Decades ago, before I took a serious interest in family history research, my late younger brother Jeffrey Alan Charboneau embarked on a quest to learn about our Charboneau heritage.
“How did we end up with such an unusual last name?” he wondered. “And why don’t we know any other Charboneaus besides our cousins?”
The year was 1987, back in the pre-internet days. Jeff had just started his communications career and was working as a research editor – fact checking magazine articles and verifying sources. So, he applied his skills to Charboneau research to see what he could find – and wow, he found a lot!
At some point he called me to share the details. “We’re descended from Olivier and Marie-Marguerite (Garnier) Charbonneau, from Marans near the French port of La Rochelle,” Jeff announced. “They came by ship to Montreal and arrived in 1659 after a three-month voyage. I found a newsletter with the whole story.”
A story that clearly impressed our dad, Norm, who sent me a copy. “It really gives you a feeling of being there,” he wrote.
Connecting with Charbonneau cousins
Jeff had worked the phones until he came upon Milton E. Charboneau of Pinkney, Mich., publisher of Charbonneau Connection1FamilySearch requires a free login to view content. a family history newsletter covering all things Charbonneau in North America.
The publication launched in January 1984 with fourteen subscribers. By November 1987, Jeff was among them – his name and address in the New Members listing along with his Charboneau connection: “His family migrated from Canada, overland to New York State.”
Somehow, Jeff also connected with David Charbonneau, a closer cousin, who sent along his family group sheets. From these, Jeff was able to identify our 2nd great-grandfather Laurent Charles Charbonneau (1832-1903), a brother of David’s ancestor Louis Desire Charbonneau. The brothers had migrated together from Quebec to upstate New York in the 1850s.
Meanwhile, Jeff continued an enthusiastic correspondence with Milton, sharing what he knew so far about our Charboneaus and describing his research plans. “I’ll let you know what comes of all this,” Jeff wrote. “Gee, this is fun!”
A fateful research assignment
While Jeff was busy satisfying his Charboneau curiosity, I was not yet into genealogy – at least not until he called me in 1988 with a special request. I was 38. Jeff was 32. We were on the cusp of the nostalgia years when one begins to evaluate the past while still looking to the future – and I was planning a summer trip to Montreal.
“Our Charbonneau ancestors lived in St. Eustache,” Jeff told me. “Any chance you could stop by the town hall and see if they have any records?” He had an annoying habit of giving me assignments on my vacations, so I responded with a jaded, “Maybe.”
Still, I was intrigued, so on the last day of my trip I stopped in St. Eustache. “We don’t have those records here,” the clerk told me. “They are in the Quebec National Archive in Montreal.” Sigh. No time left to go there. But fast forward to 1991, and I was ready to try again by visiting the archive’s Montreal location.
Examining microfilmed church records in a darkened room, I could barely read the handwriting or decipher the French – nor could I contain my excitement when I finally found our ancestor Laurent’s 1832 baptismal record!
After that, I was all-in on exploring our family heritage. And all thanks to my brother Jeff, who had given me that fateful Charboneau research assignment.
A catalyst for genealogy research
Jeff was a catalyst in that way, planting a seed, getting something growing, then moving on to new pursuits. And his interest in genealogy was no different.
For several years, we worked in tandem. When I planned genealogy road trips in 1992 with our parents, Peg and Norm, to their upstate New York hometowns, Jeff volunteered to set up our itineraries – calling ahead to get locations, hours, and contact numbers for various repositories.
When our dad and I discovered we had a Civil War ancestor, Jeff briefly joined the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. And visits to interesting historic cemeteries were always on the agenda during family summer vacations.
But once he was satisfied that he had learned all he wanted about our Charboneau heritage, he handed me a giant envelope containing his research notes, correspondence, newsletters, and annotated maps of France, Quebec, and upstate New York. “Here, you can take this over now,” he said.
A wonderful family legacy
Although retired from hands-on research, Jeff continued to cheer my family history discoveries from the sidelines.
When I launched Molly’s Canopy in 2014 to blog about our ancestors, he was one of the first readers to leave a comment. “Took a respite under your canopy today,” Jeff wrote. “You’re doing a great job.” And earlier this year, he was pleased when I told him that his Charboneau research from years ago had taken on a new life.
In Dec. 2025, Canada amended its Citizenship by Descent law to include descent from distant Canadian ancestors, including Laurent Charbonneau and his parents and on up the line – a descent much easier for us to document for dual citizenship thanks to Jeff’s long-ago research.
What a wonderful legacy for him to leave to our family – and one of many that will keep him in our hearts for years and generations to come.
Up next, maybe a return to “Part 3: Where Uncle Fred served during 1942-43” or maybe something entirely different. Stay tuned! Meanwhile, please visit the other intrepid bloggers over at Sepia Saturday.
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