BRASSEUR FAMILY STORY

BRASSEUR FAMILY TREE

BEGINNING IN 1757

BRASSEUR is derived from the Celtic word “brace” meaning the type of wheat the Celtic people used in preparing beer. From “brace” came the latin word “bracium” meaning wheat for beer and the verb “braxare” meaning to brew.  From “braxare” came the following words:

brassage:    brewing

brasserie:    brewery

  brassin:     brewing tub

brasseur:    brewer

BRASSEUR is the name given to the person who makes and sells beer

FRANCOIS was the first BRASSEUR in New France.  He was the son of Francois and Genevieve Villet.  Because Brasseur was born in the parish of Notre-Dame du Hamel (Somme) in the diocese d’Amiens in Picardie, he was known as “BRASSEUR DIT DUHAMEL”.   Some of his descendants are known as Brasseur dit Duhamel while others chose the name DuHamel

The forefather of the Brasseur family, settled in Canada a few years before 1760, a sad time in the history of French Canada.  He was not able to share the glory of the pioneers of New France, who suffered at the hands of certain Indian tribes. But Francois suffered through difficult changes brought about by a war against the English whose forces were under the command of Major General James Wolfe.

William Pitt, the Prime Minister of England had left nothing to chance in preparing for the conquest of French Canada.  The fleet comprised of 125 warships, a flotilla of 152 small crafts and 27,000 soldiers and sailors was to sail up the St. Lawrence in order to strike and crush Quebec City.  Never before had the shores of the great Canadian river seen such a formidable military display.  But to avoid the disaster encountered by Admiral Walker in 1711, Wolfe wanted at all cost and without any losses to bring his armada to L’Ile d’Orleans.  To accomplish this Wolfe needed the help of French Canadians who would be willing and capable of piloting his ships safely to l’Ile d’Orleans.

A young fisherman (30 years old) was taken prisoner and brought before Wolfe The general offered the young man a large sum of money to guide his ships.   Wolfe assured him of the certainty of an English victory. While Wolfe dropped shiny gold coins that would buy a life of luxury, he also spoke of the advantages of being on the winning team after the fall of Quebec.  This fortune for a few hours’ work seemed tempting but the young man bowed his head and remained silent.

The Englander misinterpreted the fisherman’s reaction.  Thinking that the young man was hesitating, he doubled the sum of gold coins. The same silence.  The general offered a pension for life in addition to the gold coins.  The man remained silent.  Wolfe became impatient.  He replaced the reward with threats.  Even when threatened with death, the young man resisted.   As a last resort, the general asked, “What exactly do you want?”  The young man raised his head slowly, and with a piercing gaze replied:” Take my life if you wish.  NOTHING will persuade me to betray my country, my God, my king.

Upon hearing his answer, Wolfe began to recall the great battle of Culloden in Scotland in 1746.  Here, at the age of 19, he had, himself, preferred to lose his officer’s rank rather than obey the order of the Duke of Cumberland to blow out the brains of all the Scottish officers on the battlefield.   Eyeing his adversary from head to foot, Wolfe admired him for the answer he gave.  Though Wolfe had hoped for his collaboration, this young man had submitted Wolfe to his first defeat on Canadian soil.  Then, Wolfe freed the young fisherman to whom honour and loyalty were worth more than gold.

The young man who had shown such courage was none other than Francois Brasseur.

After the conquest, Francois left the shores of the St. Lawrence.  He quit the trade of fisherman to become a farmer.  On July 29, 1765 Francois Brasseur married Marie-Angelique Jerome at Ste. Genevieve in the county of Jacques-Cartier.  Marie-Angelique, age 21, was the daughter of Mathieu Jerome, a blacksmith, and Marie-Louise Leduc.  The marriage contract was drawn up by the notary public Soupra on July 27.

The young couple settled on a farm in the parish of Vaudreuil, lot 13 in the second concession of the fief of l’anse (cove) de Vaudreuil.  In the census taken on July 11, 1781, we find a description of their property: the farm measured 3 arpents of frontage (arpent means acre but French arpents are equivalent to about 11/2 English acres) by 30 arpents in depth, giving an area of 90 arpents of which 30 are cultivated.  The house was 15′ by 15′; the barn was 40′ by 24′ and had no animal shed.  For this Francois Brasseur must pay the Lord of the Manor, a yearly sum of 4 pounds and 16 sous plus 2 3/4 bushels of wheat.

It was on this farm that the peaceful farmer died at the age of 78.  He was buried at Vaudreuil on August 25, 1807.  His wife joined him on December 13, 1809, at the age of 63.

The couple raised 13 children: 7 boys and 6 girls.  Their eldest,Francois, was born in OKA on May 13, 1767; he married Hyppolite Ranger at Vaudreuil on January 21, 1793.  Hyppolite was the daughter of Joseph and Julie Laroche.  As a widower Francois married for the second time Angelique Dubois on June 25, 1815 at St. Joseph de Soulange, Les Cedres, P.Q.     (FROM CANADIAN ARCHIVES FILES)

BOOK 1      1757

FIRST BRASSEUR FAMILY

Francois Brasseur (dit duHamel) arrives in New France above the city of Quebec; a fisherman by trade.  He is captured by Wolfe, refuses to show Wolfe’s army a way down the St. Lawrence so his army can attack Quebec and Montreal.  He is released and is to be found next in the Montreal area around 1765.

On the 29th of July, 1765 he marries Marie-Angelique Jerome-Latour, the daughter of Jean-Mathias Jerome-Latour and Marie-Louise Ledou.  Francois and Marie-Angelique take up residence on a small farm in Vaudreuil, west of Montreal where they have 13 children, 6 sons and 7 daughters:

  1. Francois Xavier                 (1767-1818)
  2. Marie Joseph                        (1768-1848)
  3. Marie Angelique                    (1770-1845)
  4. Felicite                         (1772-1806)
  5. Madeleine                        (1774-1820)
  6. Marie Marguerite                  (1776-1863)
  7. Amable                                     (1777-1814)
  8. Louis                                 (1779-1862)
  9. Michel                               (1781-1865)
  10. Pierre Francois                (1782-1853)
  11. Bazile                                  (1785-1786)
  12. Marie Louise                   (1784-1784)
  13. Marie Josephte                 (1787-

BOOK 2     1793

FRANCOIS XAVIER

FRANCOIS XAVIER Brasseur  on the 21 of January 1793 marries Hyppolite Ranger, the daughter of Joseph Marie Ranger and Julie Laroche in the parish church of St. Michel , Vaudreuil, Quebec.  This marriage produced 14 children, 7 sons and 7 daughters:

  1. Judith                            (1794-       )
  2. Marie Hyppolite            (1796-       )
  3. Francois                          (1798-1799)
  4. Marguerite                      (1799-       )
  5. Julie                               (1799-       )
  6. Marie Renee          (1800-1800)
  7. Michel                     (1801-1801)
  8. Francois Xavier                 (1802-       )
  9. Louis                              (1804-       )
  10. Christopher                     (1805-       )
  11. Amable                            (1807-       )
  12. Joseph                    (1809-       )
  13. Angelique                        (1811-       )
  14. Pierre                              (1813-1870)

On the 26 of June 1815 in St. Joseph church in Les Cedres, Soulanges Township Quebec, Francois Xavier marries for the second time to Angelique Dubois and they had two children:

  1. Pierre Osie                     (1818-1899)
  2. Catherine                        (1816-      )

BOOK 3     1838-

P I E R R E   O S I E

PIERRE OSIE Brasseur on the 6 November 1838 married Lucie Binette the daughter of Basile Binette and Suzanne Legault, in St. Joseph church in Les Cedres, Soulanges, Quebec.  They had 8 children, 4 sons and 4 daughters:

  1. Eustache                       (1841-1916)
  2. Pierre                              (1842-       )
  3. Theodore                        (1843-1900)
  4. Joseph                    (1845-1904)
  5. Lucie                               (1849-       )
  6. Mathilda                         (1851-       )
  7. Marie Rose Delima         (1853-       )
  8. Marie Emelie                 (1857-       )

In 1863, Pierre Osie & Lucie(Binette)Brasseur moved to the farming community of Lafontaine, in Tiny township, Simcoe county, Ontario. They homesteaded on the 15 concession, lot 17f.  When they migrated two of their children were married: Eustache to Henriette Beauchamp and Pierre to Josephte Beauchamp.

BOOK 4    1869-

J O S E P H

JOSEPH Brasseur married Virginie Lafreniere, the daughter of Antoine Lafreniere and Madeleine McTavish (St.Onge) on the 13 of August 1869 in L’Exaltation de la Sainte Croix church, Lafontaine.  Joseph and Virginie had 14 children:

  1. Anthyme Joseph                  (1870-       )
  2. Telesphore                       (1872-       )
  3. Pierre Auguste              (1874-       )
  4. Harvie Louis          (1876-       )
  5. Olivier                    (1878-1929)
  6. Ovide Albert                 (1880-       )
  7. Lucie                               (1882-       )
  8. Philippe Hector                 (1884-       )
  9. Clement                          (1886-       )
  10. Victoria Stella Marie         (1887-       )
  11. Celestin James Joseph         (1889-       )
  12. Leona Marie                  (1891-       )
  13. Richard Joseph                  (1892-       )
  14. Marie Jeanne Berthe         (1896-       )

BOOK 5    1909-

O L I V I E R

OLIVIER  Brasseur on the 8 of June, 1909, married Marie Jeanne Duquette, the daughter of Theodule Duquette and Philomene Chevrette (Courtemanche) in Sainte-Croix church, Lafontaine. They had ten children :

  1. Gerrard Joseph                  (1910-1974)
  2. Raymond Louis          (1911-1988)
  3. Urbain Joseph                  (1913-1983)
  4. Gertrude                        (1914-2016)
  5. Pierre                              (1914-1944)
  6. Gilbert                   (1919-1992)
  7. Lomer Antoine               (1922-1988)
  8. Laurent Napoleon             (1923- 2010 )
  9. Stillborn                         (1923-1923)
  10. Francis Leonard               (1927- 2002 )

BOOK 6    1937

G E R T R U D E

GERTRUDE Brasseur on the 10 of May, 1937 married Henry Gauthier, son of Isaï (Zed) and Mary (Mini) (Quesnelle) in St.Ann’s church, Penetanguishene, Ontario. They had 9 children:

  1. Brian Joseph                   (1937-1994)
  2. John Paul                   (1938-1976)
  3. Marlene Denise                 (1939- 2016)
  4. Patricia                         (1940-       )
  5. Nancy                   (1946-       )
  6. Michael James Wilfred          (1948-       )
  7. Timothy Gilbert                 (1950-       )
  8. Charles Henry                (1952-       )
  9. Pierre Marius               (1954-       )

BOOK 7      1956

M A R L E N E   D E N I S E

MARLENE DENISE Gauthier on the 13 of August, 1956 married Guy Albert Robert (b1935 – d1975), son of Henri Honoré Robert and Herméline (Legault) at Our Lady of Sorrows church, Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. They had 8 children:

  1. Michelle Marie Lise Jocelyne          (1957-     )
  2. Lynne                            (1958-     )
  3. Gregoire                                   (1960-2017)
  4. Guy                                         (1960-     )
  5. Yvon Henri                                     (1961-     )
  6. Yvonne                                     (1961-     )
  7. Roxanne                                   (1964-     )
  8. Julie                                        (1970-     )

BOOK 8     1972

M I C H E L L E    M A R Y  L I S E  J O C E L Y N E

  1. Michelle Mary Lise Jocelyne Robert gave birth to a son who was taken in adoption (paternal father Daryl Dagg who died Sep 7, 2012 in Surgeon Falls, Ontario), naming him:
      • Jason James Robert  –  Born Dec 08, 1972 in Ottawa, Ontario

    We reunited on Mother’s Day May 8, 1998, his name now changed to  Kevin James McLure. Devon was overjoyed to finally meet his brother!

  2. On the 1 of May, 1976, Michelle married Michel Proulx, adopted son of Constant Proulx & Germaine (Ranger) at Ste. Anges church, North Bay, Ontario. They had 1 daughter: Aline Proulx – Stillborn July 1979) North Bay, ON nterment over the remains of my father Guy Albert Robert, Aline’s grandfather, & next to her cousin Melissa Campaner 197? – 197? Died of Cystic Fibrosis at 6 months old never having leftToronto Sick Kid’s Hospital, all with interment at ST MARY’S CEMETERY, NORTH BAY, ONTARIO
  3. On the 28 of February 1987, Michelle marries a second time to William Neil Smith, son of William Alexander Smith and Margaret Eileen (Collins) in United Church, Oshawa, Ontario. They had 1 child:
  • Devon Robert Smith                      Born Jan 23 1989 in HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA.