Saturday, April 13, 2019

SORTING OUT CHARLES BOYER — VOYAGEUR ANCESTOR



• CHARLES BOYER 1631–1698 9TH GREAT-GRANDFATHER
Son of Pierre Boyer 1610–1711 and Denise Refence 1600–1666
BIRTH 1631 • Vançais, Deux-Sevres, Poitou-Charentes, France
DEATH 10 FEB 1698 • La Prairie, Quebec, Canada
Marriage (1) 24 Novembre 1659 • Montréal, to Louise Therese Marie Lebreuil DuBreul (1636–1727)
Children with Louise Therese Marie Lebreuil DuBreul (1):
i. Louise Boyer
ii. Marie Marguerite Boyer –1749
iii. Marie Catherine Boyer
Marie Catherine Boyer
Marriage (2) 23 Nov 1666 • Montréal, to Marguerite Ténard (1645–1678) [ Filles du Roi ]
Children with Marguerite Ténard (2):
i. Joseph Boyer 1669–
ii. +Antoine Jacques Boyer 1671–1747
iii. Jean Baptiste Boyer 1673–1733; m. Marie Anne Caillé dit Biscornet 1675–

ANTOINE JACQUES BOYER 1671–1747 8TH GREAT-GRANDFATHER
Son of Charles Boyer 1631–1698 and Marguerite Ténard 1645–1678
BIRTH 10 APR 1671 • Laprairie, Quebec, Canada
DEATH 27 MARS 1747 • La Prairie, Québec, Canada
Marriage (1) 04 Feb 1692 • La Prairie, to Marie Perras (1673–1736)
Children with Marie Perras (1):
i. Marie Boyer 1692–1766
ii. +Jeanne Boyer 1694–1730
iii. Jean Antoine Boyer 1697–1768
iv. Pierre Boyer 1704–1747
v. • Charles Boyer 1713–1801; 8th great-uncle; m. 8 Oct 1742 • La Prairie, to Jeanne Suprenant (1718–1770)
vi. Joseph Boyer 1714–1797
Marriage (2) 9 sept 1737 • La Prairie, to Catherine Suprenant 1686–Aft. 1737



SEE: Antoine Jacques Boyer — Voyageur Grandfather

• CHARLES BOYER 1713–1801 8TH GREAT-UNCLE
Son of Antoine Jacques Boyer 1671–1747 and Marie Perras 1673–1736
BIRTH 21 JAN 1713 • La Prairie, Quebec, Canada
DEATH 14 JAN 1801 • La Prairie, Quebec, Canada
Marriage 8 Oct 1742 • La Prairie, to Jeanne Suprenant (1718–1770)
Father of Charles Boyer 1744–_ 1st cousin 8x removed [ Nor’Wester Clerk ]

The following engagements are most likely my 8th great-uncle…

• 1734, May 16, Charles Boyer Engagement to P?—Notary Francois Lepailleur de Laferte

• 1742, Feb 20,  Charles Boyer Engagement to LaDeraute to go to unknown—Notary Gervais Hodiesne

• 1744, 25 may, Engagement de Joseph Pierre Roy dit Dejardins au sr Charles Boyer et Compagnie pour aller au poste du lac de La Pluye—Étude Blanzy.

• 1754, 30 mars, Engagement de Charles Boyer à Mons' Raimbault S'-Blain pour aller au poste de Nepigon—Étude Adhémar.

• 1760, Jul 12, Charles Boyer Engagement to Pierre Lerlande pour aller au poste de Michilimakinac—Étude Simonnet.

• 1761, Jun 8, Engagement de Charle Boyer au 8r Ignace Hubert La Croix pour aller au poste de Michelimakinac—Étude Simonnet.

• 1763, Feb 20, Engagement de Charles Boyer dit Ladéroute au sr Dubois Larejouissance pour le voyage à Toronto—Étude Hodiesne.

• CHARLES BOYER 1744–_ 1ST COUSIN 8X REMOVED [ NOR’WESTER CLERK ]
Son of Charles Boyer (8th great-uncle) 1713–1801 and Jeanne Suprenant (Supernant) 1718–1770
BIRTH 20 SEP 1744 • Laprairie, Quebec, Canada
DEATH Unknown

1768, Pine Fort was established in the Assiniboine Valley by Thomas Correy, Forrest Oakes and Charles Boyer.



• 1780-1787, Charles Boyer—Assiniboine River, SOURCE: State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Volume 19



• 1788, Charles Boyer built Fort Vermilion near the junction of the Boyer and Peace rivers 

WHO IS CHARLES BOYER…



(ABOVE) From: “THE ENGLISH RIVER BOOK - A NORTH WEST COMPANY JOURNAL AND ACCOUNT BOOK OF 1786”

From: THE IMPACT OF JONATHAN CARVER’S JOURNAL AND MAPS

Veteran French voyageur-trader, Charles Boyer, traded for furs in the Rainy Lake / Lake of the Woods area in the 1740’s. He is likely ‘Mr. Boyce’ referenced in Major Robert Rogers’ letter dated 10 June 1767 (Parker, The Journals, 197). MOST LIKELY CHARLES BOYER 1713–1801 8TH GREAT-UNCLE

James Goddard’s journal reference to ‘Monsr. Boyiz’, was likely the same Charles Boyer (Parker, The Journals, 191). 

Boyer was in a partnership with Forrest Oakes in 1767, and later with his brother Michel Boyer, established a trading settlement at Rainy Lake. 

For the Rainy Lake 1771 Boyer settlement, see Glyndwr Williams, ed., Andrew Graham’s Observations on Hudson’s Bay 1767-1791, (Hudson’s Bay Record Society, London, 1969), 289.  See also Merv Ahrens, Fort Lac la Pluie of the North West Company 177?-1821, (Fort Frances, ON: Fort Frances Times Ltd., 2006): 4, 5, 29.

From: ASP HOUSE (Wikipedia) a minor Hudson's Bay Company post on the Rainy River. It was built at the time when the HBC was pushing inland to regain the trade that had been diverted to Montreal by the Northwest Company.

In 1793 John McKay (fur trader) of the Hudson's Bay Company left Fort Albany, Ontario on James Bay and went south to compete with the Northwest Company. In September he went up the Rainy River and built an unnamed post below Manitou Falls and 12 miles below the NWC post at Fort Lac la Pluie. It was supplied from Fort Albany but needed supplements from local hunting and fishing. Trade produced only 18 packs of fur.

In 1794 he built a second post upstream from the mouth of Rainy River since the Indians of Lake of the Woods did not wish to travel upriver. It was called Asp House. In October of that year Charles Boyer came down from Lac la Pluie and built a competing house 200 yards away. Boyer had a difficult time had closed his post next April. In 1797 it was left unoccupied and was pillaged and burned by rivals from Montreal. In 1825 the Hudson's Bay Company built Hungry Hall close to the former Asp House. The site is at the current Oak Grove Camp. There is a historical marker on the riverbank. COULD BE EITHER CHARLES BOYER 1713–1801 8TH GREAT-UNCLE OR CHARLES BOYER 1744–_ 1ST COUSIN 8X REMOVED?

From: THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE FUR TRADE EXPERIENCE IN VOYAGEURS NATIONAL PARK, 1730-1870

During his four years in the Rainy Lake Region, McKay recorded day-to-day events in the post journal. 

His narrative has been summarized both by Grace Lee Nute in Rainy River Country and by A. M. Johnson in "Hudson's Bay Company on Rainy River, 1793-95."

McKay and his men struggled through two winters as they learned where to fish, traded with the Indians for moose and deer meat, and made a modest start in cultivating a garden. A friendly but insistent rivalry developed between McKay and the North West Company trader, Charles Boyer, whose own fort was located only a short distance away. Their men played football, celebrated Christmas and New Years, and occasionally extended a helping hand to each other. 

Meanwhile, Boyer tried to deceive McKay about where to find Indians, and McKay attempted a ruse to get Boyer to build his new post behind his own on the path most often used by trading Indians, but neither man was able to fool the other. This quaint interaction by two unusually civilized traders belied the vicious competition that would develop over the next two decades. COULD BE EITHER CHARLES BOYER 1713–1801 8TH GREAT-UNCLE OR CHARLES BOYER 1744–_ 1ST COUSIN 8X REMOVED?




• 1797, Dec 29, engagement of Charles Boyer to Mc Tavish, Frobisher & Co., Agents De La Compagnie Da Nord Ouest—Notary Louis Chaboillez
(3 year contract) North West Company as CLERK — the author of  “THE ENGLISH RIVER BOOK - A NORTH WEST COMPANY JOURNAL AND ACCOUNT BOOK OF 1786” says the contract was cancelled 11 days later, and Charles never returned to Indian Country. If that’s true… did he die or have a falling out with the NWCo? Maybe he did go to the Nord Ouest and died there. We’ll never know.
Length of Contract: 3
Hivernant Yes
Parish: MONTREAL
Destinations: PAYS D'EN HAUT, NORD OUEST, Métier [job]
Functions: COMMIS [English]: CLERK
Function Notes: partir de cette ville pour les Païs d’en haut connu sous le nom du nord ouest pour y servir la dite Société pour L’Espace de trois années consecutives a commencer et etre compté du Jour de son depart de cette ville comme Commis a etre Libre a son retour a Montreal dans l’automne de l’année mil sept cent quatre vingt dix neuf
[English]: from this city for the Païs from above known as the North West to serve the so-called Society for Space for three consecutive years to begin and be counted from the day of his departure from that city as Clerk to be Free on his return to Montreal in the autumn of the year one thousand seven hundred and ninety-nine
Merchant Company: Société du Nord Ouest
Company Representative: William McGillivnay
Notary Name: John Gerbrand Beek
Wages: 3000 LIVRES
Contract Notes: moyennant la Somme de trois mille Livres anciens Chellings de cette Province de vingt (coppres?) par ans pour chacques année pendant le dit terme de trois années qui finiront a son arrivée audit montreal que les dits Sr Mc Tavish Frobisher & Company comme agents susdits promettent et s’obligent de Bailler et payer audit Commis a son Retour en cette ville ainsi que le nourrir et vetir pendant ledit tems comme sont les autres commis dans ladite Société du nord ouest et comme de coutume au dit Lieux
[English]: by means of the sum of three thousand old books Chellings of this Province of twenty (coppers?) a year for each year during the said term of three years that will finish at its arrival to this Montreal that the said Sr. Mc Tavish Frobisher & Company as aforesaid agents promise and oblige of Bailler and to pay said Clerk to his Return in this city as well as to feed it and to clothe during said time like are the other clerks in the said Society of the northwest and as usually to the said Places
Source d'archives: BANQ, Greffes de notaires, No du microfilm M620/0067

The following engagements are most likely another, younger Charles Boyer…

• 1801, Jul 13, Engagement de Charles Boyer, de la Rivière St-Pierre,Louis Buisson pour aller au poste de Michelimakinac—Étude Ls Chaboillez.

• 1802, Aug 14, Alexis Boyer Engagement to Charles Boyer Pére

• 1807, Feb 21, Engagement de Charles Boyé, de la Prairie, ft Messrs de la Qe de Michilimakinac pour aller ft Michelimakinac-Étude Ls Chaboillez.

• 1812, Aug 13, Engagement de Charles Boyé, de St-Constant, a La Cie de Michilimakinac pour aller a Michilimakinac-Étude Ls Chaboillez.

LINKS:

Cousin Charles Boyer Was a Nor'Wester

Ripples: Chapter Three - Boyer Family

There are still lots of unanswered questions, so feel free to offer new information and comments.


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