The Pinsonneau family, with roots in 17th-century France, played a significant role in the fur trade of New France (modern-day Quebec and parts of the United States and Canada). Their story is one of adventure, exploration, and adaptation, as they transitioned from soldiers and settlers to voyageurs—skilled canoe paddlers who transported goods and furs across vast wilderness networks. This essay draws from a collection of historical accounts to outline the family's origins, key figures, and contributions to the fur trade, culminating in their migration to the United States. Through generations, the Pinsonneaus (often anglicized to Passino or Pensoneau) embodied the spirit of the coureurs des bois (woods runners) and voyageurs, forging ties with Indigenous nations and helping shape early North American commerce.
Origins in France and Arrival in New France
The Pinsonneau lineage begins with François Pinsonneau dit Lafleur, born around 1646 in Saintonge, Charente-Maritime, France. As a soldier in the Carignan-Salières Regiment, he arrived in New France in 1665 aboard the ship La Justice. This regiment, sent by King Louis XIV, consisted of about 1,200 troops tasked with defending French settlements against Iroquois raids and securing fur trade routes. After building forts along the Richelieu River and achieving peace in 1667, many soldiers, including François, stayed as settlers. He married Anne Leper (or LeBer), born in 1647 in Luçon, France, who was one of the filles du roi (King's Daughters)—women sponsored by the king to marry and populate the colony. They wed in 1673 in Sorel, Quebec, and settled in La Prairie, a key fur trade hub south of Montreal.
La Prairie, founded in the 1640s, became a center for voyageur activity due to its strategic location on trade routes to the Great Lakes and beyond. François and Anne's descendants quickly integrated into this world. Their son, Jacques Pinsonneau dit Lafleur (1682–1773), born in Contrecoeur, Quebec, married Marie Elisabeth Bourassa in 1712. The Bourassa family had deep fur trade ties: Marie's father, François Bourassa (born around 1660 in France), was a coureur des bois who arrived in New France by 1683. He married Marie Leber in 1684 at Fort Chambly and engaged in trading expeditions, including a notable 1690 trip to Fort Michilimackinac, a vital French trading post connecting Lakes Huron and Michigan. François was presumed dead during an absence but returned in 1694, later focusing on farming in La Prairie until his death in 1708 during an epidemic.
This early generation set the stage for the family's fur trade involvement. Coureurs des bois like François Bourassa operated independently, often illegally, trading furs with Indigenous groups such as the Algonquin and Huron. As regulations tightened, their roles evolved into licensed voyageurs, who signed contracts for organized expeditions.
Key Voyageur Generations: Joseph and Gabriel Pinsonneau
The family's direct engagement in the fur trade intensified with Joseph Pinsonneau (1733–1779 or 1784), son of Jacques and Marie Elisabeth. Born in La Prairie, Joseph married Marie Madeleine Duquet in 1761. He was an experienced voyageur, serving as a "devant" (bowman and guide) in canoe crews—a position requiring skill in navigation and leadership. In 1763, shortly after the Treaty of Paris ended French control in North America, Joseph signed a contract with Montreal merchant Michel Laselle (via Jacques Laselle fils) for a trip to La Baye (Green Bay, Wisconsin). The agreement, notarized by Hadiesne, promised 170 livres in wages, with advances and provisions like food at Detroit. Joseph was to transport merchandise west and return with peltries (furs), exempt from certain portages like Niagara. This contract reflects the transition to British-influenced trade but maintained French-Canadian traditions.
Joseph's son, Gabriel Pinsonneau (1770–1807), continued the legacy. Born in La Prairie, Gabriel married Marie-Louise Vielle in 1802. As a "milieu" (middle paddler), he signed a 1797 contract with Jacques and François Lasselle for a one-year trip to Detroit. Notarized by Louis Chaboillez in Montreal, it offered 500 livres, advances, and supplies like pants, shirts, and cowhide shoes. The Lasselle brothers, Montreal natives linked to explorer Robert de La Salle, were key figures in post-1795 trade, interpreting at the Treaty of Greenville and navigating U.S.-British tensions leading to the War of 1812. Gabriel's crew included relatives from interconnected La Prairie families, underscoring the communal nature of voyageur life.
Other uncles, like François (1777–1824), Joseph (1763–1820), and Pierre Pinsonneau (1765–?), also signed contracts: François to the Illinois River in 1797, Joseph to Detroit in 1799 for the North West Company, and Pierre as a steersman in 1802 to Fort Kaministiquia (later Fort William), involving overwintering and routes through Michilimackinac. These expeditions highlight the family's broad reach into the Great Lakes and Northwest fur networks, competing with the Hudson's Bay Company.
Paschal and Laurent Pinsonneau: Fur Traders with Indigenous Ties
The family's fur trade story extended into the 19th century with Paschal Pinsonneau (1796–1884) and his brother Laurent (1807–1848), sons of Louison Pinsonneau (a trader for the American Fur Company) and Louise "Lizette" LeCompte (half Potawatomie). Born in Cahokia, Illinois, Paschal lived among the Kickapoo from age 13, learning their language and customs through cultural exchanges typical of coureurs des bois. He traded furs, repaired guns, and served as an interpreter for the U.S. government, including the 1862 Kickapoo Treaty. During the Black Hawk War (1831–1832), he enlisted in the Illinois Militia and accompanied Black Hawk to Washington, D.C. Around 1839, Paschal married Shikina, daughter of a Kickapoo chief, and settled in Atchison County, Kansas, as its first permanent white settler. He established a trading house and farm on Stranger Creek, later moving with the Kickapoo after the 1854 treaty. Paschal died in 1884 in Indian Territory, leaving a memoir dictating his experiences.
Laurent, also a trader for the American Fur Company under François Gesseau Chouteau, set up a post in 1833 near Fort Leavenworth, trading with Delaware, Kansa, Shawnee, and Kickapoo nations. He hosted Jesuit missionaries, translated for Chief Kennekuk, and supported the Kickapoo Mission. Married to Elizabeth Hays and later a Potawatomie woman, Laurent died in 1848. Their brother Narcisse established a Missouri trading post. These siblings exemplify the Pinsonneaus' integration with Indigenous communities amid U.S. expansion and Indian Removal Acts.
Migration, Lucy Pinsonneau, and Family Legacy
Gabriel Pinsonneau's son, Gabriel (or Gilbert Passino, 1803–1877), marked the family's shift to the U.S. Born in La Prairie, he married Marie Émélie Meunier dite Lagacé in 1824 and emigrated around 1830, settling in Jefferson County, New York. Possibly a trapper, he appeared in censuses as an illiterate farmer speaking little English. His daughter, Lucy Pinsonneau (1836–1917), born in Rutland, New York, married John Galloway Brown in 1861 and died in Montana. Lucy's French-Canadian heritage, traced through church records and censuses, connects back to the voyageur roots, with name variations (Passino, Passinault) reflecting adaptation.
Not all family stories were tied to trade; Pascal Pinsonneau (1812–1865), a farmer and 2nd cousin to Lucy's line, joined the 1838 Lower Canada Rebellion, attacking a loyalist's home and killing a man. Sentenced to death but exiled to Australia in 1839 aboard the Buffalo, he was pardoned in 1843 and returned in 1845, dying in La Prairie.
The Pinsonneau family's legacy endures in their contributions to the fur trade, which spanned from New France's forts to U.S. frontiers. Descended from soldiers like François and linked to explorers like the Lasselles, they navigated rivers, forged alliances, and built lives amid colonial changes. Today, their story reminds us of the interconnected histories of French Canadians, Indigenous peoples, and early American settlers.
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