14 Generations of Gagnons: Spring 2006 with Aunt and Uncles in Quebec

Monday, April 2, 2007

Spring 2006 with Aunt and Uncles in Quebec

The night after we arrived in Quebec there was a family get to gether at our Uncle Frenand and Aunt Ruth's home. This is where we also stayed. Thanks Uncle Fernand and Aunt Ruth for everything.

Not everyone made it in this picture.
Back row: Ross, Uncle Jean-Claude, Stephen.
Front row: Uncle Albert, Aunt Antoinette, Uncle Gerard.(Please correct me if I have made any mistakes)

That night we learned a lot about our family. I thought it was intersting that most of my father's brother's worked in a mill making news print. Today I work in a plant printing on news print for the Halifax Herald. It must be in the blood.

Above is a picture of us with Uncle Fernand, Aunt Ruth and Claude their daugter.

We had learned that some of our uncles and aunts lost their homes in the Saguenay floods in 1996. Here is a link of the news stories. http://archives.cbc.ca/IDD-1-70-95/disasters_tragedies/saguenay_flood/ http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/Quebec/saguenay_flood.htm

http://www.collectionscanada.ca/sos/002028-1300-e.html http://www.redcross.ca/cmslib/general/qc_newsletter_saguenay_an2.pdf

http://gsc.nrcan.gc.ca/floods/saguenay1996/index_e.php

Above is a picture of where Uncle Albert's house use to be before the floods. That is where we were pictured on our first trip at the start of this story.

Here is a picture of the lake that emptied out after the below picture of the dam broke. I think the lake was called Lake Ha Ha.

During our trip Marie-France toured us around to different areas. The above picture is where Sidney Crosby played hockey before he started playing in the NHL. Every one was a big fan and I am sure they are still today.

Stay tuned for more of this story to be added at a later date.

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Origin of Gagnon

ORIGIN of Gagnon in News-France The Gagnon families currently in Canada have as founders three brothers of the name of Mathurin, Pierre and Jean. It were established in Quebec in the first times of the colony, almost at the time of Samuel de Champlain. The Gagnon brothers were originating in the town of Tourouvre in the old French province of the Pole. One recalled with the Pole the origins of the clan of Gagnon. In the medium of XVIe century, this family lives in a tiny village called "Gagnonnière" ; it is there that the patriarch Barnabé Gagnon, his wife Francoise Creste, and their children are confined. April 26, 1562, Barnabé is quoted among the notable ones of Tourouvre. At least two wire are known to him: Olivier, married to Antoinette Fébvrier, and Pierre, the father of the Canadian pioneers. Pierre Maria twice, first of all in Francoise Roger, mother of Marguerite, then in Madeleine-Renee Roger, mother of Mathurin, Jean and Pierre. After the death of her husband which has occurred between 1631 and 1633, the latter will come to Canada with its sons. The three Gagnon brothers emigrated of France towards Kanada in the year 1635, at this time Jean was 25 years old, Mathurin 29 years and Pierre 23 years. In 1635, the French colony in Canada was at its first years. It should be remembered that the development of the colony stagnated between 1629 and 1633. For this period, Champlain was turned over to France with the majority of the colonists and there had remained here only two or three families, inter alia those of Louis Hébert and Abraham Martin. In 1632, Kanada was reassigned in France but it was only into 1635 that Champlain returned to Quebec with its colonists. This fact leads us to say that the three Gagnon brothers are among the first colonists and that our family is one of oldest with the country. On their arrival, the three brothers are made concede a ground on the coast of Bowsprit, within the limits of the current parish of Castle-Richer . The ground of Jean is more in the east of the three and it is located at a few arpents in-on this side small river then known under the name of "River-with-Dogs". Following its ground that of Mathurin is found and then that of Pierre. The register of the land registers established in 1641 by engineer Bourbon makes mention that the first concessions granted by Olivier the Late one, chargé d' affaires of the company of Bowsprit, are the grounds conceded with the Gagnon brothers with Castle-Richer. These properties are located between the Sault-with-the-Chip and the River-with-Dogs, very close to the current parish of Ste-Anne of-Bowsprit, with the foundation of which Gagnon took an active share. Jean Gagnon is the first of the brothers to take wife. Baptized with St-Aubin of Tourouvre on August 13, 1610, it is thus 30 years old approximately when it links its destiny, July 29, 1640, with that of Marguerite Cochon, girl of Jean and Marguerite Cointrel. The marriage certificate is registered in the registers of Quebec, but missionnaire Nicolas Adams was transported to Castle-Richer to bless this union, in the presence of Pierre the Keeper of Repentigny, Noël Juchereau and Jean Bourbon. From the very start of his married life, Jean is installed on the coast of Bowsprit, a ground of seven arpents face giving on the river and deep of some 126 arpents, located between a not conceded ground and that of his brother (which appears on the chart of engineer Bourbon drawn up in 1641). This concession is granted Jean on July 21, 1652 and, January 15, 1654, it detaches from them two arpents with revenues for his son-in-law Jean Chapeleau. Between 1660 and 1670, the three elder girls of Jean leave very with tower the paternal house. April 2, 1670, it is also the hour of the departure for the ancestor, who is buried in the church of Castle-Richer at the 59 years age. As for Pierre, it Marie two years later, old him also 30 years, and finally Mathurin the elder one, five years afterwards, is at the 41 years age. In addition to the culture of the ground, Mathurin holds an active trade in the town of Quebec. It turns over more than one once to France, in the interest of its trade, and to undoubtedly regulate its businesses of family and that of her brothers. According to documents' found with the Small rock, one notes that Mathurin Gagnon spends the winter 1642-1643 to France, and it seems that he benefits from this voyage to bring his mother Renee Roger, because with the marriage of Jean, in 1640 she is still in France. On the other hand, with the marriage of Mathurin in 1647, we see it established with Quebec and assistant with this marriage. In addition to the three Gagnon brothers, another head of family of the name of Robert comes to be established in Quebec about 1653. Robert Gagnon married Marie Parenteau on October 3, 1657 in the church of Our-Lady of Quebec. Their marriage contract had been signed the two days before in front of the notary Guillaume Andourt. Robert, dies on September first, 1703 at the 75 years age. His wife followed it later two years, that is to say on November 16, 1705, at the 64 years age approximately. Both were buried in the cemetery of Ste-Family of the Island of Orleans. Robert was the son of Jean Gagnon and Marie Geffray. In the registers of the church Ste-Madeleine de Ventrouze, we indexed seven children generated by this couple. Mathurine, baptized on September 3, 1626, Robert on March 1, 1628, it is the only one of this family to come to News-France. It is of this line of Gagnon, that the name comes from Belzile in Canada. Then came baptized Francoise on February 27, 1630, Jean on December 15, 1632, Simon on September 27, 1636, Anne on March 25, 1642 and baptized Marie on September 27, 1644. "I REMEMBER" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- By Jean-Claude Gagnon