As a drifting cowboy with a paddle in hand, I've always felt that pull toward the wild rivers and silent woods—turns out, it's more than just a hobby.
Back in 2010, I uncovered my French-Canadian heritage, linking me straight to the voyageurs and coureurs de bois who blazed trails across New France. Fast-forward to 2026, and I'm revisiting this old post from May 2016, giving it a fresh polish with updated details from reliable sources like WikiTree and historical records.
This isn't just family history; it's the story of resilient folks who traded furs, navigated cultural crossroads, and shaped the early Canadian frontier.
And yes, that photo above of me dressed as a coureur de bois at the 1987 Wind River Rendezvous? It hits different now, knowing these ancestors were the real deal.
The LeBer Family Tree: From Normandy to La Prairie
François LeBer, my 8th great-grandfather, was born around 1626 in Pitres, Normandy, France—the son of Robert LeBer and Colette Cavelier. He immigrated to New France by 1662, settling first in Montreal before moving his family to La Prairie around 1672.
This riverside settlement was a hub for trade, missions, and skirmishes with the Iroquois, growing from a small fort to a community of about 300 by the late 1600s.
François was a fur trader and farmer, owning a modest plot with livestock and arms by the 1681 census. He died on May 19, 1694, and was buried the next day in La Prairie at age 72.
François married twice, fathering children who embodied the era's mix of adventure and hardship. Here's a breakdown of his immediate family, drawn from parish records and genealogical databases:
François LeBer (Self), b. Abt. 1626 Pitres, France – d. May 19, 1694 La Prairie, QC
Fur trader (coureur de bois); farmer with 6 arpents land, cattle, guns; brother to merchant Jacques LeBer (1633–1706, ennobled 1696).
• Marriages: (1) 1655 France: Marguerite Lesieur/Françoise Lefrançois (1628 France – 1662 QC?) (2) Dec 2, 1662 Montreal: Jeanne Testard (1641 Rouen, France – Jan 18, 1723 La Prairie), a Fille à Marier (early female immigrant).
Children:
Anne LeBer (Daughter from 1st marriage), b. 1656 France – After 1699? (Returned to QC ~1699)
Immigrant by 1672; fled to Albany, NY ~1683 amid family troubles; converted, remarried; returned as nun (Soeur St.-Charles) in Congregation Notre-Dame.
• Marriages & Children: (1) Jan 12, 1672 Montreal: Antoine Barrois (~1647 France – bef 1689 Albany); at least 1 child. (2) ~1689 NY: Hillebrant Lootman/Jean Baptiste Lotman dit Albrin (1662 NY – 1717 Montreal); children incl. Charles Barrois/Lothman.
Joachim-Jacques LeBer (Son), b. Jun 10, 1664 Montreal – d. bef Nov 19, 1696 La Prairie.
Coureur de bois; fur trade contracts (1685 Ottawas, 1688/1690 Michilimackinac); interrogated in Albany 1692 during captivity. My 8th great-uncle.
• Marriages & Children: Jan 28, 1692 La Prairie: Jeanne Cusson (1663 Trois-Rivières – 1738 La Prairie); no known children.
+ Marie LeBer (Daughter), b. Dec 6, 1666 Montreal – d. Dec 23, 1756 La Prairie
Lived through frontier raids; multiple marriages reflecting era's instability. My 7th great-grandmother via Bourassa line.
• Marriages & Children: (1) Jan 9, 1681 Contrecœur: Charles Robert dit Deslauriers (1645 France – bef 1684); 1 child. (2) Jul 4, 1684 Contrecœur: François Bourassa (1659 France – May 9, 1708 Montreal); 6 children. (3) Apr 22, 1714 La Prairie: Pierre Herve (1673 France – Apr 5, 1736 La Prairie); no children.
Jeanne LeBer (Daughter), b. Abt.~1668/1670 QC – d. Dec 10, 1687 Montreal
Early death post-marriage.
Marriages & Children: Nov 21, 1686 La Prairie: Jean Tessier dit Lavigne (1663 Montreal – 1734 Montreal); no known children.
Jacques LeBer (Son), b. Jul 20, 1672 La Prairie – d. Jul 21, 1672 La Prairie
Died in infancy.
François LeBer Jr. (Son), b. Oct 11, 1673 La Prairie – d. Apr 24, 1753 La Prairie
Coureur de bois; continued family trade.
• Marriages & Children: Oct 29, 1698 Montreal: Marie-Anne Magnan dite Lespérance (1677 La Prairie – 1760 La Prairie); 5 children.
Claude LeBer (Son)
Sep 14, 1675 La Prairie – Oct 10, 1675 La Prairie
Died in infancy.
This lineage connects me through Marie LeBer to the Bourassa and Pinsonneau families, eventually to my grandmother Lydia Corinna Brown (1891–1971). For more on my full French connection, check my 2011 post: Cowboy Legacy: French Connection.
The Coureurs de Bois: Rogues of the Wilderness
François LeBer and his sons—Joachim, François Jr., and likely others—were classic coureurs de bois, the unlicensed fur traders who roamed New France's forests. These weren't outcasts but often well-born adventurers, ditching garrison duty or farm life for the thrill of the trade. They'd paddle birchbark canoes deep into Indigenous territories, swapping European goods for beaver pelts, often illegally to evade royal monopolies. Life was free but risky: dodging authorities, forging alliances with nations like the Ottawa and Iroquois, and surviving harsh winters. François and his kin operated along the St. Lawrence and Champlain-Richelieu corridor, smuggling furs south to Albany for better prices. They're hailed as fathers of the fur trade, blending French grit with Indigenous knowledge—much like my own canoe trips echo today.
The Tale of Joachim LeBer: A Life on the Edge
Joachim's story, drawn from Linda Breuer Gray's PhD thesis Narratives and Identities in the Saint Lawrence Valley, 1667-1720 (McGill, 1999), captures the borderland chaos. Born in 1664, he grew up amid La Prairie's missions, learning Iroquois or Algonquian tongues from nearby Kahnawake. By his teens, he was hearing tales of raids and trades that fired a boy's imagination.
As a young man, Joachim signed fur contracts: in 1685 to the Ottawas (at a veteran's wage, hinting at prior experience); 1688 and 1690 to Michilimackinac with partners like François Bourassa. He married widow Jeanne Cusson in 1692, but spent much time away—likely on illegal runs. Captured in 1692 (possibly trading in Iroquoia), he was interrogated in Albany by Gov. Benjamin Fletcher, spilling details on New France's defenses: 2,200 men under Callières, forts at La Prairie with 400 armed, and peace rumors. His testimony was spot-on, tailored for survival in a tense spot.
Joachim dodged major raids on La Prairie (1690–1691), but met a grim end around 1695–1696, reportedly "burned by the Iroquois" per Jeanne's account. No kids, no land—he lived for the trade, vanishing into the frontier's mists. Gray notes his narrative shifted by context: warfare lingo in Albany, trade tales back home.
Narratives, Identities, and That DNA Pull
Gray's work dives deep: identities in this "middle ground" were fluid, shaped by language, captivity, and kin networks. The LeBers spanned borders—Anne in Albany, Joachim interrogated there, uncle Jacques adopted by Onondaga, brother François captive in 1693. They traded info on raids, prices, and routes, blending French, Dutch, English, and Indigenous worlds. Oral stories were key in illiterate La Prairie; captivities led to adoptions or returns, like Anne's nun life.
Is it in the genes? That 1987 Hart Canyon Rendezvous photo above—me and friends in buckskins—feels prophetic. With ancestors like François paddling for pelts, my canoe obsession makes sense. It's heritage flowing like the St. Lawrence: resilient, adventurous, tied to the land. If you're digging into your roots, start with records—mine led to this wild ride.
Thanks to Grok xAI for the updates and enhanced editing.
No comments:
Post a Comment