...from the Great-Branch of
'Charles & Méthaïde Theriault' [MRIN
998]
[VERSION FRANÇAISE]
Lineage
1. Jehan
2. Claude
3. Germain
4. Joseph I
5. Joseph II
6. Joseph R.
7. Laurent
8. Denis
9. Charles |
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Migration:
Acadia... Baie-des-Chaleurs, NB... Madawaska
With
the exception of Jehan who was born in France of course, the
first four generations of this Great-Branch were all born and
buried in Acadia. Germain, elder child of Claude, moved to Grand
Pré to join his grand-uncle Pierre some time before 1686 when he
married M. Anne Richard in Rivière aux Canards and started his
family in that neighborhood of Grand Pré. Many years of general
peace and prosperity followed this period.
Journey of the Fifth Generation. The Treaty of
Utrecht of 1713 gave England final possession of the colony of
Acadia. This act set the scene for a series of events that would
utterly and fundamentally change the lives of the Acadians. The
fifth generation of the Terriot family which spanned the years
from 1715 to 1785, was the generation that suffered through this
tragedy. Soon after the treaty, many Acadians, probably more the
young Acadians, were drawn to Beaubassin partly to distance
themselves from the English but also because of the greater
prosperity of Beaubassin. Three of the 61 members of the Terriot
fifth generation that we know today; two brothers, Paul and
Joseph, sons of Claude in Rivières aux Canards and their cousin,
Joseph, son of Joseph in St-Charles parish in Grand-Pré decided
to leave their native Grand Pré for Beaubassin at around the
same time in 1745 at which time they had all married.
Over the next 10 years, conflict and especially the burning of
Beaubassin in 1750 would cause the three families to further
migrate away from their beloved Acadia. Unlike his two cousins
who chose to wait, Joseph (son of Joseph) first moved to the
lower St-John River probably in Grimross (Gagetown) around 1755.
Unfortunately, Colonel Robert Monckton and his troops came in
to destroy Grimross three years later whereupon they fled the
village along with the other Acadians for Sainte Anne,
present-day Fredericton. But fate would not favor Joseph this
time. A few months later in late winter in 1759, the infamous
Moses Hazen and his men came upon the Acadian village to destroy
its homes, barns and other shelters leaving the Acadians without
shelter. Seeking greater security, Joseph moved his family some
250 miles up the St John River to the St-Lawrence without
knowing that Major General James P. Wolfe was also terrorizing
the region at that time. Joseph of course tried to avoid these
areas and proceeded to Trois Pistoles in 1760 which is east of
the area attacked by Wolfe, and in 1761 to Cap Saint Ignace and
later yet in 1765 to Sainte Anne de la Pocatière. Apparently not
satisfied with the St Lawrence situation, Joseph decided two
years later to return to the lower St John River area in
Nashwaak. He was one of the first Acadians to return to the area
from the St Lawrence. The area seemed to have stabilized and so
they built a home on Sugar Island (l’Ile au Sucre) at the mouth
of the Keswick River.
For the first time, it finally seemed to Joseph that he and his
family would be able to pursue a life to build a farm and a
family. But that peace would be interrupted in 1776 when the
American colonies broke out in revolution. At least some of the
Acadians sided with the Americans in short campaigns by the
Americans against the English. This once again invited the
English to raid and terrorize the homes and property of the
Acadians including Joseph. Adding to the pressure of this
conflict on the Acadians in the lower St John region, the area
was soon crowded with Loyalists who were fleeing the American
colonies. These two actions in the mid-1780’s combined to
pressure the Acadians to once again look for more peaceful
locations. In 1786, Joseph sold his property to a Loyalist named
Frederick DePeyster and then set out towards Caraquet with his
family to arrive in Caraquet before summer’s end in that year.
Soon after, Joseph received his grants for land for himself and
his sons which preceded about a decade of relative peace and
prosperity. Joseph died in the winter of 1795-96 and was buried
at Sainte Anne du Bocage in Caraquet.
In 1785, Generation 6 (Joseph R., from
Joseph II's first marriage) moved to the upper St-John River to
Saint-Basile in present-day northern New Brunswick.
Generation 7 (Laurent) through 9 (Charles) remained in the
Saint-Basile area.
Daniel Thériault is a
13th generation great-grandson of Jehan Terriault and our
Delegate for the Charles & Méthaïde Theriault Great-Branch.
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Although
Charles and Méthaide settled in Ste-Anne de Madawaska, they
were members of the parish St-Basile, the closest parish in that area.
Charles
was the great-grandson of Joseph R. Theriault, Jr., one of the first Acadians
to settle in St-Basile in 1785. On Wednesday, 7 January 1880, Charles married Méthaide
in St-Basile and together raised a family in Ste-Anne which included
twelve children.
Ten
years ago, the parish of St-Basile celebrated its 200th anniversary. It
is the oldest Acadian parish in the Madawaska region of northwestern New
Brunswick.
Personal Note: Charles and Méthaide are the great-grandparents of Adrien Theriault
(Leo, Maxime, Charles) who is our Past Delegate for this branch. We lost our
friend and cousin, Adrien in 2005 to a fight with cancer. Adrien was a founding
member of the Terriot Acadian Family Society in 2000. He was one of the key
members who helped establish our goals and helped set our strategy. Today, his
son, Daniel has taken his father's post and continues to represent this
Great-Branch.
~ J. R. Theriault
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Mr and Mrs
Charles Theriault
from Ste-Anne de Madawaska, New Brunswick.
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