Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe

  Nicolas Audet, my 9th Great-Grandfather, was born on 12 July 1637 in Mulais, Poitou France. Nicolas was the second of four children born to Innocent Audet and Vincende Reine.

                  Baptism at St Pierre, Mulais, France

  This year of 2013 marks the 350th anniversary of Nicolas Audet's arrival in the New World in 1663, where Nicolas would assume the surname of "Lapointe". Nicolas's early years in Quebec would mainly be in the employment of Monsignor Laval, Lord of Beaupré and île d'Orléans.

  On 22 June 1667, Monsignor Laval granted Nicolas 3 Arpents of land. Nicolas would continue to obtain more land throughout his life as he was in possesion of 75 Arpents of land upon his death.

  On 15 September 1670, at Ste-Famille, Isle d' Orleans, Quebec, Nicolas took for his wife a Madeleine Despres. From this marriage would be born eight son's and three daughters.

                     Plaque honoring Nicolas Audet in Mulais France

  Nicolas died at the age of sixty-three on 9 December 1700 and was buried the following day at St Jean, lle d' Orleans, Quebec

For Family Genealogy See:  http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=m-leblanc&id=I14949

Patrick Powers and Nancy Kiley

                           From Ireland to Iowa

  Patrick Powers and Nancy Kiley, my 3rd Great-Grandparents, were from County Cork,  Ireland. They married in Ireland about 1847 and had three children, a son and two daughters, born in Ireland from 1848 through 1850. Nancy Kiley evidently spent the first years of her married life in a pregnant state as she had the three children in a twenty-nine month period.

  In 1851, the Powers family immigrated to the United States first settling in New Jersey. Patrick Powers would work as a laborer in order to feed his growing family. Nancy Kiley would continue to do what she did best in that she bore four more children in New Jersey between the years 1851 and 1856. (This made seven children born in a period of seven years and six months)

  In 1856, the Powers family moved on to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, where Patrick would continue to work as a laborer to support his family. While at Fond du Lac, Nancy would give birth to her final four childern. Nancy and Patrick would have ten children in an eleven year period.

  The Powers family made their final move around 1864, when they moved to Iowa. They would purchase a small farm near Fort Dodge Iowa and remain farmers for the rest of their lives.

  Nancy Kiley would die on 13 December 1876 and Patrick Powers would follow her in death on 19 August 1888. Nancy Kiley and Patrick Powers are buried in The Corpus Christi Cemetery of Fort Dodge Iowa.

                 Wording of Plaque placed in front of Farm

  The Kiley-Powers farm would remain in the family through three generations and was honored as a "Century Farm" for being in the same family for over 100 years. When the last "Powers" living on the family farm died without any heirs the farm was willed to the Iowa State University Agricultural Foundation. Unfortunately Iowa State University sold the property without informing the Foundation of their acquisition of the farm, and the proceeds from the sale were used for projects un-intended in the will. An agricultural scholarship in the name of Kiley-Powers is maintained to this day by the University

For Family Genealogy See:  http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=m-leblanc&id=I16968

Michel Graton

  Michel Graton, my 3rd great-Grandfather, was born in the town of Saint-Eustache Quebec on 29 July 1800. Michel was the youngest of ten children born to Joseph Marie Graton and Marie Louise Plouf.

            Baptism record at Saint-Eustache Parish Church

  On 13 August 1822, a twenty-two year old Michel took for his bride a sixteen year old girl by the name of Louise Rollin. The couple were married in the town of Beauharnois Quebec and from this marriage would be born thirteen children, six sons and seven daughters.

              Marriage of Michel Graton and Louise Rollin

  The family would live and farm in the southwest part of Quebec, primarily in the Huntingdon Quebec area.

  In 1870, Michel's wife of forty-eight years passed away and was buried in Huntingdon Quebec. Michel would move to Prescott Ontario to live with one of his son's where he died at the age of eighty-eight on 5 April 1889. Michel was buried at the St Isadore Church in Prescott Ontario.

For family genealogy see:  http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=m-leblanc&id=I611

Mercy Dudley (A Governor's daughter and Reverend's Wife"

                                   Painting of the "Arbella"

  Mercy Dudley, my 10th g-Grandmother, was born on 27 September 1621 in Oakley, Northampton, England. Mercy was the youngest child born to Thomas Dudley and Dorthy Yorke.
 
  In 1630, at the age of nine, Mercy moved to the new world with her family as part of "The Winthrop Fleet" aboard the ship "Arbella".  Mercy's father would serve on and off as Govenor of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Her family originally settled in Newtown (present day Cambridge), moved to Ipswich and then onto Roxbury.

  At the age of Seventeen, Mercy married a John Woodbridge on 20 May 1639 at Andover Massachusetts. The couple would have twelve children, of which eleven would reach adulthood.

  Mercy's husband would teach school and become an ordained Minister at the urging of her father. In 1647, the couple would return to England, where her husband taught the Gospel for the the next seventeen years.

  On 27 July 1673, Mercy and her husband returned to the new world on the ship "Society". and they  would ultimately settle in Newbury Massachusetts. Mercy would die, at the age of sixty-nine,  in Newbury on 1 July 1691 and  was buried at the "First Parish Burying Grounds".

Blaise Juillet dit Avignon

                          Baptism at Saint-Agricol France

  Blaise Juillet, my 10th g-Grandfather, was born on 16 February 1611 in Avignon France. He was baptized on 26 February 1611 at Saint-Agricol Parish, the son of Jean Juillet and Gabrielle Barbarine.

  On 21 April 1644, at the age of thirty-three, Blaise contracted to go to Ville-Marie (Montreal) Quebec as a becheur (wood cutter). The contract was to last for three years, but Blaise chose to remain in Quebec. In 1848, Blaise was offered a concession of land in Montreal of which he took title in November of 1650.

  On  2 February 1651, Blaise married an Anne de Liercourt at Trios-Rivieres Quebec. The couple would reside in Montreal and from this marriage was  born two daughters and two sons.

                             Burial at Montreal Quebec

  On 19 April 1860, Blaise was involved in a battle with the Iroquois Indians. While trying to flee in a canoe, the canoe overturned and Blaise drowned in the river. Blaise was buried the next day in Montreal.

For family genealogy see:  http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=m-leblanc&id=I15247

My Otis Family of Dover New Hampshire

  My Otis family was one of the early families of Dover New Hampshire. On the night of 28 June 1689, in what would be called "The Cocheco Massacre", two generations of my family would be killed and a third generation would become captives of Indians and sold in Quebec "New France".

  Richard Otis, my 8th g-Grandfather and the patriarch of the Otis family in Dover, was murdered in his bed. His two year old daughter was also murdered and his wife and youngest daughter were taken captive to Quebec. Three other daughters of Richard, from a previous marriage, were originally taken captive and rescued a few days after the massacre.

  Stephen Otis Sr., my 7th g-Grandfather and son of Richard above, was killed on the night of the massacre. Mary Pittman, my 7th g-grandmother and wife of Stephen, was presumed killed in the massacre as she was never heard from again.

  Nathaniel Otis, my 6 g-Grandfather and subject of a previous post, was taken to Quebec along with his elder brother "Stephen Jr" and sister "Rose" All three of the siblings would grow up and marry, remaining  in New France.

For Further reading see:  http://www.dover.lib.nh.us/doverhistory/cocheco.htm

For family genealogy see: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=m-leblanc&id=I15195

Esther Dupuis (A farmer's wife)

                       Baptism of Saint Regis Parish

  Esther Dupuis, my 3rd great Grandmother, was raised as the daughter of a Judge and would become the wife of a farmer. Esther was born in Saint-Anicet Quebec and baptized on 9 July 1821 by the Parish Priest of Saint-Regis Quebec. Esther was the daughter of Louis Dupuis and Genevieve LeBlanc (Subjects of previous posts)

                   Marriage Record of Saint-Anicet Quebec

  On 21 November 1843, Esther married an Augustin Dubreuil in Saint-Anicet Quebec. The couple would have nine children born in Saint-Anicet, seven daughters and two sons, while operating a farm.

  Esther died, at the age of sixty-two, in Saint-Anicet on 25 March 1883 and was buried in the Parish Cemetery.

For family gemealogy see: http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=m-leblanc&id=I676