The Bourassa family stands as a cornerstone of the early fur trade in New France, embodying the spirit of adventure, commerce, and cultural exchange that defined the 18th-century frontier. Originating from François Bourassa (1659-1708), who emigrated from Luçon, France, to Canada around 1680, the family quickly embedded itself in the lucrative beaver pelt industry. François married Marie Le Ber in 1688, whose own relatives were deeply involved in the trade—her uncle Jacques Le Ber co-founded Lachine's first fur trading post, and her grand-uncle Jean Godefroy de Linctot served as an interpreter under Samuel de Champlain. François himself ventured into the wilderness as a coureur de bois, making notable trips such as a 1686 expedition to Hudson Bay for the Compagnie du Nord and a 1690 journey to Michilimackinac with partners like Pierre Bourdeau and Joachim Le Ber. His sons—René Bourassa dit La Ronde (1688-1778), François Joachim Bourassa (1698-1775), and Antoine Bourassa (1705-1780)—carried on this legacy, earning the moniker "the fathers of the fur trade" for their daring voyages, strategic partnerships, and role in expanding French influence across the Great Lakes and beyond.
Antoine Bourassa, our 7th great-uncle, was born on March 22, 1705, in La Prairie, Quebec, a bustling riverside community south of Montreal that served as a hub for voyageurs. He grew up amid the rhythms of the trade—canoes laden with trade goods like knives, beads, and cloth departing in spring, returning in autumn with bundles of beaver pelts destined for European markets. Antoine married twice: first in 1729 to Marie Catherine Barette dit Courville (1707-1729), who tragically died young, and then in 1731 to Marie-Anne Moquin (1713-1743). Together with Marie-Anne, he had several children, continuing the family line in La Prairie. Antoine passed away on January 28, 1780, in his hometown, leaving a legacy tied to the waterways that connected French Canada to distant colonies and Indigenous nations.
The fur trade was more than commerce for the Bourassas; it was a web of alliances, often sealed through intermarriage with Native American communities. Later generations, such as Daniel Bourassa II (born 1780 at Michilimackinac), married into Chippewa/Ottawa families, like his union with Aranwaiske (Theotis Pisange), niece of Chief Shabbona. This blending of cultures strengthened trade ties but also exposed the family to hardships, including the forced removal during the 1838 Trail of Death, where Daniel and his kin were marched from Indiana under U.S. government orders. Antoine's brother René's daughter, Charlotte Bourassa, married Charles Michel de Langlade, a prominent fur trader and war chief of mixed French-Ottawa heritage, who defended French interests in conflicts like the Seven Years' War and later became known as the "Father of Wisconsin" for his trading post at Green Bay established in 1745.
The Epic 1740 Voyage to Philadelphia: A Journey Through Contested Waters
In the summer of 1740, amid the fragile peace between French and British colonies, Antoine embarked on one of his most remarkable adventures: a canoe expedition from Montreal to Philadelphia and back. On June 8, Governor Charles de la Boische, Marquis de Beauharnois, issued a license to Antoine, along with Claude and François Bizaillon and Pierre Brosseau, permitting them to travel to "Philadelphia, city of New England" (an archaic French reference to British colonial territories) to "attend to their affairs." They were urged to return within four months, passing through Fort Chambly on the Richelieu River and Fort Saint-Frédéric (near modern Crown Point, New York) both ways, where their canoe would be inspected for contraband. A notary's minutes from June 13 detail the inspection by François Malhiot and Jean-Baptiste Adhémar, confirming the group's departure.
This journey was no mere errand; it highlighted the Bourassas' savvy in navigating the illicit trade networks that skirted colonial rivalries. While official French policy restricted trade to allies, coureurs de bois like Antoine often dealt with British merchants for better prices on goods or pelts. The route likely followed the Richelieu River south from Montreal to Lake Champlain, a vital corridor for fur transport and smuggling. From there, they may have portaged or sailed south toward the Hudson River valley, reaching Albany—a notorious hub for illegal exchanges—before continuing overland or via coastal waters to Philadelphia on the Delaware River. Paddling birchbark canoes loaded with trade items, the group braved rapids, portages, and potential encounters with Iroquois or British patrols. The round trip, covering over 800 miles, tested their endurance in an era when such voyages could take weeks, fraught with risks from weather, wildlife, and geopolitical tensions.
Imagine the scene: a fleet of canots de maître, the large birchbark vessels favored by voyageurs, slicing through misty waters under the power of rhythmic paddles and chansons like "À la claire fontaine." These canoes, up to 36 feet long and capable of carrying tons of cargo, were the lifeblood of the trade.
1740s North Arerican map corner (PA, NY, New England & Lower Canada)
The 1745 Expedition to Michilimackinac: Heart of the Great Lakes Trade
Five years later, on June 9, 1745, Antoine joined another pivotal voyage, this time to the strategic fur post of Michilimackinac (modern Mackinaw City, Michigan). Governor Beauharnois granted permission to Sieur Ignace Gamelin to send a canoe from Montreal, equipped with seven men under leaders Nicolas Volant and Antoine Dubois. The crew included Antoine, his brother Joseph Bourassa, Pierre Gaspard, Pierre Gagnier, and Jacques Saint-Pierre—all from La Prairie de la Madeleine. Strict orders prohibited trading outside the post and its dependencies, underscoring the regulated nature of the French fur empire.
Michilimackinac, established in 1715, was a bustling fortified community at the straits connecting Lakes Huron and Michigan. It served as a rendezvous for French traders, Odawa and Ojibwe allies, and voyageurs, where pelts from the vast northwest were exchanged for European goods. The journey from Montreal involved ascending the Ottawa River, portaging around rapids, crossing Lake Nipissing, and descending the French River to Georgian Bay—a grueling 800-mile trek demanding skill in navigation and survival. Antoine and his kin wintered there, trading with Indigenous partners who provided furs in exchange for tools, textiles, and firearms.
Map of Michilimackinac in 1765
The Brothers' Wider Adventures and the Family's Enduring Impact
Antoine's brothers amplified the family's influence. René, the eldest, was a bold entrepreneur fined 500 livres in 1722 for illicit trade with Albany merchants but undeterred. He partnered with explorer Pierre Gaultier de Varennes, sieur de La Vérendrye, establishing posts like Fort Vermilion in 1736 and hiring crews for western expeditions.
Drifting Cowboy’s 2018 exploration of the Vermillion River post location on Crane Lake
In 1736, René was captured by Sioux en route from Fort St. Charles but freed through a dramatic plea; he later settled at Michilimackinac, where his family endured the 1763 Ojibwe capture of the fort during Pontiac's War. François Joachim, meanwhile, hired out as a voyageur to Detroit in 1757, extending the Bourassas' reach southward.
Their sister, Marie Elisabeth Bourassa (1695-1766), married Jacques Pinsonneau dit Lafleur, linking the family to other trading networks. Through these exploits, the Bourassas not only amassed wealth but fostered alliances that shaped the cultural mosaic of the Great Lakes—blending French, Indigenous, and later British worlds. Descendants like Joseph Napoleon Bourassa, a Potawatomi interpreter and dictionary compiler, carried this hybrid heritage into the 19th century, signing treaties and preserving traditional knowledge amid displacement.
Antoine's story, from the rivers of Quebec to the lakes of Michigan and the streets of Philadelphia, captures the essence of a bygone era: one of exploration, risk, and interconnection. His voyages remind us how individual lives wove the fabric of North American history.
Thank you to Grok xAI for the updated information. -- Drifting Cowboy
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