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BELHUMEUR HOMEPAGE
A look into the BELHUMEUR family line at Red River Settlement and surrounding areas
Last updated: Friday, April 06, 2007 12:47 PM
Our MONET BELHUMEUR line came from Pernes-les-Fontaines, France. The patriarch of the family at the Red River Settlement in Manitoba was Michel MONET BELHUMEUR. He was born in Berthierville, Quebec on April 15, 1766 to Martin MONET BELHUMEUR and Josephte BOISSEL. Josephte was the daughter of Charles and Therese (Rose) DAUDELIN. Other brothers and sisters Of Michel's included Marie Marguerite, born Sept. 11, 1759; Marie Madeleine, born Dec. 20, 1761, married to Athanese GAUTHIER; Lambert, born Aug. 13, 1763; Pierre, b. Jan. 11, 1768, and Francois. Francois married Charlotte BEAUREGARD, daughter of Pierre and Marguerite BUREL, on Nov. 16, 1789. He may have married Reine Desanges LARIVIERE, Feb. 17, 1820
Martin MONET BELHUMEUR, from Pernes-les-Fontaines, France, was a soldier with the Royal Rousillon, Boisset Regiment, who fought under General MONTCALM, in the French/Indian Wars of 1755. Martin was present at the Battle for Canada in 1759, the capture of Fr. Ticonderoga in 1758 and also in 1757 when Ft. William Henry was captured and seen in the movie "Last of the Mohicans." Martin's parents were Jean-Baptiste and Rose LIOTARD.
After Martin's death in 1769, his wife Josephte had married twice more. Her second marriage was to Michel LEDOUX, on 15 July, 1782, at St. Joseph Chambly. Her third marriage was to Louis ROBIDOUX, at Chambly, on the 27th of November, 1787 at St. Joseph, Chambly, PQ.
Martin also had 3 siblings. Madeleine was baptized Apr. 30, 1723, Antoine, Feb. 12, 1728, and Marie, Nov. 12, 1732. This document, from "The MONET and MONETTE Descendants Association of North America Inc.", also says Martin was baptized Feb 26, 1726.
PLEASE NOTE: Martin MONET and his family were known as MONET BELHUMEUR. This is the proper spelling of this name. I will use this spelling of the family name from now on.
At the age of 16, Michel most probably signed up with the Nor'west Fur Company, or on to one of the many fur trading companies of that time, out of Montreal as a middleman. During his years as a voyageur, he became an expert at hunting and trapping. a barterer of furs, proficient in several native tongues, and liaison between the white man and the native tribes. Michel at some time in his life, would become to believe in "laissez faire" (free enterprise), and become a freeman and courier du bois. He may have been living and applying his trade in the Red River area as early as 1786.
Michel would travel from Montreal to Washington State, B.C., all the prairie provinces, through Ontario, and back to Montreal to sell his wares to the native tribes. On one such trip through the NWT, he met and fell in love with a petite Metisse named Marguerite GRANT. There is some speculation on who Marguerite's parents were. Some say she may have been the daughter of Cuthbert GRANT, and his first Indian wife, UTINIWASIS. Some say she could have been an orphan that the GRANT family took in as one of their own. Still others say, she may be from a GRANT trading family out of Montreal. Others contend she may have been UTINIWASIS herself, and married Michel after Cuthbert Sr's death in 1799. In any case, she was born in the year 1775, and baptized with the name Marguerite.
Michel and Marguerite would have three children:
(1) Michel MONET BELHUMEUR, born 1802, in NWT (Pays d'en Haut), bt: Sept 7,1806 at 4 years, 3 weeks old, at Berthierville, Quebec. Michel would have a colorful past with Reine LAGEMODIERE and Josephte BRUYERE (BRIERE) at the Red River Settlement.
(2) Andre MONET BELHUMEUR, born February 7, 1805 in Berthierville, Quebec. Andre would marry Marguerite MARON. Their grand-daughter Marguerite, would marry Louis RIEL.
(3) Josephte MONET BELHUMEUR, born in 1805. Josephte would marry Jean-Baptiste FAGNANT.
Note: You can view the BELHUMEUR lines by the links listed near the bottom of this page.
Michel would take his wife Marguerite, and their children wherever they traveled. Along the way, she would set up camp while her husband hunted for food. She would prepare the days catch by skinning and preparing the animal, gather firewood, haul drinking and washing water, tan hides, do the cooking and sewing, mend and/or make moccasins, and tend to the children. This is the life they shared, and did it with no complaint. It was a hard, lonely, dangerous time, but to Michel and Marguerite, it was their way of life. Whatever this couple had and knew in their lifetime, they passed it on to their children. Michel showed his children how to shoot, hunt, trap, respect the land, and the peoples who lived on this land. Marguerite showed them how to prepare the food, make clothes, moccasins, shelter, and their catholicisms. Michel was an old French Canadian and religion ran deep in both their veins.
Michel would eventually settle down at Red River Settlement. He would hunt the buffalo alongside his sons. He would have owned his own trading business along the Red River (the very spot the grey nuns built their convent), and prosper throughout his remaining years. He was devoted to his family, and to the people who knew him best. Michel was living at White Horse Plains (St. Francois Xavier) as late as 1849, according to the HBC census. Michel would have been 83 years old at the time of his death. On a recent holiday to SFX, I found no mention of Michel being buried there. He may have been buried on his own land, in his own way. Marguerite is believed to have died on April 9, 1866, at St. Boniface, MB.
Our great-great grandfather, Andre MONET BELHUMEUR was born in Quebec, while his parents were visiting or selling furs. Andre, like his brother Michel, and sister Josephte, grew up on the western plains. The family traveled everywhere together. They had settled down on the banks of the Red River, directly across from Fort GIBRALTAR. Andre grew up to be a handsome, very strong individual. He became a voyageur and freeman like his father and older brother. He would hunt the buffalo alongside his sons also. During his later years, Andre tried his hand at farming. He was the owner of lot 1124 at the Red River Settlement (HBCA E.6/7, fo. 10d). He was also the owner of lot 239, area 217, and the occupant and patentee of 1879. Andre had also built and lived in a house on Pidgeon Lake. Andre received Métis scrip. The date of issue was Aug 20th, 1876. Andre's claim # was 1088, Affidavit # 1214, and was sworn on the 21st day of September, 1875. He received his scrip Certificate # 10032, in the amount of $160.00
Andre married Marguerite MARON, an Indian woman. Marguerite was born 1809-1810. She is also known as MARON dit LENOIR, MORAN, and MORIN. On Gail MORIN'S Ancestor's page, she has Marguerite listed as MORIN. Together, Andre and Marguerite had 10 children, see Andre Monet Belhumeur 1805. Andre's son Jean, would have a daughter named Marguerite. She would marry Louis David RIEL. Marguerite would be my first cousin, twice removed, Louis would be my 7th cousin, 4 times removed. Our common ancestor was Marin BOUCHER. Both Andre and Marguerite (d. aft 1852) are buried at Pembina, ND, along with their second oldest daughter Marguerite, who died in 1850.
The cemetery mentioned above is a Métis Historical Site, but has been farmed by the current owner of this land. The issue now is, how big is the actual cemetery, and how much is the State of North Dakota willing to shell out at $2,000 an acre? To find out more of this travesty, click on the addy below.
Métis Graveyard, Pembina, North Dakota
On a happy note, the Pembina County Commissioners has made an offer of 10 acres. When asked why the sudden turnaround of events, an assistant said, " because we (the Métis) had just worn them out". This news was in a letter mailed to Ruth Ellen Swan and fellow representatives from North Dakota Senator, Byron DORGAN
Our great grandfather, Jeremie BELHUMEUR, would be the youngest of Andre's children. He was born April 2, 1852 in Baie St. Paul, 22 years after the first born, Marie (1828). Jeremie would hunt the buffalo on many trips with his family. After the buffalo were nearly wiped out to the point of extinction, the long treks to find the elusive bison had become too exhaustive to too many families. A lot of the BELHUMEUR family stayed behind and settled in Montana, North and South Dakota, and Minnesota. Most of these families had dropped the dit BELHUMEUR, and were only known as MONETTE or MONET. Jeremie would go back to the Baie St. Paul area and start a new family, before heading to Fort Ellice, a HBC trading post some 200 miles west from St. Francois Xavier. The fort and surrounding area were used by the BELHUMEURS in the early 1800's as a meeting place for Métis families to gather before the buffalo hunt. The old fort, situated south of the forks of the Assiniboine and Qu'Appelle Rivers, also offered sanctuary for the sick and elderly and a place of safety and solace to anyone who needed protection from the elements that be.
Jeremie had met and married Euphrosine DESJARLAIS, daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Josephte FLEURY. Both Jean-Baptiste and Josephte's parents were involved in the fur trade. These two families, in all probability, knew each other from Quebec. Jeremie and Frisine were married on August 12, 1877, in St. Francois Xavier, MB. In all, they had sixteen children together. The oldest three were born in and around St. Francois Xavier, and the others were born at Fort Ellice. In 1882, Jeremie and Frisine settled on some land (145.2 acres) near St. Lazare, Manitoba at NE 12-17-29W, known then as the "sand plains." After four short years, Jeremie would claim squatter rights to this land.
To support his ever-growing family, Jeremie would chop and sell wood twelve miles away in Birtle, Manitoba. He also sold lime he made from his own pit at .25 cents a barrel. He and his older sons would work on the log drives from the Shellmouth to Brandon for .75 cents per day. The log drives is where the family got their lumber to build their home.
Being the man he was, Jeremie, at the age of 58, lifted something too heavy and would rupture his appendix. With no medical help to treat him, he died after three days on January 6, 1910. Frisine, on her own with a large family to feed, sold buttermilk and butter to the Doukhobors at .10 cents a cup. The Doukhobors worked for the Grand Trunk Railroad, later called the Canadian National Railway. Frisine and her children would also pick Seneca Root to sell by the pound. She also had a huge vegetable garden she maintained. Times were tough, but Frisine and her kids never once went hungry. Frisine would one day fall down the cold cellar stairs and break her hip. She never fully recovered after that. At the age of 86, she passed away peacefully in her sleep. The year was 1944. Both Jeremie and Frisine lay side-by-side in the old cemetery just outside St. Lazare, Manitoba
Our grandfather Napoleon BELHUMEUR, Nap for short, was born March 13, 1899. He was also a twin to Edward. They made odd twins because uncle Ed was a huge man at six foot, whereas Nap was five foot six. But, that is where the difference ended. Both were powerfully built men. Granpa was a very independent, strong-willed Métis, and very proud of his heritage. On several hunting trips together, my grandfather would relate stories to me, told to him by his father of the forgotten buffalo hunts and of the family ancestry. To stand next to this man, my grandfather, his hair a silvery white, his face a profile of French and Indian mix, will undoubtedly be etched in my memory for the rest of my life.
Nap grew up at Fort Ellice. He went to school at Pumpkin Plains and the Lebret school in Sask., along with his older siblings, twin brother Edward, and younger brother Alexandre. As he grew older, he would acquire 120 odd acres which he cleared with his bare hands. When he was not scrubbing his own land, he was clearing someone else's for .25 cents an hour. Nap also cut and put up fence post, chopped wood, trapped, dug and sold Seneca root, and did handyman work. These days were trying times. Granpa said he was too young for WW1 and too old for WW11.
In 1924, Nap met and married a pretty Metisse by the name of Eva HOULE. Granma was born November 10, 1902 to Johnny (b. 1874) and Betsy HOGUE (b. 1874). Granma came from old hunting families. Her grandfather Charles HOULE, hunted the buffalo across the western prairies. His father Antoine, was an "Old Canadian" from Quebec. Grandma's paternal grandmother, Elise FLEURY, came from an old hunting family also. On grandma's maternal side, her mom Betsy was a HOGUE, and her mom Betsy, was a MORISSETTE. Grandma's great grandmother was Marguerite TAYLOR, a country wife of George SIMPSON, governor of the HBC. All these families had once come from the White Horse Plains area.
Our grandmother was known in the Métis community as Puchuk (Poo-chuck). Granma worked hard all her life. She was a big woman, strong, and very religious. Granma could be very strict at times and put the willow to good use. Puchuk had a big heart, and never turned anyone away from her door. She told me stories of "Sasquatch and the Indian Girl", "The Fiery Black Horse", and a few more tales that would raise the short hairs on the nape of my neck! Both my grandparents spoke Cree together with French to form the dialect called Michif. This language has been passed down through the generations, and is still spoken, and understood by the family today.
Nap worked firstly with the Grand Trunk Railroad, then with the CNR, who bought out the Grand Trunk. He worked throughout the western provinces with friends like Sandy McIVOR and Rusty McKAY. After 30 years with CN, granpa retired in 1964, at 65 years of age. Granpa would continue to work for farmers like Reg DECORBY, and Denis FOUILLARD, two lifelong friends.
I can remember celebrating Christmas, not on Dec. 25, but on Jan. 1st. All the Métis families from around the valley would stop by to pay their respects to my grandparents. Granma would lay out a lunch of bannock and wild meats, chokecherry syrup, fresh cream, and hot tea. Granpa would have a shot of whiskey for the cold night. Butch FLEURY with his guitar and the DESJARLAIS boys with their fiddles would entertain us. The BELHUMEUR, HAYDEN, HOULE, PEPPIN, and BLONDEAU families would celebrate with the Red River jig. Songs handed down through the generations, were sung well into the night and early morning hours. Today, none of this gaiety is practiced in the St. Lazare area. All those old Métis family celebrations are nothing more than a memory, but a memory kept alive in my thoughts.
Granma and granpa would have ten children together (see andre link). Granpa would pass away from heart failure on December 29, 1989 at 90 years of age. Granma would follow him on December 22, 1995 at the tender age of 93 years. I have very fond memories of my grandparents, and I think of them often.
My mother's name was Clara Marie Jeanne BELHUMEUR. Mom was born on October 13, 1928 in St. Lazare, Manitoba. She attended Pumpkin Plains School through the years 1935-1940. At the age of fourteen, mom left the farm life for good. She went to work in Virden, Manitoba for a teacher named Illa FERGUSON. It was here at Illa's that mom got her education. In 1944, mom left Illa and went to work for the Balmoral Hotel in Virden as a cook. After two years at the Balmoral, she moved to Brandon. She worked for the Golden Gate Cafe until 1949. Mom made the "BIG" move from Brandon to Toronto, Ontario in late 1949. In the big T.O., she found employment at the Golden State Grill on Yonge Street. She worked as a cook here for the next 14 years. Mom married George QUINTO (b. 1919) in 1953.Together they raised six children; Larry, Betty-Ann, Diane, Bobby, Lee and Kenny. Mom had another child named Paul, with John MARTIN, her second husband. John would pass away of cancer in March, 1979. George would pass away 6 months later from a bad heart. Mom just recently passed away on the 15th of March, 2000, after a short bout with lung cancer. She was 71 years of age. She will forever be the gypsy in our hearts.
This is a list of surnames that are related directly and indirectly to the BELHUMEUR/HOULE TREE
Grant, Laboissiere, Boissel, Daudelin/Dodelin, Gauthier, Lariviere, Lagimodiere, Bruyere, Serpent, Fagnant, Maron/Moran/Morin, Lenoir, Beaurgard, Ducharme, Johnson, Goneville, Malette, Charette, Finlay, Belgarde, Wilke, Desjarlais, De Gerlaise dit St. Amand, Malaterre, Adam, Riel, Fiddler, Fidler, Fleury, Morissette, Morisset, Morrisette, Hogg, Hogue, Taylor, Davis, Swain, Swan, Lunn, Cault, Boucher, Leblanc, Chartrand, Napakissit, Martin, MacKay, Chaifoux, Lepine, Muskegon, Flamand, Flammand, Morriseau, Morisseau, Mooseau, Morrison,Wesawok, Lingan, St. Germain, Lacerte, Rainville, Gros Ventre, Belly, Prince, Pritchard, LeRat, Gladu, L'esperance, Robert, Marchand, Spence, Peebles, Malette, Paul, Sansregret dit Paul, Dube, Trottier, Breland, Houle, Delorme, Vandal, Nelson, Shwartz, McGillis, Gaboury, Poitras, Hayden, Peppin, Pepin, Tourond, Beauchamp, Tanner, Lucier, Sauve, Bone, Huppe, Lacoutte, Piche, Pichie, Comtois, Lafournaise, Lauzon, Ouellette, Gariepy, Hamel, Lemire, Boucher, St. Denis, Primeau dit Durand, Pelletier, Short, Ledoux, Brazeau, Richard, Larocque, Bercier, Ross, Bottineau, Phillipe, Amyotte, Beriault, Auger, Ladouceur, Whitford, Roy, Bouvier, McMillan (McMullen), Turcotte, Montour, Robillard, Marcellais, Favel, Welch (Welsh), Harkusson, Liotard/Viosard/Rosard, Burel, Theodore/Gilles, Nachita, Dubus, LaGrange, Coiteaux, Descoteaux, Lefebvre, Demers, Brazeau, Matou, Paquet, Champagne, Brodeur, Belanger, Nadon, Labelle, Allary, Twat, Bannerman, Jobin, Roch, Dease, Beauchemin, Atkinson, Lebrun, Slater, Martel, Gagnon, Vivier, LaPierre, Versailles, Parenteau, Baron, Sioux, Faille, Stadnyk, MacRury, Paquette, Quinto, Cona, Trudel, Thomas, Benoit dit LaForest, Lamirande, Lesage, Brissard, Aubert, Testu, Billy dit St. Louis, Foucault, Paille, Hervieux, Renaud dit Duck, Lamontagne, Lamantrie, Duval, Saucier, Normadin, Mauge, Lafond, Bourassa, Fournier, Harnois, Ethier, Lacourse, Fontaine, Langevin, Leblanc, Cavalier ...more surnames to be added...
SPECULATION
There are still a lot of questions that are unanswered about who married whom in this line. Information from Sprague & Frye's "The Genealogy of the First Métis Nation" that Michel MONET BELHUMEUR (b. 1802), son of Michel Sr., who supposedly married (?) Reine LAGIMODIERE (b.1806), daughter of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Anne GABOURY. Michel and Reine had a child together named Marie-Anne MONET, born in 1821. There is further speculation on Marguerite GRANT (b. 1775), wife of Michel Sr. She may have been the daughter of Cuthbert GRANT Sr., with his first wife, an Indian maiden by the name of UTINIWASIS. They had five children together with Marguerite being the oldest. There are several respected researchers who link my Marguerite to Cuthbert. According to the collected writings of Louis RIEL, page 265, this marriage was "pays a la facon." Marguerite and Michel had split after 1805 because Andre POITRAS (see below) is listed as a second husband (pays a la facon) to Marguerite. From the look of things here, I have my work cut out for me. If there wasn't so many Michels in the family, four in the direct line, researching would be so much easier to verify. I can tell you this though, Michel MONET, Jean-Baptiste RIEL, Jean-Baptiste LAGIMODIERE, and other "Old Canadians" living at Red River and surrounding areas at this time, may have known each others families in Quebec before leaving on their expeditions. Information I have read, points to the County of Berthier, and the town of Berthierville, Quebec, as a starting point to parts in the North-West for these men. I am sure everyone knew everyone at Red River, White Horse Plains, Turtle Mountain, Batoche, Pembina, Fort Ellice, etc. The Métis people had relatives everywhere, and it shows through genealogy research today.
NOTE: From the website: http://users.rttinc.com/~canadatree/newslett/news23a.htm
"Andre Poitras Sr. and the Amerindienne woman had a son, also Andre, both of which show up in fur trade records as being situated at fur trade posts on the upper Assiniboine River in the 1790s and early 1800s respectively. Andre Jr was, of course, the first generation Metis in this particular branch of the Poitras family. He and his wife, Marguerite Grant, who was the full sister to Cuthbert Grant Jr., according to Margaret McLeod's biography, had several children, namely Francois, Pierre, Madeleine, Helene, Gabriel and Ignace. Francois married Madeleine Fisher, daughter of Henry Fisher and Marguerite LaFramboise at Portage La Prairie on February 17, 1825. Madeleine, Francois' sister, married Charles Gladu, son of Charles Gladu and Marguerite Ross in November of 1832 at St. Boniface. Pierre Poitras, married Marie Bruyere, daughter of Jean Baptiste Bruyere and Francoise (surname unknown) on November 27, 1832 at St. Boniface. Helene Poitras married Francois Gariepy, son of Francois Gariepy and Louise Gladu on January 14, 1840, at Francois Xavier. Gabriel Poitras married Isabelle Malaterre, daughter of Jean Baptiste Malaterre and Angelique Adam, on February 1, 1842 , also at St. Francois Xavier. Lastly, Ignace Poitras, married Helene McGillis, daughter of Alexandre McGillis and Marguerite Botineau on September 9, 1856 at St. Francois Xavier parish as well."
More to come...
You can visit the MONET BELHUMEUR tree below
You can visit the HOULE line below
Click on this addy to view the burial records of SFX
Sépultures de Saint-François-Xavier, Manitoba, 1834-1865
Métis Nation of Ontario Homepage
The Hudson's Bay Company Archives
Ancestors of Christopher John DELORME
The Northwest Twig of the Peppan/Pepin Family Tree
history summary, U.S.A, Canada, metis, slavery, esclavage, maps, Indian
Family Tree Maker's Genealogy Site: User Home Pages: John Leclair's Really Big Family
BIOGRAPHIES
Louis Riel and the North-West Rebellion
marguerite-monet-dit-bellehumeur
Listen - About a man called Riel
RM of St. Francois Xavier
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank those people that helped me launch this page with their info, insight, and praise. You all know who you are!
This page is dedicated to our mom Clara, grandparents, Nap and Eva BELHUMEUR, aunty Jean, uncle George, aunty Alice, aunty Lucy, uncle Rene, and uncle Art.
MEMORIES OF OUR MOTHER CLARA QUINTO 1928-2000
Memories of Aunt Jean 1930-1985
Memories of Uncle George 1932-1994
Memories of Uncle Art 1937-2005
Memories of Aunt Alice and Uncle Rene
Memories of Aunt Lucy 1927-2003
ANY QUESTIONS YOU MAY HAVE REGARDING THIS PAGE, OR WOULD LIKE TO LINK TO THIS PAGE, PLEASE EMAIL ME
"Oh my Metis
Nation! Take courage! I see you change: It is great...
the more you lend yourself to truth... it will make you great, strong, and
powerful."
Louis David RIEL, April 29, 1885
'This page is always under Construction'