Jean-Baptiste Poupart (also spelled Poupard in some records) was a French-Canadian voyageur born around 1762 in La Prairie, Quebec (then Lower Canada), part of a prominent family of settlers and fur traders tracing back to Pierre Poupart (1653–1699), an early colonist and voyageur who arrived in New France in the 1670s. Baptized on July 12, 1762, at the Nativité-de-la-Prairie-de-la-Magdeleine parish, Jean-Baptiste was the son of Jacques Poupart (1720–1810), a farmer and occasional trader from La Prairie, and Marie-Anne Goyau (1726–1769), whose family had roots in the region's agricultural communities. Growing up south of Montreal along the St. Lawrence River, Jean-Baptiste entered the fur trade as a young man, embodying the resilient "pork-eater" (mangeur de lard) class of voyageurs—seasonal laborers who transported goods and furs via canoe, enduring grueling portages and harsh weather.
The Poupart family had deep ties to the fur trade, with multiple generations serving as voyageurs. Pierre Poupart, Jean-Baptiste's great-grandfather, was among the first, participating in expeditions as early as 1670 under explorers like Nicolas Perrot. By Jean-Baptiste's era, the trade had shifted under British control (post-1760), dominated by Montreal-based firms like the North West Company (NWC) and McGill & Co., amid competition with the Hudson's Bay Company. Jean-Baptiste specialized in the Montreal-to-Michilimackinac route, a vital artery for beaver pelts from the Great Lakes and beyond. He was known for his role as "gouvernail" (helmsman or steersman), a skilled position at the stern of a canot du maître (large freight canoe), guiding brigades through rapids and coordinating with up to 10–12 paddlers per vessel.
Career Highlights
Jean-Baptiste signed multiple engagement contracts (engagements) as a voyageur, typical of the era's formalized labor system. These notarial documents, often drawn up in Montreal, specified wages (around 100–200 livres per season), provisions (e.g., pork, peas, tobacco), and duties like paddling 14–18 hours daily while singing rhythmic chants. His expeditions supported the NWC's expansion westward, navigating the Ottawa River-Lake Huron corridor (about 1,200 miles one-way).
Key known contracts include:
Date | Employer/Firm | Destination | Role/Notes | Notary |
1797, Mar 17 | Simon Cavilhe & Co. | Michilimackinac | Voyageur; standard summer brigade for trade goods and pelt return. | Chaboillez |
1799, Jul 19 | James Robertson & Co. | Michilimackinac | "Devant" (bowsman); hired from La Prairie; part of post-Pontiac's War recovery efforts. | Chaboillez |
1805, Feb 26 | Rocheclave & Porlier | Michilimackinac | Gouvernail; early-season departure from Lachine rapids. | Chaboillez |
1806, Mar 19 | James & Andrew McGill & Co. | Michilimackinac | Gouvernail; from St-Constant (near La Prairie); one of his last major runs. | Chaboillez |
Beyond these, he likely made additional unrecorded trips, as voyageurs often renewed contracts annually. By the 1810s, with the War of 1812 disrupting routes and the 1821 NWC-HBC merger, Jean-Baptiste semi-retired to farming in the Châteauguay Valley, where he appears on the 1825 Lower Canada Census sharing property with Gabriel Pinsonault (a relative of the Bourassa-Pinsonneault line from earlier colonial traders). He married (date uncertain, possibly around 1790) and had children who continued local agrarian life, though none are prominently recorded as voyageurs.
Jean-Baptiste died around 1832 in La Prairie or nearby, at about age 70, buried in the local parish cemetery. His life reflects the voyageur archetype: jovial, hardy, and tied to Indigenous networks through trade, but facing perils like scurvy, drownings, and conflicts (e.g., Ojibwa-British tensions at Michilimackinac). Descendants spread across Quebec and into the U.S. Midwest, carrying the Poupart name in Monteregie communities.
The 1806 Engagement Contract
The specific contract you mentioned—dated March 19, 1806—is a classic voyageur engagement preserved in Montreal's notarial archives (Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, or BAnQ). Drawn up by notary Charles Chaboillez (a fur trade insider; see below), it bound Jean-Baptiste Poupart, then about 44 and residing in St-Constant (a parish west of La Prairie), to James & Andrew McGill & Co. for a season's voyage to Michilimackinac (modern Mackinaw City, Michigan).
Key Details
- Parties:
- Employer: James & Andrew McGill & Co., a powerhouse Montreal firm led by James McGill (1744–1813, founder of McGill University) and his nephew Andrew. The company outfitted NWC expeditions, supplying European goods (cloth, guns, brandy) for Indigenous pelts, and was a major player in the "North Trade" rivaling the Frobishers and McTavishes.
- Employee: Jean-Baptiste Poupart, identified as "voyageur de St-Constant (Gouvernail)," highlighting his expertise as steersman.
- Terms:
- Duration and Route: Seasonal (spring to fall 1806), departing Lachine (Montreal's fur trade hub) via canoe brigade to Michilimackinac, the strategic post at the Straits of Mackinac linking Lakes Huron and Michigan. Return with furs by October. The journey involved portages (e.g., 9 miles at Sault Ste. Marie) and alliances with Ottawa and Ojibwa traders.
- Duties: Transport 3,000–4,000 pounds of cargo per brigade; paddling, portaging (up to 180 lbs. per man), and assisting at the post. As gouvernail, Jean-Baptiste would command the canoe's navigation.
- Compensation: Standard 150–200 livres (about £6–8 sterling), plus food (daily pork ration earning the "pork-eater" moniker), clothing, and tobacco. Penalties for desertion or damage (e.g., fines for lost goods).
- Context: Signed amid NWC-HBC competition; Michilimackinac was a flashpoint, with British garrisons and American encroachments post-Louisiana Purchase (1803). This run supported McGill's investments in Lake Superior and Mississippi trades.
The document, like most Chaboillez acts, is concise (1–2 pages) but legally binding, exemplifying the shift from French congés (licenses) to British-era contracts. It's part of broader collections like the Michilimackinac Company papers, which document thousands of such hires. For viewing, access BAnQ's digitized notarial records under notary #CN2-45 (Chaboillez fonds) or microfilm M-3291+.
Notary: Charles Chaboillez (1736–1808)
Charles-Jean-Baptiste Chaboillez, the notary, was no mere scribe—he was a fur trade patriarch born at Michilimackinac to voyageur parents. A founding Beaver Club member (elite traders' society), he notarized hundreds of engagements while partnering in firms like the General Company of Lake Superior. By 1806, aged 69, he was semi-retired but vital to the trade's bureaucracy, often acting for McGills. His records illuminate the era's economy, blending French-Canadian grit with British commerce.
This contract and Jean-Baptiste's career highlight the fur trade's role in knitting French-Canadian families like the Pouparts into North America's interior.
Above courtesy of Grok xAI and Drifting Cowboy.
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