Saturday, September 5, 2009

ANDRE CARRIERE- VOYAGEUR

Andre Carriere is my 3rd great grandfather in my maternal line. Andre was born March 31, 1779 in Boucherville, Quebec to Joseph Carriere and Marguerite St. Sauveur.

Like many men of the day Andre worked for the Hudson Bay Company's North West Company. They were trappers and riverboat men. The term used at the time for the boat men was voyageur. His work with them started around 1811 and continued until 1831. 


One of vessels used at the time was a birch bark canoe that used 10-12 paddlers and could carry a payload of about 4 tons. These men paddled all day long to get to their destination. Being referred to a a voyageur was a professional term and not just a boatman. A lost load would be an expensive error. 
Canoe Manned by Voyageurs Passing a Waterfall, Ontario, 1869
Frances Anne Hopkins/Library and Archives Canada/C-002771
 
 Shooting the rapids, in a master canoe. Painting by Francis Ann Hopkins (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C2774f).

 Andre Carriere married Angelique Daigneault (Dion, Lyon) but this was not necessarily a Catholic marriage but probably "a la facon du pays" or according to the custom of the country. These men often started new families in the bush so to speak with native women. Angelique was Metis, her mother being Cree and her father from Quebec. They had at least 7 children and as it goes in these times of small communities two of their sons are my second great grandfathers. Moise Carriere married Josephte Beaugrande dit Champagne and Daniel Carriere married Dorothee Landry.

8 comments:

FranE said...

Hi Lori,
I have been busy between work and no play lately and missed visiting your posts. As I read this I went ooooo. I think my husband's ancestor from Canada who was a freighter of sorts, haven't figured out what he hauled, may have been involved with some group. How did you find out about the company and that your ancestor worked for them? How would you go about finding a Ship captain on Lake Michigan? Sorry, I am full of questions. Thanks for the post. Frances

Kathleen said...

Hi Lori,
My name Kathleen Burke from Western Australia. This is my maiden name. I was married but no longer. I see that you and I share common ancestors. Moise Carriere & Josephte Beaugrand dit Champagne had a daughter named Sarah. Sarah married my great great grandfather Patrick John Burke. My grandfather also named Patrick John Burke came to Australia when he was 14 years old. I have 5 grown children and almost 6 grandchildren.
I would love to know more about my ancestors if you know.
It was a lovely surprise to find your website and you sound like a lovely person.
Have a great day!
Kathy

Lori E said...

Kathleen, you didn't leave any contact information. I do have lots more info to share. I don't have Sarah as a daughter of Moise and Josephte but I also have only added people who I have a source for. If not then I usually don't add them. Please email me for more info. You will be pleasantly surprised because I have a lot.
You can find my email address at the top left of this page by clicking on the word email or you can go to my profile and and find it there. I look forward to hearing from you.

Connie Bullock said...

Hello Lori,

My name is Connie Bullock (nee Parker) and we share Sarah Burke as an ancestor. Her daughter Molly married my Grandfather Charles Parker. I am starting to do some family research and would be interested to hear about how you collected your information. There are still Burke relatives living in Battleford, SK as Molly was the only girl and I believe there were four brothers.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Connie

Unknown said...

Hi there. My name is Jonathan Carriere and I am a direct decendent of Andre. I would love to hear from you. Jdcarriere82@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Hi there. My name is Jonathan Carriere and I am a direct decendent of Andre. I would love to hear from you. Jdcarriere82@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Hello! I realize you wrote this a while ago. I'm also a direct descendent of André, following Elie Damase who married Elmire Landry. Were you able to find out more about the period of time that André worked for NWC? I'm wondering if he would have partook in the Battle of Seven Oaks with Cuthbert Grant in 1816. My brother, André Carrier (my father dropped the "e" in the 70s) is the V.P. Winnipeg Region for the Manitoba Métis Federation.

Kindly,
Christiane Carrier Kennedy

Lori E said...

Hi, Christiane.
Nice to hear from you.
I have not gotten any further in my research due to time constraints.
I am part of a Facebook Metis group that may have someone in there who knows. It is Red River Settlement Genealogy. You could check in there.
Kind regards,