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Jerry England is a passionate amateur historian and genealogist with a deep focus on the fur trade era in New France and early Canada, particularly the lives of French-Canadian voyageurs (canoe-based fur traders and laborers) and coureurs de bois (independent fur traders). He is best known for his detailed blog, Ripples from La Prairie Voyageur Canoes, which serves as both a personal family history project and an accessible resource for anyone interested in the 17th-19th century fur trade. The blog draws heavily on his own ancestry, tracing over 100 French-Canadian relatives involved in the trade from the 1620s to the 1840s.
Background and Motivations
England's interest in the fur trade stems from his youth, when he became fascinated with mountain men and voyageurs—evidenced by his choice of a voyageur costume for early historical reenactments. He was inspired by cultural depictions like the character Pasquinel (played by Robert Conrad) in the 1978 miniseries Centennial, which portrayed a French-Canadian trader venturing into the Rocky Mountains for beaver pelts. This personal connection evolved into a broader quest to document his heritage.
As a descendant of early French emigrants arriving as far back as 1626, England uncovered a family tree rich with fur trade participants. His work emphasizes the St. Lawrence Valley region (including La Prairie, Quebec) as a key departure point for voyageurs heading west to trading posts. He frames his research as a legacy project: "My goal in writing this blog is to leave to my grandsons the answers to the questions I wish I had asked my granddad." This intergenerational focus makes his writing intimate and relatable, blending historical facts with family anecdotes.
The Blog: Ripples from La Prairie Voyageur Canoes
Launched around 2017, the blog (hosted at laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com) is structured like a book titled Ripples, with chapters covering:
- Introduction and Early Ancestors: Overviews of the fur trade's beginnings, including private companies at posts like Tadoussac and Trois-Rivières. England highlights families like the Barrette (from La Prairie) and Leber brothers—François Leber (his 8th great-grandfather, a voyageur) and Jacques Leber (his 9th great-uncle, a partner in Lachine's first fur trading post in the 1660s-1680s).
- Timeline Chapters: Ancestors slotted into fur trade timelines (e.g., 1600s and 1700s), showing events like the Carignan-Salières Regiment's arrival (1665-1668) and explorations by figures such as Pierre-Esprit Radisson and Médard des Groseilliers. He includes contracts, like that of Jean-Baptiste Meunier (his 4th great-grandfather), hired by the North West Company in 1803.
- Practical Guides: Posts on voyageur life, such as canoe types (e.g., birch-bark canoes for portages and heavy loads), brigade travel (groups led by a bourgeois or partner), and routes from Montreal to Grand Portage via the Great Lakes.
- Later Entries: Discussions on broader topics, like Denis Duquet's role in the 1659 Tadoussac trade or the 1669 land deals by merchants Charles Le Moyne and Jacques Le Ber.
The blog is richly sourced, citing primary records (e.g., Quebec Vital and Church Records, Voyageur Contracts Database from La Société historique de Saint-Boniface), books (e.g., Crusaders of New France by William Bennett Munro, The Voyageur by Grace L. Nute), and maps (e.g., 1755 Great Lakes map by Jacques-Nicolas Bellin). It's praised in genealogy circles, with excerpts republished on sites like amyottefamily.ca for their detail on prominent voyageur families.
England encourages readers suspecting voyageur ancestry to search databases like the Rapport de l'Archiviste de la province de Québec or fur trade contracts from the French Regime. His tone is folksy and enthusiastic, often weaving in poetry (e.g., "The Voyageurs" by George Marsh) or reflections on the trade's harsh realities, like retaliatory attacks by the Sioux on La Vérendrye expeditions.
Other Interests and Identity
Beyond the fur trade, England describes himself as a multifaceted "drifter": a cowboy activist (advocating for ranching heritage), Western movie historian (analyzing films depicting frontiersmen), horseman, canoeist, genealogist, and folk artist. He traces his "cowboy and voyageur legacy" across 12+ generations on North American prairies and forests, linking his modern pursuits (e.g., reenactments) to ancestral skills like paddling and portaging.
He positions himself as an everyday enthusiast rather than a professional academic—someone who "back-trails" history through personal stories. There's no evidence of formal publications beyond the blog, but his work has influenced online discussions of French-Canadian genealogy and reenactment communities.
Online Presence and Legacy
The blog remains active sporadically as of 2020 (latest dated posts), with no major updates noted recently, suggesting it stands as a completed archive. Searches on X (formerly Twitter) yield no dedicated account for England; mentions of "Jerry England" in fur trade contexts are absent, though related topics like York boats and voyageur games appear in broader Canadian history threads. His influence persists through shares in genealogy forums, where he's called a "fantastic" resource for tracing Indigenous and French ties to the trade.
If you're researching specific ancestors or voyageur routes, England's blog is an excellent starting point—free, detailed, and grounded in primary sources. For deeper dives, cross-reference with resources like the Hudson's Bay Company Archives or the Canadian Encyclopedia's voyageur entry. If you have a family name or era in mind, I can help narrow it down further!
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