Can someone leave a lasting legacy in less than 26 years? That’s the first thing I thought about when I began researching my seven times great grandmother on my fathers\u2019 side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I think so. The era they lived, the names they called their children, the way they responded to pressure\u2014it all combines to create the culture that immediately follows them. Every generation leaves a mark on its culture. We today are artifacts of our ancestors, even those born more than 300 years ago, like Barbe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s hard to tell, but names definitely continue throughout families. Several of the people in my family still carry names from our ancestors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My middle name Louise has been used on both sides of the family beginning with Barbe, since it was her middle name. Her husband Gabriel Robert Dufour passed monikers down to my son, my dad, his dad and his grandfather. I can\u2019t help but wonder what other cultural remnants remain in our family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of us are still Catholic and others French-speaking. Many others are not–and that’s a legacy too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But what of less obvious legacies? The way we shake a head, a hand shake or a practical sense? These are evident three generations back. My son rubs his neck when he’s tired, just as I do. My father has the same habit, as did his father before him. How many generations does that go back? I don’t know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Did Barbe share that trait? I don’t know that either. In fact, I know very little about her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
One record that remains of her life comes from her marriage, clearly recorded on page 97 of the Sainte-Anne de Beaupr\u00e9s church register. She married Ignace Gasnier on November 5, 1680.1<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n After they were married, Ignace and Barbe rented a two-arpent-sized lot in the Seignerie de Beaupr\u00e9<\/em> (Beaupr\u00e9 Manor). I know this, because the 1681 Census by New France Intendant DuCheseau lists Ignace and Barbe, along with their rifle and a cow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ignace Gasnier 25 ; Barbe Dodier, sa femme 18 ; 1 fusil ; 1 vache ; 2 arpents en valeur.2<\/sup><\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n Part of the Beaupr\u00e9 Manor still exists today. Now run jointly by the l\u2019organisme de bassins versants charlevoix-montmorency<\/em> (obv-cm) and the s\u00e9minaire de qu\u00e9bec \u2013 seigneurie de beaupr\u00e9<\/em>, the territory covers a 20 by 95 km band north of the Saint Lawrence River. The territory spans 1,600 square kilometres west of Stoneham and east of St-Urbain in Charlevoix. Hunting, fishing and outdoors clubs share the space with loggers, Boralex and Gaz M\u00e9tro\/Valener.3<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n My ancestors probably lived much closer to the river near the current Beaupr\u00e9, but I\u2019m not sure. A circa-1680 map of the area shows the long settlement patterns typical of Quebec between 1627 and 1850, but the date isn\u2019t precise. Ignace\u2019s brother, Louis Gasnier, appears on the map next to the date 1683.4<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Ignace and Barbe don\u2019t appear on that map, but many Manor residents aren\u2019t there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The seigneurial land management system came to Quebec and the rest of New France in 1627. At that time, New France extended from the Arctic to Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Compagnie de Cent Associes <\/em>(Company of 100 associates) granted important colonists and groups, including religious ones like the Seminaire de St. Joachim<\/em>, land masses extended one by three leagues (5 by 15 km) along major rivers, including the Saint Lawrence. The land would then be divided into 3 x 30 arpent sections perpendicular to the river so that everyone had access to boat transportation. Arpents measured 190 feet (58m).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 1663, French King Louis XIV gave New France a new constitution but it didn\u2019t interfere with seigneuries, like the one Gasnier leased from the Saint-Joachim Seminary<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pioneers like Barbe and Ignace probably survived using subsistence farming and hunting. My direct ancestor Louise was born two years after that census. Her little sister Genevi\u00e8ve came along when she turned three years old and her brother Jacques arrived when she was five.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By the time she died on February 7, 1689 in Petite-Rivi\u00e8re, Capitale-Nationale Region, Quebec, Canada, my ancestor went by the name Barbe Gagn\u00e9. She\u2019s buried in Baie-Saint-Paul Cemetery in Charlevoix. The Tanguay dictionary of French families lists her birth year as 1665, but if the 1681 census was correct, she would have been born in 1663.5<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n In that case, she was either 25 or 26 years old when she died. Certainly long enough to leave a legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1<\/a>Ancestry.com. Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968<\/em> [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2008; Original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection<\/em>. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut G\u00e9n\u00e9alogique Drouin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2<\/a>Sulte, Benjamin. Histoire des Canadiens-Fran\u00e7ais 1608-1880, Tome V, Montreal, Wilson @ Cir, Editeurs, 1882, p78.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3<\/a>S\u00e9minaire du Qu\u00e9bec, http:\/\/www.seigneuriedebeaupre.ca\/, https:\/\/charlevoixmontmorency.ca\/portraits-seminaire-de-quebec\/<\/a>, accessed October 21, 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4<\/a>Renaud, Alain. Plan de propri\u00e9t\u00e9 des terres \u00e0 Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupr\u00e9 en 1680, Archives de Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupr\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5<\/a>Register of Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul-de-Baie, Quebec, 1689, p8 viaFind a Grave<\/em>, database and images (https:\/\/www.findagrave.com<\/a> : accessed 21 October 2020), memorial page for Barbe Dodier Gagn\u00e9 (1665\u20137 Feb 1689), Find a Grave Memorial no. 93294269<\/a>, citing Baie-Saint-Paul Cemetery, Baie-Saint-Paul, Capitale-Nationale Region, Quebec, Canada ; Maintained by Pat and Billy (contributor 47767337<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Can someone leave a lasting legacy in less than 26 years? That’s the first thing I thought about when I began researching my seven times great grandmother on my fathers\u2019 side. I think so. The era they lived, the names they called their children, the way they responded to pressure\u2014it all combines to create the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21432,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[100,29],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genealogy-ensemble-history-worth-remembering","category-quebec","post-wrapper","thrv_wrapper"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2buQs-5zF","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":19610,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/la-cadie\/","url_meta":{"origin":21431,"position":0},"title":"La Cadie before Evangeline","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"March 27, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Ten generations before I was born, and for at least three generations before that, my French-speaking ancestors settled in Port Royal on the Annapolis River. They probably arrived as colonizers in 1603. That\u2019s when France\u2019s King Henri IV set up \u201cLa Cadie\u201d between the 40th and 46th parallels south of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Genealogy Ensemble"","block_context":{"text":"Genealogy Ensemble","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/history-worth-remembering\/genealogy-ensemble-history-worth-remembering\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":17731,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/beads-necklace-book\/","url_meta":{"origin":21431,"position":1},"title":"Our book “Beads in a Necklace” launches today!","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"November 15, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"I'm so excited. Our book comes home from the printer today and we're planning a fun celebration of its existence tonight. Here's how we've described our creation on the backcover: A Fun Collaboration This work came to shape slowly over time. Lucy Anglin, Barb Angus, Marian Bulford, Janice Hamilton, Claire\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Genealogy Ensemble"","block_context":{"text":"Genealogy Ensemble","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/history-worth-remembering\/genealogy-ensemble-history-worth-remembering\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Beads-in-a-Necklacefinal-cover.jpg?fit=622%2C927&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Beads-in-a-Necklacefinal-cover.jpg?fit=622%2C927&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/Beads-in-a-Necklacefinal-cover.jpg?fit=622%2C927&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21526,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/marie-michel\/","url_meta":{"origin":21431,"position":2},"title":"The tribulations of New France colonist Marie Michel","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"August 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"If my sisters and I have strength, persistence and a refusal to be victimized, we get it from our New France colonist ancestor Marie-Madelaine Michel Gasnier DeRainville. Over her 72-year lifetime, Marie left her family and friends three times, married twice, bore nine children and raised eight of them to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family History Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Family History Writing","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/history-worth-remembering\/family-history-writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"1680 map","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/1680Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupres.png?fit=772%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/1680Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupres.png?fit=772%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/1680Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupres.png?fit=772%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/1680Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupres.png?fit=772%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":19418,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/johanne-gervais\/","url_meta":{"origin":21431,"position":3},"title":"Johanne Gervais Helps us Research our Ancestors","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"February 20, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"I had fun interviewing professional genealogist Johanne Gervais for this week\u2019s podcast. Here are some highlights from our conversation. https:\/\/www.mixcloud.com\/TraceyArial\/unapologetically-canadian-episode-19-johanne-gervais-helps-us-research-our-ancestors\/ Becoming a Genealogist Our discussion began with the question \"how did you become a genealogist?\" I became interested in genealogy while helping my husband who retired in 2008. He wanted\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "History Worth Remembering"","block_context":{"text":"History Worth Remembering","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/history-worth-remembering\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Johanne Gervais","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/JG-pic-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C1131&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/JG-pic-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C1131&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/JG-pic-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C1131&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/JG-pic-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C1131&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/JG-pic-3.jpg?fit=1200%2C1131&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":21840,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/stepping-back-in-time-in-quebec-city\/","url_meta":{"origin":21431,"position":4},"title":"Stepping Back in Time in Quebec City","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"May 11, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"I felt like a time-traveller within ten minutes of arriving in Quebec City by train. The stairs up from the platform led into a resplendent bricked hall with caged windows that looked like something from Queen Victoria\u2019s time. A domed sunlit ceiling of glass and stained glass made the space\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Family History Writing"","block_context":{"text":"Family History Writing","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/history-worth-remembering\/family-history-writing\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Overview Quebec City","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20210916_072126-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20210916_072126-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20210916_072126-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20210916_072126-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/20210916_072126-scaled.jpg?fit=1200%2C900&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16564,"url":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/a-rich-kings-daughter\/","url_meta":{"origin":21431,"position":5},"title":"A rich Kings\u2019 daughter","author":"Tracey Arial","date":"June 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Kings\u2019 daughters (Filles du Roi) who came to Canada between 1663 and 1673 under are often described as poor, orphaned or prostitutes. Yet my ancestor Catherine Clerice doesn\u2019t seem to fit that description. Catherine was indeed recruited by Louis XIV\u2019s team and she did indeed get a dowry of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Genealogy Ensemble"","block_context":{"text":"Genealogy Ensemble","link":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/en\/category\/history-worth-remembering\/genealogy-ensemble-history-worth-remembering\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/1680Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupres.png?fit=1000%2C1555&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21431"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21431\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21433,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21431\/revisions\/21433"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/traceyarial.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n