Ripples from La Prairie Voyageur Canoes: Ripples: Chapter Three

Diel Family

La Prairie's Diel Family - Three Generations of Voyageurs

Voyageurs were French-Canadian engages, hired men, who travelled the lakes and rivers in bark canoes from Montreal to Lake Huron, Detroit, Michilimackinac, Green Bay and beyond. This was a physically demanding occupation which involved not only the hardships of nature, but the likelihood of being killed by hostile Indians.

Charles Diel dit Le Petit Breton (1652-1702) (8th great-grandfather)

son of Philippe Diel (1618-1676) and Marie Anquetin (Hanquetin) (1630-_)

Birth BEFORE 1652 • Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France

Death 13 APR 1702 • La Prairie, Quebec, Canada

Marriage 1676 to Marie Anne Picard (1663-1697)

• 1665, arrived in New France as a soldier in the La Fouille Company of the Carignan-Salières Regiment.

• 1677 Sep 7, voyageur with Frontenac at Fort Frontenac. He was at Fort Frontenac when Frontenac took a his census of the Fort.

Many of the men who would accompany La Salle on his future voyages were residents of the Fort. By this time, La Salle had made most of his improvements to the fort.

Following are names of the individuals recorded in the census:

La Salle (governor), François Daupin, sieur de LaForest (major), Louis Hennepin (a Récollet), Luc Buisset (a Récollet), Sieur Jean Péré.

Soldiers: La Fleur (sergeant), Duplessis, La Boise, Jean Baptiste Fafard dit Macons/Macouce, Meunier/Meusnier dit Laliberté, Jean Michel, André Hunault, Deslauriers, Antoine Brossard (ordered to go to meet the Onondaga), Lévéille (gone down to Montréal to bring up the carpenter disembarked lately), Gabriel Barbier dit LeMinime/Mimine (ordered into the brigantine), Jacques Bourdon, sieur d’Autray (ordered into the brigantine), Maheu (ordered into the brigantine), Jean la Rouxelière/ Rouxcel de Larousselière (surgeon absent on duty), Cauchois/Cochois (a servant of sieur de La Salle, ordered into the brigantine), Fontaine (a pilot of the barque called Le Frontenac).

Fort Frontenac on Cataraqui River

Workers: Olivier Quesnel (an armorer), Moïse Hilaret (ship’s carpenter gone down to make a shallop in Lac St. Sacrament), Jean Fontaine (ship’s carpenter gone down to make a shallop in Lac St. Sacrament), Laforge (the blacksmith gone to take them), Pierre Lecellier, Jolycoeur, Louis Méline, Jean Baptiste Brossard, Dubois (tailor gone down to Montréal ten days ago, sick), Joseph (joiner gone down to Montréal ten days ago, sick), Louis Douceregnié, Larose/La Rosée (mason), Jean Baptiste Caron/Colon/Coron dit La Violette de Paris (mason), Thomas Brésil (mason), René Gervais (mason), Pierre Perrault/Perot (carpenter), Pierre Perrault/Perot (his son), Jean Barraud, Antoine Alain.

Habitants: Curaillon, Jean Michaud (has his wife and four children), Jacques de LaMétairie, Mathurin Grégoire (wife and three children).

In addition to the individuals named in the census, the following men brought supplies to Fort Frontenac: Lavigne, Bourbonnais, Charles Diel, Picard, Pigoret, Larivière de Tours, Charles Ptolomée, Nicolas Bonhomme, Nicolas Gagné/Gaigner, Laforge, and Charlier

1684, Leger Hebert of Cap de la Trinite has a trade permit and hires Charles Diel to go to the Outaouais country with Pierre Lefebvre and Antoine Caille on 20 September 1684 for the sum of 630 livres. Because they had never been there before, they are guided by Jean Lesieur dit La Calot who promises to lead them to Michilimackinac without receiving part of their share. That same day, they borrow the value of "2616 livres and six sols" of merchandise.

Charles Diel is 31 years old at the time of the trip to Michilimackinac and has been married to Marie Anne Picard for 8 years. He traded for furs with the Indians in the middle of the Great Lakes at Ft. Michilimackinac. However, he was at his daughter's burial on or about 9 DEC 1684, so he did not winter over on this trip.

1688 - Jean Deniau guarantees them of other trips for Hilarie Bourgine. The first voyage is followed by a second in 1688. On 31 July of that year, Charles Diel promises Antoine Caille to go to the Outaouais to "put forward the good of their association". On the third of August, with Pierre Lefebvre and Andre Danny, he borrows 1063 livres, 2 sols, and six sums of money from Hilarie Bourgine, and, on the same day, in company of Antoine Caille and Pierre Lefebvre, 81 livres, 15 sols and six deniers from the same.

1704, Oct 20, Charles Diel rents to his son-in-law, Francois Bory, for five years, the land of St. Lambert, La Prairie. He sells the moist land to Nicolas Varrin dit Lapistole on 24 July 1707 for the sum of 600 livres. Is he obtaining money to buy trade goods?

1692, Sep 16, Charles Diel, Antoine Cailler, and Pierre Le febvre appeared at a judicial hearing concerning a payment in fur to Madame Perrot of La Prairie with furs that they apparently transported from Michilimackinac to Montreal for a third party.. ???? pg. 95 Edge of Empire .

River view of Detroit 1794

Charles Diel (1688-1734) (7th great-grandfather)

son of Charles Diel dit Le Petit Breton (1652-1702) and Marie Anne Picard (1663-1697)

Birth 5 AUG 1688 • La Prairie, Quebec, Canada

Death 21 JUN 1734 • Chambly, Quebec, Canada

Marriage 1716 to Jeanne Boyer (1694-1730) (7th great-grandmother) (2) 1732 to Marguerite Robert (1683-1766)

• 1713 - Gilles Lecours and Charles Cusson hired Charles Diel to make a voyage to Détroit [Antoine Adhémar].

• 1718, On 28 May 1718, Pierre Roy hired Charles Diel to make a voyage to Détroit [RAPQ1930, p. 223 - also see the entries for François Roy, Étienne Roy, and Louis Roy for this same time period].