1660's:
Initial Turmoil; Peace under French Rule
THE
POLITICAL SCENE
In 1664, three years
after Claude started his family, the Terriot family witnessed the re-taking
of Port Royal once again by the English. Claude was 27 and no doubt among
the defenders of Port Royal who in spite of their small numbers heroically
resisted a two-week assault by the English, but to no avail. The English
prevailed and took ownership of Port Royal and Acadia.
Almost immediately
in 1667, over Governor Temple's protests, Acadia was ceded back to France
by the Treaty of Breda. The colony's official population is estimated
at four hundred by the English prior to the transfer.
THE
TERRIOT's: Port Royal
The 1660's was the
'Decade of the Grand-Children' for Jehan and Perrine. Their family would
grow at a rate of sometimes two children a year during this decade. This
had to have been a very rewarding time in the lives of Jehan and Perrine.
With the opening of this decade, Jehan turned 60 and Perrine enters her
50's. These were their 'golden years'. By the end of the decade, Jehan
and Perrine would have 11 grand-children, 9 of which will be grand-daughters.
Jeanne's
Family. The decade opened
with a wedding in 1660; Jehan, and Perrine’s oldest daughter Jeanne
married Pierre Thibodeau, the miller of Prée-Ronde just across the
Rivière-au-Dauphin from them. Pierre would come to be known as a
strong father, a loving husband and an ambitious and very capable Acadian.
Their family would eventually grow to include sixteen children, seven of
which would be boys. It must be noted here that Pierre and Jeanne made
full use of a custom with the Acadians: re-using a child's name several
times. In this case, it is 'Marie' which they used for their first three
children, three daughters. The custom also typically used nicknames (sobriquets)
to uniquely identify each.
By the end of this
decade, Jeanne and Pierre had four daughters. Actually, Jeanne and Pierre
must have been delighted with their daughters because they knew that it
is far easier to raise a large family with the help of some daughters to
feed and raise the younger children. To start with boys in a large family,
although easier on the father because of the additional manpower for the
farm chores, makes it difficult for the mother to attend to all of the
needs of the children.
We will see that
Pierre and Jeanne were the progenitors of a great and very large Thibodeau
family in North America. In their marriage, Pierre and Jeanne bonded the
Terriot blood as part of the Thibodeau progeny which will be wide-spread
and significant. Where you see a Thibodeau, you also see a Terriot. We
will see that under Pierre's leadership, he and his sons will eventually
open new settlements and become the founders of Chipoudy (Shepody, NB).
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Claude's
Family. The following year,
1661 was Claude’s turn when he married the 'girl next door', Marie Gautherot,
daughter of François Gautherot (who we believe also came to La Hève
in 1632 with Jehan Terriot), and Edmée Le Jeune.29
Edmée came from an Acadian family even more ancient than Jehan.
Her father probably came to Port Royal with Biencourt
around 1611 and her mother was an Acadian Métis or Indian.32
Claude as well, would
prove to be a very capable and loving father. He and Edmée would
eventually raise fourteen children to give the Terriot family a very significant
boost in their population count. By virtue of the later censuses,
we believe that Claude stayed with his father in the tradition of the Acadians
where the elder son remained with his parents to establish his family and
also to assure that his parents would continue to enjoy their lives and
their grandchildren. In his lifetime, Claude would eventually 'grow' the
Terriot farm into a very sizable enterprise which contributed significantly
to the wealth and prominence of Claude's family. But for now, Claude and
Marie will finish the decade with three children: one son and two daughters.
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Bonaventure's
Family. Around
1666, Bonaventure married Jeanne Boudrot,
daughter of Michel Boudrot, who later became the Lieutenant-General of
Justice in Acadia. 'Venture' cultivated his father-in-law's land in the
immediate western vicinity of Port Royal on the southern bank of the Rivière
au Dauphin. Their neighbors included the Boudrot and Bergeron families.
One year later, Venture and Jeanne received their first child: a daughter
which they named Marie. Their next child would be several years away. |
Catherine's
Family. Around
1668,
Pierre Guilbeault married Catherine. Pierre had recently arrived (within
the year) to Acadia from France. He was born in 1639, the son of Francois
& Marie Pignon of St. Bethelemy de La Rochelle, France. He was 11 years
older than Catherine and could have been one of those individuals mentioned
earlier who came to Acadia either as part of the french militia or government
and decided to marry one of the local girls and stay. Pierre apparently
quickly acquired some 15 acres of land west of Port Royal, on the north
bank of the Rivière au Dauphins not far from the Melançon
domaine. He was progenitor of the family in the New World. Thus, as with
the Thibodeau's, Catherine and Pierre bonded the Terriot blood into the
Guilbeault progeny for all time.
About one year after
they married, Pierre and Catherine received their first-born: a daughter
who they named Marguerite. Three years after their marriage in the Census
of 1671, Pierre and Catherine are shown to have six head of cattle, five
sheep and 15 acres of tilled farm land; a very significant hold for a starting
Acadian farmer.
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Germain's
Family. With the English
in charge around 1668, Germain married Andrée Brun, daughter of
Vincent Brun and of Renée Brault. Through the next census, we will
learn later that Jehan and Perrine allocated some of their family land
to Germain and Andrée, so that Germain, Claude and Jehan all lived
in the same neighborhood across the river from their daughter's home on
Prée Ronde. |
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