Voyageurs from La Prairie, Quebec: An Overview (courtesy of xAI GROK)

Voyageurs were the rugged, contracted laborers of the North American fur trade, primarily French-Canadian men who paddled massive birch-bark canoes loaded with trade goods and furs along treacherous waterways from the late 1600s to the mid-1800s. They were the "backbone" of companies like the North West Company (NWC) and the Hudson's Bay Company (HBC), transporting goods over routes spanning thousands of miles, often enduring 14–16-hour days of paddling, portaging 90-pound loads on their backs, and battling mosquitoes, rapids, and harsh weather. Recruited from villages along the St. Lawrence River, they were known for their songs (like À la claire fontaine), colorful sashes, tuques, and moccasins, and a jovial spirit that masked the grueling reality of their work.

La Prairie (originally La Prairie-de-la-Magdelaine), a historic South Shore suburb of Montreal founded by French Jesuits in 1647, was a key recruitment hub for these men due to its proximity to fur trade departure points like Lachine Rapids (just upstream). As a small French-Canadian settlement, it supplied generations of voyageurs who signed notarial contracts in nearby Montreal or Quebec City, heading west to posts in the Great Lakes, Michilimackinac, Detroit, the Mississippi Valley, and beyond. The area's Jesuit ties and early Iroquois interactions (it was called Kentaké by the Mohawk) added to its frontier vibe, making it ideal for hardy locals accustomed to river life.

Role in the Fur Trade

• Recruitment and Contracts: Voyageurs from La Prairie were often "engagés" (hired hands) under the French regime's congé system, formalized after 1681 to regulate trade. Contracts specified wages (modest, around 100–300 livres annually), provisions (peas, pork, pemmican), and duties like paddling 50 strokes per minute. Many doubled as coureurs des bois (independent traders) when off-contract, blending licensed work with personal ventures.
• Routes and Daily Life: Brigades departed Lachine in May after a blessing at St. Anne-de-Bellevue, using canots du maître (36–40 ft Montreal canoes manned by 8–16 men) for the ~1,100-mile haul to Grand Portage on Lake Superior. La Prairie men portaged around rapids, overwintered at remote forts ("winterers"), and returned with furs by fall. Food was basic—dried peas, sea biscuit, salt pork—supplemented by wild rice or pemmican from Métis suppliers on the prairies.
• Decline: By the 1821 NWC-HBC merger, steamships and railways made canoe routes obsolete, ending the era around the 1840s–1850s. Many La Prairie voyageurs retired to farming or joined Métis communities.

Notable Voyageurs from La Prairie

Historical records, especially Quebec notarial archives, highlight dozens from La Prairie across seven generations in some families. Here's a table of examples, drawn from fur trade timelines and contracts:

Name	Lifespan	Key Engagements	Notes
André Robidou dit Lespagnol	1643–1678	1666: Voyageur for trader Eustache Lambert to Great Lakes posts.	9th-generation ancestor in some La Prairie lines; moved family to La Prairie in 1671 for trade access. Married Jeanne Denote, a fille du roi.
André Mignier dit Lagacé	1641–1727	1690s: Trips to Michilimackinac and Sault Ste. Marie.	French soldier turned voyageur; family line produced multiple generations of traders.
Jean-Baptiste Mignier (Meunier) Lagacé	1749–1828	1778: Hired by Ezekiel Solomon to Mississippi Valley (winter over). 1803: NWC contract to Grand Portage.	5th great-grandfather in documented lines; hauled furs and goods for 30+ years.
Gabriel Pinsonneau (Pinsoneau)	~1770s–?	1797: Contract with Jacques & François Lasselle to Detroit.	Equipped with "souliers de boeuf" (beefskin moccasins); typical multi-season paddler.
Julien Bariteau dit Lamarche	~1700s	1700s: Multiple contracts from Batiscan/La Prairie area to western posts.	Part of early 18th-century brigades; name appears in notary lists alongside other locals.
Antoine Duquet dit Madry & Jacques Nepveu	~1660s–?	1684: Contract with explorer René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle (via Henri de Tonty) to Illinois Country.	Traded beaver skins; profits split after expenses—rare profit-sharing deal.

These men often came from interconnected families (e.g., Mignier/Lagacé lines spanning 1600s–1800s), with contracts notarized by figures like Antoine Foucher or Louis Chaboillez. Women in these families, like filles du roi, supported the trade indirectly through provisions or marriages that built alliances.

Legacy in La Prairie

Today, La Prairie's fur trade history lives on in genealogy blogs like Ripples from La Prairie Voyageur Canoes, which traces local ancestors, and sites like the Fur Trade at Lachine National Historic Site (nearby, with canoe replicas and artifacts). The town (pop. ~26,000) retains 17th-century charm, with parks evoking its prairie roots. Modern echoes include Métis voyageur games honoring endurance feats. If you're tracing family ties, Quebec's notarial records (via Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec) are goldmines for contracts.

This gritty chapter shaped Quebec's identity—tough, adventurous French-Canadians pushing into the continent's heart. 

Exploring the Mignier (dit Lagacé) Family Genealogy

The Mignier family, often recorded with the dit name Lagacé (meaning "the trigger" or "the little bag," evolving from "La Gachette"), traces its roots to early French colonial Quebec. This prolific lineage is deeply intertwined with the fur trade, particularly through generations of voyageurs from La Prairie, Quebec, who paddled into the North American interior. The family's progenitor, André Mignier dit Lagacé, arrived as a soldier in 1665, married a fille du roi (King's Daughter), and established a dynasty of settlers, traders, and explorers. Descendants spread across Quebec's Kamouraska and Bas-Saint-Laurent regions, with branches extending to Ontario, the U.S. Midwest, and Métis communities.

Key themes in their genealogy:

• Military and Pioneer Roots: André's arrival with the Carignan-Salières Regiment protected early settlements from Iroquois raids.
• Fur Trade Involvement: From the 1690s to the 1820s, multiple Migniers served as voyageurs for the North West Company (NWC) and independent traders, enduring routes to Michilimackinac, Grand Portage, and the Mississippi. Brothers like André, Charles, and Jean-Baptiste Meunier dit Lagacé worked with explorer David Thompson.
• Name Variations: Mignier, Meunier, Minier, Migner; Lagacé, Lagassé, Lagace. The dit name often became a surname.
• Migrations: Early hubs in Charlesbourg and Rivière-Ouelle; later in La Prairie (for trade access) and Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière.

Primary sources include Quebec's Drouin Collection (baptisms, marriages, burials), notarial contracts (via BAnQ), and census records (1681 onward). Online resources like WikiTree, Geni, Nos Origines, and blogs like Ripples from La Prairie Voyageur Canoes provide collaborative trees.

Progenitor: André Mignier dit Lagacé (c. 1651–1729)

Born April 11, 1651, in Le Bois-Plage-en-Ré, Charente-Maritime, France, to Michel Mignier and Catherine Masson. He enlisted in the Compagnie de l'Allier regiment and sailed to New France in 1665 aboard the Vantour. At 17, he married Jacquette Michel (1637–1710), a fille du roi and widow of Jean Cardin, on October 23, 1668, in Notre-Dame, Québec. They settled in Charlesbourg (land grant October 14, 1668), then moved to Rivière-Ouelle in 1685 for farming. André received additional land in 1672 for clearing duties (annual chicken and 15 sols). He died February 4, 1729 (buried February 5), in Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière, aged ~78. The 1681 census lists him as 41 (likely an overestimate for prestige).

Children with Jacquette Michel (12 total, 9 surviving infancy):

Name	Birth/Death	Spouse	Notes
Marie Mignier	1671–aft. 1740	(Multiple, incl. Acadian ties)	Early settler; some descendants in Acadia.
André Mignier dit Lagacé	1669–1729	1st: Marie-Charlotte Pelletier (1693, no issue); 2nd: Françoise Ouellet (1701)	Stayed in Rivière-Ouelle; 10 children.
Michel Mignier dit Lagacé	1682–aft. 1736	Angélique Thibault	Ancestor of many voyageurs; son Michel (1717–1807) had 13 children.
Françoise Mignier dit Lagacé	1674–1750	Robert Morin (c. 1690)	10 children; branch in St-Jean-Port-Joli.
Marie-Anne Mignier	1677–1750	Philippe Boucher (1693)	4 children; ties to Boucher pioneers.
Pierre Mignier dit Lagacé	c. 1685–?	(Unrecorded)	Limited records; possible voyageur.
Other sons (e.g., Jean, Pierre homonyme)	Various	Varied	Many died young or untraced.

André's lineage produced over 1,000 documented descendants by 1800, per PRDH-IGD estimates.

Key Voyageur Branches and Descendants

The family's fur trade legacy peaks in the 18th–19th centuries. From Rivière-Ouelle and La Prairie, Migniers signed contracts for Great Lakes and prairie routes. A prominent line descends from Michel Mignier (1682–aft. 1736) via Jean-Bernard Mignier dit Lagacé (1720–1765), who married Marie-Madeleine Dumont and Brigitte Pelletier. Their son, Jean-Baptiste Meunier (Mignier) dit Lagacé (1749–1828), was a core voyageur.

Jean-Baptiste Meunier dit Lagacé Line (Voyageur Focus):

• Jean-Baptiste (1749–1828): Born Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière; from La Prairie. Hired 1778 by Ezekiel Solomon for Mississippi wintering (notary Antoine Foucher). 1803 NWC contract to Grand Portage. Brother to voyageurs André (c. 1750s–?) and Charles (c. 1750s–?), both with David Thompson (mapping Saskatchewan prairies). Married (unrecorded); 8+ children.
• Children/Grandchildren (Selected, with voyageur ties):

Name	Lifespan	Role/Notes
Jean-Baptiste Meunier dit Lagacé	1776–1835	Son; voyageur like father; wintered at forts; descendants in Manitoba Métis.
Marie-Scholastique Mignier dit Lagacé	1778–1843	Daughter; married into local families; non-voyageur branch.
Louise Mignier dit Lagacé	1780–1825	Daughter; ties to Nadeau/Nadeau voyageurs.
Joseph Mignier dit Lagacé	c. 1780s–?	Possible trader; untraced contracts.




Other notable descendants:

• From André (1669–1729) & Françoise Ouellet: Sons like Joseph (1706–?) and Bernard (1714–1764) produced farmers and traders. Grandson Charles Lagacé (1726–?) married Louise Ducros; line includes 19th-century migrants to U.S. (e.g., Weedon, Wolfe, QC).
• Métis Connections: Post-1821 HBC merger, some (e.g., Jean-Baptiste's grandsons) joined Red River settlements, blending with Cree/Scottish lines.
• Later Branches: By 1850s, Lagacés in censuses from Kamouraska to Montreal; e.g., Stanislas Lagacé (1816–1900), son of Antoine (1797–1875), farmed in Bedford, QC.




Broader Legacy and Research Tips

• Cultural Impact: Mignier-Lagacés embody French-Canadian resilience—songs, sashes, and endurance feats echoed in modern Métis games. Descendants include politicians (e.g., Quebec assembly members) and artists.
• Challenges: Name fluidity causes duplicates; cross-reference with dit Lagacé. DNA matches (Y-DNA haplogroup R-M269 common) via Ancestry/FamilySearch help.
• Next Steps: 
• Free: WikiTree (88+ profiles), Nos Origines (ID 12388 for André).
• Paid: Ancestry.ca (Drouin scans), Généalogie Québec.
• Local: BAnQ notarial archives for contracts; QFHS for English resources.
• Blogs: A Canadian Family (marriage extracts); Ripples from La Prairie (voyageur specifics).




This explores the core—hundreds of branches exist.

Jerry England: Blogger, Genealogist, and Fur Trade Enthusiast

 

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!

The above is courtesy of GROK by xAI.

Ripples from La Prairie Voyageur Canoes -- Voyageur Ancestry

https://laprairie-voyageur-canoes.blogspot.com/2017/10/ripples-from-la-prairie-voyageur-canoes.html

A drifting cowboy -- An old cowboy's thoughts about horses, canoes, fishing, art, movies, family, and the American West

https://a-drifting-cowboy.blogspot.com/