Gabrielle Louise Moreau — La Prairie, New France and the fur trade

 

Gabrielle Louise Moreau — La Prairie, New France and the fur trade

Gabrielle Louise Moreau was born on May 28, 1694, in Québec, Quebec, Canada, to Jean Baptiste Moreau (1657-1727) and Marie Anne Rodrigue (1673-1720).  She married Etienne Rondeau on November 25, 1709, in Québec, and they had at least 10 daughters, including Marie Elisabeth Rondeau (born around 1708), who later married Joseph Placide Gravel.  Gabrielle died on June 3, 1750, in Saint-Michel-de-Bellechasse, Quebec, Canada. 

Her family had roots in the early settlement of New France, with her paternal grandfather, Jean Baptiste Moreau (1635-1710), originating from France, and her maternal side including Portuguese and French immigrants, such as her grandfather João (Jean) Rodrigue from Lisbon and her grandmother Anne Roy (LeRoy), who arrived as one of the Filles du Roi.  While Gabrielle herself was born and primarily lived in the Québec area, she had connections to La Prairie through extended family networks and the broader regional economy of New France.  La Prairie, located south of Montréal, was a key hub for agriculture and trade during the colonial period, and many families like the Moreaus had ties there via migration, marriage, or economic activities.  Her involvement in the fur trade appears to have been peripheral but hands-on; historical records suggest she processed pelts (such as scraping them) alongside relatives like the Desroches kin, as evidenced by her 1750 estate inventory, which reflects the everyday role women often played in supporting the fur economy in settlements like La Prairie.  The fur trade was central to New France's economy, driving exploration and commerce, and families in the Saint Lawrence Valley, including hers, were frequently entangled in it through voyageur relatives or local processing. 

Joseph Moreau (1672-1708), your 8th great-granduncle and Gabrielle's uncle, was born in 1672 in New France as the son of Jean Baptiste Moreau (1635-1710) and brother to her father, Jean Baptiste Moreau (1657-1727).  He worked as a voyageur and fur trader, navigating the challenging waterways of New France to transport goods and furs, a common occupation for young men in the colony during the late 17th century.  Voyageurs like Joseph were essential to the fur trade, forming canoe convoys to move merchandise from Montréal to outposts like Michilimackinac (in present-day Michigan), often facing risks from rapids, weather, and regulatory enforcement. 

The lawsuit stemmed from a 1696 fur-trading expedition where Joseph and his partner, Louis Durand (sometimes spelled Durant), contracted with Marie-Therese Guyon, wife of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (a prominent French officer and fur trader who later founded Detroit), to deliver goods from Montréal to Michilimackinac.  They were promised 100 livres each in wages, plus permission to trade a limited amount of personal merchandise under a license from Governor Frontenac.  A verbal agreement allegedly allowed them to carry excess goods for profit, but en route, authorities confiscated some overloaded cargo near Lachine, selling it for charity.  Undeterred, they reloaded hidden excess and continued.

Upon arrival at Michilimackinac, Cadillac initially encouraged them to form a trading company with another merchant for ventures among the Sioux, providing 7,000 livres worth of goods.  However, after learning of the Lachine seizure—which implicated him in permit violations—Cadillac turned hostile.  He had Durand arrested on trumped-up charges (insolence and injuring a dog), and Joseph imprisoned for supposedly trying to break the contract and aid Durand's escape.  On July 27, 1696, Cadillac's soldiers seized their possessions, including hardware, guns, food, wine, canoes, a strongbox with lead, powder, fabrics, blankets, furs, vermillion, and bills of credit (which Cadillac rewrote in his own name). 

Released but destitute, Joseph and Durand borrowed funds, acquired new goods, traded with the Sioux and Ottawa, and returned to Montréal and Québec in fall 1697.  They sued Cadillac on September 14, 1697, seeking wages (200 livres total) and reimbursement for seized items and bills (around 3,100 livres).  Cadillac denied the claims, asserting the goods were his.  The case went to arbitration, but intimidation from Cadillac and Governor Frontenac (who imprisoned an investigator) complicated proceedings.  Durand withdrew in January 1698 after a debt settlement, but Joseph persisted.  On April 2, 1698, Intendant Champigny ruled in Joseph's favor, ordering Cadillac to pay 3,400 livres and six deniers.  Frontenac delayed enforcement, leading Joseph to sail to France in October 1698, where he accepted a 1,600-livre settlement and withdrew the suit. 

This case highlights the tensions in New France's fur trade, where strict royal permits aimed to curb abuses, but officials like Cadillac often exploited their power, leading to conflicts with independent traders like Joseph.  Joseph died in 1708, but his story underscores the risks and legal battles faced by voyageurs in the era. 

Moreau family fur trade roles

The Moreau family played a significant role in the fur trade of New France during the late 17th and early 18th centuries, primarily as voyageurs who transported merchandise by canoe, engaged in trading expeditions, and navigated the economic and legal challenges of the era. Their activities were centered around key hubs like Montréal, Batiscan, and outposts such as Michilimackinac, the Ottawas (Outaouais region), Detroit, and Sioux territories. Family members often worked under contracts with merchants, companies, or officials, facing issues like merchandise limits, confiscations, and disputes over profits. Below is a breakdown of key family members' roles based on historical records.

Jean Moreau (1635-1710), Patriarch

As the father of the primary fur-trading siblings, Jean Moreau was directly involved in the trade later in life. He participated in a large group engagement in 1704, listed as a voyageur from Batiscan, alongside over 60 others for a fur trade expedition. This contract involved transporting goods and trading pelts, reflecting the family's foundational ties to the voyageur lifestyle in the Saint Lawrence Valley settlements.

Jean Baptiste Moreau (1657-1727), Son and Fur Trader

Jean Baptiste, a voyageur based in areas like Batiscan and Québec, was actively engaged in multiple fur trade expeditions:

• In 1703, he was hired by the Compagnie de la Colonie du Canada to travel as a voyageur to Detroit via Lake Erie.
• In 1704, he joined a massive group engagement (including his father Jean and brother Joseph) for a broader fur trade venture, coordinating with voyageurs from various Québec locations.
• From 1716 to 1718, he undertook annual voyages to Michilimackinac: hired by Nicolas Perttuis in 1716, and by Paul Guillet in 1717 and 1718 (the latter with François Neveu). These trips involved transporting merchandise westward and returning with furs, contributing to the family's ongoing participation in the beaver pelt economy.

He married Marie Anne Rodrigue in 1692, and their family continued in the Québec region, with indirect ties to trade through descendants. His role exemplifies the multigenerational nature of voyageur work, often spanning decades amid the competitive fur trade regulated by French authorities.

Joseph Moreau (1672-1708), Brother and Prominent Voyageur

Joseph was one of the most documented Moreau traders, serving as a voyageur and independent merchant who faced high-stakes expeditions and legal battles:

• In 1693, he was engaged by Augustin Legardeur, Sr. de Courtemanche, to voyage to the Ottawas.
• In 1694, alongside Mathurin Roy, he was hired by Jean-Baptiste Maret for another trip to the Ottawas.
• His most notable involvement was in 1696, partnering with Louis Durand under a contract with Marie-Therese Guyon (wife of Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac) to deliver goods from Montréal to Michilimackinac. They held a license from Governor Frontenac allowing limited personal trade, but a verbal agreement permitted excess merchandise for profit. En route, near Lachine, authorities confiscated some overloaded cargo. At Michilimackinac, Cadillac initially supported a trading company with them for Sioux ventures (providing 7,000 livres in goods), but later arrested them on pretext charges and seized their possessions on July 27, 1696—including hardware, guns, food, wine, canoes, lead, powder, fabrics, blankets, furs, vermillion, and bills of credit worth about 3,100 livres (which Cadillac rewrote in his name).
• Released but destitute, Joseph and Durand borrowed funds, traded with the Sioux and Ottawa, and returned to Québec in fall 1697. They sued Cadillac on September 14, 1697, for wages (200 livres) and reimbursements. After arbitration attempts, intimidation by Cadillac and Frontenac (including imprisoning an investigator), and Durand's withdrawal in January 1698, Joseph persisted. Intendant Champigny ruled in his favor on April 2, 1698, for 3,400 livres and six deniers, but delays led Joseph to France, where he settled for 1,600 livres in October 1698.
• In 1704, he was part of the same group engagement as his father and brother.

Joseph married Françoise Frigon in 1700, and his career highlights the risks of the trade, including regulatory enforcement and power abuses by officials like Cadillac. He died young in 1708, but his story underscores the Moreau family's entanglement in the fur trade's legal and economic tensions.

Gabrielle Louise Moreau (1694-1750), Daughter of Jean Baptiste

Gabrielle, born in Québec and married to Etienne Rondeau in 1709, had a more peripheral but supportive role in the fur economy. Living in the Saint Lawrence Valley, she processed pelts (e.g., scraping them) alongside relatives, as noted in her 1750 estate inventory. This reflects the common involvement of women in household-level fur preparation, aiding the family's trade network without direct voyageur expeditions. Her connections to La Prairie were through regional family ties and the broader trade routes, though she primarily resided in Québec areas.

Overall, the Moreaus exemplified typical French-Canadian voyageur families, contributing to New France's fur trade by facilitating the movement of goods and furs across vast waterways. Their engagements often involved notaries like Adhémar and partnerships with figures like Cadillac, amid a system of royal licenses aimed at controlling abuses. While men like Joseph and Jean Baptiste handled the frontline trading, the family's collective efforts supported the colony's economic backbone until shifts in the 18th century.

Courtesy of Grok xAI and Drifting Cowboy