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From: "Ann Blakeney" <>
Subject: Joseph Ozanie Nadeau
Date: Mon, 22 Nov 2004 11:44:12 -0500
I am hoping this may be of interest to some of you:)
Biography of JOSEPH OZANIE NADEAU
(Extracted and translated from:
Nos ancêtres 18, by Ann Blakeney
The Nadeau, Nadaud family name originates from the name Nadal or Natal,
whose roots relate to the latin word natalis, which alludes to the
nativity, Christmas (Noël).
This family name from France counts at least 5 different holders with no
known family links. Antoine Nadeau, son of Pierre and of Marie Pacot from
the diocese of Angoulême, married at Terrebonne on February 3rd 1766 to
Marguerite Ritier (Riquet), daughter of Jean-Baptiste and of Marie-Anne
Léveillé. Antoine was preceeded in New France by Joseph Nadeau, dit
Belhair, ship captain, originally from Saint-Paul in Guyenne. He married
Félicité Desbiens, daughter of Etienne and of M.-Dorothée Tremblay, at
Île-aux-Coudres on November 1st, 1749.
At Saint-Michel dYamaska, on April 3rd 1742, Olivier-François Nadeau, son
of François and of Marie Duquet of Saint-André de Sablonceaux in Saintonge,
married Marguerite Forcier. A half century earlier, on October 30th 1696,
at Saint-Jean on the île dOrleans, Jean-Baptiste Nadeau, being in the
miller trade, originating from LeGué-deVelluire, in Poitou, married
Marie-Anne Dumont, daughter of Julien. To complete this bouquet, we add
the fact that the descendants of Nicolas Nardereau and of Marie-Anne Delpé
apparently adopted the family name Nadeau.
But reference is to the first Nadeau, that is Joseph-Ozanie, for whom a
large number of Nadeau(s) claim to be their common ancestor.
Genouillac
Joseph-Ozanie Nadeau, son of Macia and of Jeanne Despins or Despiers, was
born around 1637 in the locality of Genouillac, in Angoumois. Today, it is
referred to as the commune of Genouillac, east of the river Vienne, county
of Saint-Claud, in the area of Confolens, in Charente.
Genouillac, situated near the commune of Mazières, remains a portion of a
country lost in the lands and having no history. It is there that
Joseph-Ozanie grew up. He was not an educated person because he could not
sign (write). As it existes today, Genouillac was in the arch-diocese of
the beautiful Angoulême.
Establishment
Joseph-Ozanie Nadeau had the nickname Lavigne. All the soldiers were given
a nickname. Was Ozanie in the military? Possibly, but it is impossible to
substantiate. Many pioneers, such as Bonhomme, Dionne, Gravel and Simard
had a mocking/facetious name: Beaupré, Sansoucy, Brindelière and Lombrette.
This proves that no one in New- France could avoid having a nickname.
If Joseph-Ozanie came in New-France as a hired hand of 36 months, he must
have arrived in Québec in the summer of 1660 and worked in the employ of a
pioneer in the Côte de Beaupré, possibly at Sainte-Anne du Petit-Cap. Here
are the reasons why. On April 11, 1662, we find him on the list of the
confirmed (confirmands) of Chateau-Richer. He is listed next to Sylvain
Veau, domestic of Jean Gagnon since 1660. Therefore, the ancestor Nadeau
certainly lived there in 1661. On October 14, 1662, he is present at the
same location as god-father to the son of Jean Boutin, dit Larose and of
Suzanne Rocheteau, pioneers, living probably in the territory of Sainte-Anne
du Petit-Cap. I (the author) am tempted to conclude that Joseph-Ozanie
either worked for Jean Barrette or for someone living in close proximity.
Finally, the immigrant decided to firmly settle his tent forever on the soil
of America. On February 3, 1663, he received from Charles Lauzon, 3 acres
of frontal land located in the diocese of the parish of Sainte-Famille in
the rear fief Charny-Lirec, île dOrléans until his death. This farm is
located on the numbers 224 to 226 of the existing survey lots, that is on
the north side, west of the Saint-Famille church.
The dice were thrown. The ancestor Nadeau lived at lîle dOrléans until
his death. He started by making a clearing in the forest. He built his
cabin and prepared a nest to accommodate his future family.
Home/Family
On Friday November 6, 1665, Joseph-Ozanie Nadeau, dit Lavigne, was in Québec
in the house of the notary Duquet. Many notable witnesses had been summoned
for this occasion. In civil law, a marriage contract was always deemed of
high importance. Even the most notable individuals never hesitated to make
themselves available to help the common folk. Here are the names of the
invited guests: Alexandre de Prouville, marquis de Tracy,
commander-in-chief of the troops; Daniel Rémy, lord of Courcelle, governor;
Jean Talon, administrator of New-France; Marie-Barbe Boulogne, widow of
Louis dAilleboust, protector of the Kings Daughters (filles du roi);
Jacques Leprou, upholsterer. Also present were: Boismorice, Nicolas Durand,
angoumois, E. Banchaud and Louis Levasseur, residents from Château-Richer.
In summary, all of the top upper-crust of the Québec region were in
attendance.
Who then, was the future bride of Joseph-Ozanie? A fille du roi, born at
Saint-Eustache in Paris, Marguerite Abraham, about 20 years of age, daughter
of Guillaume Abraham and of Denise Fleury. She brought possessions
estimated at 100 pounds tournois. The notary forgot to mention the Kings
gift of 50 pounds. The couple wished to have a joint possession of all
assets. Ozanie endowed his loved one with the sum of 200 pounds. The day
of the blessing was not recorded in the registries. We (the author) can
assume that the wedding was conducted by Abbott Thomas Morel, probably in
the parish of Sainte-Famille. The family name Abraham suggests that
Marguerite was of Jewish origin.
The Abraham Nadeau couple are listed in the 1666 census in the
Sainte-Famille parish at île dOrléans. The following year, the census
takers list some interesting precise details: Ozanie Joseph Nado, 30 years
old, Marguerite Abraham, his wife, 23 years old; one child, Marie, 4 months;
7 acres of valuable land. No mention is made of the livestock. The
neighbours listed are the Breton Jean Moreau, dit LaGrange, and the poitevin
Philippe Paquet, still a bachelor.
A few active years
The life of the pioneer Nadeau shines by its simplicity and its briefness.
On July 22, 1671, he visits the notary Gilles Rageot to authenticate a
donation made to the poor at the Hôtel-Dieu in Québec, represented by
Jacques de Latouche. This notarized transaction is akin to (resembles) a
puzzle. If I (the author) understand this correctly, the ancestor gives 2
bushels of wheat; but the 15 others appear to derive from two residents from
la Côte de Beaupré. They had been sentenced to make this donation w\as a
result of a judgment pronounced by a landlord judge in the previous year.
At the end of the summer of 1675, Nadeau decided to rid himself of his land
situated on the north side of the island. On Friday October 28th, he
appeared before the notary Pierre Duquet of Québec, together with the
purchaser, Antoine Dionne. The Nadeau property included 15 or 16 acres of
cultivated land, a shed, all of which were located between the neighbours
Jean Martineau and Philippe Paquet.. The text does not mention, perhaps by
neglect, the existence of a house and a barn. Dionne promises to pay the
sum of 800 pounds in one or two disbursements, with one to the Toussaint and
the other to the Saint-Joseph. While waiting to unsheath his poor
pockets, the purchaser is to pay the annual interest in accordance with the
Kings rates. Did Ozanie sell at a good price; will he be well paid?
Why sell? Its because Monsignor de Laval, one June 2nd, 1667, had offered
to the ancestor the possibility of establishing himself preferably on the
south side of the island, in the territory of the Saint-Laurent. Ozanie had
started to farm this property of 4 acres of frontage, whose ownership will
not be known to us until April 5th `1678. However, on July 23rd 1671, the
surveyor Jean Guyon had determined the boundaries. The Nadeau(s) relocated
to Saint-Laurent with their family, their animals and their furniture,
towards 1675, perhaps even earlier than this date.
Abraham-Nadeau Generation
We have seen five flowers bloom in the Abraham-Nadeau garde: Marie, Jean,
Adrien, Denis and Catherine. Marie Aubert, the wife of Jean Prémont and
god-mother, bequeathed her first name on May 1st, 1667 to the eldest of the
Nadeau family. Alas! Marie Nadeau, who could have been Aurore, faded in
the first rays of the sun without having/leaving any vestiges (trace). This
was also the fate of the godson of Adrien Blanquet and Elisabeth Meunier.
Adrien Nadeau only lived the same life span as do the roses; the span of one
morning. Baptized on March 3, 1672, he was buried the following day at
Sainte-Famille.
On April 22, 1669, the bachelor Jean Deperdeau, accompanied by Marie Mesuré,
carried to the baptismal font of the Saint-Famille church, the first infant
male Nadeau, Jean. The eldest of the boys grew up normally amongst his own.
Around 1689, in Beaumont, he married Anne Lacasse, daughter of Antoine and
of Françoise Pilois; this couple gave to their counter 13 subjects. Jean
was buried in Beaumont on March 1st, 1735 at 66 years of age.
The second surviving son, Denis, was given his first name by Denis Derome,
his god-father, on June 18, 1673. Denis was the only one in the family to
be baptized at Québec. I (the author) am still looking for a reason for
this. He also sought a sisters love from the Lacasse family. At Beaumont,
on November 9, 1695, he took Charlotte as a companion for life. Together,
they brought to the world 13 children, 3 of whom died at birth. After
Charlottes death, Denis remarried on May 25, 1724 to Elisabeth Roy, from
the family lf Louis and of Marie Ledran. This second union procreated 9
Roy-Nadeau subjects. Denis was thus responsible for 22 children. Denis was
named a militia lieutenant of the seigneurie of Saint-Claude. In 1729 he
claimed to be illiterate. However, in 1744, he wrote a highly dignified
letter to his daughter Marie-Madeleine who wished to marry Pierre-François
Rigaud, gentleman usher in the Superior Council. It is in a cemetery of
Saint-Michel where Denis was interred on March 4th, 1759, shortly before the
downfall of Québec and the French regime.
The only Nadeau daughter who survived and left a descendant was named
Catherine, god-daughter of Catherine Boisandré on June 14, 1676. At 18
years old, on April 29, 1694, she gave her heart to Louis Roy, son of
Nicolas Leroy and of Jeanne Lelière. When she descended in the blessed
earth of Sainte-Pierre on île dOrléans on JULY 22, 1746, Catherine left
behind her a dozen children. She had lived on the Nadeau paternal land at
Saint-Laurent. Such is the account of the Abraham-Nadeau generation. Its
quality carried it/won over the numbers; but the third generation
carried/won it in numbers and in quality with its 47 representatives.
Inventory
At Saint-Paul de lîle, on Wednesday February 10, 1677, Joseph Ozanie Nadeau
slipped away from the world of the living without revealing how or why.
The twelfth day of February, one thousand six hundred and
seventy-seven, was inhumed in the cemetery of the parish of
Saint-Paul in the island of Saint-Laurent, Joseph Ozanie
Nadeau,
dead on the tenth day of the same month.
Charles A. Martin, priest.
It is pointed out that this parish was initially dedicated to Saint-Paul but
changed its patronage (name) to that of Saint-Laurent in 1698, at the
request of Lord François Berthelot. Its registries were opened on July 23,
1679. Hence, there was a cemetery in existence prior to this date. It is
at Saint-Famille, however, that the declaration of Joseph Ozanies death was
recorded.
The year six thousand and seventy-eight, the fifth day of
April, at the
request of Marguerite ABRAHAM, widow of the deceased Ozanie
Joseph NAEAU d. LAVIGNE, resident living in the county of
ST. LAURENT.
a complete inventory was made of all the furnishings, animals, dishware,
deniers (coins), expenses, papers and titles left after the death of the
ancestor and found in his house. The assesors chosen: Michel Enaud, dit
Botté and Antoine Marcereau, residents in the said area, promising under
oath to accurately estimate, in deniers (money), the objects that they will
be shown.
The broiler, the iron pot, the 3 old copper boilers, the strainer, the
warming pan, the old small saucepan, the lamp, the 6 earthenware vessels,
the rifle, the chest with a few shirts, property of the widow and children,
3 hoes, 2 iron wedges, 1 ax, 1 tiller, 1 small saw, all of which is
estimated at 47 pounds. Nothing compared to an estate of the castles of the
Loire.
Even if the family does not eat with silver spoons, they do still possess,
however, some items to feed themselves: 50 bags of wheat, 6 of green peas, 6
of white beans, 1 half-barrel of lard.
In one corner of the barn, a rooster is encouraging 6 chickens to lay nice
eggs. Two piglets, 2 beef, 3 cows, 1 bull, all await impatiently for the
arrival of spring. There was no mention if there was a cat from Spain, or a
faithful dog walking between the barn, the shed and the house. These
domestic animals were never entitled to be listed in the list of livestock.
The Nadeau property, including its 14 acres of cultivated land and its tall
trees, was evaluated at the sum of 900 pounds.
But why this inventory? Certainly, to protect the rights of the minor
children. And then, again ?
Second Marriage
After Ozianes departure, Marguerite Abraham and her children remained
practically penniless. They had to survive. With the heart and luck both
helping, a solution appeared when the eyes of the good Guillaume Chartier
cruised the family and the widow Nadeau. The inventory of the deceaseds
assets had not yet been done.
On January 26, 1678, at the widows residence, the notary Pierre Duquet had
come by snowshoes to register the terms of a marriage contract.
The Breton Guillaume Chartier, in New-France since 1674, son of Olivier and
of Marie Cornet, approximately 29 years old, originally from Sainte-Marie de
la Haie-Fouassière, county of Vertou, sub-division of Nantes in Bretagne,
pledges to marry Marguerite Abraham. He offers a dower of initially 300
pounds, to be followed with an additional 200 pounds; he promises to raise
the 3 Nadeau children as if they were his own. The suitor deposits 500 new
pounds in the community savings, but that would remain in his possession in
the event of the death of his intended. He signs with flair, like an
educated and delicate man. The Nadeau(s) had met their messiah.
At the church of Sainte-Famille de lîle dOrléans, on Monday 31st January ,
the priest Lamé blessed this union in the presence of the following
witnesses: Noël Forestier, Michel Enaud, Jean Jouanne, Isaac Pasquier, dit
Lavallée.
The new couple settled on the Nadeau farm. The census takers of 1681
confirmed this fact. Chartier then declared owning only 1 beef and 4 acres
of cultured land.
The inventory of the Nadeau assets has appeared to have been completed on a
face-saving basis. Guillaume resorted to the Sovereign Council to verify,
according to him, this incomplete inventory. The Council ordered, on
February 28, 1689, the re-taking of the evaluation. The assessors of 1678,
headed by Marguerite Abraham, declared on the following June 27th the
inventory to be truthfully consistent. This marriage was without posterity.
The children shared the ancestral land, after an inventory of the assets
drawn up on June 18, 1694. The elder Abraham was still living at the time
of her son Denis marriage at Beaumont on November 9th, 1695. Then, history
held her breath. No life! Nothing left!
Guillaume Chartier spent 4 days at the Hôtel-Dieu in Québec at the beginning
of December, 1695. We have learned by means of a notarized declaration
signed by Louis Chambalon on April 2nd, 1696, that Chartier was living with
the Jesuits in Québec. He had loaned money to François Sauvin, dit Larose.
Lastly, on April 4th, 1697, Guillaume committed himself to the Compagnie de
Jésus.
This concludes the uncomplicated (simple) and touching story of the first
Abraham-Nadeau-Chartier generation.
Epilogue
The ramifications of the Nadeau family did not only spread in Québec, but
also into the United States.
On May 29, 1760, James Murray was in a towering blue rage. A gross
disobedience to his authority earned an exemplary punishment. What happened
was a miller from Bellechasse, Joseph Nadeau, provided flour to the French
soldiers. The guilty one deserved to be hung. In order to give a lasting
example, sufficient to make the rebels think twice, he ordered that Nadeau
be hung to the yardarm of his mill, which was done without delay. The body
of the unfortunate miller swung to and fro at the will of the wind, in front
of the terrified citizens of Saint-Michel.
It is reported that the governor, Guy Carleton, once informed of this
atrocity committed by his predecessor, decided to repair this dishonourable
act. He took care of the education of the son, Charles Nadeau, who is one
the list of the boarders at the Québec Seminary on October 30, 1768. He
apparently said: It is a general who had made me lose my father; it is a
general who will provide me with another.
Bibliography
Greffe Becquet, 3 February 1663 (minute absente).
Greffe Chambalon, 2 August 1696.
Greffe Duquet, 6 November 1665; 17 February 1675 (agreement between
Guillaume Chartier and Olivier Guillemot); 18 October 1675.
Greffe Grenaple, 28 January 1678; 5 April 1678; 4 April 1697.
Greffe Jacob, 18 June 1694.
Greffe Rageot, 22 July 1671.
Dauzat, Albert, Dictionnaire étymologique des Noms de famille et Prénoms
de France (1951), p.446.
Drouin, Gabriel, Dictionnaire des Canadiens Français (1965), vol2,
pp.987-989.
Lafontaine, André, Les Baillages de Beaupré et de lîle dOrléans (1987),
pp. 494-495; Recensements annotés de la Nouvelle-France 1666 et 1667
(1985), pp. 37, 213.
.
Nadeau, Doria, ancien cure de Robertsonville, notes personnelles, 14 pages.
Nadeau, Yvonne, Les Nadeau à lîle dOrléans 1665-1681 (1984, 2e edition),
179 pages.
Roy, Léon, Les Terres de lîle dOrléans 1659-1725 (edition revue et
corrigée par
Raymond Gariépy, 1978), pp. 149-151, 319-320; Les Premiers Colons de la
Rive
Sud du Saint-Laurent de Berthier à Saint-icolas 1636-1738 (1984, pp.
353-355, 423.
Trudel, Marcel, Catalogue des immigrants 1632-1662 (1983), p. 463; Le
Terrier du
Saint-Laurent en 1663 (1973), p. 68
Bulletin de Recherches Historiques, vil 66, pp. 13-24.
Jugements et Délibérations du Conseil Souverain de la Nouvelle-France
(1987), vol3,
pp. 299-300, 338.
Nos Racines ou lHistoire Vivante des Québecois, vol. 3, p.525; vol. 12,
fascicule 140.
Rapport de lAchiviste de la Province de Québec, vol. 30-31, pp.321, 334.
Saint-Laurent en lIsle 1679-1979 (1979), pp. 11, 60.
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