« BEAUDET Un nom qui nous unit »

ASSOCIATION DES FAMILLES BEAUDET FAMILIES ASSOCIATION.

 

 

 

Birth of our Association

 

Publications by genealogists Tanguay and Drouin, as well as marriage registers, have been the main resource tools used in the quest of preserving our family heritage. Notes have been passed down from generation to generation. Family members have been contacted, newspapers researched, census records read, and microfilms viewed. Several of Jean Baudet's descendants have been inspired. Passionately they have sacrificed time, money and energy. Some researchers started compiling data in the 1960's, others began in the 1970's, others in the 1980's. Blessed are those who, for decades, continued their quest. It has not been a small task. The result has been the collection and preservation of data pertaining to thousands of Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin's descendants. With the help of the following researchers, it has been an enormous and important accomplishment: Brother Alphonse Beaudet, Zephirin Beaudet(Quebec City), Father Robert Beaudet(Victoriaville), Father Alexandre Beaudet( ? ), Brother Claude Beaudet,F.M.S., Yvette Beaudet-Lafleur(Lotbiniere), Rose Beaudet(Sherbrooke), Marcel Beaudet(La Salle), Don Bodette(Vermont), Gerard Beaudet(Lac Nominingue), Robert Beaudette(Gatineau), John E. Boudette(Florida)

 

Our first archivist Gerard Beaudet, in the spring of 1990, decided to call the office of "Les Familles Souches". He wants to form an association. Father Alexandre Beaudet and Marcel Beaudet from La Salle just happen to be there, inquiring about the same. Father Alexandre Beaudet and Gerard Beaudt share the same vision. Destiny is running its course. It is time to invite the family and forge an association. Familles Souches president Sylvio Heroux volunteers his help. The meeting takes place in Lotbiniere,Qc. on August 19, 1990. An event cemented in time.

Founding members

 

Mr. Heroux has explained the process required in founding an association. The individuals congregated n the hall are unanimous: Yves Marchand-Beaudet is elected as president, Father Alexandre Beaudet as secretary-treasurer, and Gerard Beaudet as archivist.

 

In honor of Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin "l'Association des Familles Beaudet Inc." is born. The twenty founding members consist of: Father Alexandre Beaudet A.A., Alphonse Beaudet, Armand Bernier, Brother Claude Beaudet F.M.S., Brigitte Beaudet, Gerard Beaudet, Jean-Guy Drolet, Julien Beaudet, Lucille Beaudet-Chabot, Marc Beaudet, Maurice Beaudet, Pauline Beaudet, Pierrette Beaudet, Raymonde Beaudet, Rene Beaudet, Father Robert Beaudet, Solange Beaudet, Yves Marchand-Beaudet, Yvette Beaudet-Lafleur, and Yvonne Nadeau-Beaudet.

 

 

We welcome the Du Cap and Ducap families.

Father Paradis in the "Annales de Lotbiniere" sheds light on the Du Cap or Ducap families descending from Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin.

 

"Monsignor Tanguay and other researchers believed that a second line of Baudet families existed. It was their belief that Jean Baudet and Charles Baudet dit Du Cap were the sons of Laurent Baudet having once lived in Cap-de-la-Madeleine. Municipal records proved that when Laurent died he had no sons to continue his lineage. Where does the Du Cap name come from? An explanation. Jean Baudet's first concession is located on the St-Lawrence River in an area where steep cliffs are predominant. The locals called these cliffs the Caps. When his parents passed away, Charles inherited this first concession. To differentiate him from his brothers also living in the same parish, he was nicknamed Du Cap."

It is also noteworthy that Marguerite Crevier, Laurent Baudet's spouse remarried. Her testament reveals that Marie and Marguerite Baudet were the only children from her relationship with Laurent Baudet. There is never a mention of a Charles. The Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin contracts clearly record all of their children, especially Charles.

The Ducap and Du Cap families are definitely descendants of Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin.

N.B.: Several of Charles Baudet dit Ducap descendants kept the Beaudet surname, others decided to use the Du Cap or Ducap spelling.

 

Note: The orignal surname spelling was Baudet. The Beaudet variation evolved during the era of the 3rd and 4th generations. It is interesting to note that, as the family started leaving the Lotbiniere area, the surname started changing to Beaudette, Baudette, Beaudett, Bodett, and Bodette.

 

Biography of Gérard Beaudet.

 

Gerard Beaudet, born in Deschaillons on March 24, 1924, is the Association's archivist. He is the son of Georges Beaudet and Aline Beaudet. He attended elementary school in Deschaillons and attended high school in Sainte-Croix de Lotbiniere. He received his pre-university diploma in Pointe-du Lac. Gerard has a Bachelor of Arts degree and a degree in Pedagogy from the University of Montreal. He spent most of his career in the educational system. Gerard was a teacher for ten years, and then promoted to school principal. A few years later he founded an Adult Education Program for the Le Gardeur School Board.

He retired at the age of 57, only to be hired the following year by the Crie School Board. For the next seven years he worked as a pedagogical advisor for the James Bay indians. With a career spanning some 44 years, Gerard retires a second time at the age of 65.

Genealogy is a passion for Gerard. He has been working on it for over 30 years. At first, with the help of his wife, it was on weekends. Now it has become a daily routine. In 1990, with the help of Father Alexandre Beaudet A.A., Gerard was one of the pioneers in founding the Association des Familles Beaudet Inc. Thirteen years later and the Association is forever vibrant.

During his journey Gerard discovers that he is not alone. There are two other genealogists and they also have been researching for years. They have been piecing together Jean Baudet's descendants. Gerard's efforts combined with those of Robert Beaudette and John Boudette have enabled the Association in providing a service that family members can be proud of.

Want to know more about your ancestors? Want to know more about the Association? Helping you will be our pleasure. You may contact us at:

archives(AT)famillesbeaudet.com

 

 

Biography of Robert Beaudette

Born May 1, 1952 in Cornwall, Ontario. While growing up in this Eastern Ontario industrial city, he participated in organized sports such as baseball, hockey and la crosse. He also delivered newspapers and was an altar boy. As a musician in his teenage years he performed with several rock groups. At the same time he was also a member of a folk group which Played at masses in the largest francophone parish in the city. He was blessed in having the opportunity to play at the Cathedral in Alexandria, Ontario. As a young adult he moved to the greater Ottawa area and spent 24 years with the Material Management Division  of Revenue Canada. As a coach and manager he was actively involved in hockey and la crosse. He had the opportunity to coach in provincial and national championships.

Fascinated by the fact that the family surname did not show up in the history books, he undertook the quest of discovering his family roots. He began researching in 1978 and in 1980 he crossed paths with Gerard Beaudet. A relationship which has lasted since then. In 2000 Robert presented the Association des Familles Beaudet(te) with a 300 page document consiting of all the geographical sites having the family surname. During this same year Robert and Gerard were fortunate to discover that there was an american with the same interests. The gentleman in question was John Boudette. Robert lives 10 minutes from the National Archives and the National Library of Canada in Ottawa. He his presently viewing all the Canadian Census microfilms. He is also preparing volumes on the professions and accomplishments of family members.Robert is married and has two children. He his bilingual and lives in Gatineau, Qc.

N.B. If jou have any questions regarding the Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin family genealogy, you may contact Robert Beaudette ,

e-mail: beaudettebob@videotron.ca

 

Biography of John Boudette

John Boudette was born May 21, 1937 in Chelsea, Massachusetts and grew up in Revere. Growing up he participated in local basketball, baseball and hockey programs as well as becoming an avid stamp collector. In 1954 he graduated from Revere High Scholl and from Tufts University with a degree in Chemistry in 1958. After graduation he was employed as an organic chemist for the Givaudan Corporation in New Jersey. The company’s parent office was located in Geneva, Switzerland where the primary language was French. On his own he learned to read French but did not become fluent in the spoken language. He married and had two children. To earn extra money he started a stamp business in 1977 and was a part time stamp dealer for over 15 years. During his adult years he continued playing amateur(ou amator) hockey frequently on the same team as his son,  Neal. In 1992, he retired from his business ventures.

John had often wondered why only his relatives had the Boudette surname. In 1982, he and his son began a pursuit of their genealogy first in Vermont then in Canada where his grandfather was born. The trail eventually led to Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin. Over the years he colected (ou collected) 3000 Beaudet marriages of descendents of Jean and Marie. In 2000 he came in contact with Robert Beaudette and Gerard Beaudet, and the Beaudet Association. John presently lives in Spring Hill, Florida and divides his time between tennis, genealogy and travelling to unusual destinations.

N.B. If you have any questions regarding the Jean Baudet et Marie Grandin Family you may contact  John Boudette  e-mail  jboud@earthlink.net

 

 

Biography of Louis du Cap

 

Louis Du Cap was born at his parent’s home in Montreal on February 6, 1946. Wilfrid Du Cap, his father, was administrator at the Montreal Catholic School Commission and his mother, Noémi Bock teached for more than twenty years at the elementary level.

His elementary school was mostly attended at the Sisters of Saint-Ann in Rigaud, Qc, then his high school was done at the English section of the Montreal Catholic School Commission. He specialized in aeronautics and also became a flying instructor at Cartierville airport in Ville Saint-Laurent, Québec. In 1967, he joins the big league: he is hires by Québecair to fly the Fairchilf F-27. He then successively flies the DeHavilland Twin Otter and the BAC-111. In 1976, he  works under contract for James Bay Energy Corporation, flying in northern Quebec on the Convair 580. In 1987, searching for a better future, he invests in a project to create a leasure airline called Air Transat et becomes one of the first pilots to fly the Lockheed 1011. In 1993 and 1994, he flies the Boeing 727. During a few years, he is director of crew planning. Recently, he was owner of an internet service provider. 

In 2002, after 36 years in the aviation industry, he retires and devotes himself to genealogy, to his family and recently, to the Société d’histoire et de généalogie de la Vallée (Saint-Sauveur and Piedmont).

He was married to Gisèle Roy for19 years.  From this marriage was born Marie-Claude in 1977 and Corinne in 1981.

He then married France Beaulieu in Quebec city in 1990 and has lived in Piedmont for the last ten years.

History has always been a favorite with Louis. He has dedicated quite some time to the Bouc and Bock family history, a family which he has know well during his life. A few years ago, he received an invitation to participate in the Beaudet association. It was explained to him that the Ducap and DuCap families are related to one common ancestor with all the Beaudet in North America. These families had always been told that their ancestor was rather Laurent Beaudet from Cap-de-la-Madeleine near Trois-Rivières. After some research, he found out that effectively, the genealogist Drouin had made an error; Laurent Beaudet had no surviving son or no son at all. 

He became a member of the Association and recently travelled with the group visiting our ancestor’s village: Blanzay. 

Louis is responsible for the Beaudet web site. He speaks English fluently. You may reach him at the following address: archives(AT)famillesbeaudet.com

 

 

 

Settling down in the United States(a brief history) 

by Robert Beaudette, Gatineau, QC, Canada

 

Though Jean’s sons are responsible for the continuity of the family name, Laurent’s daughter would be the first North American Baudet born descendant to settle in Montreal. On March 3, 1717 in Montreal Jean-Baptiste Paquet is born, the son of Noel Paquet and Margaret Baudet. Jean’s daughters would have the priviledge to be the first North American born descendants to give birth.

 

As it was the custom, daughters married at an early age. Consequently it is the girls who were the first to relocate in areas away from home. As family is family, our ancestors would hitch the horse to the wagon, it is time to visit. It was just a question of time before the men would leave home and seek other settlements. Jean’s daughters followed tradition, they were the first to leave and settle new homesteads. Jean’s sons developed their homesteads on the ancestral land. Jean’s grandsons would be the first males to branch out.

 

The period of 1718 to 1728 saw the majority of the grandchildren born in the area of Lotbiniere and Ste-Croix. Gradually they branched out to Deschaillons and St-Pierre les Becquets. During the period of 1779 to 1790 the family has settled in areas such as Becancour and Gentilly. The familly continues to branch out in the 1800: St-Gregoire 1813, Detroit 1819, St-Nicolas 1823, Coteau-du-Lac 1820, St-Guillaume d’Upton 1836. The family has left the region of les Bois Francs and Coeur du Quebec. The family continues to settle in areas of the province of Quebec: St-Norbert 1847, Plessisville 1849, Princeville 1852, Arthabaska 1853, Ste-Julie 1858, Ste-Sophie 1863, and Victoriaville 1874.

 

Some of the first Europeans arriving in New Hampshire were Martin Pring in 1603, Samuel de Champlain in 1605 and Captain John Smith in 1614. In 1623 David Thompson started the settlement at Little Harbour. In 1679 New Hampshire separated from Massachusets. From 1686 to 1689 it was part of the Dominion of England. In 1692 New Hampshire rejoins Massachusets. Their boundaries are settled at an appeal hearing by the king in council in 1741. By 1750 the New Hampshire governor was granting townships west of the Connecticut River, the so-called New Hampshire grants, this territory is now the state of Vermont. New Hampshire was involved in all four french and indian wars. In 1771 the colony was divided into 5 counties. In 1776 the United States defeated Great Britain in the American War of Independance. The northern boundary with Canada was not settled until the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of 1842. After the American Civil War 1861-1865, a large migration of French-Canadians entered the states of New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The U. S. Supreme Court decided on the New Hampshire-Vermont boundary in 1934.

 

Pierre Beaudet and Florence Richer were married in 1853 in Clinton County, New York. Alfred and Philomene Courchesne in Plattsburg, New York 1880. A Nelson lBodette died in Churchville, Monroe Co., New York 1880.

 

Georges Beaudet, Liboire’s son, married and left St-Guillaume d’Upton in 1877 and immigrated to the States. Telesphore b. 1878 and Alma b. 1879, both in Connecticut. Their brother Ovide b. in 1893 in Woonsocket, ILl. Georges brothers Hughes and Dosithee also decide to settle in Woonsocket. There are other relatives settling in Rhode Island: Clovis and Malvina Beaulieu in Woonsocket 1881; Ludger and Anne Provencher in Central Falls 1887; Odilon and Mathilda Forcier in Burillville 1899.

 

Fred Nazaire, son of Nazaire and Lucie St-Jean, b. in Manchester, New Hampshire 1872. Edmond and Marie Cornelie Turcotte marry in Manchester 1883. Charles and Mederise Courtemanche marry in Lebanon, N.H. 1883. Also in Lebanon 1883, Elisee and Emma Langevin get married. Eugene and Delvina Demers marry in Rolling Ford 1884. In Manchester 1894, Ludger and Marie Gosselin tie the knot. Leon and Georgianna Beauchesne marry 1897 in Manchester. Also in Manchester, Gedeon and Ernestine Mann 1899. Henri and Marie Louise Florent in Manchester in 1900. Joseph and Marie-Louise Gelinas have children that marry in Nashua. Français Cesaire and Lumina Robillard mary in Berlin Falls 1901. Several of these branches are still quite strong in New Hampshire.

 

       In 1867, Victor and Louise Toutant have another child in Gentilly, Que. By 1872 their older children are getting married in Lewiston, Maine. Relatives such as Neree and Virginie Lavigne in 1875, Napoleon and Julie Biron in 1876, Honore G. and Celine Labrecque in 1877, David and Marie Hedwidg Toutant in 1878, marry in Lewiston. Ludger and Arlene Roux marry in Danville, Que 1881, by 1904 their children are getting married in Rhode Island. François and Amanda Laroche marry in Westbrooke in 1884. Philogene and Marie Anne Paquin marry in Lewiston 1887. Ovide and Nora Nolan-Bellerose marry in Augusta 1887. Calixte Celeste and Elisabeth Charbonneau marry in Bedford 1888.

 

Adolphe and Marie-Anne Victoire marry in Dover, Massachusets 1887. William and Amanda Saulnier marry in Ste-Elie d’Orford, Que. in 1895 and later moved to Massachusetts. Edouard Arthur and Alphonsine Rodrigue marry in Holyook in 1918. Ludger and Rose A. Daigneault marry in Vergennes, Vermont 1891.

 

By 1701 French families had settled in the Detroit River Region. tn 1763, the seven years war between France and England ends. Wisconsin, Northern and Eastern Minnesota become British Territory. The land between Ohio and the Mississippi rivers which now forms the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin was known as the Northwest Territory.. Three states Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut had claims in the area by virtue of colonial charters and New York state by virtue of an Indian Treaty. The Ordinances of 1785 and 1787 prepared the way for the orderly settlement of the old Northwest. General Anthony Wayne’s victory against the Indians at Fallen Timber on August 20, 1794 opened the route across the Ohio. By 1804 a minimum of 160 acres could be purchased at $2.00 per acre, with one-fourth down and the remainder to be paid within four years. Victories against the Indians at Tippecanoe on November 7, 1811 and against the British in the War of 1812 brought a new surge of population into the Northwest. Indiana became a state in 1816, Illinois in 1818, and Michigan in 1837. On January 14, 1819 Job Baudet, son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Pelagie Auger marries in Detroit, Archange Bourguignon. Archange was born in Detroit, Michigan on July 15, 1800. There are no records of Job’s sons returning east. Did they stay in Michigan, go west, or maybe even south? Thomas, the son of Onesime and Anny Lacroix b. Iron Mountain, Michigan 1896.

 

Though some areas of Wisconsin are too stony, sandy and swampy, the land is most suitable for farming and the state is known as America,s Dairyland. Wisconsin’s forests and rivers made lumbering an important activity. The first European known to have set foot in the territory was Jean Nicolet in 1634, sent by Samuel de Champlain. He was followed by Medart Chouart and Pierre Radisson in 1659-1660. exploring the Lake Superior Region. In 1665 Father Claude Jean Allouez establishes a mission on Chequamegon Bay. In 1669 Allouez founded St-Francis Xavier at De Pere. In 1673, Jolliet, Marquette, Greysolon, and Cavelier travelled the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers and explored eastern Wisconsin along Lake Michigan. In 1684 a trading post was established at La Baye and Nicolas Perrot built fort St­Nicolas near Prairie du Chien. In 1689 the Upper Mississippi Valley was claimed for France. The possession was ceded to England at the close of the French and Indian Wars in 1763. There were no permanent settlements until 1764. In 1783 after the War of Independance, Great Brittain ceded the territory to the United States. In 1787 Wisconsin became part of the Nortwest Territory, part of the Indiana Territory in 1800, of the Territory of Illinois in 1809 and of the Michigan Territory in 1818. The first large scale immigration occured in the 1820’s as a result of a lead-mining boom in southwestern Wisconsin. After the Black Hawk War of 1832 home seekers from eastern states flocked to the region. In 1836 Wisconsin was organized as a territory. On May 29, 1848 Wisconsin was admitted to the Union as the 30th state. The post Civil War period found the people of Wisconsin engaged in expanding the state’s railroad network, exploiting its timber resources, developing manufacturing, dairying and extracting iron ore from the mines.

 

Joseph and Elise Donaldson sometime around 1850, left the Province of Quebec and headed for the states. Was it the New England states or the Central North states? Cyrille, the son of Isaie and Margaret Mailhot b. 1815 marries in the U.S. To whom, where did they live and were there any children, are still mysteries? It is known that he was buried in the Province of Quebec.

 

Edward Theodore Bodette and Bertha Zeaman are living in Wisconsin Rapids 1873. Benjamin Remi married Camilla Blanchette 1871, Philippe married Eveline Lemay 1888, and Eloi married Celinay Fenly, all in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. All three were sons of Gregoire and Ursule Lemay. Not much is known on Gregoire and Ursule, speculation is that they settled in the Chippewa Falls area. They were married in Lotbiniere, Que. Some of their children were married in Lotbiniere. It is known that there was a Joseph Beaudette and Ella Carbona living in Fond-du-Lac, Wisconsin in 1878.

 

Louis Alfred and Louis Albert Beaudet(te) headed out west sometime between 1880 and 1885. Louis Alfred takes a second wife Adele Debeau in Chippewa Falls during this period and settles in the area. He has children from the first marriage. His brother Louis Albert leaves for Eastern Ontario in 1884, his son Albert Joseph will marry Louise Esther Zutter in 1895 Chippewa Falls and he also settles in the area.

 

Pierre Radisson and Medart Chouart, Sieur de Groseiller in 1654 and 1660 were the first white men to enter the Minnesota country. Nicolas Perrot in 1686 built a fort on Lac Pepin. Jacques de Noyon arrived in the Lake of the Woods region of North Minnesota in 1688. Pierre de La Verendrye visited North Minnesota with a party of 50 men in 1732. He lost 21 men when caught in the middle of a war between North American Natives in what is known as the Sioux uprising. He establishes his headquarters at Fort St-Charles. The fort was abandonned by 1763 when claim to the old Northwest was transferred to the British following the fall of Quebec City. In 1873 the British-American Treaty gave eastern Minnesota to the United States. The U.S. also obtained western Minnesota through the Louisiana Purchase. All trade returning from the north and the west had to cross the lake. Several municipalities flourished as a French colony. French surnames are today’s testimony. Fort Snelling is established in 1819. It would appear that the Baudet river was named prior to 1823. This is the year that the International Joint Boundary Commission had been appointed to establish the border between Canada and the U.S. The river carried the original name as late as 1865. Somewhere along the line it became Beaudette and finally Baudette.

 

Furs and lumber furnished the economic motives which brought people to Minnesota. The development of pioneer agriculture occured in 1840. From the Catholic chapel built by father Lucian Galtier in 1841 grew the hamlet of St—Paul; and in 1847 settlement began at the Falls Sf St-Anthony (Minneapolis). In 1849 a road was opened on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi accessing trade in St.Paul and a stage kept settlers in touch with the outside world. Minnesota became the 32nd state on May 11, 1858. The french impact is still visible. The State Motto on the State Seal reads: L’Etoile du Nord. The first railroad was completed in 1862 and by 1870 the state had 1,100 miles of track. Gold was discovered near Lake Vermillion in 1865. Experimental telephone lines were run to Minneapolis and St.Paul in 1877. From 1860 to 1900, Minnesota was the leading lumber producing state.

 

The Lake of the Woods region of Northern Minnesota was opened to settlement in the late 1890’s. Several trading posts previously existed as this was a main trading and traffic route. Originally spelled Beaudette, the town was probably once a trading post, it received its first permanent residents in 1891. The name has been attributed to a trapper by the name of Beaudette thought to have been in the region in the early 1880’s. This is somewhat questionable as the Baudet river was named prior to the International Joint Boundary Commission appointment in 1823. Not much is known about a Jean Baudet and Marie Antin married in 1814 Louisiana or about Agnes Elodie Baudet and François Nicolas Kellar married in Baton Rouge.

 

Are there errors in the recordings of these manages? Are they descendants of Jean who arrived in New France in 1664. Or are they from another European Branch? Did they stay in the Louisiana area or did they move up the Mississippi? The original spelling of the Minnesota river is Baudet. Could it be that this river as the one in Ontario and Quebec was not named in honor of the family? Maybe it was named after somebody in the family? If so, when? Was it in the days of Laverendrye? Did he operate a trading post? By the early 1800’s the familly name has changed to Beaudet. By 1900 the Minnesota settlement is spelled Beaudette.

 

Records do indicate the death of Joseph A. Beaudette in Baudette Minnesota August 8, 1944. Born January 5, 1878 in Fond­-du-Lac Wisconsin, the son of Joseph Beaudette and Ella Carbona was considered as a one of Northern Minnesota’s pioneers. He died of congestive cardiac failure. He took up homesteading in the early days of the district, and later went to Northern Dakota for a few years. Later he worked at the Norris resettlemnt camp. To his friends he was known as the man with the gold mine under his nose, because of his many gold filled teeth.

 

Theodore Francis-Xavier and Josephine Beaudet married in Minneapolis 1880. Baudette Minnesota in 1910 was also the home of John and Catherine Beaudette, they became naturalized citizens in 1888. The descendants of Nelson Bodette left New York state about the same time and they also settled in Minnesota.

 

Regardless of the spelling, Minnesota has been home to the family for over a 100 years. Several western, southern and southwestern states populated by the family came from Wisconsin and Minnesota. The name is still alive and strong in this part of the continent which was once called the Northwest Territory.

ARCHIVIST CORNER

Adresse postale

 

C.P 10090, Succ. Sainte-Foy

QUÉBEC, (QUÉBEC)CANADA ,G1V 4C6