The Mius d'Entremont family ancestry

In 1557, the name of Nicolas Mius of Grynn appears on the register of the University of Orleans as one of five German students. (SD Nicolas Mius -Grynn). The letter "D" signifies Dominus or Domine meaning monsieur and Grynn would signify the province from which he came. The name was originally Majus and was often written as Maius. In German the letters "ai" are pronounced as "i" resulting in the present pronounciation Mius.

With Nicolas was another German student named Conrad Maius, who could have been from the same family. This was at the time of the reformation; and there was a famous professor, Anne of Bourg, elder of the University and protector of the German students. The name Anne could be born by both men and women in those days. Anne of Bourg was a man. The University of Orleans was a center of learning for Lutheranism.

Nicolas went into the service of Gaspard de Coligny, an admiral, marechal of France and leader of the protestant party.

By 1569, Nicolas was married to Jeanne and had several children. In Admiral Gaspard DeColigny's will, Nicolas is mentioned "To Nicolas Mouche by chamber valet and his wife, Jeanne for their good services, to me and my wife, I give them five hundred francs in money one time and six septiers of bled metail" (mixture of wheat and rye) the rest of their lives solely so they can have more children."

Gaspard de Coligny was the target of at least two attempts on his life. In one, he was slightly wounded while hunting. Nicolas Mius was the sole member of his retinue who stayed to defend his master. He was killed in the attempt. This event took place about three months before de Coligny's murder.

In Paris on August 25, 1572, the Admiral was a victim of the St. Bartholomew Day Massacre. The slaughter of French Huguenots quickly spread to the provinces and about 20,000 Huguenots were ultimately killed by Roman Catholic mobs. The prime responsibility for the massacre was borne by Catherine de Medicis, who opposed the influence of the Protestant leader, Admiral Gaspard de Colignay over her weak son, King Charles IX.

After the Admiral's death, the Countess felt indebted to the children of Nicolas. She took under her protection Claude, a son of Nicolas. The boy was actually under the care of Jacqueline’s mother, the Countess Beatrice Bacheoc-d’Entremont of the House of Montbel d’Entremont of Savoie.

The name of d'Entremont was then added to his surname Mius. This was Jacqueline’s wish, since she was the only child who survived her parents marriage, and had only a daughter from her marriage to the Admiral. The following clause appears in the marriage contract between the Admiral and Jacqueline:

"The first son originating from the marriage and his descendants, whether male or female, would carry the name and coat of arms of Count D'Entremont" (Jacqueline's father).

Admiral Gaspard de Colignay was married twice. His first wife was Charlotte de Laval. She died March 3, 1568. He married his second wife, Countess Jacqueline d'Entremont of the House of Montbel d'Entremont of Savoie, in 1571. The daughter of that marriage, Beatrice de Coligny, was married on 6/17/1600 to Claude d'Albun, Baron de Meuillon and de Montauban. Claude had been adopted by the childless noble governor of Marseilles to facilitate his marriage. Nobles in those days were exempted from any form of taxation. He and his wife would have been deprived of considerable land holdings in Flanders had he not been ennobled by his adoption.

Nicolas also left two daughters: Charlotte Mousche and Louyse Mousche, who were put in the care of Louise de Coligny, Princess of Orange, daughter of the Admiral and his first wife, and widow of William of Nassau, Prince of Orange (dit le Taciturne). His will read at Fontainebleau on 11/8/1620 states "Give and bequeath to Charlotte Mousche, widow Davon, the sum of two hundred pounds of Tournois (old 13th century money). Payed in full. Give and bequeath to Louyse Mousche the same sum of two hundred pounds of Tournoys, also paid in full."

William was the founder of the branch of Orange-Nassau (1535-1584) and the ancestor of William the Third of Orange who married Marie, daughter of James II of England; and became William III, King of England.

The location of Grynn (Nicolas’ origin) is uncertain but there is a village in Switzerland by the name of Gryon, which is east of Lake Leman in the French speaking district of Vaud. According to the Larousse Dictionary, there are only three regions in the entire world where the old word "huitante" (80) was used. Those areas are LaWallonie south and southeast of Belgium and the Swiss village of Gryon.

The only other place where this ancient expression is used is Pubnico, founded by Philippe Mius D'Entremont. The word "huitante" is still used there today. What is also strange about this is that the word is used only in the Pubnico area and nowhere else in Acadia. Everywhere else huitante has been replaced by quatre-vingts. I remember my grand mother Laura and my mother using that expression. It comes easily to my own tongue when I am speaking rapidly without thinking.

(Most of the information on Nicolas Mius and his ancestors comes Vol. III written by Fr. Clarence d'Entremont.)

Vermont vital records

The Quebec archives have microfilmed copies of the Vermont vital records for the years 1860 - 1908. I had a quick look and found the following:

A Eulalie Bourgeois and Emile Roy were married in Bennington on November 25th 1899. Residence of the bride is Bennington. She is listed as 18 years of age, having been born in Fort Lane, N.J. Her father's name is given as Frank and her mother's as Catherine Otis. Émile's place of birth is not given. His profession is described as grocery clerk. He is said to be 21. His father is listed as John and his mother as Ada Brault.

The same year, his sister Rosa Roy had married Adjutor Betit in Bennington on July 3rd 1899. She was 18 years old. Her father is listed as Antime and her mother as Georgina Paré.

On 20-06-1901, a daughter is born to Émile Roy and Lilian Bourgeois. The daughter's name is not given but she is said to be born alive. Lilian is described as born in Bennington and residing on Dewey street. Émile's occupation is listed as a laborer and he is said to be born in Ottawa, Canada.

On 21-05-1903, a son Edward Henry Roy is born to the couple in Rutland, Vt. Lilian is said to be 23 years old. Her birth place and residence is listed as Rutland City. Émile is listed as 26, born in Canada, and working as an Inspector of locomotives.

The Vermont vital records consist of index cards sometimes typed, occasionnaly handwritten and filed alphabetically. They rely on information given to them by parish priests (father Lachance in Bennington) and medical doctors. I doubt that the marriage can refer to anyone else than our Émile and Eulalie. The original church records would have to be examined to determine if a transcription error occurred.

More notes on the Mellanson family - this time a spy

This follows when a Scot is not a Scot and John Laverdure the pirate.

Pierre Melançon is considered to be one of the founders of Grand-Pré in Acadia. He lived to be 90 years old. He was commander of the militia at Mines (the village that preceded Grand-Pré).

His brother Charles Mellanson was a british agent who spied upon the French. Three of the letters he wrote to the Lieutenant -Governor of Massachussets detailing French defenses can be found in the Massachussets archives. His homestead is now The Melanson Settlement National Historic Site of Canada which was opened officially on August 3rd, 2004.

Charles Mellanson's eldest daughter, Marie was sent to Boston to be with her grandmother Priscilla. There Mary took the Laverdure family name. Priscilla wrote up an inventory of her goods when she married Captain Wright. In her will, she left these to her grand daughter. Captain Wright refused to give these to Mary who had to sue to gain possession. She later married well known merchant and privateer David Basset who is widely believed to have been murdered on board his ship in 1724. Charles Mellanson's granddaughter, Elisabeth (Basset) Waterman was fittingly Benedict Arnold's stepgrandmother.

John Laverdure - The pirate

This is a translation of an article written by Father Clarence D'Entremont which originally appeared in the Yarmouth Vanguard of April 11th 1989 and is meant as a complement to the article when a Scot is not a Scot.

In 1620, when the Pilgrims arrived in Plymouth Massachussets, they asked the Indians to conclude a treaty with them. Chief Massasoit accepted with the condition that it be with his equal in rank, King James of England. Two of his sons were to succeed him as chiefs of the tribe of the Pokenokets. The first was Wamsutta, his eldest son, who was given the name Alexander in honour of his prowesses and in memory of Alexander the Great. Having conspired against the newcomers, he was caught by surprise. Furious at being kept in captivity, he developped a fever and died. He was succeeded by his brother Metacom to whom the governor of Plymouth gave the name of King Philip in memory of Alexander the Great's father.

In 1675, Metacom decided to gather as many Indians as he could find in New England to win back the lands taken over by the Europeans. This event was to be known as King Philip's war. Though it was to last only one year, it was to prove the costliest conflict waged up to that time in North America. The English lost 600 men, 1200 houses, and 800 heads of cattle while 3000 Indians were killed. The war ended with King Philip's death on August 12th 1676. He died from a bullet fired by one of his own men.

While this war was raging, Major Richard Waldron of Dover New Hampshire, mandated Henry Lawton, a merchant from Picataqua Maine, to capture all Indians who might have pillaged towns or villages. Lawton chose William Waldron probably a close relative of Major Waldron and John Laverdure to assist him.

On November 9th 1675, they hired a vessel the Endeavour, and requested the ship's captain John Horton to accompany them. The same month two other young men were to be hired, Francis Mason and Edmund Cooke. These had no real idea of the purpose of this trip, Horton having told them that they were to load fish and oil in Maine to deliver at Faial Island in the Açores, Madeira and Barbados from whence they were to return to Boston.

Their first stop was in Machias Maine. We have no idea what their freight was to be, all we know is that they brought 9 Indians on board. They then sailed on to Cap Sable, the most southerly point of what is now Nova Scotia. There 3 or 4 Indians came on board. To give them the impression that this was to be a friendly outing, John Laverdure who could speak their language, invited them into the kitchen where they spent all day. In the evening, they set foot on the coast and brought back some more Indians on board among whom were the Sagamo - the chief and his wife. It has been said that there were 17 Indians in all, men, women and children. When everything was ready, they sailed to the Açores where they sold their Indian captives.

While this was taking place, there were two New England ships in the Açores which observed what happened. Upon their return to Boston, they warned the authorities. It did not take very long for the men to be arrested. Henry Lawton and William Waldron were jailed in the summer of 1676. John Laverdure was freed on 100 pound bail supplied by his mother who had borrowed the money from her landlord. On the trial date, John Laverdure did not show up.

Priscilla Mellanson, John's mother, addressed a plea to the Governor and his council to get the 100 pounds back. This was rejected by the council session of May 29th 1677. She had to depend upon public alms until her remarriage to Captain William Wright, a Dorchester (Boston suburb) innkeeper.

What happened to John Laverdure? A few years later, we find a John Mellanson, undoubtedly John Laverdure, married to Sarah. He had taken his mother's maiden name to avoid detection. Both of his companions in crime were acquitted so he skipped bail in vain.

Incidentally, our ancestor Diggory Sargeant from the Hudon dit Beaulieu line fought in King Philip's war. Father Clarence D'Entremont is a descendant of Philippe Mius D'Entremont from whom we are descended through Antyme Roy and his mother Angèle Lacasse.

When a Scot is not a Scot

Antyme Roy is descended from Pierre Melançon (also spelled Melanson) through his mother Angèle Lacasse and her mother Françoise Tanguay. Pierre Melançon has long been believed to be a Scot who arrived in Acadia with Sedgwick. The following notes gleaned from Clarence J. D'entremont's article in the Journals of the French Canadian Genealogical Society (vol XXXV - no4 Dec. 1984) casts doubts on this theory.

The only indication that Pierre Melançon might be a Scot comes from a memorandum written in 1720 by Antoine de Lamothe sieur de Cadillac and addressed to the Duke of Orléans. Cadillac asserts that all Scots brought to Port-Royal prior to the treaty of St-Germain-en-Laye in 1632 had died either from scurvy or at the hands of indians save for the brothers Pierre & Charles Melanson who had married Acadians and whose mother was in Boston.

Father D'Entremont has found a documentary trail suggesting that the Melançon were actually the children of a french huguenot Pierre Laverdure and an english woman Priscilla Mellanson.

In a letter dated September 29th 1720, captain John Adams, a trader of Annapolis Royal and a member of the governing council of Nova Scotia, mentions in a letter to Paul Dudley, then judge of the superior court of Massachussets, a Pierre Mellanson from des Mines (Acadia) whom he says is an english gentleman arrived in the country with Sir Thomas Temple.

Sir Thomas Temple arrived in Acadia on the ship Satisfaction in 1657 to assume the government of Nova Scotia. After the Breda treaty of 1667 in which England returned Acadia to the French, the Melançons' mother and father who had lived up until then on the St-John river sought refuge with the protestant government in Boston along with their son John.

In 1675-1676, John joined others in committing piracy acts along the coast of Maine and Cap-Sable. Arrested in Boston, he was freed on a bail of 100 pounds paid by a man named Sendall. This bail had to be forfeited when John failed to show up at his trial.

His mother wrote to the governor of Massachssets and his council, a letter which
was found in the archives of the Supreme Court for the county of Suffolk in Boston ( vol 18 f 1592, council date May 3rd 1676). This is a retranslation of the french translation given in the Journal:

Humble petition of Priscilla Laverdure desolate widow of the deceased Peter Laverdure.

I am an englishwoman widow of the said Peter Laverdure a protestant frenchman who having lost all of their belongings and having lived in great poverty have come to live in this government to flee the anger of their papist neighbours at the St-John river Fort. The unhappy affair of our son John weighed heavily on my husband's heart and brought him to seek out another one of his sons who had stayed in those regions, in the hope of finding him and his brothers and making them see reason.
But to his great sorrow, not getting word of him, unable to find him, not knowing what had happened to him - he who had been the support of his old age - this struck his heart and left your poor supplicant a poor and desolate widow.
signed P. M.

Father D'Entremont has found people named Mallinson and Mellenson in Yorkshire. He assumes that the children were given their mother's family name to avoid using a french name in England.

Nicolas Leroi - Jeanne Lelièvre

You will find here a short biography of Nicolas Leroi & Jeanne Lelièvre, our first ancestors to come to Canada. These notes are based on Jacqueline Sylvestre's book, Nicolas Leroi et Jeanne Lelièvre - une histoire à suivre...

Louis Leroi from St-Aubin and Anne Lemaistre were married in the church of St-Rémy de Dieppe on april 27th 1638. A year later, their son Nicolas was born. He was baptised in the same church on May 25th 1639.

You will find pictures of Dieppe on this site:

http://dieppegalerie.free.fr/lesphotos.htm

If you click on "Le centre ville" near the middle of the map, the second photo of the diaporama will show the church of St-Rémy-de-Dieppe.

Despite researches in Dieppe and St-Louis de Honfleur (where Jeanne's father, Guillaume is presumed to have lived), no marriage contract has been found for Nicolas Leroi and Jeanne Lelièvre.

Their son Louis was baptized November 26th 1658 in St-Rémy-de-Dieppe. Their second son Nicolas was baptized on March the 3rd 1661 in the same church.

On June 17th 1661, Nicolas signs a contract promising to repay the sum of 50 "livres", this being the cost of his passage, to Jean Gloria eight days after his arrival in Canada. The contract describes him as being a "bourgeois" of Dieppe. In those days, the term "bourgeois" describes a person who was neither of the clergy or of the nobility who had some means but did not work with his hands. It was usually applied to a professional or tradesman. Nicolas signs his name with an assured hand. This contract and others he signed later on in his life imply that he had received some schooling. John Gloria was his son Nicolas' godfather.

He crossed the Atlantic with his wife, his mother and his two children, arriving in Quebec city probably with Laurent Poulet's ship August 22nd 1661.

Jeanne's father, Guillaume Lelièvre, had preceded them to Canada. He signed a marriage contract before the notary Adouart on August 28th 1660 to wed Marguerite Miliet widow of Pierre Briscoté. Unfortunately, she drowned two days later while travelling from Beauport to Quebec City. There are no indications that he ever remarried but he lived on on his land on Île d'Orléans and maintained close ties with his soon to arrive family as we shall see later on.

Jeanne Lelièvre was confirmed in the Quebec city church on May 1st 1662.

It was the custom for new arrivals to serve a contract of thirty six months upon arrival to this shore. This contract obliged the patron to provide an agreed upon wage, food and clothing. We do not know what kind of work Nicolas did during this period.

His mother remarried on October 25th 1663. She married Adrien Blanquet before notary Jean Gloria - the very same man who had lent Nicolas some money to come over to Canada. She practiced midwifery. She was buried on the first of October 1718 at St-Pierre, Île d'Orléans. According to Nicolas Leroy's baptismal certificate, she had been born between 1617-1619. This makes her a centenarian at her death.

On the 10th of november 1663, Jeanne Lelièvre was ordered to appear before the sovereign council due to a complaint sworn in by Anne Chevalier. Jeanne was represented by her father. The reason for the requested appearance was not given and no other paperwork ensued. Even small matters such as quarrels between neighbours were addressed by the sovereign council in those days.

On June 8th 1664, Nicolas received a land grant in the seigneury of Beaupré. The contract is signed before notary Pierre Duquet with the seigneuress Guillemette Hébert Couillard. The Leroi's family obligations are as follows:

- they must pay the sum of "12 deniers & 20 sols" for each measure of land (arpent) and 3 live poultry payable on the day of the winter feast of St-Martin (november 11th).
- they must maintain each side of their property and a 6' wide and 15' road along the St-Lawrence.
- they must mill their grain at the seigneuress' mill.
- fields are commonly held but they must mow them on their property.
- they must raise fences otherwise they are responsible for damage to their property.
- they must pay their tithe to the priest.

As settlement grew in the area, the village came to be known as L'Ange Gardien. This land is now located in the city of Boischatel on Royale street just east of Tardif street and comprises
civic numbers 5360-5364 on the even side and 5439 - 5451 on the odd side of the street.

At the 1666 census, Nicolas is described as a gamekeeper. His children are listed as Louis 7, Nicolas 5, Noël 3, and Marie-Jeanne Leroy 16 months. Another member of the household is Jean Brière, aged 24, described as a hired domestic and baker. Nicolas had 4 cattle and 7 "arpents" under cultivation.

The Côte de Beaupré was serviced by a missionnary priest. Noël's baptismal record has been lost. It is assumed that he was born between christmas 1662 or in the beginning of January 1663. Marie-Jeanne was baptized on August 17th 1664.

The 1666 census was judged to contain too many errors and had to be redone in 1667. This latter census shows that the household has a new baby Guillaume aged 2 months. His baptismal records have also been lost. When the census takers arrive at Guillaume Lelièvre's house on île D'Orléans several months later, they find him with his grand son Noël and Jean Brière who must have come for a visit.

Tragedy was to strike the family in 1669 and 1670. In the summer of 1669, Nicolas and Jeanne accused one of their neighbours Jacques Nourry of raping their daughter Marie-Jeanne aged only 4 1/2 years old at the time. After inquest, Nourry was sentenced to death on August 12th 1669.

Two of their children were killed in the burning of a house (presumably theirs) on July 6th 1670. Their daughter Anne had been baptized on February 9th 1668 and son Jean on October 12th 1669. Anne's body was found and buried on July 8th. That of her brother's on the 13th.

Two more children were born in L'Ange-Gardien. Élisabeth baptised on October 21st 1671 and Jean on July 8th 1674.

In 1677, the family moved to the south shore of the St-Lawrence. An undated draft document was found in the notes (notebook no 25 covering the period from July 27th to August 28th 1677)of notary Romain Becquet in which Nicolas Leroi (having lived for 1 year on said property) and the seigneur Olivier Morel de la Durantaye agreed to have Nicolas exploit the seigneur's property in exchange for rent. The lease was to begin in April and have a duration of 4 years. This lease was renewed by Olivier Morel's daughter in a document signed before notary Rageot on February 16th 1686.

The area was first known as the La Durantaye seigneury. When a church was built, it took the name of St-Michel de La Durantaye. Eventually the territory was split in two; the western part keeping the name of St-Michel and the eastern part taking on that of St-Vallier. It should be noted that the Roy family allways lived in what is now known as St-Vallier-de-Bellechasse.

This is where our ancestor Jean-Baptiste was born and baptized on October 21st 1678.

Nicolas Leroi deceased prior to November 3rd 1688 when a contract was signed between his sons Louis and Guillaume concerning a land sale. (Notary Rageot).

His wife married François Molinet on February 8th 1695 in St-Étienne de Beaumont. She was buried on January 11th 1728 aged about 88 years old. She had been found dead sitting in her chair.

A rebel in the family

Édouard Bourgeois, Eulalie's father, was the son of Ambroise Bourgeois who in turn was the son of Henri-Marie Bourgeois and Marie Coupal. Marie Coupal was the sister of Antoine Coupal dit Lareine, a man who played a role in bringing responsible government to Canada.

Since 1791, Lower Canada (Quebec) and Upper Canada (Ontario) had each been ruled by a governor general, invariably an english military officer named for a brief stint. He was advised by a council in whom resided all executive power. In Upper Canada, this council was controled by a handful of families known as the family compact. In Lower Canada, the council was dominated by a handful of english merchants. There was also an elected assembly in each province. This parliament had the power to pass legislation and budgets but not to enact them. This led to governement paralysis with budgets and laws being passed but not acted upon.

For more on the history of this period:

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/2/18/h18-2002-e.html

The elected assembly submitted a list of 92 resolutions expressing Lower Canada's discontent to London. These resolutions were rejected. In the face of mounting public unrest, hundreds of men decided to take up arms, and three major bloody battles ensued. The first, the Saint-Denis battle on November 23, 1837, was a victory for the Lower Canada Patriots over the British soldiers. One interesting historical fact is that this battle was led by the patriot Wolfred Nelson, a doctor of English origin married to a French Canadian, who, against the better judgement of his comrade Papineau, incited the population to violence with the declaration that "the time has come to melt our spoons into bullets."

The other conflicts that followed, in Saint-Charles on November 25, and in Saint-Eustache the following month. When the patriots were defeated, towns were burned, people attacked, women and children thrown out of their homes in the dead of winter.

The troubles started again in 1838. This time the patroits established camps in the area south of Montreal where they waited in vain for their leaders who had fled to the states the preceding year to return with arms. Repression was terrible with over a thousand people jailed and villages pillaged and burned.

Antoine Coupal was a lieutenant of Wolfred Nelson. He was one of the ones responsible for recruitment and setting the camp in Napierville. He commanded a brigade at the battle of Odelltown where the patriot forces were finally defeated. This sounds grandiose but in reality the patriot forces consisted of farmers with little military experience and armed more often with pitchforks rather than guns.

He was jailed in Montreal from November 13th 1838 and appeared before the martial court in January 1839 where he was sentenced to death by hanging. His sentence was commuted to exile in Australia for life. He along with 57 other men convicted of the same crimes and 82 americans who had taken part in the rebellion were embarked on the Buffalo which sailed on september 28th 1839 from Quebec city to Australia by way of Rio de Janeiro. The american prisoners were left in Hobart, Tasmania. The Quebec contingent were dropped off in Sydney.

Archives in Sydney (Butts of tickets for employment 1841-42, CGS 12199 (4/4287-88; microfilm copy SR Reel 592, photocopy [City] COD214). 2 vols.:) record detailed information about these prisoners. From these documents we learn that Antoine Coupal was the shortest man in the group at 5 feet tall. He was also the oldest (50 years old, born in 1790) and had the largest family with 12 children. He could not sign his name, described his employment as farmer, and bore scars to his left hand and right thumb.

The exiles at first were held in the Longbottom stockade and employed at building the Paramatta road. Later on , they were allowed to take up residence with friends in the village and to excercise a variety of employment.

The life of the convicts there is well documented as three of the rebels wrote memoirs of their stay. These books do not seem to be available in Canada but were translated into english and reprints are still on sale in Australia. The rebels were reprieved in 1844 and all but three left (2 died there, Joseph Marceau a widower married a local woman) Sydney for Montreal on January 18th 1845.

When Antoine Coupal returned, Canada had responsible government but two his children had died during his absence. He returned to farming in Lacadie and died in 1875.

Australia keeps a memory of the presence of canadian rebels on its shore. Several place names reflect this: Canada bay, Exile Bay, and France Bay.

For more on the life of french canadian rebels in Australia see:

http://www.siwvl.nsw.gov.au/resources/reading/canadian_exiles.html

For an explanation of the american role in the rebellion:

http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/llt/52/bonthius.html

I am grateful for some of these notes to Pierre Coupal great great grand-son of Antoine. Pierre just returned to Quebec after a twelve year stay in Australia. He has an Australian wife and two children.