Fifth in a series about my French-Canadian ancestor Laurent Charbonneau, who emigrated from Québec to New York State around 1852.
In the last few posts, I outlined how my great, great grandfather Laurent Charbonneau (born in Montréal in 1832) settled in St. Eustache, Deux Montagnes, Québec, around 1842 with his family of origin — and continued to live there until 1852.
My U.S. research indicates that some time after 1852, Laurent, 20, and his older brother Désiré, 21, struck out on their own and moved south into New York State’s Adirondack region.
But what became of their parents (my great, great, great grandparents) and their siblings after they left Québec? That question led me to the 1861 Canadian census — in which the Louis Charbonneau family appears ten years after the two brothers departed.
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1861 Recensement Personnel [Personal Census] of Canada – Districe 1 of St. Eustache village – Deux Montagnes (county) – from Library and Archives of Canada http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng |
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| Pers. No. | Name | Occupation | Age (next birthday) | Sex |
| 4 | Louis Charbonneau | Aubergiste [Innkeeper] | 58 | M |
| 5 | Suzanne Marcille | 56 | F | |
| 6 | Louis [Léon] Charbonneau | 11 | M | |
| 7 | Elise Charbonneau | 23 | F | |
| 8 | Elise Bouchard | 2 | F | |
| 9 | Marie Bouchard | 1 | M | |
| 10 | Pierre Martel | Serviteur [Servant] | 17 | M |
The 1861 Recensement Personnel [Personal Census] of St. Eustache, Deus Montagnes, Québec, Canada, abstracted and translated above, reveals a mature Charbonneau family group. Laurent and his older brother are absent, but a new generation has been added — along with a live-in servant.
The innkeeper hires help
My great, great, great grandfather Louis Charbonneau, was still working as an innkeeper — just as he was around the time Laurent and his brother left home.
The inn is described as de bois [of wood] in the census — likely the same frame building as in 1851/52 — and my ggg grandmother Suzanne Marcille was enumerated, as were their two younger children.
Laurent’s younger borther Louis [Léon] Charbonneau, 11, was what today we would call a tween. Although this census indicates he was still in school, he was likely old enough to help his parents out here and there — though not sufficiently to make up for his older brothers’ absence.
An extra set of strong hands seems to have been needed, because my ggg grandfather apparently hired Pierre Martel, 17 — who is listed as a non-family member and a servant in this census.
New Charbonneau grand-daughters
The 1861 Canadian census does not identify relationships of individuals to the head of household. Nevertheless, the happy news in this enumeration is the apparent arrival of two grand-daughters at the inn.
The two little girls (Elise Bouchard, 2, and Marie Bouchard, 1) are listed below the name of Elise Charbonneau (Laurent’s younger sister) — implying that they could be her daughters. And Louis, as head of household, reports two families living at the inn.
A young widowed mother
However, this census also reveals that sadness touched the extended Charbonneau family. Elise Charbonneau, 23, is listed in this census as a veuve [widow], who was parenting alone with no father in the household for the young girls.
When was she married? When was she widowed? And what were the circumstances of her husband’s death?
A new series about Elise Charbonneau begins with the next post.
© 2016 Molly Charboneau. All rights reserved.