Soldiers of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, (C) Société Radio-Canada
On this November 11, it’s important to remember our ancestors, relatives and friends who took part in past wars. For some, from a family point of view, wars and soldiers are closer than others in our history. Being in a nation born of colonialism, our ancestors took part in all kinds of conflicts. Although some of these conflicts were negative, we still must remember them collectively. It’s our history, whether we like it or not. It’s not a tool for glorification — all war is unjust — but an important reminder of our history, in a way, so we don’t have to repeat it. Here are all my ancestors or related people who were in the army and/or fought between the beginnings of French colonization and today, in as much detail as possible. Some have little information about them since archives have not been properly preserved. This is my memory work.
Guillaume Couture Jr.
Birth: 1618
Location: Rouen, France
Title: Ambassador, Captain, & Interpreter
Death: 1701
Location: Québec, Canada
Guillaume Couture was first and foremost an explorer in New France. He discovered much of what is now northern, southern and eastern Ontario, as well as northern Québec. At the time, he had no title in the army, but he did have to defend himself a few times during his travels. Despite this, he was very peaceful and tried to avoid conflict at all costs.
On his second trip, shortly after leaving Trois-Rivières, he was attacked by Iroquois in the vicinity of Lac Saint-Pierre. The conflict shifted a few places towards Lanoraie, and he was captured. The Iroquois set off for their village with the captives. The march lasted two weeks. Arriving at Ossernenon, now Auriesville, New York, he was tortured. He was later released for his resistance to suffering, but not everyone was so lucky. This event gave him the tools he needed to later become an ambassador of New France to the neighbouring colony.
Back in Trois-Rivières with some of the Agniers and Governor Montmagny, they jointly signed a treaty called the Treaty of the Great Peace. This treaty was respected for about a year. For a time, he stayed with these natives and acclimatized, even spending the winter with them in Onondaga, leaving his wife and children in town. He served mainly as their interpreter.
After another exploration, considered unsuccessful for the time, he became New France’s ambassador to New Holland, making frequent trips up and down the Hudson Valley. You could also say he was the equivalent of a judge or a police officer, as he escorted many criminals, mostly natives, back and forth to stand trial.
After a prolific career, he settled in Lévis and was appointed local Seneschal Judge. He ruled the surrounding area and settled disputes between fellow citizens. It was at this point that his military career began. When he settled in the region, he officially became a militia captain. Despite his new title, he never thought he would have to act as such. In 1690, the Governor of the Colony of Massachusetts, Admiral Phipps, decided to attack the region to later take Québec City. Although Guillaume and his militiamen won, Admiral Phipps still attacked Québec City. It was a victory for France. He remained captain until he died in the early 1700s.
Jean Bergevin dit Langevin
Birth: 1635
Location: Angers, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1703
Location: Beauport, Canada
Jean Bergevin joins the Compagnie de Grandfontaine of the Régiment de Carignan-Salières, a former detachment of the Régiment de Poitou. Companies and Regiments already existed and were mobilized elsewhere, especially on the borders of France at the time. They were subsidized by Thomas-François de Carignan-Savoie, Prince of Savoy and ally of the French. Many, like Jean, joined the Compagnie de Grandfontaine to explore the New World in search of a better life. He arrived in August 1665 aboard the ship l’Aigle d’Or from Brouage. There is no record of his military movements in the colony. He settled in Beauport and died of smallpox in the early 1700s.
Pierre Favreau dit Deslauriers
Birth: 1636
Location: Châtillon-sur-Marne, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1708
Location: Contrecoeur, Canada
In 1665, Pierre embarked at La Rochelle aboard the ship La Paix. He was a soldier in the Compagnie de Contrecœur of the Régiment de Carignan-Salières. There is no evidence that he participated in any skirmishes in the colony. After his military service was completed, his Company returned to Europe to prepare for war with the Dutch, while he remained in southern Québec. He worked his land until he died in the early 1700s.
Jean-Pierre Forgues Monrougeau
Birth: 1637
Location: Montréjeau, France
Title: Soldier & Sailor
Death: 1703
Location: St-Étienne-de-Beaumont, Canada
Jean-Pierre travelled a lot without really wanting to. He was a member of the Compagnie de La Durantaye, detached from the Régiment Champbellé and later attached to Carignan-Salières. In 1664, he embarked on the ship Brézé, a brand-new vessel in the French fleet with greater capacity. All the ship’s occupants became sailors over time. Taking advantage of this superiority, the ship took a different course to New France. They headed for Portuguese territory; Madeira and Cape Verde. They then headed for Cayenne in French Guiana. After a longer stopover, they headed for the West Indies. They stopped in Martinique, Guadeloupe and Saint-Domingue (Haiti). The purpose of passing through the West Indies was to counter the English threat in the region. They may have fought against them without it being part of an official war. Perhaps English-speaking pirates based on Tortuga Island, it’s hard to know.
They finally continued on their way to New France, arriving in Gaspé in 1665, just over a year after their departure. Navigation was abysmal on the St. Lawrence at the time, so they headed for Québec in smaller boats. There is no record of any wars or conflicts in New France. On the other hand, we can assume that he experienced just as much during his journey as he did during his years in the army in New France. He settled on Québec’s South Shore, where he died in the early 1700s.
Model of the Brézé, (C) SPHL Québec
Antoine Dupré dit Labonté
Birth: 1638
Location: Paris, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1682
Location: Lauzon, Canada
Antoine was a soldier in the Compagnie de La Fouille of the Carignan-Salières Regiment. There is no real information about him other than that he was a soldier in this unit. He had several children, including one who married in Mobile, Alabama, which suggests that he travelled south. He died on Québec’s South Shore in the late 1600s.
Jean Laspron dit de La Charité
Birth: 1639
Location: Saint-Jacques de La Charité-sur-Loire, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1692
Location: Québec, Canada
When the colonization of New France failed to proceed as quickly and efficiently as expected, due to the hostility of certain native groups towards the French invaders, the King ordered that troops be sent to North America. With no military destiny in mind, Jean Laspron enlisted as a private in the Régiment de Carignan-Salières, Compagnie de La Fouille. He made his way to La Rochelle and boarded the ship Saint-Sébastien. After a brief stopover in Tadoussac, which brought a few viruses on board, he arrived in Québec City in September 1665 after more than 100 days of travel. His mission was to protect the inhabitants of the settlement of Trois-Rivières. After a difficult first winter, his company was given the task of guarding the northeastern flank of the greater Québec region. The unit settled in Château-Richer.
After the regiment was disbanded, he decided to settle in Nicolet, where he lived with his wife and children. He is the ancestor of the Lacharité and Lampron families in Québec.
Germain Gauthier dit St-Germain
Birth: 1639
Location: Beaubec-la-Rosière, Rouen, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1719
Location: Boucherville, Canada
Germain left for the New World aboard the ship La Justice. He was a member of Sieur de Saint-Ours’ Company, part of the Carignan-Salières Regiment. Henri de Chastelard de Salières was also on board. They arrived in Québec in 1665. There is no record of his service in New France. He died on his land in the early 1700s.
René Bruneau dit Jolicoeur
Birth: 1641
Location: Saint-Michel de Poitiers, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1703
Location: Charlesbourg, Canada
René Bruneau was a member of the Grandfontaine Company of the Carignan-Salières Regiment. Like many others before him, he set sail from La Rochelle, arriving in Québec in 1665. In the autumn of the same year, he was commissioned to help build Fort Sainte-Thérèse on the Richelieu, now at Carignan, to counter Iroquois invasions and protect Montréal. He then returned to Québec City for the winter, before leaving the army for good. There is no record of his military movements in the New World. He settled in the Québec region, where he died in the early 1700s.
Philibert Couillaud dit Roquebrune
Birth: 1641
Location: Nevers, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1706
Location: Contrecœur, Canada
Philibert was a member of the Compagnie de Contrecœur of the Régiment de Carignan-Salières. In 1664, a year before he joined them, this company fought the Turks. He arrived with them aboard the ship La Paix in 1665. His unit was ordered to build Fort Sainte-Thérèse on the Richelieu to protect Montréal from the Iroquois. They spent the winter in Montréal itself. The following year, he returned to Fort Sainte-Thérèse to continue and improve the work. He then returned to Montréal, where he was finally demobilized. There is no other record of his military career.
Ten years after he arrived in America, he finally settled his family in Contrecoeur, where he lived out his final years.
Mathieu Faye Lafayette
Birth: 1641
Location: Le Puy, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1695
Location: La Prairie, Canada
Lafayette was a member of the Compagnie de Varennes of the Carignan-Salières Regiment. He arrived aboard the ship La Justice in September 1665. There is no information on the conflicts and wars in which he participated. When the Company and Regiment left in 1668, he decided to stay and make a life for himself in New France. He settled in La Prairie with his family. In 1690, he and some members of his family were taken prisoner by the Iroquois. He was eventually freed. He and one of his sons were murdered by the Iroquois in 1695.
Étienne Chevalier
Birth: 1642
Location: Montoire-sur-le-Loir, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1697
Location: St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Canada
Étienne Chevalier left La Rochelle in 1665 aboard the Vieux Siméon de Dunkerdam. He was a soldier in the Compagnie de Chambly of the Régiment de Carignan-Salières. There is no indication of any wars or battles in which he may have taken part. He separated from his unit and moved to the South Shore of Québec, where he died before the end of the 1600s.
François Chevrefils dit Lalime
Birth: 1643
Location: Périgueux, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1678
Location: Sorel, Canada
Lalime embarks on the Justice and arrives in Québec in May 1665. He joined the Compagnie de Saint-Ours of the Régiment de Carignan-Salières. In September 1666, Tracy sent several units, including his own, to Fort Sainte-Anne, now in Vermont, to attack the Iroquois. The regrouped army decided to wait for nightfall before fighting the natives. The first two villages surrendered without a fight, the third was easily taken, and the inhabitants of the fourth fled before the Company arrived. Later, a peace treaty was signed, lasting 17 years. He made his home in the region of Sorel.
Jean Gerlaise de St-Amand
Birth: 1643
Location: Saint-Paul de Liège, Belgium
Title: Soldier and Sieur
Death: 1722
Location: Louiseville, Canada
Jean’s father was a lord in the vicinity of Liège, a Spanish possession, and was under the direct orders of Philippe IV of Spain. This power opened many doors for him, including the New World. Being a French speaker, he embarked on the Saint-Sébastien for New France in 1665 rather than elsewhere. He was a member of the Compagnie de La Fouille du Régiment de Carignan-Salières, whose mission was to guard and protect Trois-Rivières. Although we don’t know if he took part in any specific battles or wars, we do know that after his military service, he settled in Rivière-du-Loup, now Louiseville. He had several children, including his first when his wife was barely 12. He died in Louiseville in the early 1700s.
Antoine Émery-Coderre
Birth: 1643
Location: Saint-Hilaire, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1715
Location: Contrecoeur, Canada
Antoine was a member of the Contrecœur Company of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, arriving on the ship La Paix in 1665. There is no record of the wars in which he participated. After completing his service, he settled in Contrecoeur for the first time. He and his family left briefly, as the Iroquois were persistent in raiding the area. He eventually returned and died there.
Michel Roy dit Châtellerault
Birth: 1644
Location: Châtellerault, France
Title: Soldier & Commander
Death: 1709
Location: Sainte-Anne-de-La-Pérade, Canada
Michel Roy was a soldier in the Compagnie de Naurois of the Régiment de Carignan-Salières. He arrived aboard the Justice in 1665. Perhaps this was the inspiration for his future career, as after he left the Company, he became Me Châtellerault. Although we do not know if he took part in any specific battles, he was Commander of the Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pérade Militia, where he decided to start a family. He died there in the early 1700s.
Pierre Balan dit Lacombe
Birth: 1646
Location: Cantillac, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1687
Location: La Durantaye, Canada
Lacombe was first a soldier in the Régiment d’Orléans in France, before joining the Compagnie de la Brisardière of the Régiment de Carignan-Salières. Without having precise details, we can say that Pierre travelled extensively before arriving in Québec City. They left aboard the ship Brézé in 1664 for Madeira, in Portuguese territory. They continued south, stopping at Cape Verde, another Portuguese territory. They finally arrived in Cayenne, French Guiana, sometime later. They then moved on to Martinique and Guadeloupe, another French territory. The aim was to neutralize the English threat, which they did successfully. After a stopover in Saint-Domingue, they headed for New France, stopping at Gaspé. They arrived in 1665. They then left for Québec in smaller, more maneuverable boats on the St. Lawrence River. After these events, he lived on Québec’s South Shore. It is impossible to know if he participated in other wars.
Paul Inard Provençal
Birth: 1647
Location: St-Rémi-de-Provence, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1690
Location: Île d’Orléans
Paul Inard was a member of the Compagnie Maximy, one of the first companies to be commissioned to fight in America. He embarked on the vessel La Paix in 1665, arriving in August of the same year. In September, he left to help build a fort on the Richelieu. During the winter of 1665–1666, he was assigned to survey the area around Trois-Rivières. There is little information on his military career. After completing his military service in 1668, he decided to remain in America, settling on the Île d’Orléans. Many members of his regiment returned to Europe under the command of Savoie-Carignan to prepare for the war against Holland in 1671.
Hilaire Limousin known as Brunelle Beaufort
Birth: 1647
Location: Couhé, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1708
Location: Champlain, Canada
Hilaire left for the New World in 1665 aboard the Aigle d’Or, arriving in August of the same year. He was a member of the Compagnie de la Frédière of the Régiment de Carignan-Salières. After about a month in Québec City, he was mobilized to the Richelieu Valley to help build Fort Sainte-Thérèse, now known as Carignan. This fort served to protect the people of Montréal from the Iroquois living to the south near today’s Lake Champlain. After the fort was built, he was chosen to serve as a soldier in Montréal itself. After a full military career, he chose to settle in Lac-Beauport and ended his life in Champlain.
Pierre Hudon dit Beaulieu
Birth: 1648
Location: Notre-Dame de Chemille d’Anjou, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1710
Location: Rivière-Ouelle, Canada
Pierre Hudon arrived in the New World in 1665. He was a member of the Compagnie de Grandfontaine. He spent most of his time in the Québec City area. When he was not stationed, he volunteered as a baker to feed the troops and neighbouring inhabitants. After being demobilized, he settled with his family in Rivière-Ouelle. However, his military career was not over. In 1690, the English led by Admiral Phipps stopped at Rivière-Ouelle in preparation for the capture of Québec City. The village’s abbot asked the inhabitants to take up arms against the invaders. According to the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec archives, some 75 of the 150 men Phipps mobilized died. Thereafter, he was able to live a more tranquil life until his death. He is the ancestor of many Beaulieu and Hudon families.
Jean-Vincent D’Abbadie de Saint-Castin
Birth: 1652
Location: Escout, France
Title: Soldier & Standard Bearer
Death: 1707
Location: Pau, France
The Baron, (C) Wikimedia
Jean lost his parents at a very young age. He joined the Carignan-Salières Regiment, in the Compagnie de Chambly. He was a standard-bearer, or flag-bearer at first, given his young age. Nevertheless, by default, he took part in the wars and was on the battlefield against the Iroquois in 1666. After the Treaty of Breda ceded Acadia to New France, which then included a large part of Maine, he and the Compagnie de Grandfontaine were commissioned to go to Penobscot to retake the fort. As he was responsible for ensuring good relations between the locals and himself, he took the hand of a daughter of Madokawando, Penobscot Grand Chief. In 1674, he was captured by Dutch pirates working for the citizens of New England, especially those from Boston, against the French settlement so close to them. He eventually fled to Québec, where, with the help of the appropriate authorities, the local population was urged to reassert their French interests and loyalties.
Over time, he became more native than French, even trading extensively with New England. He returned to France to take over the Barony, and half his family remained in America, the other half also returning to Europe. One of his sons thus became one of the only European barons with native blood.
Jean Leclerc dit Francoeur
Birth: 1659
Location: Saint-Nicolas de Nantes, France
Title: Soldier, Captain, & Lieutenant
Death: 1709
Location: L’Islet-sur-Mer, Canada
Before joining the Cloches Company of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, Jean Leclerc was a marine guard in La Rochelle. The term refers to an apprentice officer in the Navy. He would have arrived in New France before 1684 when he was promoted to Company Captain in America. A few months before his death, he was appointed Lieutenant de Vaisseau. There is no indication of which conflicts or wars he participated in, or in what honour he rose in rank.
Jean-Baptiste Catudal St-Jean
Birth: 1700
Location: Brittany, France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1775
Location: Beloeil, Canada
He was born in Brittany in an undetermined village. He was a soldier with the Compagnie de Duplessis naval troops in New France. There is no other information related to his service record. He settled in the Beloeil area, where he died.
Pierre Bourgelas dit Saint-Pierre
Birth: 1701
Location: France
Title: Soldier
Death: 1767
Place: Sainte-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, Canada
His birthplace is unknown. He was a member of the Compagnie de Rigaud, led by Pierre de Rigaud de Vaudreuil. Military information about him is almost non-existent, but given his age and the year of his death, he was most likely on the Plains of Abraham in 1759. He settled in La Pocatière, where he died.
William-Guillaume Ross of Eastern Fern
Birth: 1732
Location: Tain, Scotland
Title: Officer
Death: 1808
Location: Rimouski, Canada
William Ross was born in the early 1700s in Scotland, in a region that bears his family name. His parents, Lord Alexander and Helen, were descended from Scottish nobility. His father was a very poor administrator, and the family was left with almost nothing. Not being English, it was more attractive for the British government to send him to the front. Then, George II conscripted him by force. The King aimed to build up the army to attack New France. We know this part of history as the Seven Years’ War. He served as an officer with the all-Scottish Fraser Highlanders. After several months of preparation, they left for North America.
They arrived in America in the spring of 1758. These officers and soldiers were freezing, as they were always dressed in their simple kilts. They joined the soldiers and militiamen already in Nova Scotia. Commanded by General Amherst, they took Fort Louisbourg, France’s first major defeat. The task was accomplished in July 1758. After his victory, William set out with his regiment for New York City, the headquarters of the British army in America. Around the same time, the English were crushed at Fort Carillon. Amherst sent William and the Highlanders to the Boston area, across the Hudson River by Albany. Once in Boston, the Scots, desperate for a fight, partied like there was no tomorrow. Their punishment was to be stationed for the winter without reinforcements in Schenectady, a place with a more hostile climate.
Winter passed and they returned to the coast. From there, they took a boat for the St. Lawrence. They settled in the Rimouski region in preparation for the attack on Québec City. The soldiers mixed easily with the local population, who were hardly hostile to the invaders. The French army, meanwhile, left Plattsburgh and Montréal en masse for Québec City, knowing they had to fight for the survival of the colony of New France.
William participated with the English in the Battle of the Plains of Abraham on September 13, 1759. They would go on to ambush a regiment in disarray of the French army in what is now the Saint-Roch district. William was wounded in the battle but survived. The English won the war and the colony.
When the war was over, he returned to the Rimouski area for good. It seems he met his wife during his first visit. He became Guillaume and converted to Catholicism for her. He never fought in another war, dying of frostbite at the age of 76.
War on the Plains of Abraham, (C) Canadian Encyclopedia
Nicolas Salmon
Birth: 1755
Place: Nicolet, Canada
Title: Soldier
Death: 1830
Place: Nicolet, Canada
His father’s origins are unknown, but we do know that he died in Nicolet. Nicolas did not cross the Atlantic like most other soldiers. He was a member of the Compagnie Villiers, but there is no information on this subject. He died in the same place, in the early 1800s.
Jacques-Jacob Loof
Birth: 1757
Place: Lessing, Belgium
Title: Soldier
Death: Date Unknown
Location: Canada
Jakub’s father was most likely a Finn working for the Duchy of Braunschweig (Brunswick). He was born in Flanders, in what is now Belgium. As a soldier, he was attached to the Hessen Regiment (Hesse), a unit of the Duchy. Friedrich Adolf Riedesel’s army was commissioned to support the British in the American Revolutionary War, as they were undermanned. There’s no record of Riedesel’s movements in America, but we do know that he fought mainly in battles in the Northeast while based in Québec.
After the end of the war, of the 30,000 people of German origin who fought against the Americans, 1,300 to 1,400 decided to stay in Québec, including Jacques. He later became what today would be called a mounties, a mounted police officer. In his case, he guarded the border between Canada and the United States. He died at an unknown date and place.
Ferdinand-Onésime Cloutier
Birth: 1848
Location: Gentilly, Canada
Title: Militia Volunteer
Death: 1932
Location: Sainte-Philomène, Canada
Ferdinand-Onésime lived on the South Shore of the St. Lawrence in Sainte-Philomène. His father-in-law was a postman in the Saint-Pierre-les-Becquets area. The family’s roots stretched from Nicolet to Québec City. Research, which unfortunately may be inaccurate, suggests that he was a volunteer member of the militia. He would have enrolled in the 80th Nicolet Regiment under the name Onésime only. He would have been a member at least in 1877 when there is documentation to this name.
Joseph-Gédéon Baron
Birth: 1895
Location: Saint-Julien, Canada
Title: Soldier
Death: Date Unknown
Location: Place Unknown
Joseph-Gédéon was born in Saint-Julien-de-Wolfestown. He was the brother of Marie-Anne Baron and therefore Joseph Gouin’s brother-in-law. According to military records, he enlisted (against his will) in the Crown Army in 1918. In 1917–1918, there was conscription in Canada, and all indications are that he did not choose to enlist. According to the documentation, he previously had a severe illness or virus, and I quote from the officer who completed the documentation: “Distinctive marks, and marks indicating congenital peculiarities or previous disease.”1 They chose to keep him anyway.
After his training, he would have left with his regiment in the summer of 1918. There is no military record of him thereafter, or even a living record, so his place of death is unknown.
1. Ancestry Military Archives
Albert Lacharité
Birth: 1897
Location: Sainte-Eulalie, Canada
Title: Soldier
Death: 1974
Location: Drummondville, Canada
Albert Lacharité was Hector Lacharité’s brother, and the whole family lived near Sainte-Eulalie. He was conscripted during the First World War. He joined the army in the summer of 1918. Incredibly, he was taken anyway, given the fact that it is recorded in the documentation that he had terrible hearing and eyesight. Nevertheless, after his compulsory training, he left for Europe. There is no record of his military moves. He returned to Canada and died in Drummondville.
Robert F. Gouin Sr
Birth: 1921
Location: Coleraine, Canada
Title: Tech Sergeant, U.S. Army
Death: 2008
Location: Leominster, Massachusetts, United States of America
Robert is the son of François-Xavier Gouin and Marie-Anna Rose Lacroix. FX was Joseph Gouin’s brother, so Robert is Alfred’s cousin. He was born in Coleraine in 1921. There is no official reason why these Gouins left Canada. Nevertheless, we can assume that they followed many other Quebecers who left to work in the factories of New England.
Although we don’t have too many details yet, we can confirm without a doubt that he served in the war. Robert Sr. was Tech Sergeant of the 3rd Battalion, 27 Infantry of the U.S. Army, during World War II. He is a veteran of three Pacific campaigns. He has been awarded several medals, including the Victory Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, and last but not least, the Purple Heart. The latter is a very prestigious award. To have received it may mean that he was heavily wounded, or that he committed heroic deeds during certain confrontations with the Japanese. This medal can also be awarded to people who died during the war, but he died in Massachusetts in 2008.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Whether events are positive or negative, it is important to remember them so that we do not repeat the same mistakes over and over again. Whether our soldiers left by choice or against their will, they still dared to protect their loved ones. Without the need to glorify them, on this November 11th, let us honour the memory of our veterans.
Flanders Field, (C) Sault Online