Doucet-dit-LaVerdure pioneers
Hi, I am posting the notes that I have for some of my pioneer ancestors, in hopes that they may be of interest to some of you that are doing research on your ancestors.Enjoy, Janet
Descendants of Germain Doucet-dit-LaVerdure
Generation No. 1
1.Germain1 Doucet-dit-LaVerdure was born about 1595 in LaVerdure, Conflans, Brye, France, and died Aft. 1654 in France.He married Marie Bourgeois about 1620 in LaVerdure, Conflans in Brye, France, daughter of Nicolas Bourgeois and Marguerite GrandJehan.She was born about 1597 in LaVerdure, Conflans in Brye, France, and died Aft. 1636 in Port Royal, Acadie.
Notes for Germain Doucet-dit-LaVerdure:
Germain DOUCET dit Laverdure [born about 1595], native of Couperans-in-Brie, France, arrived in Acadie in 1632 with the Commander Isaac de Razilly and Charles de Menou d'Aulnay. The King of France gave Razilly, a Knight in the Order of Malta, the task of retaking possession of the colony of Acadie from the English following the treaty of St-Germain-en-Laye, which returned Acadie to France. Two ships, the St-Jehan and the L'Esperance-in-Dieu, left from d'Auray in Brittany on the 23rd of July, 1632. Germain Doucet was an officer [a Major (Captain of Arms)] among the small group of soldiers that accompanied this mission.
Doucet apparently was accompanied by his wife, Marguerite and his son, Pierre, and his daughter, Louise-Marguerite [or Marguerite-Louise-Judith]. The family landed first at La Heve [La Have], where Germain assisted in the construction of Fort Sainte-Marie-de-Grace.
Within three months of their arrival, Razilly sent d'Aulnay to retake Port Royal, which was still occupied by the English. Doucet, who would always be d'Aulnay's faithful friend, accompanied him on this mission. At Port Royal, those English colonists who wanted to leave the colony and return to England were boarded on the St-Jehan and sent first to La Heve. Germain Doucet then accompanied the St-Jehan to England to return the English colonists. From there, Doucet returned to France, where he met d'Aulnay aboard the Esperance-en-Dieu, and they returned to Acadie with new French colonists.
Later, in 1635, d'Aulnay was ordered to retake possession of Fort Pentagouet at the western limit of Acadie near the present day Castin, Maine, from the British. Once again, Germain Doucet accompanied d'Aulnay, this time with his family. D'Aulnay returned to Port Royal after the fort was retaken and left Doucet in command of a small garrison. The British soon sent a detachment from Plymouth, Mass., to try to retake the fort, but the French under the command of Germain Doucet, successfully repelled the attack.
Razilly was governor of but a part of Acadie. The rest of the colony was governed by Charles de La Tour. La Tour and Razilly coexisted in Acadie on peaceful terms, but in late 1635, Razilly died suddenly, leaving his position as governor of his part of the colony to his brother, Claude de Razilly. Unwilling to leave France, Claude de Razilly delegated his powers to Charles de Menou d'Aulnay. Soon after d'Aulnay succeeded to this post, relations with La Tour deteriorated, in part due to a confusing geographic division of the colony between the two governors by the King of France. By 1636, this quarrel had degenerated to open warfare and La Tour demanded that d'Aulnay give up the post at Pentagouet, commanded by Doucet. D'Aulnay and Doucet refused to do so, and proceeded to make plans to reinforce the fort. A small party sent from Fort Pentagouet to Port Royal for provisions, which very well may have included the commander, Doucet, was captured by forces loyal to La Tour and held prisoner. But soon after, La Tour is defeated and captured following a naval engagement with the vessel of d'Aulnay.
In 1645, following the death of the commander, Isaac Pessely, Doucet was named commander of the garrison at Port Royal. By 1647, the forces loyal to d'Aulnay had consolidated their power over the colony, and La Tour was forced to take refuge in Québec. However, in May 1650, d'Aulnay drowned when his canoe overturned in the Riviere du Moulin. D'Aulnay's widow, Jeanne de Mottin, and Germain Doucet executed d'Aulnay's possession.In 1651, Jeanne de Mottin married her late husband's rival, Charles de La Tour, and through this marriage, La Tour retook power in the colony. Doucet signed as a witness to their marriage, and La Tour left him in command of the garrison at Port Royal.
In July 1654, despite the fact that England and France were at peace, Major Robert Sedgewick of Boston with 500 soldiers attacked and took La Tour's fort at Pentagouet, and proceeded immediately to lay siege to Port Royal. Doucet and his 100 men resisted the attack for 16 days, however, faced with an opponent superior in numbers and armament, Doucet was finally forced to surrender Port Royal to Sedgewick and the English. Doucet and his wife, along with all the military personnel were taken prisoner and returned to France.Germain left his brother-in-law, Jacques Bourgeois, surgeon, as Lieutenant of Port Royal and as a witness to see that the conditions of the treaty were carried out.
The Doucets never returned to the New World.
Children of Germain Doucet-dit-LaVerdure and Marie Bourgeois are:
+ 2 i. Pierre2 Doucet-dit-LaVerdure, born about 1637 in Sedan, Conflans en Brie, France; died 02 Jun 1713 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.
+ 3 ii. Marie-Judith-Marguerite Doucet-dit-LaVerdure, born about 1626 in Port Royal, Acadie; died Aft. 1700 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.
4 iii. Germain Doucet-dit-LaVerdure, born about 1643 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; died Bef. 1699 in Acadie.He married Marie-Marguerite Landry about 1664 in Port Royal Acadie, Canada; born about 1649 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.
Notes for Germain Doucet-dit-LaVerdure:
In 1671 he was listed as a laborer.In the 1678 Acadien census he is listed with his wife and 6 children.They eventually ended up with 11 children between about 1664 and 1697.
Notes for Marie-Marguerite Landry:
Her parents Rene and Perinne Bourg are in the Acadie1678 census with three younger children.
Generation No. 2
2.Pierre2 Doucet-dit-LaVerdure (Germain1) was born about 1637 in Sedan, Conflans en Brie, France, and died 02 Jun 1713 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.He married Henriette Pelletret/Peltret about 1660 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.She was born about 1640 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada, and died about 1685 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.
Notes for Pierre Doucet-dit-LaVerdure:
He was a stone mason.In 1654 after the fall of Port Royal Pierre and his first wife (name unknown)sought refuge in Québec.His first wife died there.Pierre and his son remained in Québec for several years before returning to Port Royal.the 1671 Port Royal show him as a plowman and the 1678 census show him with his second wife five sons and two daughters.The 1686 census show him with his wife six sons and three daughters.Pierre and Henriette Pelletret had 10 children all born in Port Royal.
Child of Pierre Doucet-dit-LaVerdure and Henriette Pelletret/Peltret is:
5 i. Madeleine3 Doucet, born about 1669 in Acadie, Canada.She married Pierre Doiron(Douaron) about 1703 in Acadie, Canada; born about 1680 in Acadie, Canada.
3.Marie-Judith-Marguerite2 Doucet-dit-LaVerdure (Germain1) was born about 1626 in Port Royal, Acadie, and died Aft. 1700 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.She married Abraham Dugas(Dugast) about 1647 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada, son of Abraham Dugas and Marguerete Carsonne(Carzanns).He was born about 1617 in Toulouse, Haute Garonne, France, and died Bet. 1693 - 1698 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.
Notes for Marie-Judith-Marguerite Doucet-dit-LaVerdure:
She was born about 1625 in Couperan, Brie, Champagne, France.She was about 7 when her parents sailed to Acadie.The last time that she was mentioned was in the 1700 census.
Notes for Abraham Dugas(Dugast):
His original surname was Coignet of Gas.Abraham's ancestor was considered a distinguished military man and was made a knight of St. Louis.As a result he received a large portion of land known as "the domain of Gas".This was how Abraham's new surname evolved.
He was "armorer of the King"and Lieutenant General in Acadie, where he arrived in 1640 till 1654 when the French were deported to France.An "armorer" was a maker of weapons and shields or an expert in armor.In 1671 (the first census of Port Royal after the French returned from deportation), he is listed as a plowman having 16 arpents of cleared land and a gunsmith with 19 cattle and 3 sheep.A gunsmith must have been in big demand in those days, not only in war but for hunting.
Soldier of the King, Native of Toulouse, Languedoc, France, and Lieutenant General in Acadie, arrived in Port Royal circa 1640.
Abraham came to the new world to Port Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada about 1640 which in those days was known as Acadie. He came to Nova Scotia as Lieutenant General in the army of Roy.He married about 1647 to Marguerite and had eight children.
Lt.Gen. at Port Royal was probably a civil administrator and judge rather than military.
In the 1678 Acadien Census, he is listed as: Abraham DuGast & Marguerite Doucet with 12 acres, 20 cattle and 1 gun.Three of his children are listed with no names, as being 1 boy 18, 2 girls 15 & 12.
In 1685 Abraham was the lieutenant general for both the civil and criminal affairs in Acadie, justice of the peace and head of the police force. In the 1686 census, he was 70 years old and Marguerite was 50.At this time his official duties were taken over by Michel Boudrot.
On 15 Oct 1687 Abraham Dugas was among "the former inhabitants of the country" that made a statement on the extent of the work carried out under the orders of Charles de Menou, Sieur of Aulney-Charnisay, the former governor of Acadie.
In the 1693 Acadien census at Port Royal, Abraham was 74, his wife Marguerite was 66.Listed as well, were his son Claude, Claude's wife and 11 of Claude's children, 20 cattle, 30 Sheep, 15 pigs, 26 arpents of land and 4 guns.Their ages vary from one census to the other.Their official birth and marriage records where destroyed when the British captured Acadie, so we must rely on the census that were kept in Québec.This couple was not recorded in the 1698 census and only Marguerite appeared in the 1700 census.
Children of Marie-Judith-Marguerite Doucet-dit-LaVerdure and Abraham Dugas(Dugast) are:
+ 6 i. Marie3 Dugas, born about 1648 in Port Royal, Acadie,Canada.
7 ii. Claude Dugas, born about 1650 in Port Royal, Acadie,Canada; died 16 Oct 1732 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.He married (1) Marie-Francoise Bourgeois about 1673 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; born about 1659 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; died about 1694 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.He married (2) Marguerite Bourg about 1697 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; born about 1673 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.
+ 8 iii. Anne Dugas, born about 1654 in Port Royal, Acadie,Canada; died 04 Nov 1740 in Beaubassin, Acadie, Canada.
9 iv. Martin Dugas, born about 1656 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.
10 v. Marguerite Dugas, born about 1657 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.
11 vi. Abraham Dugas, born about 1662 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.He married Jeanne Guillebaud about 1690 in Acadie, Canada; born about 1671.
12 vii. Madeleine Dugas, born about 1664 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.
13 viii. Marie Dugas, born about 1666 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.
Generation No. 3
6.Marie3 Dugas (Marie-Judith-Marguerite2 Doucet-dit-LaVerdure, Germain1) was born about 1648 in Port Royal, Acadie,Canada.She married Charles Melancon Bef. 31 Dec 1687 in Acadie, Canada, son of Philippe/Pierre Laverdure and Priscilla Mallanson.He was born about 1646 in Yorkshire, England.
Notes for Charles Melancon:
In the 1678 Acadien Census, he is listed as La Ramee on line 3 of folio 17.His brother Pierre-Philippe is listed as La Verdure on line 6.
Charles Melanson (Pierre La Verdure) was born 1643 in Yorkshire, England, and died Abt. 1700 in Port Royal, Acadie.He married Marie Dugas about 1664 in in Port Royal, Acadie, daughter of Abraham Dugas and Marguerite Doucet.
Research Bulletin 250, The Melancon Settlement (1664-1755), Canadian Minister of the Environment. "Charles Melanson, age 14, and his parents arrived in Acadie from England in 1657. His father, Pierre LaVerdure, was a Huguenot who had moved to England from France before 1632. His mother, Priscilla, was English, a fact that is well accepted by historians, although generations of die-hard descendants, who will not admit an ounce of English blood, continue to insist that she was Scottish.The family, which included at least two other children, Pierre and John, sailed from England on the Satisfaction with Thomas Temple, the newly appointed Governor of Acadie.
The family is thought to have settled originally on the Saint James River. Then in 1667, when Acadie was returned to France by the Treaty of Breda, Charles' parents and brother John moved to Boston. Charles and Pierre remained in Acadie. Charles had renounced Protestantism in 1664 and married Marie Dugas, daughter of Port Royal armorer, Abraham Dugas and Marguerite Douchet. Following their marriage, they probably settled on the land which we now know as the Melanson Settlement in the Port Royal area. Although no concession has been found, a British document of 1734 states that this land was granted originally to Charles Melanson and "honest" Marie Dugas.
By 1671, the Melancon were majors landholders at Port Royal. The first census, taken that year listed 20 arpents of workable land, not all of it under cultivation, 40 head of cattle and 6 sheep. Charles was described as a "labourer", and the family had 4 daughters at the time.In total, 5 sons and 9 daughters were born ca. 1664 - ca. 1693. The eldest, Marie, was brought up in Boston by her grandmother, strengthening Charles' ties with that colony. Of the other children, 8 established households in the Melancon settlement, where they remained for their adult lives. One daughter settled elsewhere in the Port Royal are, one settled at Beaubassin, and one apparently died."
The next two generations of Melancons were not as fortunate.On Sept. 5, 1755 the British summoned all the boys over 10 and all the men to the local church for a town meeting.Once there, they were all made prisoners and sent by ship in exile all over the the eastern coast of what is now the USA.In Grand Pre alone, 12 men were recorded as having been shipped out.This entire event makes for great history reading.
Children of Marie Dugas and Charles Melancon are:
14 i. Ambroise4 Melancon, born about 1687 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; died 07 Aug 1757 in Québec City, QC.He married (1) Francoise Bourg 10 Nov 1705 in Port Royal, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Acadie, Canada; born about 1683 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; died 15 Dec 1715 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada.He married (2) Marguerite Comeau 23 Jan 1719 in Port Royal, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Acadie, Canada; born about 1700 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; died 29 Aug 1757 in Québec City, QC.
Notes for Ambroise Melancon:
Originally I was given 13 children for Ambroise Melancon and Marguerite Comeau.Later when I confirmed my files with PRDH (a University of Montreal program), I found out that only 3 had been confirmed.The parents of the others did not show up in the marriage records.
15 ii. Claude Melancon, born about 1688 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; died 30 Jun 1737 in Port Royal, Acadie.He married Marguerite Babineau, (Jean &Marguerite Boudreau) 22 Jan 1713 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; born about 1694 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; died 12 Dec 1757 in Québec City, QC.
16 iii. Jean Melancon, born about 1690 in Acadie, Canada; died about 1760 in Cherbourg, Manche, France.He married Marguerite Petitot-dit-Saincenne 22 Jan 1714 in Acadie, Canada; born about 1694 in Unknown, QC; died 28 Jan 1760 in Cherbourg, France.
17 iv. Marguerite Melancon, born about 1692 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; died 12 Feb 1758 in Québec City, QC.She married Jean-Baptiste Landry, (Pierre & Mad. Robichaud) 22 Jan 1714 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; born about 1686 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada; died 24 Dec 1757 in Québec City, QC.
8.Anne3 Dugas (Marie-Judith-Marguerite2 Doucet-dit-LaVerdure, Germain1) was born about 1654 in Port Royal, Acadie,Canada, and died 04 Nov 1740 in Beaubassin, Acadie, Canada.She married (1) Charles Bourgeois about 1670 in Beaubassin, Acadie, Canada, son of Jacques-Jacob Bourgeois and Jeanne Trahan.He was born about 1646 in Port Royal, Acadie, Canada, and died Bef. 26 Apr 1679 in Acadie, Canada.She married (2) Jean-Aubin Migneault-dit-Chatillon 26 Apr 1679 in Beaubassin, Acadie, Canada, son of Jean Migneault-dit-Chatillon and Louise-Marie Cloutier.He was born Feb 1650 in Québec City, QC, and died 05 Sep 1712 in Hôtel Dieu, Québec City, QC.
Notes for Charles Bourgeois:
Both he and his wife Anne Dugast were listed in the 1671 Acadien census with one daughter.
Children of Anne Dugas and Jean-Aubin Migneault-dit-Chatillon are:
18 i. Jean4 Migneault-dit-Labrie, born about 1680 in Beaubassin, Acadie, Canada; died Bef. 1724 in Kamouraska, QC.He married Marie-Madeleine Tavare-dit-LaMirande about 1705 in Beaubassin, Acadie, Canada; born about 1671 in Acadie, Canada.
19 ii. Pierre Migneault-dit-Chatillon-Aubin, born about 1694 in Beaubassin, Acadie, Canada; died 08 Feb 1770 in Kamouraska, QC.He married (1) Jeanne Autin 10 Nov 1714 in Unknown, QC; born 22 Nov 1693 in Rivière Ouelle, Kamouraska, QC; died Bef. 08 Nov 1718 in Kamouraska, QC.He married (2) Catherine-Marie-Anne Ouellet 10 Nov 1718 in La Pocatière, Kamouraska, QC; born 22 Aug 1696 in Rivière Ouelle, Kamouraska, QC; died Bef. 10 May 1745 in Unknown, QC.He married (3) Marie-Francoise Roy-dit-Desjardins 10 May 1745 in Kamouraska, QC; born 29 Sep 1695 in St. Pierre de l'Île d'Orléans, QC; died 13 Jul 1763 in Kamouraska, QC.
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