Pierre was born on 17 NOV 1685 in Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Mauricie QC , the son of René Gauthier dit Devarennes and Marie-Ursule Boucher dit Degrosbois dit Deboucherville.
He died on 05 DEC 1749 in Montréal QC .
His wife was Marie-Anne Jeanne Dandonneau-Dusable-Lajeunesse, who he married on 29 OCT 1712 in Québec (ville) QC . Their only known child was Louis-Joseph (?-?).
|
Pierre Gauthier dit de la Vérandrye |
René Gauthier dit Devarennes |
| | |||||
| | ||||||||
| | | |||||||
| | ||||||||
|
Marie-Ursule Boucher dit Degrosbois dit Deboucherville |
Pierre Boucher dit Degrosbois |
Gaspard Boucher |
+ | |||||
|
Marie Nicole Lemaire |
+ | |||||||
|
Jeanne Crevier |
| |||||||
| |
| Event | Date | Details | Source | Multimedia | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth | 17 NOV 1685 |
|
|||||
| Death | 5 DEC 1749 |
|
| Attribute | Date | Description | Details | Source | Multimedia | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nobility Title | sieur de Lavérendreye |
Note 1
Discoverer of the Canadian West, born at Three Rivers, Quebec, 17 November, 1685; died at Montreal, 6 December, 1749. His early manhood was passed as a soldier in the service of France, and he was wounded on the battlefield of Malplaquet. Later he returned to his native country and engaged in the fur trade. As a step towards the exploration of the Pacific, or the Western Sea as it was then called, he established three trading posts west of Lake Superior, i.e. Forts St. Pierre, on Rainy River (1731), St. Charles on the Lake of the Woods (1732), and Maurepas, at the month of the Winnipeg River (1734).
This young priest [Father Jean P. Aulneau de La Touche] having temporarily left for the east (8 June, 1736) with Lavérendrye's eldest son, Jean-Baptiste, and nineteen "voyageurs", in quest of much needed provisions, the entire party was slain on an island of the Lake of the Woods on the very day of their departure. Lavérendrye prudently resisted the pressing solicitations of the natives, burning to avenge on the Sioux, the authors of the massacre, the wrong done to the French. Then, in spite of his many debts occasioned by explorations and establishments for which he had no other funds than the desultory returns of the fur trade in an unorganized country, he went on with the task entrusted to his patriotism by the French court. On 24 September, 1738, he reached the exact spot where now stands Winnipeg, and, ascending the Assiniboine to the present site of Portage la Prairie, he built there a post which he called Fort La Reine. Thence he made for the south, and by the end of 1738 he was at a Mandan village on the Upper Missouri. Early in the spring of the following year, he sent north one of his sons, who discovered Lakes Manitoba, Dauphin, Winnipegosis, and Bourbon, and erected a fort on Lake Dauphin. Meantime Lavérendrye had had to repair to Montreal to come to an understanding with his creditors. In the spring of 1742 he commissioned two of his sons, Pierre Gauthier, dit the Chevalier, and Francois, to explore the country as far west as they could possibly go. In the company of savages who had never seen a white man, they reached, after many perils, one of the spurs of the Rocky Mountains, which they partially scaled (12 January, 1743). The desertion of their native guides, terrified at the unexpected discovery of a village of their traditional enemies, alone prevented further progress. The explorers must have penetrated to a point in the northwest corner of what is now Montana.
Lavérendryre was naturally endowed, it is true, with indomitable energy, but he was struggling against too heavy odds. Dragged before the law courts by the Montreal merchants whom he could not pay, and accused by others of thinking more of filthy lucre than of discoveries, and ill sustained by the Paris authorities, he had to give up his work (1744), after consecrating to it the thirteen best years of his life. Gradually his worth became recognized at Paris, and honours were bestowed upon him by the French king. He was on the eve of resuming his explorations when he died, and was buried in the vault of Notre-Dame, Montreal.
Catholic Encyclopedia (http://http://www.newadvent.org/)
Note 2
DAGNEAU DOUVILLE DE QUINDRE, LOUIS-CÉSAIRE, merchant, militia colonel; baptized 8 Oct. 1704 at Sorel (Que.), son of Michel Dagneau Douville and Marie Lamy; m. Françoise-Marie-Anne Picoté de Belestre in Montreal, 4 Dec. 1736; buried at Detroit 2 Feb. 1767.
1727: Dictionary of Canadian Biography: trading among the Miamis; 1730+: Sending canoes to Michilimackinac and in partnership with Claude Marin de la Perrière, leasing the Michipicoten post (near Michipicoten Harbour ON) from Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de la Vérendyre; 1740-1742: Moved his wife from Montreal to Fort Saint Joseph (Niles, Michigan) and with his partner Claude Marin carried on a extensive trade with the Miamis and Potawatomis. Commandant at Fort St Joseph.
1741: Greffes des Notaires du Regime Français: Power of Attorney given by Louis Césaire and his wife Marie-Anne Picoté de Belestre on their departure for the poste of the River St Joseph to François Picoté de Belestre, brother of the said Marie-Anne to which it gave power to receive her part of her share of the will of her great uncle in France, dated Jun 25, 1741.
1742: Moved his wife from Montreal to Fort Saint Joseph (Niles, Michigan) and with his partner Claude Marin carried on an extensive trade with the Miamis and Potawatomis. Commandant at Fort St Joseph.
1747: Transferred his business to Michilimackinac and became leading suppliers of the fort at that location. Indian problems resulted in him sending his wife back to Montreal. Peace with the Indians was kept by Jacques Legardeur de Saint Pierre but there was an uprising at Detroit.
1749: He moved to Detroit. Family was in financial difficulties so his wife came back. He developed a trading business and became a major supplier to the garrison at Detroit. He provided clothing, canoes and huge supplies of grain.
1752: The commandant of Detroit, Pierre Joseph Céloron de Blainville ceded him all of Île aux Cochons (Belle Isle) in the Detroit River. Protests arose so the grant was withdrawn and he was given a large tract of land on the west side of the settlement.
1755: Appointed Colonel of Militia. This position had local prestige but there were only 200 men in it.
1759: A militia detachement lead by Louis Césaire accompanied François Marie Le Marchand de Lignery in an unsuccessful attempt to relieve Fort Niagara from attacking British forces and Indians. He was accompanied by his brother, Major Guillaume Dagneau, Douville de Lamothe. Both brothers were captured.
1766: (L' Esclavage au Canada Français by Marcel Trudel): Louise a Pawnee Indian, slave belonging to Louis-Césaire Dagneau-Douville Dequindre, age 31 years; after having been set free, married at Detroit June 26, 1766 to Louis Brunet, 28 years, a resident of Detroit for the last 9 years, major, son of Louis Brunet, master-carpenter at Ste Charles-de-Lachenaie and Louise Parent. Prior to her marriage, Louise had 3 natural children (sons), from 1757 to 1764. The first two children remained in bondage while the mother obtained freedom for Antoine-Césaire, panis Indian, born and baptized May 11, 1757 in Detroit.