514. Guillame Trahan
Guillaume Trahan, son of Nicolas Trahan and Renée Desloges, was born at Bourgueil towards 1606. The 17th of July 1624, in the Saint-Étienne Church in Chinon, he married Françoise Corbineau. Chinon is situated 15 kilometers to the south-east of Bourgueil and 50 kilometers to the south-west of Tours. In 1636, he emigrated to Acadia. On the passenger list for the ship Saint-Jean, among the " countrymen from Anjou " who are going to " work at New France ", we read this note: Guillaume, "mareschal de tranchant", with his wife two children, and man-servant, also from Bourgeuil." A "maréchal de tranchant" is someone who makes all sorts of cuttin tools, ie axes, knifes, scissors, etc. and even table accessories like forks and spoons. In the area around Chinon, rests the Château de Razilly. Two members of this family were actively engaged in the colonization of Acadia: The Commander Isaac de Razilly, Knight of the Religious Order Malte and Leuitenant-General of the King in Acadia, and his brother Claude de Razilly-Launay, silent-partner and business manager of Isaac. The 14th of January 1634, the Company of New France had given a fief to to Claude, the Sieugneries of La Héve and Port-Royal. Claude de Razilly recruited colonists for Acadia. He chose people mainly from Anjou and Touraine which were close to his family's castle. At Chinon, he recruited craftsman, at Bourgeuil he enlisted six complete families, consisting of 23 people, among whom was Guilaume Trahan, and five other agriculturists who came without their families. For the month of February 1636, the recruits from Chinon and Bourgeuil went to Tours, where they met up with another group recruited in Champagne by Nicoalas Le Creux, Sieur of Breuil, Commander of the Fort Canseau, on the far eastern side of Acadia. The 1st of April 1636, the Saint-Jean found the Cape of America. At the end of May, the ship dropped anchor in front of the Fort Sainte-Marie-de-GrÂces at La Héve. We learn of the death of Isaac de Razilly during the course of the next winter. Charles de Menou d'Aulnay succeded him as head of Acadia. Finding the site at La Héve being poorly chosen, he decided to take advantage of the arrival of the Saint-Jean to transport the colony to Port Royal but not on the old site towards the north of the Lake of Port-Royal, but a dozen kilometers more to the east, on the southern river coming from the lake, at the mouth of the Dauphin River (Annapolis River). At Port-Royal, Governor d'Aulnay created a lot of work: erection of dams, building of forts and homes and mills, construction of ships and row-boats, etc. In the center of all of these activities was Guillaume Trahan, maker of cutting tools, who must have been very busy making and reparing the tools needed for all of this construction. He is certainly one of Governor d'Aulnays trusted men, since on the 21 September 1639, his ten year old daughter Jeanne, is the God-mother of Marie, the oldest girl of the Governor: " Extract of the baptism 21 September 1639 Port Royal,... confirms that Marie daughter of Sieur Charles de Menou, esquire, Lieutenant General for the King on the Island of Acadia, Country of New France was baptized a four o'clock in the afternoon on said day and that she was born by him at one o'clock on Wednesday 21 September and that she was dedicated to the Virgin Mary by Claude Petipas and Monsieur Boudrot, first officials of Port Royal, her god-father being Pierre, son of Pierre Cachet, and her god-mother being Jeanne Traihan, daughter of Guillaume Traihan, toolmaker, and Françoise Corbineau." The 14th of July 1640, after a large dispute between Charles de Menou d'Aulnay and Charles de Saint-Etienne de la Tour, Governor of a part of Acadie, Guilaume Trahan, Germain Doucet and Isaac Pesseley " representatives of the inhabitants at Pentagouët, La Héve and Port-Royal, are put in charge of an inquest on the doings of La Tour. The report from the enquest is sent to Paris the 29 January 1641. In 1643, Jeanne Trahan, the eldest girl of Guillaum at age 14, married Jacob Bourgeois, surgeon of Port Royal who arrived in the colony the preceding year. In 1645, the quarrel between d'Aulnay and La Tour turned into an open war, the Governor of Port-Royal having ordered all of his men to pick-up their guns and go to the streets leading to the Fort Saint-Jean, head-office of the Government of his rival La Tour. Guillaume Trahan who is of age is forced to take part in the expedition primarily for his skills with cutting tools, which would be needed. The 10 May 1650, Governor d'Aulnay is killed in a boating accident when his canoe capsized while going down the Moulin River. In 1654, Guillaume Trahan is a representative of the people at Port-Royal, Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour is still Governor of all of Acadia and was married to Jeanne de Mottin, widow of the former Governer d'Aulnay. Unfortunately, though it being a time of peace, " without any orders from his superios, Major Robert Sedgewick appeared at the base of Port-Royal, at the head of an army of 500 men, carried on three warships. He arrived at Fort Saint-Jean and took possession of it after three days, and took Charles Saint-Etienne as prisoner. Germain Doucet had nothing but 120 men to fight against the 500 men from Sedgewick. He sent 15 men under the orders of the Sergeant of the Garrison to lie in wait for an ambush against the English. The Sergeant was killed and the others took refuge in the Fort. On the 16th of August 1654, after sixteen days of resistance, Germain Doucet had to surrender to an enemy who was larger in number and in armament. These were the terms of the surrender: " Between Mr. La Verdure, commander of Port-Royal and surrogate guardian of the young children of the late Mr. D'Aulnay, and Mr. Robert Sedgewick, English Commander, Esquire. The Sieur came out of the Fort with his garrison with their weapons and beating drums, flag deployed, "balle en bouche", musket or gun on shoulders, wick burning on both ends, and their baggage. They will be granted safe passage to France with their provisions for two months. As for the children (of D'Aulnay) we will take possession of all the furniture, property, merchandise and animals that belong to them. The inhabitants will have their freedom of conscience, and can live in their own homes and property with all the furniture that belongs to them. Their staying by means of recognition of their Seigneurial duty for which they are obliged to pay by their grants; with the freedom to sell said furniture and property as seemeth good to English persons or the French who are staying in the Country.. and to ensure the the above articles are followed, The Sieur La Verdure has left as hostage Mr. Jacques Bourgeois, his brother-in-law and Lieutenant of the area, and the Sieur Emmanuel Le Borgne, son, until the terms of the treaty have been fulfilled. We have signed, Robert Bourgeois, Robert Sedgewick, Robert Salem, Marke Harrison, Robert Martin, Richard Morse, plus the Reverend Father Léonard de Chartres and Mr. Guillaume Trouen (Trahan), representative of the people and the Sieur Borgne (father)." After the departure of of the French Garrison, the English ship left Port-Royal and brought with it Governor La Tour as prisoner. Sedgewick left no english army at Port-Royal. Some Bostonien merchants set-up shop there and had trading posts, all under surveillance to instruct the English Governor, who had residence at Pentagouët. The Acadians governed themselves, with a council precided over by the agent, Guillaume Trahan. Françoise Courbineau died towards 1660. It would appear she had no other children than those who were brought with her from France in 1636. In 1665, Guillaume Trahan, around age 57, married a young lady, Magdeleine Brun, who was only 20 years old. She was the daughter of Vincent Brun and Vincente Breau, and was born at Port-Royal the 25th of January 1645. In 1670, the Knight Grandfontaine took possesion of Acadia, which had been returned to France under the Treaty of Breda. His first item of business was to take a Census of the people of Acadia, which would be headed by Father Laurent Moulins. " Tool Maker - Guillaume Trahan aged 60 years, his wife Magdeleine Brun aged 25. Their children 3. Guillaume 4, Jean-Charles 3, AlexAndre 1. Their horned animals 8 and ten sheep. Their workable land five acres." For this census Guillaume had 3 Grand-sons, 7 grand-daughters, and one great-granddaughter amd one great-grandson. Guillaume Trahan died around 1680. In 1686 Magdeleine Brun was recorded two times. The first time she was married to Pierre Joan dit La Riviere and she had with her from her first marriage three boys and three girls. The second time she was a widow from La Riviere and had a daughter form her second marriage.
562. Jacques Bourgeois
Jacques Bourgeois Sr. was originally from Couperans-en-Brie (presently in province of Seine-et-Marne). He came to Acadia probably in 1632, with his brother-in-law Germain Doucet dit Laverdure. Considering the tasks he would perform later on, he must have been an officer in the army of Commander Isaac de Razilly, who came to reclaim possession of Acadia in the name of the King of France. Jacques brought with him his son, Robert, who would become one of the principle officers at the garrison of Port Royal where he would come to join his father later on. The new colony was first established at La Heve, towards the south of the Acadian Peninsula. In 1636, after the death of de Razilly, Charles de Menou d'Aulnay, his successor, abandoned La Héve for Port Royal which had been successfully reclaimed by France. In 1642 another son of Jacques Sr. came to join him at Port Royal. Jacques Jr. (also known as Jacob) who embraced the medical profession was known as " a qualified surgeon ". Jacob was born about 1618. He arrived at Port Royal with Menou d'Aulnay, who had returned to France with his "lettres patentes" which named him as Governor of Acadia. At the head of a wave of four ships, d'Aulnay brought with him a crew of craftsmen, laborers and complete families. In 1699, Jacob attested by a solemn oath, that he came to Acadia in 1642. In 1643, Jacob married at Port-Royal, Jeanne Trahan, daughter of Guillaume Trahan " " maréchal de tranchant ", and Françoise Corbineau. A "maréchal de tranchant" is a maker of cutting tools. Jeanne was only 14 years old. She was born at Bourgueil, in the Province of Anjou, France in 1629. She came to Acadia in 1632 with her father, her mother, and one sister (whose first name is unknown). In 1645, after the death of Isaac Pesseley (ancestor of many Acadians) major at the post at Port Royal, the uncle of Jacob Bourgeois, Germain Doucet dit Laverdure, the man who earned the trust of Governor d'Aulney, is named major at the post and Jacques Bourgeois, the father, would become "Lieutenant of the area" Towards 1646, Monsieur de Menou d'Aulnay granted to Jacob Bourgeois an Island called " Isle aux Cochons" (Island of Pigs), located in the river Dauphin (Annapolis River today), towards the east of the fort, with this clause that "only the land not touched by the tide would belong to him." On May 20 1650, Governor d'Aulnay was killed when his canoe capsized while going down the the river Moulin. At this time, Jacob and Jeanne Trahan had three children; Jeanne 5, Charles 3, and Germain who was a newborn. In 1651, Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour (ancestor of several Acadians) is named as Governor General of Acadia. Germain Doucet and Jacques Bourgeois, father, are kept in their respective positions as Major and Lieutenant-General at the post at Port-Royal. In 1653, Charles de Saint-Étienne married Jeanne de Mottin, widow of the previous Governor d'Aulnay, Germain Doucet and Jacques Bourgeois both signed as witnesses of their marriage, the 24th of February 1653. In August 1654, Major Sedgewick " without any orders from his superiors," and despite France and England being at peace, showed up at the base of Port-Royal at the head of an army of five-hundred men. He arrived at Fort Saint-Jean, where he took Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour, Governor of Acadia, as prisoner. The 16th of August, after being under siege for several days, German Doucet decided to surrender. Jacob Bourgeois, the only surgeon around, was very busy for several weeks which followed treating all those who were injured during the battle. The terms of surrender stated the the garrison would leave the fort "with all the "honors of war", and that he would " grant them with their provisions safe passage to France without interruption." The inhabitants would be welcome to to remain in the country, keep their furniture and possessions and a free conscience, " and to ensure this happens, the Sieur La Verdure (Germain Doucet) has left in charge Mr. Jacques Bourgeois, his brother-in-law and Lieutenant, and the Sieur Emmanuel Le Borgne, son, until the terms of the surrender have been fulfilled." In other words, until the departure of the garrison for France. Among the signatures on the surrender, the very first was Robert Bourgeois who was one of the principle officers of the garrison, then after some English officials, two people who left a lot of descendants in Acadia, Guillaume Trouën (Trahan) representative of the people and the Sieur Le Borgne, (father). Germain Doucet, Jacques Bourgeois, Robert Bourgeois, uncle, father and brother of Jacob Bourgeois, as well as the two Le Borgnes returned to France with the other officers and soldiers of the garrison at Port Royal on the ship Chateaufort, which was owned by Emmanuel Le Borgne, father. As for the Governor Charles de Saint-Etienne, he was brought to England as a prisoner. Jacob Bourgeois remained at Port Royal with his family, which by now consisted of two girls, Jeanne 10 and Marie 2, and two boys Charles 8 and Germain 2. After the departure of te French Army, the English likewise stayed at Port Royal and didn't keep an Army there. The people governed themselves with the exception of a council governed by a representative Guillaume Trahan, father-in-law of Jacob Bourgeois. In 1667, the Bréda treaty returned Acadia to France, but it wasn't until 2 September 1670 that the Fort at Port Royal was handed over to Monsieur de Soulanges, Lieutenant of the new French governor Monsieur de Grandfontaine. One of his first tasks was to take order a census of the inhabitants Acadia. Father Laurent Moulins, a travelling Franciscan monk, was put in charge of this task during the end 1670 and beginning of 1671, Jacques (Jacob) Bourgeois was at the top of the list of the inhabitants of Port-Royal. " Surgeon - Jacob Bourgeois, aged 50 years, his wife Jeanne Trahan, aged 40 years, their children 10, Jeanne 27, Charles 25, Germain 21, marie 19, Guillaume 16, Marguerite 13, Françoise 12, Anne 10, Marie 7, Jeanne 4. Their horned animals 33, their sheep 24, their cultivated land in two locations at about 20 acres more or less." Their oldest son, Charles was married to Anne Dugast: " Labourer - Charles Bourgeois, aged 25 years, his wife Anne du Gast, aged 17, their children - a girl Marie of 1 year and a half, their horned animals 12 and seven sheep. Their cultivated land two acres. " Their young daughter, Marie married Pierre Syre, a gunsmith who appears to have been an employee of her grand-father, Guilaume Trahan: " Gunsmith - Pierre Sire aged 27 years, his wife Marie Bourgeois aged 18, their children a boy named Jean 3 months old. Their beasts 11 and six sheep, small lot of land to work. As we see by this census, on top of practicing his skill as a surgeon, Jacob was also a farmer, and is the richest citizen at Port Royal with twenty acres of land (most others had only 10), 33 horned animals and his 24 sheep. He must have worked hard to arrive at this social status which no doubt would be a great help to his children. As well as being a surgeon and a farmer, Jacob acted as a travelling salesman who worked up and down the " Baie Française " (now the Bay of Fundy) He enlisted as a pilot, Pierre Arsenault who arrived at Acadia in 1672 on the ship The Oranger. Jacob, who didn't wait for Pierre Arsenault to do business with the Indians on the Baie Française, must have observed while on his travels along the coastline of the Bay, the carved meadows in the "Bassin de Mines" and in the Bay Chignectou. He decided to start a business in this place which would prove a great asset to his children and in-laws to follow. In 1671, Jacob Bourgeois began to work, with the help of his three sons, Germain, Guillaume and Charles, his son-in-law Pierre Syre, and future son-in-law Jean Boudrot. A new settlement was founded at Beaubassin, thanks to the initiative and hard work of Jacob Bourgeois. Jacob, however, decided not to live in this settlement of Beaubassin. It was for his children that he founded it. He shared his time between Beaubassin and Port Royal, where he nurtured a considerable farm. His third son, Guillaume, who later inherited the farm at Port-Royal, learned from his fathers example. He owned a farm at Beaubassin and while being a resident at Port-Royal with his father. Both Charles and Germain settled at Beaubassin, although Germain kept a small piece of land at Port-Royal. In 1680, Marie, the youngest of the girls who had lost her first husband Pierre Syre, married a second time to Germain Girourd, who attracted his brother-in-law, Thomas Cormier, husband of Madeleine Girourd to Beaubassin. Thus, the little colony of Beaubassin grew little by little. In 1685, Jacob Bourgeois had to sell his "Isle des Cochons" to Etienne Pellerin, in order to cover his costs associated with building up his business at Beaubassin. For the Census of 1686, was staying at Port-Royal: "Jacob Bourgeois 67 years old, Jeanne Trahan 57, their son Guillaume 31, Jeanne 19, 20 acres in value of land, this Guillaume owns at Beaubassin 2 guns, 20 acres of land, 8 horned animals and three lambs." At the end of the census roll for Beaubassin, the recorded noted: "Arsenault, Guillaume Bourgeois, Claude Dugas, who are living at Beaubassin, and between them own 24 beasts and 7 lambs." The eldest of the children, Jeanne, who was forty-two, was not mentioned by the census-taker, so she must have been dead, along with Charles, their eldest son. His widow, Anne Dugast remarried to Jean Aubin dit Migneault, a Canadian, who moved to Beaubassin with his two boys and his daughter of his first wife. of the six other children of Jacob Bourgeois and Jeanne Trahan, three girls were living at Port-Royal and two girls and one boy where living at Beaubassin. At Port Royal: Françoise 27 married to Claude Dugast (brother of Anne), 2 boys Claude 11, Joseph 6 and six girls. 25 Beasts and 9 sheep. Anne 25 years old married to René LeBlanc, three boys, Jacques 6, François 4 and René 2. Marie (the younger) at 21 years, married to Antoine LeBlanc, 2 boys - Antoine 4 and Charles 2. Anne and Marie Bourgeois lived between their father and the father of their spouses, Daniel LeBlanc. Since the census recorder does not indicate land or animals for the two brothers René and Antoine LeBlanc, they must have been taking advantage of the land of their father who had 15 beasts, 20 sheep and 7 pigs, as well as doing some fishing. At Beaubassin: Marie (the Eldest) 34 years old, widow of Pierre Syre, remarried to Germain Girouard. Had three children from her first marriage, and one boy (Germain 4) and one girl from her second marriage. Also 8 beasts and 4 sheep. Marguerite 28 years, married to Manuel Mirande three girls and two boys, Joseph 5, François 4. 18 beasts and 8 sheep. Germain 34 and his wife Madeleine Dugas 22, Guilaume 12, Marie 9, Michel 7, Magdeleine 3, two guns, three acres land of value, eight beasts, three sheep and four pigs. Jacob and Jeanne Bourgeois then had 17 grand-sons and 13 grand-daughters at the time of this census. Some months after the census, their son Guillaume who was living with them, married at the Fort at Rivière Saint Jean, Marianne de Martigon, daughter of Martin d'Aprendestigué, Sieur de Martignon and Jeanne de Sainte-Etienne de la tour. After their marriage Jacob Bourgeois and Jeanne Trahan gave their farm to Guillaume and left Port-Royal for good and moved to Beaubassin to live with their son Germain. The fifteenth of October 1687, in company with several "ancient inhabitants" of the country, Jacob Bourgeois signed a declaration concerning the work done under the command of the previous Governor of Acadia, Charles de Menou, Sieur d'Aulnay (see Michel Boudrot for this declaration. On the 21 May 1690, Sir William Phips, Major-General sent by the Province of Massachusetts with a contingency of 736 men and four warships took control of Port Royal including the forts which had not been destroyed having had an army of only about 70 men. Jacob Bourgeois, must have known the General personally, since he received from him a "safe-passage" certificate. Indeed, Jacob had been doing business with the Bostoniens for a long time during times of peace. He was one of the principle ship outfitters in Acadia, owning several small ships used for doing business with the Indians and Bostoniens. The French Governors gave orders that there be no business done with the English Americans, but were forced to turn a blind eye on the practice since they received very little provisions from the Government in France, and they needed materials from Boston like Iron to fabricate their tools and utensils. For the census of 1693, Jacob Bourgeois and Jeanne Trahan are not mentioned at all, but they are still living since we find mention of them later on. The recorder must have forgotten them. The youngest of their children, is married to Pierre Commeau and has two daughters and one boy and is living at Port Royal along with her sister Françoise, wife of Claude Dugast who has three boys and eight girls. Marie (the younger) and Anne with their husbands Antoine and René LeBlanc are now living at Grand-Prée at the "Bassin des Mines." Germain moved to Beaubassin, he had three girls and four girls. Marie (the eldest) is widowed for a second time. She too is now living at Beaubassin with three boys from her first marriage and a boy and girl from her second. From 1691 to 1697, the Acadians of Port Royal, of Bassin des Mines and of Beaubassin are at the mercy of the French and English bandits who they were forced to trade with in order to survive. They feared the extortion from the French as much as the English. The French government left them with no defense. They had abandoned Port Royal, which they could no longer defend, and took refuge at Rivière Saint Jean within the Forts Jemseg and Nashwaak, a hundred and twenty kilometers upstream from the mouth of the river, and two-hundred and fifty kilometers from Port-Royal. At the beginning of September 1696, when Colonel Benjamin Church came to attack Beaubassin, which was without Fort or an army within it's walls, Jacob Bourgeois, despite his old age of seventy-five years is delegated by the Acadians to negotiate with the Bostoniens. He went aboard the ship of Admiral Church and he granted him the safe passage that Phips gave him at Port Royal six years earlier. He obtained assurance from Church that the inhabitants would be left in peace. Despite this promise, Church's men pillaged all of the houses they could find, and then burned them. They saved however the homes of Jacob Bourgeois and his next door neighbors. The homeless people took refuge in the woods taking with them their animals and their most precious goods. Eventhough the Bostoniens were armed, they didn't bother to chase after them, since they thought the wild animals would make sure they perished there. They were wrong since the people returned to their homes after about nine days. For the Census of 1698, Jacob Bourgeois 82, and his wife Jeanne Trahan 72, are still living with their son Germain, at Beaubassin. The 31st July 1699, Jacob attested that he had been living at Acadia since 1642. For the Census of 1700, neither he or his wife are mentioned. They must have been dead for a short while. Elsewhere, in a report from Sieur Desgoutins, Lieutenant-General of justice at Port-Royal, on the 2nd of October 1702, he makes mention of the "late Jacob Bourgeois": "... it was about fifteen years ago the the Sieur La Valliere (Seigneur of Beaubassin) had neither light nor home, and the people had since that time taken refuge at the home of Sieur Nelson, Anglophone, to have access to a mill, and it was the late Jacob Bourgeois who took care of the first settlers when Mister de Chevalier de Grandfontiane commanded at Pentagoet..."