• Home
  • FACEBOOK
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Membership
    • Membership Form
  • HISTORY
    • History
    • Hist - Deportation
    • Hist - Migration
    • Hist - Census Acadia
    • Hist - Census Louisiana
    • Hist - Pictures & Maps
  • EVENTS
    • Calendar of Events
    • 2024 - Todate
    • Activities - 2001-2023
    • Reunions 2022-Todate
    • Reunions 2019-2001
  • MEMORIALS
    • Memorials
  • ABOUT US
    • About Us
  • STORE
    • Store
  • GENEALOGY
    • Genealogy
    • Gene - Michel & Angie
    • Gene - Michel Prosper
    • Gene - Louis
    • Gene - Jean Baptiste
    • Gene - Michel Pros Succ
    • Gene - Marg Boutin's Succ
  • More
    • Home
    • FACEBOOK
    • MEMBERSHIP
      • Membership
      • Membership Form
    • HISTORY
      • History
      • Hist - Deportation
      • Hist - Migration
      • Hist - Census Acadia
      • Hist - Census Louisiana
      • Hist - Pictures & Maps
    • EVENTS
      • Calendar of Events
      • 2024 - Todate
      • Activities - 2001-2023
      • Reunions 2022-Todate
      • Reunions 2019-2001
    • MEMORIALS
      • Memorials
    • ABOUT US
      • About Us
    • STORE
      • Store
    • GENEALOGY
      • Genealogy
      • Gene - Michel & Angie
      • Gene - Michel Prosper
      • Gene - Louis
      • Gene - Jean Baptiste
      • Gene - Michel Pros Succ
      • Gene - Marg Boutin's Succ
  • Sign In
  • Create Account

  • My Account
  • Signed in as:

  • filler@godaddy.com


  • My Account
  • Sign out

Signed in as:

filler@godaddy.com

  • Home
  • FACEBOOK
  • MEMBERSHIP
    • Membership
    • Membership Form
  • HISTORY
    • History
    • Hist - Deportation
    • Hist - Migration
    • Hist - Census Acadia
    • Hist - Census Louisiana
    • Hist - Pictures & Maps
  • EVENTS
    • Calendar of Events
    • 2024 - Todate
    • Activities - 2001-2023
    • Reunions 2022-Todate
    • Reunions 2019-2001
  • MEMORIALS
    • Memorials
  • ABOUT US
    • About Us
  • STORE
    • Store
  • GENEALOGY
    • Genealogy
    • Gene - Michel & Angie
    • Gene - Michel Prosper
    • Gene - Louis
    • Gene - Jean Baptiste
    • Gene - Michel Pros Succ
    • Gene - Marg Boutin's Succ

Account


  • My Account
  • Sign out


  • Sign In
  • My Account

About Us

Leger dit Richelieu Research in France

Evelyn Perry Lege and her husband John Lege, 

take a trip to France

In The Beginning

Our Association

Coat of Arms Picture & Description
Family Name Origins and French Name Variations

News Paper Articles

Article by Lucy Leger

Pride in our Ancestors' accomplishments

About Us - Our Association

      Welcome to the official site  of The Richelieu Leger Family Association. The purpose of the association  is to collect, protect and disseminate the history of the Michel Leger and  Angelique Pinet family for future generations. This is done by building  and maintaining accurate genealogy, by keeping members informed through  periodic newsletters, and by coming together to meet, share and have  family fun at our biannual reunions.  This web site may change periodically as new or interestng information is found.  Please  return often to see whats been added. Any major additions will be announced on the Richelieu-Leger Facebook page. We hope you enjoy your visit through our site and encourage  all Leger descendants to join the association  and keep in touch with family members.        This website will list all information on the Leger  male lineage thru 1920. the female lineage will only be listed for 100% and 50%  Leger bloodline.  (Go to GENEALOGY page)    This web site will not list names or info of any  person in the genealogy database born after 1920.  People born after  1920 may be in our databae, but will not be put on the website for security  reasons.   If any members would like more information about our family, we  can be contacted at:  Contact        Our thanks to our members who have dedicated years of  research to our Acssociation knowledge base. Special Thanks to our Historian,  R. Lege for his production of the "Leger Addendum" Official name: "Le Guardien" which provides invaluable  information about our direct ancestors as well as to the general Acadian  story.    We express our appreciation to all who have  researched and published Acadian Genealogy information which allows us to be  educated about our history.   

Contact Web Master

985-892-6029      or     985-263-0350

About Us - Coat Of Arms

Meaning of the adopted Coat of Arms of The Richelieu Leger Family Association, Inc. designed and ado

 

© 2000 The Richelieu Leger Family Association, Inc.

309 Main St.

Lafayette, La. 70501

All rights reserved


 1.  The red in the top right quarter of the shield, the blue in the lower left quarter and the white represent the tri-color, the flag of France, the country of our ancestors’ origin.

2.  The small cross in the top left quarter represents the churches of Saint-Martin-de-la-Place, Saint- Lambert-des-Levées, and Saint Michel in Fontevraud l’Abbaye, where our ancestors, Etienne, François, and Jean Leger, and their families, practiced their Catholic faith.

3.  The large white cross transversing the center of the shield, the two light blue quarters, and  the white fleur-de-lis in the lower right quarter, come from the flag of Quebec, where Jean Leger settled in the new world.

4.  The gold quill and key in the red quarter represents Jean Leger dit Richelieu, Guardian of the King’s Warehouse of Quebec.

5.  The gold anchor in the dark blue quarter represents Michel Leger dit Richelieu, the sailor.

6.  The gold star represents Our Lady of the Assumption, Patroness of the Acadians, and the fact that Michel Leger dit Richelieu married an Acadian and suffered through the exile with the Acadians.

7.  The crest is a pelican which represents Louisiana, where the surviving children of Michel Leger dit Richelieu were accepted and nurtured, represented by the three young pelicans in the nest.

8.  The banner above the crest reads “N’oubliez jamais!” (Never forget!)

About Us - Research in France

Trip to France

 by John and Evelyn Legè  September 2000, Revised December 2000    

     We know that all the Lege/Leger/Legere’s are waiting to hear of our findings, so  we will keep this Journal to a minimum.  John and I have been interested in the genealogy of his family, the  Legè/Leger/Legere’s, for many years, having traveled to Nova Scotia, New  Brunswick, and Quebec, as well as returning to John’s birthplace in Abbeville,  Louisiana, many, many times, adding to our treasure of information. Evidence  was uncovered in the past few years, that the Leger’s of Southwest Louisiana were  not part of the La Rosette line, but of Jean Leger dit Richelieu ancestry.  In March of this year, my husband, John, and I helped form the Richelieu Leger  Family Association in Lafayette, Louisiana, and embarked on a quest for more  information on Jean Leger dit Richelieu, by planning a trip to France for this  purpose. The day after we arrived in Paris, we met Sara Menestral of Paris, who  has been trying to find information at the Archives in Paris for Ranson Lege (of  De Funiak Springs, Florida), Historian of the Richelieu Leger Family Association,  which could possibly link the Richelieu Leger’s to an original family crest. Sara is  a researcher (ethnologist) at the CNRS  National Center for Scientific Research and works at the Center of North  American Studies in the City of Paris. She was most generous with her time with  us. We spent an afternoon together at the Bibliotheque Mazarine in Paris, which  dates back 300 years, and were so impressed by its magnificence and voluminous  collection of very old books, manuscripts, reference books, and the like. However,  after researching for several hours without more Richelieu Leger family  information than we had, it appeared unlikely that we could link a crest to our  family with the little time we had at the Bibliotheque. We then traveled to St.  Fargeau and Cosne, where John’s paternal great grandparents (the Fevergeon’s)  lived until the 1880’s. This is truly a beautiful area and we felt privileged to spend  a few days there.  We went on to explore areas of the Loire Valley for the next five days, our  destination being Fontevraud L’Abbaye, where previous research indicated that  Francois Leger and his wife, Anne Guigande had been married.  We arrived at Fontevraud on a beautiful day and inquired of a “storekeeper”  where we might go on our genealogy quest. (We found out later that this  “storekeeper” was Yves Barte, an architect/artist who does very beautiful work.)  He explained to us later that he had been in Quebec and was so impressed with a  mural he saw there of the city of Quebec, that he returned home to have a similar  drawing done of Fontevraud L’Abbaye as it was in 1699, which is now used in  paintings, postcards, and brochures of Fontevraud. Mr. Barte, a very handsome,  and very personable  gentleman, explained that there had been a number of different spellings of little  villages close by, whose names were similar to Fontevraud, and the name  Fontevraud L’Abbaye was chosen in recent years, to include them all. He  introduced himself to us, asked our names, then left his place of business  unattended, to personally escort us to the mayor’s office, which was across a little  street, introduced us to the clerk there and explained our mission to him.  We were enthusiastically received and promptly went to work, going through the  Church records of St. Michel’s church, which is located next to the Abbaye. These  are the original church records from the 1600’s . What a sensation it was to go  over such old books. The old European-style handwriting of these documents made  them difficult to decipher, and it was hard to stifle an outburst, each time we  found a document on the Leger’s. I, myself, a non-Cajun, unable to read French,  was thrilled beyond words each time I found an entry for the Francois Leger  family.  We were able to make copies of the following birth, marriage and death records of  the “early” Richelieu Leger’s. Our Historian, Ranson Leger, has now translated  them in its entirety. In the Book “1579 - 1833: List of Families of Fontevraud”; we  found 39 Leger’s listed. However, we were informed that there are no Leger’s  living in Fontevraud itself today, although they know of two women who were  Leger’s, now married, who live nearby. These are our findings: 1664-Anne  Guigand, baptized in St. Michel’s Church,  Fontevraud L’Abbaye August 24, 1664. Her parents were: Pierre Guigand, a  cordonieur (made shoes) and Anne Boyer. 1667-Francois Leger, baptized in St.  Lambert des Levees Parish Church in St. Lambert des Levees, (across the Loire  River from Saumur) on May 11, 1667, son of Etienne Leger, laboureur, and Nicolle  Chudeau. We visited the mayor of St. Lambert de Levee and made a copy of this  information. 1691-Francois (a cordonieu - maker of shoes) and Anne Guingant  were married in St. Michel’s Church, Fontevraud L’Abbaye, August 21, 1691. Their  children: 1693-Joseph, baptized in St. Michel’s Church, Fontevraud, April 21, 1693.  1694-Jean, baptized in St. Michel’s Church, Fontevraud, November 20, 1694. 1696- Marie, baptized in St. Michel’s Church, Fontevraud, December 10, 1696.  1697-Marie, died February 11, 1697, Fontevraud.  1698-Marie, baptized in St. Michel’s Church, Fontevraud, October 1698.  1698-Francois died April 14, 1698, Fontevraud.  In the afternoon, we visited the Church of St. Michel itself. The cornerstone of this  church was laid in 1669. We took  many snapshots of the inside of the church. It is very beautiful and has many  relics. We photographed the baptismal font where Michel and his siblings were  baptized. Another photograph we have is of a plaque on one wall of the church,  listing parishioners who died in the Resistance or in World War I (1914 - 1917). (All  churches in the Loire Valley have a plaque, commemorating their dead veterans.)  The plaque in St. Michel’s lists two Leger’s who died between 1914 - 1918. We then  traveled to Nantes hoping to find information on the death of Michel in France  or attempt to discover when and how and when Michel Prospere went to  Louisiana. We telephoned a Marc Braud (who had been in touch with Ranson  previously), as he had indicated he would help us if he could. However, when we  contacted him, he did not have anything new to offer and did not know of the  Fontevraud connection. Nantes, being a very large, very busy city was difficult  for us to get to the Archives in the time we had , so no further research was done  there.  On our way to La Rochelle, we stopped in the little village of Lege and had a  delightful visit in the Office of Tourism. They told us that we were the first  Americans to visit their office. We had taken along copies of information about  the town of Lege that Ranson had sent us. It included a picture of the mayor  taken a few years ago. When we met the Mayor, and showed him his picture and  the newspaper article, he was amazed, to say the least. We had quite a chat there,  and they promised to send us the background on the crest that the Lege village  uses, as they didn’t know what it stood for, even though they used it everywhere.  We were told there were no Lege’s living in that village either!  On to La Rochelle. We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast about 15 miles from La  Rochelle, and, as it was Sunday, we went into the village of Marans for Mass.  However, we had about an hour before Mass and decided to explore a tower, in  ruins, that we had seen, beautifully lit up, the night before. Surrounding this  tower, was a cemetery, which we canvassed, looking for a Leger name (which we  had done, unsuccessfully, in several other areas, where we thought a Leger might  be found). We did find three Leger’s buried in Marans in 1919, as well as a Pinet  grave. The tomb inscription read: “Famille Leger - Bonnaud”. The Pinet tomb  inscription was quite lengthy, about a Captain Pinet about 1919, as I recall.  Perhaps someday, someone may find these bits of information useful in piecing  together the Leger Family history.  La Rochelle is a beautiful, old, seaport city, and we walked the streets, wondering  if Michel dit Richelieu had walked there as well, hundreds of years ago. We  visited the Museum featuring France and the New World, but there was nothing  at all there referring to the Grand Derangement at all. There were three floors of  artifacts from French conquests in the New World. The only reference to the  Acadians was a picture of L’Amittie” on one wall and a mention of the seven  ships going to New Orleans. New Orleans itself was featured in one 

Article by Lucy Leger

Pride in our Ancestors


We're Proud of Louisiana, Our Country  
by: Lucy Leger   
Taken from an article in "Les Bons Jours" Lafayette, La.  monthly newspaper published by The Lafayette Council on  Aging, Inc.  
    The people of Louisiana are a proud breed. Their forefathers  came here to this land to settle when they were expelled from  Canada. The Acadians build a land almost with their bare  hands. They came here with a little of nothing and made  something in which to be proud.  These people believed in their own efforts and made this  country what is is today, even though the deck was stacked  against them. Their efforts counted. They had no one to count  on but their own ingenuity. They forged their own future.  These are the people who built our homeland. They came to  a wilderness and dared to build their homes, plow the fertile  lands and carve out a future for generations to come. They  dared to fight for their beliefs and freedom. They dared to  take a chance.  These values, these beliefs, may seem old fashioned, but they  are the values and beliefs that made this land what it is today.  Let's take a moment to remember these forefathers and have  pride in our land, its people and the brave pioneers who gave  us this land.
Lucy Leger .

About Us - News Articles

News Articles 9-1-2013

      Acadiana group to join others in pilgrimage  to France  Acadian Home, circa 1765, on Belle-Ile-en-Mer, France, where land was allocated to 78 Acadian families deported from Grand Pre  region of Nova Scotia.  Written by  Claire Taylor Published by Lafayette Advertiser 9-1-2013  Karen Pitre Gautreau has traced her Cajun roots back to Nova Scotia, and even found the plot of  land there where her grandfather, Jean Pitre, settled before he and other Acadiens were expelled  from the country.  Now she wants to continue the journey further, back to France, to visit the places where her  forefathers landed before they made the move to Louisiana.  “We read the books about the expulsion. It was so sad,” said Gautreau, of Baton Rouge, who  began tracing her genealogy about 10 years ago. “I wanted to walk the ground where my  ancestors were deported.”  Gautreau is among 50 people of Acadian descent from Louisiana, Texas and Canada who will  leave their homes this week on a pligrimage that will retrace the steps of their ancestors in  France. Of those, 28 Louisiana residents will be on board for the trip, including residents from  Lafayette, Maurice, New Iberia, Morse, Crowley, Baton Rouge, Prairieville and Lake Charles.  Joining them for a Sept. 5 rendezvous in Paris are nine travelers from Texas, six from the  Massachusetts and one from South Carolina, said Richard Laurin, tour organizer from Novacadie  Tours in Nova Scotia.  Rounding out the group are about five Acadians from Canada.  Names and faces  It’s an odyssey that began in the 1600s, when the French began to settle Canada. Generations  were born and died there, never having set foot in France itself. Living in what is now Nova  Scotia, Cape Breton Island, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, they eventually formed  their own identity as Acadians.  In 1713, the mainland of Acadia was surrendered to the British. The Acadians agreed to remain  neutral, but as the area became more important strategically, the British wanted an oath of  allegiance. After the Acadians refused, the British began mass expulsions in 1755. Some were  sent to England, some to the east coast and some to France.  Some of the expelled Acadians eventually returned to Canada. In 1785, about 1,600 Acadians  who had been deported to France boarded ships sponsored by the Spanish government and made  the three-month trip to Louisiana, where the Spanish government gave them land and supplies.  They came to be known as les Acadiens, which was eventually shortened to Cajuns.  Others expelled from Canada remained in France. Their surnames — Granger, Melancon,  LeBlanc, Daigle, Richard and Pitre — are still found in places like Belle-Ile-en-Mer, which the  travellers will visit in coming weeks.  'Walk in their footsteps'  The Cajun tour group, which leaves Wednesday, will be visiting a number of historic places that  had been home to the Cajuns who departed for Louisiana and to those who stayed behind in  France.  Among those historic places they’ll visit is St. Malo, which served as the port of entry for many  Acadians expelled from Canada and the departure point for some as they headed to Louisiana.  The group also will visit the old Acadian district of Nantes, which is home to a mural by  Louisiana native artist Robert Dafford. The mural depicts Acadians leaving the port of Nantes in  1785 bound for Louisiana. Its twin, also painted by Dafford, is at the Acadian Memorial in St.  Martinville and depicts the Acadians’ arrival in Louisiana.  Wilson Trahan, 80, of Maurice, is making the trip with his wife, daughter and sister.  “My reason for taking that trip is I hope and pray that I can go to a cemetery and find a Trahan,”  he said. “We are going to a little church, which is going to make me kneel where my forefathers  knelt. We’re going to walk in their footsteps. That will be a great thing for me at 80 years old"

New Articles 9-6-2013

 Cajun travelers land in France to trace their ancestral roots 

      Acadian descendants from Louisiana, Canada and other parts of the United States gather for the first time Thursday evening at the  Roissy Companile hotel in Paris. / Claire Taylor, The Advertiser  Written by  Claire Taylor Published by Lafayette Advertiser 9-6-2013  PARIS, FRANCE — Newcomers in Acadiana sometimes are asked by natives, “Who’s your  Mama? Who’s your Daddy? What’s your maiden name?”  When more than 45 Acadians met up in Paris on Thursday, they didn’t need to be asked their  lineage. They introduced themselves with the surnames of their Acadian forefathers, whether  they were from Texas, Boston or Lafayette.  Ancestors of the original Acadians — those deported by the British from Canada in the 1750s —  flew from British Columbia, the East Coast, Texas and Louisiana to Paris on Thursday to begin a  pilgrimage to the ports and towns their forefathers knew.  Theses new-generation Cajuns will spend two weeks in France, visiting the places their  forefathers lived before settling in Nova Scotia and the places they lived in France before sailing  to Louisiana. Some on the trip may, for the first time, meet French residents that share their  ancestry and surname.  “We’re going to ports like La Rochelle where the Acadians arrived and left,” said Brenda  Comeaux Trahan, who helped organize the tour on behalf of Philippe Gustin of the Centre  International de Lafayette. “We’re going to a museum where, when you climb the steps of a  tower, there are all our names.”  Nova Scotia, Canada, was settled by the French in the 1600s. The scrappy people there survived  and thrived, eventually coming to identify themselves not as French, but as Acadians.  When the British took control, the nation wanted the Acadians to swear an oath to the British  crown. When they refused, the British put them aboard ships and deported them to various  places, including the East Coast of the United States, England and France. Some made their way  early on to Louisiana, where they thrived. Another large group struggling in France took  advantage of an offer by the Spanish, who owned part of Louisiana, and sailed for three months  in less-than-perfect conditions to begin a new life in Louisiana.  Trahan knows what it’s been like for members of the group. She grew up in the farming  community of Indian Bayou in Vermilion Parish, wondering why her family spoke French and  were Catholics among English-speaking Protestants.  At 10, a Cajun teacher presented a lesson on the history of the Acadians.  “I made the decision that when I was older I would go to Nova Scotia. I wanted to meet some  Comeauxs,” she said.  Her mother said in French they won’t know who she is or want to meet her. But it stayed with  Trahan, who visited Nova Scotia for the first time in 1993 and met a Comeaux.  She has returned many times and made lifelong friends there.  “Every Comeaux that I meet broadens who I am,” she said.  Like the group embarking on its pilgrimage Thursday, Trahan has made her own pilgrimage to  France, walking in the footsteps of her forefathers. She and husband Ray, from Lafayette Parish,  visited a Chateau de Comeaux that has existed since the 1600s. The Comeaux family crest was  proudly displayed above doors and mantles.  “We come from a place where there was no pride,” she said. “I actually believe if they’ve never  been here before … these people are going to cry.”  

New Articles 9-9-2013

 Editorial:  Finding Acadian heritage a proud journey  Published by Lafayette Advertiser 9-9-13  A group of Louisiana Cajuns are searching for their roots — but not in Canada. These pilgrims  are following the genealogical thread back to France, searching for the French origins of their  ancestors who, in the early 1600s, settled Acadie, now known as Nova Scotia, Canada.  For these Cajuns, this two-week trip that began Sept. 4 has to be a monumental event. They are  among a group with a distinct cultural identity, but who until recently knew little of their history.  Among these pilgrims, who by now have joined the descendants of other Acadian exiles living in  Texas and Boston, is The Daily Advertiser’s reporter Claire Taylor. The Morgan City native is  there not only to cover the tour, but also to search out her own French forebears whose children  set sail centuries ago to carve a home out of the wilderness of Canada.  This has to be the adventure of a lifetime for this group.  A genealogist once asked why it is that Cajuns seem to be almost obsessed with their Acadian  heritage. The answer: Probably because they grew up knowing very little about it.  Before the latter part of the 20th century, the history of French Louisiana consisted of the story  of how settlers from France populated the state, but there was no mention of the Acadians.  Most Louisiana Cajuns had some vague inkling that their ancestors came from French Canada,  but little else.  It was not until the last couple of decades of the 20th century that the story of the Acadian exile  became common knowledge, sparking an explosion of interest and a hunger for more.  That is understandable, given the attempt to suppress the French language and culture of  Louisiana by some well-meaning educators in the early 20th century.  There was a general sentiment that Cajun culture was not legitimately French, a second-class  replica of the real deal.  But since then, many Cajuns have traced their genealogy to Canada. Some have attended the  Congrès Mondials, reunions of long-lost Louisiana and Canadian cousins who had been  separated by centuries of exile.  This trip to France is the ultimate next step.  As more of the history of the Acadians was revealed, we learned that Le Grand Derangement,  the deportation, which went on for at least a decade, was not a direct trip from Acadie to  Louisiana.  Some of the exiled Acadians — those who survived the depredations on board dangerously  overcrowded ships — were sold into indentured servitude along the East Coast of America.  Others landed on Caribbean islands. Still others went to France, where their own ancestors had  lived more than a century before.  Eventually, some of the Acadians made their way to Louisiana, settling mostly in the  undeveloped southwestern part of the state. Those Acadians exiled to France were sponsored by  the Spanish king to settle Spanish holdings in Louisiana.  The group from Acadiana is searching for the French families with whom they share common  ancestors.  Imagine how they would feel to meet French natives who have last names that sound like their  own.  In recent decades, the stigma of being Cajun has been replaced by a sense of pride in Acadian  culture and traditions.  For these voyageurs, this foray into their past is a further validation of their heritage. 

New Articles 9-10-2013

 Acadiana people find their roots in France  

     Yellowed records hold important clues  Hector Beauchesne of British Columbia searches for his Landry forefather at an Acadian museum in Loudun, France. / Claire Taylor,  The Advertiser  Written by  Claire Taylor Published by Lafayette Advertiser 9-10-2013  LOUDUN, FRANCE — The yellowed document doesn’t seem that impressive and is difficult  to read. But to John D. Breaux and Macklyn Breaux Domingue, both of Lafayette, it’s priceless.  The document, a copy of a baptismal record from Notre Dame Church in Loudun, France, proves  their forefather, Vincent Breaux, lived in the region before leaving his homeland in 1642 to help  colonize Canada.  The brother and sister traveled to France last week with a group of Acadien descendants from  Canada and the United States tracing their forefathers’ footsteps in France before and after their  deportation by the British in the 1700s.  For some, like John D. Breaux and Domingue, it has been an emotional journey.  They sat in the Notre Dame Catholic Church, built in the 14th century, the same church that they  now know Vincent Breaux visited. The faded baptismal record of his godchild lists Vincent  Breaux as her sponsor.  “I have goose bumps,” John D. Breaux said Sunday outside the same church. “They prayed  here.”  The Acadian museum in Loudun had other surprises for the Acadien ancestors.  Hector Beauchesne of British Columbia, Canada, confirmed that an Acadien Landry is his  ancestor.  A baptismal record from the church indicates she was a godmother at a ceremony in La  Chaussee, France.  As Beauchesne made his discovery, standing nearby, Nanette Soileau Heggie and her mother,  Cecilia Landry Soileau, both of Lafayette, found a Landry ancestor in their family tree. Their  Landry and Beauchesne’s Landry were related.  “It’s amazing,” Soileau said. “I had no idea I would find people I’m kin to.”  Her daughter was equally excited.  “It’s pretty cool to learn you have cousins in British Columbia and that your ancestors were right  here,” she said.  

New Articles 9-12-2013

 Cajun group follows generations-old Ligne 

      Acadienne to retrace heritage  French, Canadian and American 'cousins,' descendants of Acadiens deported from Acadie in the 1700s gathered in Archigny, France, on  Monday for food, wine and fellowship. / Claire Taylor, The Advertiser  French, Canadian and American descendants of Acadiens deported from Acadie in the 1700s visited the former home of Charles Naquin  and Ann Doiron in Archigny, France, on Tuesday. The home, built by the Naquins after deportation, is a museum today. / Claire Taylor,  The Advertiser  Written by  Claire Taylor Published by Lafayette Advertiser 9-12-2013  ARCHIGNY, FRANCE — The line of 38 farmhouses along the two-lane road are all that  remain of the Ligne Acadienne — the Acadian line — built in the 1770s.  For some, the rustic farmhouses became permanent homes. For others, they were waystations on  a decades-long journey that would eventually take them to Louisiana.  This week, a group of nearly 50 descendants of Acadiens from Louisiana, Canada and elsewhere  in the United States stepped onto land once worked by their forefathers while visiting a special  museum here that explains the Acadiens expulsion from Nova Scotia in 1755 and their efforts to  build new lives in France.  The visit to the museum is part of a 17-day trip throughout France by the travelers to trace their  Cajun roots, and many have already found documents and other signs of their ancestors' presence  in France before they set sail for Louisiana.  Both the French and Acadian flags flew this week over the former farmstead of Acadiens  Charles Naquin and Ann Doiron, which today serves as a museum. The walls of the house were  built from a mixture of mud and grass that hardened when it dried.  Across the road from the Naquin farmhouse still stands the former Guillot-Daigle home. The  husband and wife both were Acadiens.  Despite the chill and light rain, John and Kathy Hebert of Prairieville walked up a path to the  home their Guillot forefather built and occupied more than 200 years ago, to pose for a  photograph.  The house has been renovated and expanded, and is still being lived in.  Although the Acadiens in the 1700s were provided free land, animals, tools and some supplies to  build houses and live on, they were not happy in this new land, local officials told the modernday Cajun travelers.  They longed for their Acadien homeland and the families and friends torn apart during what is  called the Grand Derangement. Their neighbors also weren’t happy when they learned the French government provided these  newcomers with free land and exempted them from paying taxes for 30 years.  When Acadie in Canada fell into British hands in the 1750s, the Acadiens refused to swear  allegiance to the British. They were removed from their homes and deported on crowded ships,  sent to places they had never lived and where they often were unwanted.  Many ended up in France. Although their forefathers settled Acadie for the French, the Acadiens  no longer considered themselves French, either, and many of them lived for more than a decade  in poverty in France.  The Ligne Acadienne originally linked 58 farms, each comprised of about 32 acres, along a  straight path about four miles long, a Boudreaux descendant who still lives in France told the  group on Monday.  The Marquis Perusse des Cars initiated the effort on behalf of the king to provide farmsteads to  Acadiens whose forefathers colonized Nova Scotia for the French starting in the 1600s.  When the Spanish government sought people to colonize Louisiana, many of the Acadiens in  France took advantage of the offer, sailing to Louisiana for free and receiving land grants and  supplies to once again start a new life.  

Familiar Face - Gene

Gene Whitten-Lege

Who is "Gene"?  

Eugene Lourice Lege, a descendant of Michel Prosper, Alexandre Leger, was born in Abbeville, Louisiana. 

He married Margaret Minor, then, subsequently married his long time wife, Patsy Ann Whitten.

Gene and Pat are long time residents of Houston Texas , where they have built and run their own business.

Gene is a valued member of the Richelieu-Leger Family Association. He has always contributed his time, ideas, and and money to make the association a wonderful way to reunite extended family members.

With all his many activities, he never forgets his Louisiana connections to his family and the Richelieu Leger Association and is a familiar face at meetings and reunions. 

Familiar Face - Lou

Lou Leger

 Who is "Lou?"

      Lou A. Leger was born to a Leger  descendant of Michel Prosper Leger and a  Broussard in Duson La. Lou was the eleventh  of twelve children. nine of the twelve siblings  survived to adulthood. Lou lived with her parents on a tenant farm until the death of  her father in 1953, She then moved with her family to Lafayette,  where she went to High School.  After graduation, she worked for the phone company for a few  years. She then moved to New Orleans and  began a job with Shell Oil Co., where she worked her way up from a  clerical position to Sr. Geophysical Technician. Lou retired in 1991  and helped care for her aged Mother until her death.  Lou then went back to Shell for a few more years until her final retirement in 1999.  Lou now spends her time traveling, birding, reading, growing  Bonsai, doing Genealogical research and overall, just enjoying time  with family and friends. Even though she has no children, she has  taken in numerous stray animals throughout the years and  given them a good home.  Lou has been a member of the Richelieu Leger Family  Association and has served on the Board of Directors  As well as Genealogist, Web Master, and Publishing the Associa on’s Books.  

Familiar Face - Ray

Ray Lege

 Who is "Ray" 

     John R. "Ray" Lege, currently a board member  and treasurer of the Richelieu Leger Family  Association, was born on a farm near Abbeville,  La. He is the oldest of three children born to  Percey "Kaplan" Lege and Zoie L. Lege, who were tenant  farmers residing near Abbeville on Coulee Kinney.  Ray grew up on the farm and attended Abbeville High School,  graduating with honors. During high school, he played varsity  basketball and baseball and was selected "All District" in both  sports. Ray continued his love of sports after high school by  participating in adult softball leagues for several years.  Ray married his high school classmate, Clara Joyce Hebert  (Currently our membership chairperson), and they had eight  children. One of their oldest Bonnie (one of twin girls) died at  the age of ten. The other twin has served as the Assoc.'s  secretary and newsletter editor as well as on numerous  reunion committees. All seven living children graduated from  Vermillion Catholic High School and all are college graduates --  three of which have masters degrees -- and all seven are  current members of the Richelieu Leger Family Association.  Ray, an accountant who is semi-retired, has worked as  controller of the C. S. Steen Syrup Mill in Abbeville since 1986.  Prior to that, he worked his way up from assistant payroll  clerk to office manager for the Diamond Crystal Salt Company  at Jefferson Island, La. from 1952 until 1986. Ironically, it was  on his birthday, November 20, 1980, when the salt dome was  pierced by a drilling rig and Lake Pigneur emptied into the  salt mine, causing the plant to eventually close in 1986.  Ray is a past president of both the Mt. Carmel Elementry  School Board and the Vermillion Catholic High School Board,  Past president of the Mt. Carmel-Vermillion Catholic Home  and School Association and past vice-president of the  Vermillion Catholic Athletic Association. He was also an  assistant coach in Little League and Babe Ruth baseball for  several years. Ray has been a member of the Knights of  Columbus for the past 48 years and has been a lector at St.  Mary Magdalen Catholic Church for 36 years.  When he is not working or babysitting one of his sixteen  grandchildren or his great grandson, Ray spends his time  playing golf, dancing, playing cards and watching sports and  news programs on TV. Ray and Joyce presently live in  Abbeville on Coulee Kinny Drive, only about five miles from  his birthplace. 

Familiar Face - Arine

Arine Leger Prejean

 Who is "Arine"  

Arine LÈGER PREJEAN   Arine, a descendant of Michael Prosper  Leger, is currently a Board member of the  Richelieu Léger Family Association. She was  born in Duson, LA, and lived on a farm. She  graduated from high school, having played basketball for four years, making All-Stars and All-State.  Arine married, had her first child, then moved to New Orleans, where she had another child. She moved back to  Lafayette in the mid sixties where she is currently living.  She now has six children who are all grown and live away with busy lives of their own. Three children are married and she has  three grandchildren. Her youngest child is in the military.   Arine is a seamstress who makes unique and personal craft  items, quilts of all sizes, including T-shirt quilts. In her spare  time, she likes to type and play games on the computer, do  gardening and work in her yard with all kinds of plants. She  particularly likes houseplants. Her husband has been known ,  which he often does, to pick up dead plants that stores throw  out and take them home to Arine so she can see if she can  revive them 

Familiar Face - Joycie

Joycie Lege Broussard

 Who is "Joycie" 

     Joycie Lege Broussard  Joycie was born to Percy “Kaplan” Lege and  Zoie LeBlanc Lege who were tenant farmers on  Coulee Kinney Road in Abbeville. She attended  Abbeville High School and graduated with  honors. Immediately after graduation, Joycie married James  Curtis Broussard and moved to Venice, La. Since Curtis was in  the oilfield for 45 years, they moved around for 17 years to  different cities in Louisiana and then To Houston Texas until  they came home in 1972 after Curtis’ father died.   Joycie babysat everywhere they lived to help supplement  their income. She operated her own day care center where  they live now from 1994 to 2000. In 2000, her husband retired  and they started traveling. They own a 5th wheel camper and  belong to the Good Sam Organization. Curtis is President and   Joycie is Secretary of the local Acadiana chapter. They  also belong to the state chapter and staff, helping to organize  Samborees for hundreds of campers twice a year. Joycie serves  in public relations where she helps put on tours. She also  belongs to Vermillion Volunteers for Family and Community,  Inc. (VVFC), a woman’s organization that works towards  funding scholarships for girls and boys interested in education.  Joycie lives on a farm between Abbeville and Maurice  where they raise cattle, only four miles from the farm where  she was born and grew up. She and Curtis have six children,  fifteen grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren and are  expecting three more.  Joycie is a Charter member of the Richelieu Leger Family  Association and has been a member of the Reunion Committee  since 2001. She is currently Co-chair and has been a board  member since 2002. She currently serves as Secretary for the  Association.  Joycie has graciously opened her home for every Annual  Membership meeting that has not taken place at a reunion, as  well as most of the Board of Directors meetings. Her  contribution to the association has been greatly appreciated. 

Familiar Face - Sue

Sue Lege Neveaux

 Who is "Sue" 

     Sandra "Sue" Lege Neveaux was born in  Abbeville, La. to Minus Paul Lege and Neoma  Marie L. Lege.   She attended Mt. Carmel Elementary from 1st to 7th grade before  transferring to, and graduating from Meaux High School. Graduating  year was significant for Sue. She finished High school in May, got  married in September, and also went to State Board in Baton Rouge to  take exam to become a hairdresser, all in the same year.  Sue has been married to Kenneth Paul Neveaux for 45 years. They  have three daughters, and two grandchildren. Despite the love they  both have for their daughters, the main subject of their pride and joy  are their two grandchildren.  Ken is employed with Apache Corporation and Sue is a homemaker  and part-time hairdresser. They both enjoy traveling, hunting, fishing  and spending time with family and friends.  Sue is very proud to be a member of the Richelieu Leger Association.  Sue is one of the first Lifetime/Charter members of the association, has  been a board member since 2001 and has been chairperson or cochairperson of every reunion ever since. She is very humble and does  not hesitate to praise the efforts of all the hard working board  members. Sue has also served as Vice president of the Association for  the past several years. According to Sue, "Together we have made a  successful organization that provides camaraderie and knowledge of  genealogy that is so important in keeping our ties with family!"  

Familiar Face - Butch

Butch Leger

 Who is "Butch" 

     ALBERT J. "BUTCH" LEGER 

 Born in Rayne, L.A., Butch is a 10th  generation Acadian descended from Michel Prosper Léger. He is the youngest of  three children born to Ulgere Léger and  Elizabeth Trahan, tenant farmers residing  near the Ossun Community. Elizabeth died  of childbirth complications less than a day following the  birth of her son. Weighing all of five pounds at birth, he  acquired this nickname in the hospital from his sister's boyfriend (Judge Allen Babineaux). His family moved to Lafayette when he was two, where he was brought up by his  sister. When Butch was five, his sister married Judge  Babineaux, who became a member of their household  where he was joined later by a nephew and two nieces. He  grew up on the north side of Lafayette, where the judge's  parents operated a country store. This afforded him the opportunity to learn to speak French and appreciate his Acadian heritage. Butch attended St. Genevieve Elementary  School where he participated in city league athletics and  was an altar boy. He also served as a Page in the Louisiana  Legislature for four years. He graduated from Teurlings  High School in 1964, where he lettered in four sports, was  class president, student council president, attended academic rally, was a delegate to Pelican Boy's State and received the American Legion Award. He completed his  Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science at USL in 1967,  and received his Juris Doctor Degree from Loyola University School of Law in 1971, after a one-year sabbatical to  complete reserve military training. He was admitted to the  Bar in October, 1971, and since then, has been actively engaged in the private practice of law, presently as a partner  with his nephew, Mark Allen Babineaux, in the firm of  Leger and Babineaux. He is one of a select few bilingual attorneys capable of handling legal matters in both English  and French. Butch is married to Christine Truxillo, and together they have five children (his- Stephanie and Brian,  and hers - Amy, Stacy and Joey) and one grandchild, Caleb.  Butch is a member in good standing of the Lafayette, LA  and American Bar Associations. He is a past officer and  board member of the Rotary Club of Lafayette, past president of the St. Genevieve - Teurlings PTO, past chairman  and member of the St. Genevieve - Teurlings School Board,  past chairman and current member of the Msgr. Teurlings  Foundation, past Commodore and current board member  of the Cypremort Yacht Club, charter member, past secretary and current president of the Richelieu Leger Family  Association; and past member of the Lafayette Parish Notarial Commission. He was also an assistant coach in Little  League baseball and junior high basketball. Hobbies for  Butch include sailing (cruising and racing), deer hunting  and saltwater fishing. Other interests include Acadian  Genealogy, woodworking and traveling. 

Familiar Face - Evelyn

Evelyn Leger

 Who is "Evelyn"? 

     Evelyn (Perry) Lege was born in Honolulu,  Hawaii, and is a Pearl Harbor survivor.  Hawaii had very strict war-time  conditions throughout the war: blackouts,  gas/food rationing, barbed-wire beaches, dusk curfews, air raid  drills, and even at schools, many buildings were used by the  many services. Working for the war effort was uppermost in  everyone's minds during those war years, and Evelyn was no  exception. Immediately after graduating from High School, she  went to work at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, eventually  becoming personal secretary to five different Rear Admirals  who were successive Shipyard Commanders.  Shortly after WWII began, she met a young sailor, a  submariner from Abbeville, La. (John Lege) who became her  husband in Honolulu shortly after the end of the war. They  eventually settled in Napa, California when John began work  for the Mare Island Naval Shipyard. He retired as a Project  Engineer in the Design Division. They have four sons and now  have four grandsons. Over the years Evelyn gave private  piano lessons, and eventually retired from the Napa Valley  Unified School District. She has volunteered as the Music  Minister at their Parish Church for over thirty years, serving  as organist and choir director.  Evelyn says "John and I have a wonderful mutual hobby of  collecting our family histories, and this love and interest in  family, even though I am not a Cajun, became the  motivational factor in the founding of the Richelieu Léger  Family Association. I pay tribute to Butch, our President, for  agreeing to "give it a try" to organize a Léger Family  Association, and successfully so; to Ranson, our Historian, who  gave me much encouragement and inspiration with his  dedication to Léger History; to Sue (Lege) and Ken Neveaux  for their support in Acadiana to get us started, to Loubert  Trahan, for giving me a "name" for possible contact to begin  with at the '99 Congrès in Louisiana. Thus the Richelieu Léger  Family Association became a reality. We have an active  Association that Légers everywhere can be proud to belong to. 

 Let's keep it strong by active support." 

Familiar Face - Ranson

Ranson Lege

 Who is "Ranson"  

     Ranson Paul Lege was born on a farm on the east bank of the  vermillion River, two miles north of Abeville, La. He is the son  of Demosthene (Edward) Lege, son of Adras and Lezida  Celestine Marceaux of Kaplan, and Lucille Anna M. of  Abbeville. He attended school in Kaplan and Sulphur, La., and  Port Arthur, Tx., where he graduated as an honor student  from Thomas Jefferson High School. The next day, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving for twenty-three years, retiring as a  Chief Warrent Officer of the Supply Corps.  He married Mildred (Millie) Joyce G. of Houston, Tx..  They have two children and one grandchild.  While in the Navy, he was stationed aboard the USS Gen. A.E.  Anderson TAPIII, the USS Strong DD758, and the USS  AultDD698, at the Fleet Training Center, Pearl harbor, Oahu;  at the Defense Atomic Support Agency, Alberquerque, NM; at  the Navy ordance test unit, Patrick Air Force Base, Cocoa  beach, Fl.; at the Navy Mission to Peru, (Lima); at the Naval station, Kodiak, AK.; and at the Navy Supply Corps School,  Athens, Ga. He is a graduate of the Sanz Spanish Language  School, a six-month contracted school of the Defense Language  Institute, Washington, D.C. and the seven-month Warrant  Officer Indoctrination and Navy Supply Training Course,  Athens, Ga. During his Nave career he visited nineteen foreign  countries, during which time he traveled some 300,000 miles at  sea, surviving several typhoons in the Pacific and hurricanes  in the Atlantic.  His most memorable and notable experiences were: the  recovery of an unmanned Mercury capsule called "Little Joe"  in 1959; his participation in the 1959 NATO excercise,  operating in the Norweigian Sea and above the Artic circle; . his tour of duty at Patrick Air force Base (1962-1965) 

About Us - Family Name

Family Name Origins

Various pronunciations for the name have been found. Leger, "lay-zhay" in the region of Normandy, France - according to Britannica Encyclopedia 1969, Vol 9, p. 531 Three variations were found in the book Beloved Acadia of My Ancestors, by Brother Yvon Leger. There are: Leger, "lay-jay" in Quebec, Canada In Acadia, the feminine form Legere, is pronounced "lay-jair" while the masculine form Leger is pronounced "lay-jay" "Lege" is also pronounced "lay-zhay" according to the Columbia Lippincott Gazetteer of the World, Columbia University Press, N.Y. Variations of the spelling are Legier, Laugier, Liget, Liguez, Legere, Liger, Liogier, Ledger and Lege.

French Name Variations

 It is asked why there are so many variation in French names...and there are many, which obviously makes our  “task” that much more difficult...but interesting!  The following article (one of the many hundreds on the “In Search of Our Acadian Roots” CD-ROM) has been  translated and is reproduced here with thanks to Claude Perrault and the Socièté Généalogique Canadienne Française. Translation of SELECTED PARTS of “Les Variances des Noms Propres et des Prénoms et leurs  Surnoms”, by Claude Perrault...published by Loisirs St-Edouard Inc., 1981-1982.  


Where did the variations of a name come from? 

 A1.  The spelling of names in Canada, from the discovery of Jacques Cartier, in 1534, and in the two centuries  following, was not fixed (or stable). We could add that this was so, for part of the 19th Century, as well. 


 What were the reasons for that? 

 A1. Because, at the time, few people were literate. In fact, you can discover in almost every parish register, this  phrase: “ils ont déclaré ne savoir signer et ils ont fait leur marque ordinaire, c’est a dire, une croix” (they have  declared not knowing how to sign and made an ordinary mark, that is to say, a cross (or “X”).). Is this last  phrase 100% true? Surely not, for we have found many acts where the witnesses were physicians, notaries,  engineers etc. whom, accord to the officiating minister, were people who did not know how to sign their name?  One can therefore ask why the officiating minister acted in such a way. Was it to save paper? It’s possible, but  one thing is certain; the officiating minister did not (always) collect all the signatures of those who could sign  their names, nor did he note all the witnesses present at the ceremonies. Besides, the officiating minister, or the  person who transcribed the double of the register for civil archives, often did this task at a later date, when the  witnesses were no longer there to sign!The same phrase can also be found in notarized acts, and there again, it is  not necessarily 100% true (that they were unable to sign their name). You will see this for yourself in your  research, when you compare both versions of the register...that of the parish and the double. Similarly, you’ll  find the same thing when you compare the originals of the notarized acts and the copies.

A2. Because people pronounced their names differently, depending on the region they originated from. From there,  to write the name according to the sound of it...there is only a short step for the ministers, notaries and all the  public officials...whatever their function...who nevertheless had to write down the name. Example: Payet, Peyet,  Paillet, Payette or (even closer to home)...Sire, Syre, Cyre, Cyr. 

 A3. Because in the registers, the officiating ministers indicated the name that they were “told”, or those that they  heard pronounced. In both cases, they wrote the name their own way and according to their knowledge of  French. Example: Miet, Millet, Myet, Millette, etc.  

A4. Because some ministers were careless and did not attach too much importance to the registration they were  making, be it for baptisms, marriages, or sepultures. Example: Claude Bussot dit Lacouture had 19 children  baptized at Lavaltrie. The name of his wife varies at nearly every one of these baptisms!  


Why does the variation of a name go all the way to its total transformation, for different reasons?  

A1. The location of the residence, with names such as: Des Rochers, Des Ruisseaux, Des Pères, Durivage, Du chesne, Du mont, Du pont, La vallé, La montagne, La rivière, etc.  Examples: 

  • Houde; became Desrochers  
  • Trottier; became Desruisseaux 
  • Couillard; became Desprs  
  • Estienne; became Durivage 
  • Guret; became Dumont 
  • Perrault; became Duchesnes 

 A2.  The place of origin, with names like Tourangeau, Poitevin, Champagne, Picard, d’Anjou, Saintonge, Provenal,  Bourguignon, Languedoc, etc.  Examples:  

  • Barbeau; became Poitevin  
  • Danis; became Tourangeau  
  • Prillard; Bourguignon  
  • Aubin; became St-Onge  
  • Lacoste; became Languedoc 
  • Foran/Faran/Pharand; became Vivarias 

 A3.  The occupation practiced; such as miller, blacksmith, well-man (in charge of a “well”), ferry-man (who would  transport people, goods and livestock in his ferry), baker, stone carrier, harvester, tanner (selling or working with animal hides), spoon-maker, trader in salt, tailor, etc.  Examples:

  •   miller -> meunier; became Dumoulin  
  • blacksmith -> forgeron; became Laforge  
  • well-man -> puisatier; became Dupuis 
  •  baker -> boulanger; became Ptrin  
  • ferry-man -> traversier; became Latraverse  
  • stone-transporter -> transporteur de pierre; became Chartier 
  • nail-maker -> clou=nail; became Cloutier  
  • bread-maker -> four=oven; became Fournier  
  • harvester/reaper -> moissonneur; became Mtivier  
  • worker in hides -> travailleur de peaux; became Pelletier 
  •  spoon-maker -> fabriquant de cuillers; became Cuillerier  
  • trader in salt -> trafiquant sur le sel; became Saulnier

  A4.  The profession; such as lawyer, teacher, constable etc. Examples:  

  • lawyer -> procureur; became Bailly  
  • teacher -> enseignant; became Lemaitre  
  • constable/bailiff -> membre de la prvt; became Prevost 

 A5.

  By whim or fancy...and even grudge and mockery. 

 Examples:  Billeron; became LaFatigue 

 Rocan dit la ville; became Bastien  

Ledoux; became Latreille  

Seguin; became Ladroute 


 A6.

 Because of one’s financial situation, military, or other. 

Examples:

Nicholas Boyer; became Nicholas  Argent

 Court Perrault; became Chateauguay 


 A7. 

 The shame of a personal past...or of one’s relatives, after a crime had been committed...or, for any other reason  judged sufficiently serious by the person involved, such as exercising the occupation of executioner. 

 Note: See Andre Lachance’s volume on the executioners of New France, entitled “Le bourreau au Canada sous  le Regime francais” (the executioner in  Canada, under the French Regime), published by the Societe d’Histoire du Quebec, Cahiers d’Histoires vol.  euphonics or the difficulty of pronouncing a name.  

Examples:  

Cuvillon; became Quevillon  

Delquel; became Dziel  


How were some of the modifications of the names done by usage?

  A1. 

 By subtraction of certain letters. 

 Examples:

  Houde; became Houd 

 Pelletier; became Peltier  

Rivest; became Rivet 


 A2. 

 By modification of the ending.  

Examples:

 

 Aur; became Auray  

Leclerc; became Leclair  

Perrot; became Perrault/Perreault etc.  


A3.  

By the introduction of certain letters into the name:  

Examples:  Houde; became Houlde  

Hunault; became Henau  

Chalifou; became Chalifour  

Guillon; became Guyon 


A4. 

 By the ommission of the first syllable:  

Examples:  

Thiboutot; became Boutot and Bouthat 


A5. 

 By another name meaning about the same thing:  

Example #1:  Roquebrune; became Larocque (to express solidity, firmness, hardiness).  

Note: The following e-mail message was subsequently received from Robert Black... “Just a short note about  the variations of the names. One of the names used was Larocque & Rocquebrune. It says “Roquebrune;  became Larocque (to express solidity, firmness, hardiness).” This is totally wrong, the original name is  Larocque meaning a tour or keep as the rook in the game of chess. The name Rocquebrune came from a town  once owned or controled by the Larocque family of Larocque-Ordan in the department of Gers in France.  Rocquebrune is about 15 km away and still has a tower standing made of redish brown stone hence  Roquebrune, I have been to both places. The Chateau of Larocque has the remnants of a tower built in about  1050 as part of the foundation. My mother was born a Larocque-Rocquebrune. Robert Black  


Example #2: 

 To use a factual case, let’s take the one of Yolande CYR published in “Cahiers Gen-Histo” no. 1, on page 19.  One notes in her lineage, that there is a Pierre CYR married on 6-11-1828 at Ste-Scholastique, to Julienne  Larocque, daughter of Antoine and Genevieve Choret. If one looks for this last  marriage under the name Larocque, it is not found! Because Antoine married under the name of Antoine de  Rocbrune. Another source of difficulty in your research, will come from variations (or the total cnaging) of the  first name, as in the following examples:


  1.  At baptism, the person receives certain first names, where the last listed is usually the one by which he/she is  known throughout his/her life....whereas, in France the opposite is customary! 


 2.  At marriage (or death), if the person has been known throughout his/her life by a first name that does not appear  among the ones given at baptism...and he/she marries or is buried under the “usual” name, this will of course,  cause difficulties to his descendants and to the researchers.  Example: Wilfred Vzina married to Philomne Payette dite St-Amour.

Translating some excerpts of well-known and respected historians is all well and good, but these tend to give  the impression to the readers, that these changes only occurred in New France...or that these names were  mutilated only in the United States.

 Eventhough I (Claude Perrault) will translate several sources, all the reasons  for the name changes, are not necessarily found there.Here is a case from my own (Claude Perrault) tree which  happened not THAT long ago. It just may give insight as to how some name changes could have occurred.My  maternal granfather’s name was Joseph-Edouard Walsh (now you know where the red hair comes from). In any  case, he was the eldest of twelve children. The first six were baptized”Walsh”, as was their father and  grandfather. THEN, for whatever reason, theparish (in the county of Portneuf) received a new parish priest. The  latter baptized the last six...”Welsh”, When the six younger ones started school, they  had to bring their “birth certificates”. There, the school mistress, seeing the name on the birth certificates,  proceeded to admonish the youngsters whenever they claimed their name was “Walsh”. “Obviously”, scolded  the teacher, “it is Walsh”...that was what was entered on all their birth certificates! She decided that this was  how they should learn how to pronounce and sign their name! 

 In a nutshell, today I, (Claude Perrault) have cousins whose names are “Walsh” and I have other cousins, whose  name are “Welsh”. All are descendants of the same couple.  


Military Names (“Noms de guerre”)  In “Les Institutions Militaires de la Nouvelle-France et les Archives” by Louis Lemoyne (published by Loisiers  St-Edouard Inc., Montreal, 1981-1982), there are some lists of “noms de guerre”. What is surprising (and this is  something that I [Claude Perrault] had not noticed before), is that the officers as well as the enlisted men had  “noms de guerre”. Also, I can’t help but notice all the humorous names. In the great, great majority of cases,we  will never know the stories behind those names...which is really too bad!. Nevertheless, here are a few...with  their meanings...and I’ll let imagine how they came to be! The number in brackets, indicates how many  individuals bore that “nom de guerre” in the registers of the invalids found at the hospital called, l’Institut  National des Invalides” (France). I’ll just go through the “B’s” and “C’s”, and pick only a few examples, to give  you an idea. 

 Examples: 

 Bonnenouvelle (10) -> good news  

Bonne volont (17) -> good will  Bon Vivant (14) -> enjoys the good things in life  

Bristetout (10) -> breaks everything  

Brizefer (30) -> breaks everything (iron) 

 Brulevillage (11) -> burns village  

Boit sans Soif (5) -> drinks without thirst  

Bouteille (2) -> bottle 

 Brisemenage (2) -> home-breaker  

Brulemaison (2) -> burns house  

Cinq Franc (1) -> five francs  

Coeur ardent (1) -> flaming heart 

 Clefs des Coeurs (2) -> keys to the hearts  

Cupidon (3) -> cupid 

 Cur (1) -> priest  

And just so Dick Miale doesn’t feel left out...in the company of the 2nd Grenadiers of the Royal-Italian  Battalion in 1763, we find that Antonio Risso and Georges Vanetti, both had the “nom de guerre”...”Colosso”  (both measured 5’, 8”). In general, the names of this company, ressembles very much those of the French  soldiers, with “noms de guerre” like Bonvino, Il Terrible, La Vigna, Belamose, Senza Quartier and, of course,  Viva l’amore.  


Extract from the U.S. Census of 1820 for Madawaska  

NOTE: This Census was taken by English-Americans who spoke and understood little (if any) French.

 The  resultant Census shows that: 

 Alexis Thibodeau became Alevey Tebedore 

 Joseph became Joseph Markcue 

 Henri Tardif became Henri Turdey  

Louis Ouellette became Lewis Willet 

 Joseph Sanfacon became Joseph Sanpeshow  

Susan Thibodeau became Susan Tibedore 

Beloni Martin became Belon Martin  

Bartis Maurice became Bartis Morris 

 Charles Beaulieu became Charles Bolio  

Merclure-McClure became Peter PcCure  

Germain Morreau became Jerman Morio  

Basil Martin became Basil Martin 

 Larion Violette became Larison Violet  

Louis Sanfacon became Lewis Sanpishow 

 Francis Cormier became Francis Carney  

Frederick Theriault became Fredric Tario  

Fred Theriault became Sion Fred Tario  

Pierre Cormier became Peter Camio  

Olivier Thibodeau became Olivier Tibedore 

 Larion Bellefleur became Lario Bellfley  

Nicolas Pelletier became Nicholas Pelkey  

Jean Boutot became John Betuhe 

 Jean B. Thibodeau became John B. Tibedore  

Henrie Vasseur became Henry Versier  

Larion CYR became Loron Sear 

 Pierre Pelletier became Peter Pelt

hey  

Germain Soucis became Germain Sourire  

Jerome Morreau became Jarom Mario  

Barnum Boucher became Barnum Bushiere  

Germain Joshia became Jermain Joshia 

 Jean-Baptiste Joshia became Betis Joshia  

Clement Simon became Lems Simirron  

Joseph Michaud became Joseph Mashau  

Guillaume Chasse became Gruino Chasse  

Alorie Leclerc became Alare An L’Clare  

Alexis CYR became Elecis CYR  

Benjamin Nadeau became Benjamin Nador  

Louis Bellefleur became Lewis Belflour 

 Jean-Baptiste Lausier became Batis Lewsure  

Honore Levasseur became Harris Laushiere  

Charles Ayotte became Charles Adyet 

 Jean CYR became John Sier 

 Joseph Genest became Joseph Jenian  

Laurent Genest became Lorent Jenian  

Francis Doucette became Francis Dorsett  

Firmin Doucette became Pherman Dusett  

Paul Thibodeau became Paulet Tibedore 

 Antoine Gagne became Anthony Gange 

 Louis Mercure became Lewis Mecure 

Levite Leclerc became Levy Clare  Since the above noted (right-hand side) is the actual spelling as it appears in the old records, I think by now you  must all have a better appr

eciation as to why researching Acadian/French names, is NOT always an easy task!


 “Dit” Names 

The following information was obtained from Linda Jones and provides a good explanation (as well as many  examples) of “dit names” One thing that can make it difficult to find your ancestor is that he may have been  using a different surname from the one that you expect. You will need to make yourself aware of any “dit”  names that might be associated with the surname you’re tracing, and if you can’t find someone under the name  of his child, you may find him under the dit name. 

“Dit” in French means “say” and in this context, it means “called.” In other words, a person might be Pierre  Bourbeau dit Lacourse, which means that he had an ancestor named Bourbeau, but he chooses to use the name  Lacourse instead. So he is Pierre Bourbeau called Lacourse. People might take a dit name to distinguish their  family from another family of the same name living nearby. Often it was a sort of nickname, often picked up  during service as a soldier. Or it might refer to the place in France where the family originated. Sometimes it the  father’s first name was used, either instead of the surname (for example, Hebert dit Emmanuel) or in addition to  it (Jeanbard, Castonquay). In any case, very often the dit name was passed down to later generations, either in  place of the original surname, or in addition to it. Some of his children might then keep the original surname  (e.g. Barbeau), and some might use the dit name (e.g. Lacourse). After a few generations, it’s not uncommon to  completely lose the memory of the original name, or to forget which was the original and which was the dit  name. The best example of this is the Hudon dit Beaulieu family, where you will often find people listed as  Beaulieu dit Hudon. You sometimes might find a name and its dit name hyphenated, as in François HudonBeaulieu. In fact, you can generally assume that a hyphenated surname (before 1950, anyway) is the surname  plus dit name. Just remember that any Hudon might be the child of a Beaulieu and vice versa.  


Some surnames, such as Roy, have had several different dit names. You should be aware that usually a different  dit name indicates a different family. For example, Siméon Roy dit Audy and Antoine Roy dit Desjardins were  not related to each other. So it helps us to distinguish who’s who among their descendants if the descendants use  a dit name. Pierre Roy dit Audy will be a descendant of Siméon, and François Roy dit Desjardins will be a  descendant of Antoine. If you find a source which tells you, for example, that Pierre Audy is François  Desjardins’ father, you should be very suspicious. The sources you use may give the name as it appeared in the  original document, or may list all the Hudons and Beaulieus together, under either name. Jette has standardized  spellings, and leaves out “de” when alphabetizing, but he is faithful to the original surname of the family. So  whether you’re looking for a Hudon, a Beaulieu, or a Hudon-Beaulieu, they’re all listed together under “H.”  Other sources may list the same person many different places, and some sources consider Beaulieu to be more  common, and therefore they place the Hudons under “B.” Don’t assume a marriage or birth isn’t listed until  you’ve exhausted all possible names and spellings. And don’t forget to check under the many spelling  variations that were common. Any name that starts with a vowel, for example, might also be found with an H in  front of it (Emond, Hemond, Ayot, Hayot). And the “o” sound at the end of a name might be spelled ot, eau, au,  ault, eault, eau, aux, eaux, aud, or aut. 


 Following is a partial list of dit names and  their equivalents. You can also find  extensive lists of dit names in Jette and  Tanguay. 

Acelin - Asselin  

Elie - Breton, Hélie  

Agnier - Haguenier  

Alarie - Lart 

 Emery - Coderre

Émond - Edmund 

 Albert - Beaulieu 

Eschambault - Fleury 

 Allaire - Daillaire 

Estiambre - Sansfacon  

Amiel - Miel 

Etienne - Bourguet, Clérin  

Amiot - Lincourt, Villeneuve, Vincelot 

Fafard - Boisjoli  Amirault - 

Mirault Fauteux - Bonsecours 

  • Home
  • FACEBOOK
  • Membership
  • History
  • Calendar of Events
  • Memorials
  • About Us
  • Store
  • Genealogy

108 Michael Court, Covington, Louisiana 70433, United States

Copyright © 2023 Our Family - All Rights Reserved.

Powered by GoDaddy

This website uses cookies.

We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.

Accept