The Life and Times of Hubert Brooks M.C. C.D. A Canadian Hero

APPENDIX A – EXTENDED BROOKS FAMILY GENEALOGY

A3.0       ROUSSEAU FAMILY MEMBERS in QUÉBEC

This web page will provide information about our family's first ancestor in North America, Thomas Rousseau, and also provide information of Hubert Rousseau Brooks who was the ancestor that brought the family back from North Dakota to Canada.

A3.1      THOMAS ROUSSEAU - First in "Our Family's Line" To Arrive in North America    1663 - 1715

As indicated in section A2.1, Thomas Rousseau seems to have been the 2^nd of some 18 "Rousseau family lines" to land in New France and thus North America. He was most certainly a pioneer of the Ile d'Orleans in New France and is considered to be a Québécois "de souche" (old-stock Quebecer).

A good reference for material on Thomas Rousseau is Chapter 1 of the book; Les Rousseau de Pohénégamook by Guildo Rousseau published by des ÉDITIONS DU SEPTENTRION, ISBN 2-89448-468-2 as well as the Thomas Rousseau GeneaNet Web site - which I believe obtained most of its information from the book Our French Canadian Ancestors (28 Volume Series) By Thomas J. Laforest Published by Lisi Press, Palm Harbour, Florida; Thomas Rousseau is featured in Volume 13 Chapter 12 p 183.
Interestingly, on June 18, 2012, there was a feature on Famille Rousseau on the French HISTORIA channel for L'aventure francaise series. The program, produced by Winnipeg based Les Production Rivard, had a segment dedicated to Thomas Rousseau and discussed the puzzles as to his; place of birth, date of arrival in New France, his religion, and his place of death. His marriage and ever increasing land holdings were also highlited.

A3.1.1      Uncertainty as to PLACE and DATE of BIRTH for Thomas Rousseau Persists

Rousseau family geneaology specialist, Guildo Rousseau, in an article published in the journal; The Ancestor (Vol. 35, No. 285, Winter 2009, p. 141-147), the Genealogical Society of Québec, states that genealogical information circulating for decades about the dates and places of birth and burial of his ancestor Thomas Rousseau are NOT based on any real historical source. No birth or baptismal or any other official document has been traced so far in France which would show that Thomas Rousseau was born about 1632 (the commonly stated year of birth) in Gourgé, or in the nearby village of Oroux - both part of the department of Deux-Sèvres, Poitou-Charentes region, and both being located some 50 km from the city of Poitiers in the south western portion of France.

With regard to Thomas Rousseau's date of birth, Thomas himself seems to have (?intentionally?) confused the situation.

1. Thomas stated that he was 32 years old at the arriving Ceremony of Confirmation given by the Bishop Laval on March 23, 1664. This would imply a birth year of 1632.
2. For the 1681 Census Thomas states that he is 55 years old. This would imply a birth year of 1626.
3. And finally, when he formally passes the family line - inheritance legacy settlement- to his eldest capable son Antoine on October 11, 1707, he states that he is 98 years old! This would imply a birth year of 1609.

With no official records found in France and these conflicting birth dates, it is impossible to state with precision Thomas' date or place of birth.

Rousseau geneaology specialists believe that Thomas was born and lived in either Gourgé or in Oroux - but not elsewhere.
The basis for this are the (different) places of birth identified in the civil and the church marriage contracts. As will be seen, the contents of the civil marriage contract with Madeleine Ollivier - with Gourgé implied as the birth place - is held by most Rousseau experts as the most important historical document of all- trumping even the Catholic church's marriage contract which contains the contradictory information of Oroux being the place of birth.

However, even here the wording of the marriage contract entries is (perhaps intentionally) tricky. The exact wording states that Thomas' parents are from Gourgé and Oroux respectively. Although they might on the face of it imply to the casual reader that Thomas was born at these locations, the documents do NOT specifically state this!

The small village of Gourgé dates back to the Gallo-Roman period. The Roman built road linking Poitiers and Nantes crossed the river Thouet on whose banks is located the town of Gourgé. Located some 10 km from the city of Parthenay and about 50 km from Poitiers, Gourgé is essentially a rural community numbering approximately 900 inhabitants in modern times, and reflects the very old architectural heritage of the town.

The marriage of Madeleine and Thomas was held on Wednesday, October 5, 1667 at Notre-Dame de Québec. The wedding ceremony was celebrated by the parish priest Henri de Bernières who would write the "official transcript" of the marriage ceremony into the church register.

THE ISSUE arrising is that the biographical information entered into the church register by priest de Bernières is significantly different from the marriage information entered into the civil register 6 days earlier by notary Gilles Rageot and witnessed by Thomas and others.

1. First, in the church marriage register, there is no mention of the death of parents Thomas Rousseau, nor those of Madeleine Ollivier;
2. Next, the spelling of the name of Thomas' mother's family is changed from "Billerot," to "Boillerot";
3. Finally and most confusing, and of more historical consequence, the birthplace of Thomas Rousseau in the church marriage register is entirely different. It is no longer "Gorgé"; which is part of the document witnessed by the pastor of Berni�res, but rather "Arerou".

On this later point, of the place of birth changing over a 6 day period from "Gorgé" to that of "Arerou" the names are so completely different that we can NOT discount the entries as one of "consonance" - of incorrectly writing a word based on what one has heard.

The entry of Gorgé in the civil register is similar enough to Gourgé in every way and can be reasonably explained away.

However, historians have NOT found any town, municipality or parish in the diocese of Poitiers for that time with the name of "Arrou" or "Arerou".

Two schools of thought have evolved over time with various Rousseau genealogists regarding the name of "Arrou" or "Arerou".

1. First, apparantly at the time of Thomas Rousseau there was a small town called Arrou which was - and still is - a joint department of Eure-et-Loir, situated some 22 km from the town of Châteaudun, located in the parish of the diocese of Chartres. Was this the place of birth of Thomas Rousseau? Certainly, many families with the surname Rousseau lived in this region of central France, where there are large cities as Chartres, Châteaudun, Dreux and Nogent-le-Rotrou. It is possible that this is the birth place, but no historical records have been found to indicate that Thomas was born here either. This is especially strange IF Thomas was a Catholic with the meticulous records maintained by the church at that time.
   

2. Second and alternatively, with succeeding generations of genealogists (for example see Genealogy of Canada Web site or Genealogy of French in North America Web Site ) the alleged birth place name of "Arrou" or "Arerou" has become first "Arrochar" - still somewhat faithful to the text of Father de Bernières, and then in later years has became "Oroux" which is the name of an actual small town, also in the diocese of Poitiers, located some 12 km from Gourgé. Again no church or civil records to validate this have been found.

On this point of confusion over the place of birth the conspiracy theories have started. Where is "Arerou" and why did it come into existance? Was it Thomas Rousseau who gave the name "Arerou" to the priest de Bernières to intentionally confuse his past (similar to the multiple birth dates provided by him over the course of time)? Or did priest de Bernières simply not remember the place of birth stated by Thomas Rousseau and incorrectly entered the name "Arerou" into the church register? Was Thomas intentionally misleading the priest de Bernières to "hide" a Protestant past in Gourgé? Some sources indicate that Thomas was a persecuted Protestant back in France and this was one of his reasons for venturing to New France and disguising his past. The movement of Protestants to New France in those early days was restricted and watched very closely by the authorities. Alternatively, was there some other run in with the Catholic church in Gourgé by Thomas or his family that he was trying to hide?

The mystery surrounding the date and place of birth of Thomas Rousseau remains unsolved. Oroux however has become quite common as the identified place of birth of Thomas Rousseau on a number of geneaology web sites. HOWEVER, the civil register sworn in front of notary Gilles Rageot is taken as the more significant document and thus Gourgé is assumed as the place of birth of Thomas Rousseau.

A3.1.2       Uncertainty of PLACE and DATE of DEATH for Thomas Rousseau Persists

The same uncertainty exists regarding the date and place of burial of Thomas Rousseau. Many genealogy documents state that Thomas Rousseau was buried July 26, 1716 - or before or after this date - at the Hotel-Dieu de Québec, and rests in the cemeteries of the parishes of Saint-Pierre-de-la- Rivière-du-Sud or St-Thomas-de-Montmagny. But nothing is further from the truth. The designation of this false date of death and the false burial place of Thomas Rousseau rests on a misreading made, for the eighth child of Thomas Rousseau, who suffered a disability and was placed in the hospital hôpital de l'Hôtel-Dieu and later died on July 26, 1716.

Finally, according to Guildo Rousseau, his ancestor Thomas Rousseau would probably have died between April 10, 1709 and July 23, 1715, or more precisely between May 24, 1712 and July 23, 1715. But no act of burial has been traced so far to confirm either of these dates, nor the exact place of burial in Québec!

A3.1.3       1663 Arrival of Thomas Rousseau Arrives in New France - Québec

Thomas Rousseau is thought by Rousseau geneaology specialists to have arrived at the port of Québec (New France) during the summer or fall of 1663, after a long and dangerous journey that took him from the French seaport of La Rochelle. Like all sea voyages of those times, the passage across the Atlantic ocean was not easy. More than 150 people were typically crowded into the tween-deck space of the ship, where they lived an animal existance for two or three months. Salted meat, wormy hardtack and putrid water were their daily nourishment. Mal-de-mer was the least serious of many illnesses that most travellers faced.

(NEW FRANCE at that time encompassed; Canada (the St. Lawrence Valley), Acadia, the Pays d'en haut (the Great Lakes) and Louisiana (the Mississippi Valley).)

Thomas Rousseau's name has NOT been found on the passenger lists of the ships sailing from La Rochelle to Québec. Did Thomas travel under an assumed name to "escape" a situation in France? It is known that a few ships travelling late in the season did not venture as far down the St Lawrence as Québec City / Ile de l'Orleans but instead unloaded passengers near Tadoussac and a boat then brought them to Ile d'Orleans. Possibly, but these settlers were still inventoried - unless of course Thomas somehow slipped through. The mystery persists.

The records of trans-Atlantic crossings at that time and Répertoires des équipages et passagers des origines à 1699 are remarkably intact. The ship Le Taureau "Thoros" de la Ville de La Rochelle which departed La Rochelle on May 10, 1663 and arrived in Québec on July 27, 1663 had 3 passengers from Poitiers/ Parthenay one of who was named Jean Thomas. If the Rousseau historians are correct as to the approximate date of arrival, was Jean Thomas our Thomas Rousseau?

One can only speculate as to the REASON that Thomas Rousseau immigrated from France to Québec. Because of the harsh winters, short growing seasons, wars with the Iroquois and slow economic development, Canada was never perceived in France as an "El Dorado". However, what the colony offered was a seigneurial system of land tenure which held the carrot of eventual land ownership, and thus ongoing development for the colony, in return for a period of a number of years of being a "hired man" to a seigneur. Since most immigrants to New France were generally from modest circumstances, the appeal of eventual land ownership and "the hope of earning a better living" was inducement enough for many to leave "sweet France" and endure the long, difficult crossing with a 5 per cent risk of death and landing in a country with immense forests, harsh winters and, what's more, peopled with formidable indiginous warriors! The other possibility of course, is that Thomas was escaping religious persecution in France for being a Protestant.

A typical seigneurial layout

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND on SEIGNEURIAL SYSTEM

From the beginning of the Québec / St Lawrence Valley colony in New France, there ran in the minds of French officialdom the idea that social order should rest upon a seigneurial system.
Here in the midst of an unfathomed wilderness of New France was a small European settlement with hostile tribes on every front.

Under this system, the lands were arranged in long narrow strips, called seigneuries, along the banks of the St. Lawrence River. Each piece of land belonged to the king of France and was maintained by the landlord, or seigneur.

The seigneurial system was introduced because the St. Lawrence River was something like the "Highway of New France". The river provided water and a means of transportation, which enabled settlers with land along the St. Lawrence to be successful. Land along the river, therefore, was much in demand.

The seigneur divided the land further among his tenants, known as censitaires or habitants, who cleared the land, built houses and other buildings, and farmed the land.

The habitants paid taxes to the seigneur called cens and another inheritance tax called lods and ventes. The habitants would also divide their land for their children once they had families of their own.

Five things that the Seigneury had to do:

1. Clear the land
2. Build a church
3. Grant the farm lots
4. Have a court to settle people's disputes.
5. They had the rights to repossess land if it was not being used

Five things the habitants had to do:

1. Paid a rent of 2 bushels of wheat, 1 chicken, and 5$ a year
2. They provided service for the Seigneur
3. Cleared the trees
4. Grounded the grain
5. Fight in the military

The seigneurial system of land tenure was basically a system whereby the local seigneur or landlord gave to a "censitaire" or tenant a surrounding property for which the tenant would develop the land and pay heavy dues each year for a defined period of time -- usually 3 years -- as well as on condition of aid to the colony in time of conflict; and in return the seigneur would eventually vest outright land ownership to a piece of (possibly different) land to the tenant.

There was thus a "win-win" inter-dependancy which developed between the colony powers-that-be/ the seigneurs and the "censitaire" or tenants which led to social order and security within the colony.

See for example web link SEIGNEURS, FIEFS ET SEIGNEURIES DU QUÉBEC for further information -- note: Thomas Rousseau would have dealing with Jean-Baptiste PEUVRET du MESNU.)

Thomas Rousseau was probably 31 or 32 years of age when he landed in Québec. This is the age that Thomas Rousseau gives 23 March 1664, during the Ceremony of Confirmation .
(Ref: Hubert Charbonneau and Jacques Légé, Directory of baptismal, marriage, burial and Census of Former Quebec, Research Program in Historical Demography (PRDH), The University Press of Montreal, 1980, vol. 6: "nominative censuses and other documentation.")

Nothing is known of Thomas' prior life in France - or for that matter of his father Honoré Rousseau. What was Thomas' ancestoral family history? Was it from one of the many lines of Rousseau who have distinguished themselves in the history of France? Were the Honoré/ Thomas Rousseaus farmers? seamen? artisans? traders? notables? It is unfortunately NOT known what the occupation(s) or pedigree of this branch of the Rousseau family was in France.

However it is an undisputed fact that Thomas appears to have some level of education and appears more educated than the average Frenchman who came to populate Canada in the XVII century. He can write his name and the signature that he affixes to numerous contracts that still exist for public viewing shows a firm and nicely molded signature with a "flourish" stroke -- often then the mark of a "quality upbringing".

Since Thomas only signs his contract as a hired farmer after arriving in Québec, it would seem that he was able to pay his own passage to New France - so he had some modest means. Some historians have speculated that perhaps Thomas was running away from a situation in France given the elusive nature of his birth date and place. Further, Thomas seems to adapt quite readily to his activity as a hired farmer which suggests that he has had prior experience in this endeavor.

On 23^rd March of 1664, Thomas obtained the Sacrament of Confirmation from the Bishop of Québec, Bishop Laval. (The Roman Catholic Bishop of Québec ruled the colony until Jean Talon was appointed Intendant in 1665.) Historical records indicate that one hundred and three other people, most likely new emigrants like Thomas, were also confirmed the same day. The ceremony was mandatory. It allowed the Catholic religious authorities of the time to assure that the inhibitants were Roman Catholic, and if not to co-op mainline Protestants into an act of Catholic worship. Had a new inhabitant not agreed to go to the ceremony, he would have drawn the attention of the authorities to himself, potentially exposing himself to repressive measures, or to be simply repatriated to France on the next ship. Because of the seemingly elusive nature of Thomas' birth date and place, historians have questioned whether Thomas was a Catholic, perhaps he was a Protestant or Calvinist. Regardless, he was smart enough to realize that IF he wanted to stay in New France, and to fullfill his dream of owning land, he had to partake in the ceremony.

The 1666 CENSUS of Québec taken February / March of 1666, indicates that there were a little more than 3,200 people in the colony, not including the 1,100 or so soldiers in the Royal troops. The whole of the clergy comprised one Bishop, eighteen Priests and ecclesiastics, and thirty-one Jesuit priests and brethren.
(Editor's Note: I have yet to find Thomas' name in the 1666 CENSUS of Québec . Jean Talon was in charge of the first census of New France and used the de jure principale that is, counting people where they normally reside. He did much of the enumeration himself, going door-to-door. Although the CENSUS was geared more to FAMILIES, single residents of the colony were also enumerated. It is thought that Thomas was working for seigneur Jean-Baptiste Peuvret du Mesnu at this time and so perhaps was missed.)

On July 14, 1666, Thomas enlisted as a hired farmer for a five year period, to the landowner Jean-Baptiste Peuvret du Mesnu of Gaudarville for a piece of land on the southwest side of the island of Orleans.
(The seigneur Jean-Baptiste Peuvret du Mesnu had been in the country since 1651, and early on became secretary to Governor Jean de Lauson before becoming a notary, then clerk of the Senechaussee. In 1663, the Sovereign Council made him its first clerk and secretary, a post that he occupied until his death in 1697. On March 12, 1661, Peuvret de Mesnu acquired a concession of twenty arpents of frontage on Ile d'Orleans granted some twenty years earlier to Noel Jechereau des Chastelets. )

The employment contract stipulated that Thomas must attend to "five acres of arable land along with a large house, barn, stable, yard, garden and other amenities�. Thomas was to be provided with two great oxen and Thomas was to deliver 80 bushels of wheat and 25 bushels of peas each and every year. Finally, the Agreement detailed further obligations that Thomas must meet: carrying wood, wintering horses, supplying butter, sharing the profits from the farms cows, pigs and chickens.

A3.1.4       September 1667 Arrival of Madeleine Ollivier in Québec & Filles du Roi

Madeleine Ollivier arrived in Québec September 25, 1667 aboard the ship Le Saint Louis de Dieppe. See also Répertoire des Filles du roi et filles à marier .

The ship had left Dieppe on June 10, 1667 and stopped over in La Rochelle before proceeding to Québec. On board were 100 engaged ladies (dowry supplied by their families), 90 Filles du Roi ("King's Daughters"), and 15 horses.

Madeleine Ollivier was a so called Fille du Roi ("King's Daughter"). (For example see Madeline Ollivier listed as a Fille du Roi.) She was approximately 30 years old upon arrival, had been orphaned as a young child, and was seeking a new life and husband in New France. The ship's manifest had her listed as "Fille de Jean Ollivier et Louise Prévost de Caudebec-en-Caux,76490; now the capital of the canton of Seine Maritime (located about 35km from the city of Rouen); Haute Normandie (Upper Normandy), France. " Rich or poor, most women did not typically have an occupation as we understand the term today. They were preparing for marriage, which was virtually an economic necessity in an era when a woman alone would have difficulty earning a living. Of the 2,000 female immigrants, over two-thirds were prepared to marry as soon as they arrived - something strongly encouraged by the authorities!

A3.1.5       1667 MARRIAGE of Thomas Rousseau and Madeleine Ollivier

Madeleine Ollivier arrived in Québec September 25, 1667.

In all probability, Thomas Rousseau, like most other single men in Québec City, monitored quite closely the arrival of vessels from France carrying elligible "Kings Daughters".

It seems that Thomas wasted no time in picking out Madeleine and the couple-to-be agreed upon a quick marriage as desired by the French authorities.

For 5 days after her arrival, on Friday September 30, 1667, Madeleine accompanies Thomas to the CIVIL notary, Gilles Rageot, where both spouses sign a multi-page marriage contract defining the joint communal marriage rights.

Thomas, who was hardly wealthy at the time, presented Madeleine with a dowry of 50 livres. Like most of the Filles du Roi at that time, Madeleine does not have a dowry to offer the communal marriage contract. Despite the modest assets of the couple, the marriage attracted the attention of some of the most prominent members of Québec society including: the Intendant Jean Talon, Barbe de Boullogne; J.B. Gaudon, sieur de Belle Fontaine; and Marie-Catherine Nau, wife of Jean-Baptiste Peuvret for whom Thomas worked as a hired man for over a year on a concession located on the southwest side of the island of Orleans.

Six days following the civil marriage contract signing ceremony, on Wednesday, October 5, 1667, Thomas Rousseau married Madeleine Ollivier at Notre-Dame de Québec Catholoc Church. The wedding ceremony is celebrated by the parish priest Henri de Bernières. An image of the entry into the church registry is shown below.

See section A3.1 above for DIFFERENCES in information provided on CIVIL and CHURCH marriage entries.

IMAGES of REGISTER ENTRY for THOMAS ROUSSEAU MARRIAGE to MADELEINE OLLIVIER
at Notre-Dame-de-Québec Catholic Church
FIRST Image: Original - enlargement from microfilm copy. Red underline indicates some differences from info on CIVIL marriage contract.
Source: Registre paroissial de la paroisse de Notre-Dame-de-Québec en la Nouvelle-France, commençant le vingt-sixième jour du mois de septembre, mil six cent soixante et sept

SECOND Image: Official Re-Transcription of Notre-Dame-de-Québec Marriage Register. Note that pastor Bernières' signature is more to the left.
Source: ANQ-Q (C301, S1) : Registre des mariages de la paroisse Notre-Dame-de-Québec : retranscription des actes.

A3.1.6       1668 FIEF CENSUS of Québec

Although the 1666 Census completely ignored Thomas Rousseau, he is mentioned in the fief census which the vassal de Mesnu drew up for his Lord, the Bishop and Seigneur Msgr. de Laval. This document was recorded in the June 9,1668 notes of the notary Rageot. It says that,Thomas Rousseau worked a piece of land with three arpents in frontage, whose depth reached to the road which bisects the Ile d'Orleans. He paid "60 sols and three live capons in seigneurial rent".

A3.1.7       1681 CENSUS of Québec

In the 1681 CENSUS of Québec (click on REC1681.ZIP after reaching link to access Census), the following information was provided about Thomas Rousseau's family at that point in time (census nominally taken on March 30, 1861.)

NOTE for TABLE Header: Homme or H = Man; Femme or F = female, E or Enfant = Child

Thomas Rousseau had been living on the Île d'Orléans for approximately fifteen years. The land he occupied was the same as in 1668 and was found to be located in the parish of Saint-Paul (now Saint-Laurent) on the island of Orleans. The land he was cultivating was about two to three acres of frontage on the St. Lawrence River with about 36 acres of depth (fifteen arpents) (1 arpent is approx 189 feet). Thomas owned a gun and had four head of cattle. Seven of the eight children born so far were living with their parents.
Over a length of approximately 44 acres (or about 2.56 miles) of water frontage , were located a dozen Ile d'Orleans founding families (Bouffard, Dubois, Gosselin, Maranda, Christmas, Rousseau, Salois, Sivatier, etc ) of the parish of St. Lawrence Island of Orleans.

Drawing of Île d'Orléans, Quebec Looking From South Shore

Thomas Rousseau's Propert is No 288 (see RED arrow)

Model of Île d'Orléans Source: La Maison Drouin, Sainte-Famille Ile d'Orléans, Qc

The families identified in this 1681 census in the neighborhood of that of Thomas Rousseau are those with whom he and his family and his descendants would have multiple relationships including marriage, exchange and sale of land plots and so forth weaving linkages between these families from the 1660s until the mid-nineteenth century.

Model of Île d'Orléans, Quebec as viewed from South Shore. The name of Île d'Orléans was in honour of the second son of King Francis I, Henri II, the Duke of Orléans. Thomas Rousseau's Property was No. 58. In 1668 Property 58 had a "frontage" on the St. Lawrence of 2.5 arpents. (1 arpent = 59 meters or 192 feet so 2.5 arpents= 147.5 meters or 480 feet). The length of the property was half the width of the island, a variable depending on where one was located on the island, but in Thomas' case was approximately 3km. By 1681 Thomas Rousseau's frontage on the St Lawrence had increased from 2.5 to 3 arpents. Thomas was still living on the property in 1681 at the age of 55. In 1709 Thomas' children were living and working the land. NOTE - it is clear from this model that the island is of irregular form with jagged coves and capes, with hilly relief, small valleys, and gradual crests that reach a maximum height of about 150 metres (490 ft) at this location. Early French settlers were attracted to the island because of its fertile soil and immediate access to the St. Lawrence waterway. Model of Île d'Orléans Source: La Maison Drouin, Sainte-Famille Ile d'Orléans, Qc

Model of Île d'Orleans, Quebec as viewed from Quebec City Side. Location of Thomas Rousseau's Property No. 58 shown by RED arrow. Île d'Orléans is 34 kilometres (21 mi) long and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) wide at the widest point. It is 75 kilometres (47 mi) in circumference, with a total surface area of 190 square kilometres (73 sq mi). Model of Île d'Orléans Source: La Maison Drouin, Sainte-Famille Ile d'Orléans, Qc

A3.1.8       DEATH of Madeleine Ollivier Rousseau - April 21, 1690

On Friday, April 21, 1690, Madeleine Ollivier Rousseau died. After 18 years of marriage and 11 children Madeleine died at the age of 55. As a "Fille du Roi", she had amply filled her role as a wife and mother. She had her last child, Jean-Baptiste, at the age 44. Her funeral service was conducted the next day at the church in Saint-Laurent by the priest Jean-Marie Tremblay.

A3.1.9       The DESCENDANTS of Thomas and Madeleine Rousseau

Thomas Rousseau had 11 children (see Section A2.1) with his first wife, Madeleine Ollivier, and a twelfth through his second marriage, with Francoise Charlotte Belanger.

The family consisted of 6 boys and 6 girls.

The sons were; Pierre and Martin (twin brothers), Thomas, Antoine, Jean-Baptiste and Guillaume.
The six daughters were; Anne-Marie- Catherine, Marie-Madeleine, Geneviève, Marguerite, Marie and Louise.

Two of the six girls died in infancy: Marie-Madeleine, at 16, and Marie at one year of age.
The other four girls married and lived with their husbands in the seigniory of Rivière-du-Sud, today called the parish of Saint-Thomas and parish of Saint-Pierre-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, of the county Montmagny.

With respect to the twin boys; Pierre, the twin brother of Martin, died September 8, 1684, at the age of 11 years. Martin,had better health and and setled in L'Islet where at age 27 married Marie-Élisabeth Thibault on March 3, 1700. Marie-Élisabeth was already the mother of four children from her first husband Jacques Bélanger. Martin took over the cultivation of land that Marie-Élisabeth inherited from her late husband. As such Martin was one of the first inhabitants of the parish of Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours at L'Islet. Martin and Marie-Élisabeth would have a further 7 children together. The date and place of Martin's death and burial are still unknown to this day.

Two of Thomas' other sons would not have children.
On July 26, 1716, at the age of 34, Thomas ("Jr.") was placed in l'Hôpital-Général de Québec by his brothers and sisters. (The "malady" was not stated but mental health issues is suggested. Both of the parents were dead by this time.) Thomas' son Guillaume, from his second marriage, would die at the age of 21 on July 22, 1715 at Château-Richer.

Antoine would have 11 children with his wife Anne-Catherine Bouffard.

A3.1.9.1      Jean-Baptiste Rousseau

The line of offspring from Thomas Rousseau's son Jean-Baptiste will lead ultimately to Hubert Rousseau Brooks and then to Hubert Brooks of this biography.

Jean-Baptiste Rousseau married Catherine Rouleau Sansoucy on May 23, 1712. The couple would have seven children together (see A2.1)

He owned six acres of land on the SEIGNEURIAL territory of Rivière-du-Sud. Also located on this territory were his sisters Anne-Marie-Catherine, Geneviève, Marguerite, Louise, and their respective husbands Simon Fournier, Jean-François Langlois, Pierre-Noël Morin-Valcourt et Jean-Baptiste Proulx all of whom had been cultivating land there for a number of years. In fact Jean-Baptiste's land was between that of his brother-in-law Simon Fournier on the northeast side, and that of his brother Martin Rousseau on the southwest side. Jean-Baptiste was able to acquire this land as a result of the inheritance of his wife Catherine Rouleau Sansoucy .
The map below shows the location of Jean-Baptiste's land and (shaded area) of that of his other brothers and sisters.

During his life Jean-Baptiste was quite active in real estate transactions in the Québec City area.

As did his father Thomas, Jean-Baptiste would marry twice. (This pattern of re-marrying would be quite common in the history of the Rousseau clan.) Jean-Baptiste remarried, November 17, 1737, to Madeleine Des Troismaisons dit Picard de Montmagny. Jean-Baptiste and Madeleine would have 8 children together. Thus Jean=Baptiste had a total of 15 children on his land on Rivière-du-Sud.

A3.1.10       1691 RE-MARRIAGE of THOMAS ROUSSEAU to Françoise-Charlotte Bélanger

It was a little less than one year and 2 months before Thomas Rousseau re-married. His new-wife-to be was Françoise-Charlotte Bélanger, widow of Jean Langlois dit Boisverdun, who had died some years earlier on August 25, 1687. Françoise-Charlotte resided on the land immediately opposite Thomas', on the other side of island of Orléans. (Françoise-Charlotte hadhad 7 children from her marriage to Jean Langlois.) With the Rousseau family on one side of the island and the Langlois family on the other, it was only a question of time before it became clear that the two families were destined to merge with each other.

On June 21, 1691 Thomas and Françoise-Charlotte signed a CIVIL marriage ceremony in the house of the seigneur Peuvret Demesnu in the presence of the notary François Genable specifying the terms of the contract of marriage.
The marriage relegious ceremony was then celebrated on July 4, 1691 at the Saint-Pierre Catholic Church.

Over time, Thomas Rousseau would become a substantial land owner on the island of Orléans. On June 30, 1704, when Thomas was approximately at the age of 73, he sent a letter to the notary Florent de La Cetière of the parish of Saint-Laurent of the island of Orléans, making his second wife, Charlotte Bélanger "joint steward" of his businesses to manage, sell, hire, rent and do everything she sees fit to move the business forward. This makes sense as Charlotte Bélanger was much younger than Thomas and she could very well assist him and act in his name.

A3.1.11      THOMAS ROUSSEAU October 1707 Legacy Settlement Transfer to Eldest Competent Son Antoine

The custom at that time for inheritance transfer was a legal process called "la donation" or legacy settlement to one's eldest son. Although son Antoine was the second last to be born, as a result of circumstances described in the earlier sections, Antoine was Thomas' eldest, surviving, competent son.

Thus on October 11, 1707, Thomas signed a multi-page document in front of the notary Louis Chambalon witnessed by the baliff Jean Meschin and the shopkeeper Estienne Dulong providing a "donation" or legacy settlement to his son Antoine, then aged 23. Signatures of Thomas, Jean Meschin, Estienne Dulong and Louis Chambalon are affixed to the end of the document.

The document introduction states that because of Thomas' "advanced age" (Editor's Note: More on this latter) and his inability to provide for himself, he wishes to make "la donation" to his son Antoine with the proviso that Thomas continues to receive a pension that will sustain him in sickness and health for the rest of his days, that Antoine will fullfill all obligations for the lands including payment of 30 sols and one and a half hundred chapons per year to the seigneur of the premises, and pay Charlotte Bélanger the rent for her dowry for the time that she may survive Thomas, and finally pay for the burial of Thomas and then pray for the salvation of his soul by celebrating 10 low Requiem Masses.

The "donation" provides half of his assets to his son Antoine, with whom Thomas will continue to reside, and the other half going to his other children from his first marriage to Madeleine Ollivier.

One surprising statement in the "donation legal document" is that it asserts that Thomas' advanced age as of October 11, 1707, is ninety-eight years old! This seems surprising given the other birth dates provided by Thomas in prior legal documents and census inputs. Did notary Louis Chambalon perhaps mis-understand Thomas on this point, or was Thomas simply confused at his now "advanced age", or did Thomas intentionally mis-lead the notary? Again we do not know the truth as to Thomas' actual birth date. His signature on the legal "donation" document remains "firm".

A3.1.12      The FINAL YEARS of Thomas Rousseau Leading to his DEATH Circa 1709-1715

As mentioned in an earlier section, the DATE and PLACE of death of Thomas Rousseau is NOT known. There has been some confusion amongst geneologists with the death of Thomas' son Thomas Rousseau (Jr.) on July 26, 1716. This is NOT the date of death of Thomas Rousseau the husband of Madeleine Ollivier and Françoise-Charlotte Bélanger. How long after the October 1707 Legacy Settlement Transfer to son Antoine did Thomas Rousseau live? It is clear that Thomas Rousseau was still alive April 9, 1709, as he signed the church register for the marriage of his son Antoine to Anne-Catherine Bouffard at St. Lawrence on the island of Orleans in the presence of priest Francois Poncelet. With firm handwriting, Thomas Rousseau along with Anne-Catherine's father Jacques Bouffard signed the church wedding giving their mutual consent to the marriage ceremonies. The l'Ile d'Orléans map produced by Sieur de Catalogne circa 1709 shows Thomas Rousseau's property in the St. Laurent section of the island (see adjacent map with green hiliting). (It is NOT known when in 1709 this map was produced OR if Thomas was still alive, although it is presumed that Thomas was alive in 1709 as a result of this map.) EDITORS NOTE: The Ile d'Orléans is approximately 75 kilometers/40 miles in circumference. Almost all plots went from the shore to the center of the island in a North-South direction. The island was divided into approximately 200 parcels. The plots on the island were grouped into larger sections named St-Pierre, St-Laurent, la Ste-Famille, St-Jean, Argentenay and St-Francois. However, after April 9, 1709 it is not verifiably certain whether or not Thomas was alive or not. October 3, 1710 "Probable" Burial of Second Wife Françoise-Charlotte Bélanger This probable burial date of Charlotte Bélanger occured in the cemetary of the parish of Notre-Dame de- Québec. However this burial document is at best incomplete with the name of Françoise-Charlotte Bélanger appearing only on the sidelines. Thomas Rousseau's name is NOT mentioned (whether alive or dead), nor is the document signed by the parish priest. Why is Charlotte Belanger not buried in the cemetery of the parish of St. Lawrence, Island Orleans where she lived with Thomas Rousseau? As a result of these issues, the documents validity is subject to question. May 23, 1712 MARRIAGE of Son Jean-Baptiste to Catherine Rouleau Sansoucy. For this MARRIAGE, which took place at Saint-Thomas-de-Montmagny, it is not 100% certain that Thomas Rousseau was alive. Thomas did not sign the register - as was the custom - however nothing in the transcript indicated that he had died. Instead the entry says; " Jean-Baptiste who is the son of Thomas Rousseau and the deceased Madeleine Ollivier of the parish of St Laurent of the island of Orleans." The implication is that only Madeleine is deceased. Perhaps Thomas was too infirm at the time to sign the church register? July 23, 1715 BURIAL of Son Guillaume Rousseau from Second Wife Charlotte Bélanger. This burial which occured at Château-Richer interestingly states that " Guillaume Rousseau, son of the DECEASED Thomas Rousseau and his wife Charlotte Bélanger". Although the document quite clearly states that Thomas is deceased, it DOES NOT state that Charlotte is deceased! Was Charlotte still alive and the October 3, 1710 document was somehow misconstrued? As might be inferred, there is some CONFUSION. All that can be said is that Thomas Rousseau died sometime between April 10, 1709 and July 23, 1715, and probably between May 23, 1712 and July 23, 1715. It is remarkable with the detail records kept by the Catholic Church, that Thomas' date and place of death is not known to this day. Did Thomas somehow "plan" this deception to conceal from posterity a past parental alliance that he wanted to keep secret to preserve the reputation of his offspring? The mystery remains.

MAP of l'Ile d'Orléans as produced by Sieur de Catalogne circa 1709 Thomas Rousseau's Property is seen bottom right in St. Laurent (GREEN hiliting) Other Brooks Acquaintances; Grégoire, Plante, Turcotte are seen around the Island (RED hiliting)

A3.1.13            SUMMARY of Thomas Rousseau DESCENDANTS

A grand total of 84 children were produced from the sons and daughters of Thomas Rousseau, the first Rousseau in "our line" in North America.

Looking back over the space of almost 40 years one can readily imagine that Thomas Rousseau was very pleased with his lot in life and that of his sons and daughters. His sons and daughters had provided him with an impressive number of grandchildren. Having arrived in New France from Poitou essentially pennyless, Thomas continued to work and build on his most valuable asset - the land ( 2.5 acres of river frontage by 36 acres depth - whose depth reaches the road that divides the island of Orleans) that Seigneur Jean- Baptist Peuvret granted him on July 14, 1666. He continued to pay a seigneural rent of 60 sols and 3 chapons. By the time of Thomas' death, he had acquired substantial additional lands on the island of Orleans to bequeath to his offspring.

A.3.2 Early Louis Rousseau Life In CANADA - DORCHESTER REGION of QUÉBEC    1846 -1876

A3.2.1     THE 1846 MARRIAGE OF LOUIS ROUSSEAU and LUCE HUARD in St–ISIDORE,DORCHESTER County, QC

According to ancestry.com which references the Drouin Collection, the Louis Rousseau and Luce Huard were married in St–Isidore, Dorchester, Québec on 13 July 1846.
(Note the name ‘Luce’ was mis–spelt as ‘Lun’ in the translation of the written to ancestry.com to digital records.)

A3.2.2     The CANADA 1851 CENSUS & the Louis Rousseau Family

Louis and Lucie Rousseau and there 2 eldest children Louis Albert and Euphrémie appeared in the Canada 1851 Census living in District Name: Dorchester (county); District Number: 7;Sub-District Name: St. Elzéar; Sub-district Number: 92 (page 91).

Schedule B (page 109 line 33) from this 1851 Census showed:

A3.2.3      The October 4, 1862 Birth of Hubert Rousseau Brooks

On-line geneaology links contain a variety of birth dates for Hubert Rousseau ranging from 1860 to 1863.

Further, I have always found it surprising that Hubert Rousseau Brooks, temporarily had the name John Brooks while in Grand Forks North Dakota as opposed to the more french Canadian name of "Jean". The quest was to find Hubert's given middle name at birth.

To try to settle this,a microfilm of the Records for Paroisse St. Elézar, St. Elézar Cte., Beauce-N, Québec, Canada were obtained through the Family History Center of Fort Pierce Florida (FHL Film 1,294,573 Registres Paroissiaux 1846 - 1876) (containing Baptisms, Marriages and Deaths as recorded by the church).
(St Elzéar Church; 672 rue Principale, St Elzéar Beauce-N, Québec, Canada G0S 2J0 ph: 418-387-2830)

The image below, B97 (Baptemes 97) in Section 3 of Microfilm 1,294,573 contains the record for Hubert Rousseau's baptism at the Parish of St. Elézar.

The church record states the following:
"Le cinq octobre mille huit cent soixante deux par nous soussigné vicaire de St Elzéar a été baptisé Hubert né la veille du légitime mariage de Louis Rousseau cultivateur et de Luce Huard de St Sylvestre.
Parrain Hubert Nadeau, Marraine Magdeleine Perron, lesquels n'ont su sign. Le pere absent.
(signé) L.N. Francoeur ptre"

Which translates into English as (thanks to Hubert Brooks of Boucherville Que for translation):
"On October fifth eighteen hundred and sixty two by we the undersigned vicar of St Elzéar have baptised Hubert, born the day before of the legitimate marriage of Louis Rousseau, farmer, and Luce Huard of St Sylvestre.
Godfather Hubert Nadeau, Godmother Magdeleine Perron, the latter having not signed. The father absent.
(signed) L.N. Francoeur priest"

Thus the birth date for Hubert Rousseau is determined to be October 4, 1862 (previous day to October 5^th), and that Hubert was born in St Sylvestre Québec.

Unfortunately, no middle name is given on the baptismal certificate. One would presume then that the "John" surname that appeared for a short time in Grand Forks was an anglized version of Jean -- but this is speculation.

The map below illustrates the location of Saint Sylvestre just south of Québec City as well as some of the other locations pertinent to the Rousseau family in the DORCHESTER, LEVIS and BEAUCE regions of Quéabec.

A3.2.4     The CANADA 1871 CENSUS & the Louis Rousseau Family

This was the first major CENSUS in Canada of the then existing provinces which most certainly included Québec. Although there were different names used at the time, there was a "short form" and a "long form" version of the Census. The "short form" or "Schedule 1 - Nominal Return of the Living" was designed to enumerate the entire population of Canada by name and contained 23 columns. The name of every individual who lived within an enumerator's district as of April 2, 1871 was to be noted.
As we will see, the Louis Rousseau Family was captured by this Census.

The CANADA 1871 CENSUS records that, as of April 2, 1871, the Rousseau family were living in the Ste-Germaine du Lac-Etchemin sub-district of Dorchester East.

GO TO the LIBRARY and Archives Canada Ancestors Search Page;
select: Census of Canada, 1871
enter: Last Name, First Name ...example: Rousseau, Louis

Louis Rousseau Family    appearing in    CANADA 1871 CENSUS
First Image: Blowup Combination of the 2 Census Pages that the Family Appears on
Second Image: Normal View of 2 CENSUS Pages

CENSUS IMAGE Courtesy: LIBRARY and ARCHIVES CANADA

Summary information can then be extracted for each family member, for example, for Louis Rousseau one woud obtain:

SOME BRIEF COMMENTS are in order here:

1. Family name is obviously "still" Rousseau. It was not unitl the move to the USA that the name changed to Brooks

2. Louis' profession is listed as "cultivateur" which is french for "farmer".

3. This is the earliest appearance of the name HUBERT -- as in Hubert Rousseau -- for in the next 1880 US CENSUS "Hubert" and brother "John" are inadvertently combined and referred to as "John" Brooks with Hubert's birth year

4. One can safely assume from these dates that Louis Rousseau had been in Dorchester Québec from 1846 to 1871 and most probably till 1877 when he left for the US

As will be documented by US Immigration Records in the next SECTION, mother Luce Rousseau first left for the US (Grand Forks N.D.) in April 1876, followed in March of 1877 by son Hubert Rousseau, and then, finally, in April of 1877 Louis Rousseau left Dorchester Québec for Grand Forks.

A3.2.5     Present Day (2013) Rousseau on Île d'Orléans

As an editorial aside, there exists a Rousseau family -- Rene Rousseau and daughters -- living and working on Île d'Orléans to this day.

September 2010 René Rousseau and His Daughters at their Butcher Shop Jos Rousseau in Ste. Pétronille, Île d'Orléans, Qc. Left to Right: Mélanie, René, Myléne, and Geneviève. Photo Courtesy: Le Soleil - Erick Labbé

Jos Rousseau Butcher Shop Ste. Pétronille, Île d'Orléans Circa August 2013 The name Jos Rousseau is for Joseph Rousseau the 8th Generation Rousseau in this family line who formally filled papers for the business with the gouvernment.

These descendants of Thomas Rousseau's 4^th son Antoine (Jean-Baptiste's older brother) continue the Rousseau Butcher Shop tradition first started in 1853 by Firmin Rousseau.
(For further information concerning the family Butcher Business see WEB NEWS ITEM REFERENCE ).

ALSO in the Ste. Pierre area of Île d'Orléans, just off the main island circle road of chemin du Bout-de-l'Ile is an Avenue Rousseau named in recognition of one of the island's founding families - the Rousseaus!

Avenue Rousseau, Ste Pierre, Île d'Orléans Circa August 2013
(Right across the street is an Avenue Plante - another name that came into play in the Rousseau/Brooks life in North Dakota.)

A.3.3     Early Life In DORCHESTER / BEAUCE REGIONS of QUÉBEC

The North Dakota Pioneer Biography Files described further in the next section had accounts from both Tancrede and Alphonse Grégoire that briefly spoke about their lives back in Québec. This provides some insight into the life no doubt experienced by the neighboring Rousseau clan.

The following is an extract from these Pioneer Biographies.

The Life and Times of Hubert Brooks M.C. C.D.