometimes given to voyageurs is engagés, indicating that they were wage-earning canoeman.

Coureurs des bois, on the other hand, were entrepreneur woodsman engaged in all aspects of fur trading rather than being focused on just the transportation of fur trade goods. 

Understanding the Coureurs des Bois

The coureur de bois enjoyed the adventure, money, the beauty of nature, and a life free of conformity and the harsh work of farming. 

Living closely with the Indians, they adapted to Indian ways and dress, and soon were as skilled as the Indians in the ways of the forest. Most cared little for tomorrow. 

This lifestyle appealed more strongly to the French temperament than to that of any other European race. 

One coureurs des bois reported that, “there is no life so happy, none so independent, no place where a man enjoys so much variety and freedom as in the Indian country.” 

These wandering coureurs des bois were perplexing to the authorities. 

In 1681, the French authorities decided these traders had to be controlled if the fur trade was to remain profitable for the merchants. 

Edict of the King of France in 1681

The market at Montreal was being oversupplied with furs and was hurting the local merchants who supplied the clothing, muskets and copper pots for the trade. 

The authorities offered amnesty to the coureurs des bois involved in the illegal trade, and set up a system of permits for those voyageurs who either had a permit or were allied with a Montreal merchant. 

These permits or licenses authorized outfitting a canoe with goods and three paddlers to go for trade in the Indian villages but only 25 permits were to be granted annually. 

Lists of the trips, destinations to be visited, and names of the voyageurs had to be registered with the notaries. 

In 1680, Intendant Jacques Duchesneau, estimated that there were more than 800 men out of a population of 9,700 now in the woods. 

He wrote that “there is not a family of any account but has sons, brothers, uncles, and nephews among these ‘Coureurs des bois.’ 

This was certainly true for La Prairie, where the seigneury developed about the same time as the vagabond traders, and was ideally located for trade with both the Montreal merchants and the English at Albany.

Many of the coureurs des bois were persons of good birth, with some military training and education, who felt a magnetic pull to roam the forest. 

One governor in French Canada wrote that “I cannot tell you how attractive this life is to all our youth. 

It consists of doing nothing, caring nothing, following every inclination, and getting out of the way of all restraint.” 

Estimates in 1700 put the number of voyageurs at 400 to 500 each year and the coureurs des bois at 2500 to 3000. 

Without the coureurs des bois the fur trade would not have continued successfully for almost 200 years.

Many of my ancestors were — at one time or another — both Voyageurs (working for others) and Coureurs des Bois (working for themselves), so I tend to use the term Voyageur as a catch-all for either or both.

Continued Part 4... https://voyageur-legacy.blogspot.com/2019/10/presentation-for-fchsc-part-4-voyageurs.html