from CSBL, doc s-37-4, 1797 census of Valenzuela list:"
Miguel Suares age 45
Francisca, his wife 32
Domingo, his son 25
Sebastian, id 23 total persons 4 slaves 7"
since his wife is only nine years older than Sebastian, this could not have
been his mother and could possibly be a third wife.
from SALC, vol 2:"Suarez - Miguel (Canary Is.) m. Maria Delpino (PL)."
this is Plattenville, La Assumption Church
from CSBL, doc s-37-5, 1788 general census of the inhabitants established in
Lafourche
Name of each age slaves arpents quarts horned horses swine total
person of land of rice cattle
Miguel Suares 40 3 9 80 12 4 20 4Margueritte, his wife 25
Bastien, his son 20
Etienne, id 17
from CIML, doc s-41-1, pp 43, section - Recruits and their families who
embarked on December 9, 1778 on board the 'San Juan Nepomuceno' under the
command of Captain Don Domingo Morera:
"Armed PersonnelMiguel Suarez
wife: Maria de la Cruz
son- Domingo Suarez age 11 years
son- Sevastian Suarez " 7 "
son- Miguel Suarez " 1 month"
since we have a marriage record for him to Maria del Pino in La. this wife must
have died after leaving the canary islands.from Doc S-30-2:"Passenger and Immigration Lists Index", page 2054
"Suarez, Miguel n.a.;New Orleans, La., 1778 9436 p 43
wife:Maria DeLaCruz n.a.
son:Domingo 11
son:Sevastian 7
son:Miguel 1 mos"
first ? wife see notes on Miguel
from CSBL, Doc R-37-3, 1797 Census of Valenzuela has the below:"
Juan Rodrigue age 42
Josepha, his wife 34
Josef, his son 15
Domingo, id 8
Juan, id 7
Francisco, id 2
Maria, his daughter 14
Isabelle, id 11
Maire, id 4
Tomasa, id 3 total persons 10"
from SALC, vol 2:" Rodriguez - Jean (Canary Is.) m. Josefa de Orta (PL). This
is Plattenville, La. Assumption Church"
from CIML, doc R-41-1, pp 33 - section - Recruits and their families who
embarked on October 15, 1778 on board the "La Victoria" under the command of
Captain Andres Orange:
"Armed PersonnelJuan de Leon Rodriguez
wife: Josefa Rodriguez
son- Josef Rodriguez age 12 years
son- Francisco Rodriguez " 9 "
son- Juan Rodriguez " 7 "
son- Antonio Rodriguez " 5 "
son- Domingo Rodriguez " 4 mo.
dau- Catlina Rodriguez " 10 years"
from CSBL, doc s-37-4, 1797 census of Valenzuela list:"
Miguel Suares age 45
Francisca, his wife 32
Domingo, his son 25
Sebastian, id 23 total persons 4 slaves 7"
since his wife is only nine years older than Sebastian, this could not have
been his mother and could possibly be a third wife.
from SALC, vol 2:"Suarez - Miguel (Canary Is.) m. Maria Delpino (PL)."
this is Plattenville, La Assumption Church
from CSBL, doc s-37-5, 1788 general census of the inhabitants established in
Lafourche
Name of each age slaves arpents quarts horned horses swine total
person of land of rice cattle
Miguel Suares 40 3 9 80 12 4 20 4Margueritte, his wife 25
Bastien, his son 20
Etienne, id 17
from CIML, doc s-41-1, pp 43, section - Recruits and their families who
embarked on December 9, 1778 on board the 'San Juan Nepomuceno' under the
command of Captain Don Domingo Morera:
"Armed PersonnelMiguel Suarez
wife: Maria de la Cruz
son- Domingo Suarez age 11 years
son- Sevastian Suarez " 7 "
son- Miguel Suarez " 1 month"
since we have a marriage record for him to Maria del Pino in La. this wife must
have died after leaving the canary islands.from Doc S-30-2:"Passenger and Immigration Lists Index", page 2054
"Suarez, Miguel n.a.;New Orleans, La., 1778 9436 p 43
wife:Maria DeLaCruz n.a.
son:Domingo 11
son:Sevastian 7
son:Miguel 1 mos"
see notes on Miguel. note CIML, doc P-41-1, pp 19 section - Recruits and their
families who embarked on October 9, 1778 on board the "San Ignacio de Loyola"
under the command of Don Felix Francisco de la Oruo:"
Armed PersonnelJosef del Pino
wife Rita Monzon
dau- Maria del Pino Age 7 Months"This age does not fit and may be a coincidence.
see Doc M-41-1, from FCAG, vol II, no. I:"On September 22, 1720 (old style), J. Adams in a letter from Annapolis Royal to the honorable Paul Dudley of Boston. mentions 'one Peter Mellanson an aged English Gentleman who came into this Country with Sr. Thomas Temple and lived here ever since. And to show us that he knew this 'Peter Mellanson' personally, this J. Adams states that the previous summer he had been directly in touch with this 'forementioned Mr. Mellanson who is still living in Minis.' who related to this J. Adams what he transmitted in his letter to Paul Dudley."
From AGE, Vol XX, # 1, page 25,"Notes to Accompany the Plan of the River of
Annapolis Royal,", prepared by Mr. Placide Gaudet, Genealogist to the Public
Archives of Canada:"6. Mellanson village - Two brothers, Peter and Charles
Mellanson, natives of Scotland, came to Acadie with their parents in 1657, and settled on the north side of Annapolis River, a short distance to the east of Scotch Fort, Peter, surnamed Sieur de la Verdure, born in 1632, married Marguerite Marie d'Entremont in 1665, and settled at Grand Pree about the year 1680. He became the father of a large family. His brother Charles was born on 1642, and married in 1667 Marie Dugas. He lived on his father's land on the Annapolis River and had a numerous family. The two brothers, originally Protestants, became Catholic on their marriage, and their descendants are now numerous both in Canada and in the United States."From AGE, Vol XX # 3, page 89, Census of 1868 of the Bay of Mines:"Pierre
Melancon dit le Verdure, 54 ans; Marie Muis d'antremon, sa, femme, 36.Enfans:
Philippes, 20; Cecile, 18; Pierre, 16; Marie, 13; Marguerite, 10; Isabelle, 7; Jean, 5; Magdelaine, 2; et un enfant d'un jour."
From HGDA, doc M-50-2, pp 1593-4:"Marguerite Mius d'Entremont, 1649, daughter
of Philippe and Madeleine Helie, married Pierre Melanson, of Grand Pre."
from HGDA, V 3, page 1263:"Jean Melanson, 1681, son of Pierre and Marie
Marguerite Muis d'Entremont, married at Saint-Charles-des-Mines, the 11
January 1701, to Marguerite Dugas, daughter of Claude and Francoise Bourgeois,
of Port Royal."from AGE, Vol XX # 3, page 89, Census of 1868 of the Bay of Mines:"Pierre
Melancon dit le Verdure, 54 ans; Marie Muis d'antremon, sa, femme, 36. Enfans:
Philippes, 20; Cecile, 18; Pierre, 16; Marie, 13; Marguerite, 10; Isabelle, 7;
Jean, 5; Magdelaine, 2; et un enfant d'un jour."
from FCAG, vol 6, Doc M-58-1, "The Melansons of Acadia had a French Father and
an English Mother":"In 1969, we published quite a long article entitled 'New
findings on the Melansons', in which we refuted the historical error of
Lamothe-Cadilac which claimed that the Melansons of Acadia were of Scottish
origin. At that time, we brought forward a document according to which they
were called English, 'having left England' and come to Acadia with Thomas
Temple.
Since then we have discovered another document, which is a petition from
the mother of the Melansons, (who, one will recall, was named Priscilla), in
which she says that her husband's name was Pierre Laverdure, that he was of
French origin and Protestant, and that she herself was English.
It would appear that it was a result of the fall of La Rochelle in 1628,
when the death-blow was delivered to the Calvinists in France, that Pierre
Laverdure went to England, where he married, perhaps around 1630 or 1631,
Priscilla. They had at least three sons, all born in England, two of whom were
Pierre and Charles Melanson, known historically as Acadians. According to two
censuses of Acadia, Pierre was born in 1632 or 1633. Sice he had the same name
as his father, one could presume that he was the oldest.
In the spring of 1657, the family embarked from England on board the
vessel "Satisfaction", under command of Captain Peter Butler, forming part of
the 'company' which Thomas Temple was transporting to Acadia, over which he had
been named as Governor after its capture by the English. Having first stopped
at Boston, where on the 6th of July (o.s.), Thomas Temple presented his letters
of appointment, Captain Butler next went to the fort on the St. John River,
where a group of his passengers disembarked, and finally to Port Royal, where
the others were to be settled. It appears that the Melanson family stopped at
Fort St. John."
After the Treaty of Breda, under which in 1667 England ceded Acadia to
France, Pierre Laverdure, with his family, went to seek refuge under the
Protestant government at Boston in order to escape 'from the wrath of his
Countrymen Papists, at Johns fort & thereabouts'. While moving to Boston
himself, he left behind in Acadia his two sons, Pierre and Charles, with thier
young families. It was perhaps in Acadia, but more probably after his arrival
in New England, that he lost all his property and was forced to live in extreme
proverty, having as his sole support his son John.
It was only several years after his arrival in Boston that he died,
following an adventure in which this son John took part. One will recall that a
certain John Laverdure, who we said in our preceding article had to be
necessarily the brother of Pierre and Charles Melanson, had gone towards the
end of winter 1676 or at the beginning of spring with Henry Lawton to Cape
Sable where by trickery they attracted on board their vessel a certain number
of Indians whom they sold as slaves in the Azores, on Fayal Island. This John
Laverdure was definately the son of Pierre Laverdure and Priscilla. Our new
document states that he took 17 Indians, men, women and children. We then note
that in August Lawton had already been thrown into prison, but that no mention
is made of John Laverdure. The fact is that Lawton, as principal agent, had to
wait in prison for his trial which was to take place in Boston at the same time
as that of his band, one of which was John Laverdure who had been granted
temporary leave on the posting of a surety-bond amounting to a hundred pounds
supplied by Samuel Sendell, whom the mother Priscilla calls her landlord.
Unfortunately, John Laverdure, 'whither of his "Ignorance or ... inveigled",
did not appear in time for the trial and the deposit posted for him was
forfeited.
It was then that his father, Pierre Laverdure, began his search. He even
went as far as Acadia, to his two other sons, Pierre and Charles, where he
hoped to find the fugitive. But his searches were in vain. Not finding his son,
who 'had been the staff of his life', and being very old, 'it went to his
heart'. Therefore, one can believe that he died between the winter of 1676-77,
or at least between August 1676 and May 1677, when, on the 3rd of this month
(o.s.), the widow Laverdure asked the authorities of Boston to reimburse, at
least in part, her landlord for the money which he had posted for her son, so
that he would not seize the little that remained to her. This plea however was
refused by a decision of the magistrates, dated the 29th of the same month.
Thus, not only was the mother Priscilla thrown into a new state of
Poverty, so that it appeared she would have to depend on public charity, but
she no longer had any of her family with her. It was perhaps then that she sent
to Acadia for her grand-daughter, Maire Melanson, daughter of Charles, whom she
raised in the Protestant religion, as we said in our previous article, and who
married David Basset.
We said than that the mother Priscilla had died towards the end of 1691
or at the beginning of 1692, having survived her first husband by about fifteen
years.
.... The important question which presents itself is:why the two names,
Laverdure and Melanson? We have some indications which would lead us to believe
that the former was the surname of Pierre, from France, and that the latter,
under one form of other, was the surname of Priscilla, from England."
from FCAG, doc M-41-1:"This mother Melanson bears in the Massachusetts archives
the name of Priscilla Wright, because she had married, evidently for the second
time, Captain william Wright, senoir, an innkeeper of Dorchester, one of the
suburbs south of Boston, and now part of the city. This marriage took place
April 8, 1680 (old style), as she herself states in an inventory she composed
od the household effects she brought, at the time of her marriage, to the house
of her new husband, Captain Wright, and which she signed with Two Capital
letters, P.M., evidently standing for Priscilla Melanson."...
"Here is the inventory, just as it is in the Mass. Archives, Vol 37, f. 284.
Ane Inventory of goods yt I had Being Brought unto the house along with me when
I married Capt. Wright aprill ye 8th 1680:
-in primus: to 3 feather beads & 3 feather bolsters
-to 2 Beads steeds (bedsteads): two Paire of Curtains one yellow werings
(wearing ?)
-to two Paire of Blancots: foure silver spoons
-to two Chapping Knives: two spits: a Brass Pott
-to an Jron Jack (iron jack): a Pare of Pot hangers & a Pare of pott hooks
-to 4 Paire of sheets two table Clothes and one duzen of naphins
-to a Read worsteed Coverleed and a Chapping Block
-to two Bross skillitts: two Puter Dishes Large ones
-to 4 formes: two feather Pillows and two Pillow Biars
-to two Chests & a great trunk: aquart Pot & 2 Pint Potts
-to two Duzen of trenchers & a Jorn morter (iron mortar)
-to ten wooden Dishes and Trayes and two Chares
-to a great turkey worked Charpot (turkey worked carpet)
-to a duzen of Puter Platts
-to a great Chamber Pott a great Puter Bason
-and a great Gridjorn (gridiron)"
see this article for an account of the suit her granddaughter brought against
Capt. Wright to recover these effects which were promised to her upon
Priscilla's death.
according to this article all the Melansons in Canada were also known as
Laverdures
Philippe sieur d'Entremont MIUS
from Doc M-50-2, HGDA, pp 1593-4:"Philippe Mius, sieur d'Entremont, Lord
Pobomcoup, born in 1609, originally from Mormandy, arrived from La Rochelle,
France in Acadia at Cap-de-Sable where he resided, in 1651 as Major-General of
Charles Latour, who in 1653 conceded the lordship of Pobomcoup to him. He
arrived from France in the company of his wife, Madeleine Helie and the eldest
of his infants. Children: Marguerite, 1649; Jacques, 1654; Abraham, 1658;
Philippe, 1660; Madeleine, 1665. He was procurator of the king at Port Royal in
1686 where he died in 1700."
from FCAG, vol 1, article titled "The Manor House and the coat of Arms of the
Family MIUS D'ENTREMONT of Acadia"
"It consisted of a main building, flanked by two pavilions, very plain in
style, but of a structure sturdy. The front entrance bore the arms of the
d'Entremonts, which have been preserved; a colored sketch, which I have before
my eyes, was sent to me from Cherbourg by the family. These arms were of silver
with a fleur-de-lis at the right of the shield and a turret of sable at the
left. Laurel branches are entwined around the shield.' ...
Tradition has it that this manor-house was located in East Pubnico, in
the district now occupied by English speaking people, at the foot of a
magnificent hill, at the mouth of a small rived. named Hipson's Brook, called
also Larkin's Brook, Trout Brook, Caleb's Brook. ...
Here, near the manor-house, was a water mill, a chapel and the residence
of the missionary. ...
All activity at the time was centered around the manor-house and the
chapel. The abbe Henri-R. Casgrain mentions this fact several times:'Pomcoup
peninsula with the land adjoining it constituted the d'Entremont seigniory.. In
1724, there were not more than five or six families grouped around the crude
manor-house of the Seigneur d'Entremont. The d'Entremont manor-house was the
principal meeting place of the Indians. They gatered here each year, in hordes
of two or three hundred, in order to follow the mission which was preached bt
the pastor of Port Royal during the month of August, terminating on the 25th,
feast of St. Louis. On the steep bank, at the foot of which extended the
picturesque Pomcoup Bay, a village of bark sprang up, where a throng of
redskins could be seen milling about....'
The manor-house as well as the other buildings in that locality were
destroyed by fire at the time of the Expulsion. Guns found nearby could well
indicate that the Acadians offered resistance at the time of the English
invasion. The members of the Mius d'Entremont family were exiled, some of them
being transported to the New England coast, others in England, then in France.
.... It is evident that the FLEURS-DE-LIS in the shield indicate the French
origins of the family Mius d'Entremont. The fleur-de-lis however is the emblem
not only of France, but also of the House of Bourbon. A tradition that still
exists tells us that Philippe Mius d'Entremont, common ancestor to this family,
was a descendant of the Bourbon family. This tradition must have been passed on
in France by those who were exiled there, for Desire Cyriaque Granger in his
letter of August 22, 1886, write: 'The d'entremont family... was related, among
others, to the royal family of Bourbon.'
Let us mention that nothing much is known regarding the orgin of
Philippe Mius d'Entremont, nor of his wife, Madeleine Helie. He boarded a ship
at La Rachelle, France, destined for Acadia, with Charles de Saint-Etienne de
La Tour, in 1651, accompanied by his wife and a daughter. In a letter dated
December 23, 1707, Sieur Mathieu DesGoutins, Judge and King's Secretary, says
that Sieur Philippe Mius d'Entremont, his predecessor as Lietenant General of
Acadia, was a native of Normandy and that he died 'seven years ago at the age
of 99 years and some months.'
..... In fact, the family Mius-d'entremont was the only one in Acadia to be
raised to the rank of nobility. On July 17, 1653, Charles de Saint-Etienne de
La Tour, Governor of Acadia, by authorization of his Majesty, Louis XIV, King
of France and of Navarre, created the Baronetcy of Pobomcoup in behalf of
Philippe Mius d'Entremont. 'in virtue of the special merit of Sieur
d'Entremont.. and of the good and faithful services'.. personally given'
Philippe Mius d'Entremont bore the title of baron until his death. As this
grant was to be perpetual, made in favor of the heirs as well, the latter thus
inherited the title and became barons in the line of succession. This
Baronetcy, which was the second created in Canada, had 'its rights and
privileges... inserted by agreement, with the British Crown in 1660, in 1663"
from AGE, Vol XX # 3, page 89, Census of 1868 of the Bay of Mines:"Pierre
Melancon dit le Verdure, 54 ans; Marie Muis d'antremon, sa, femme, 36. Enfans:
Philippes, 20; Cecile, 18; Pierre, 16; Marie, 13; Marguerite, 10; Isabelle, 7;
Jean, 5; Magdelaine, 2; et un enfant d'un jour."
from AGE, Vol XX # 3, page 89, Census of 1868 of the Bay of Mines:"Pierre
Melancon dit le Verdure, 54 ans; Marie Muis d'antremon, sa, femme, 36. Enfans:
Philippes, 20; Cecile, 18; Pierre, 16; Marie, 13; Marguerite, 10; Isabelle, 7;
Jean, 5; Magdelaine, 2; et un enfant d'un jour."
From AGE, Vol XX # 3, page 89, Census of 1868 of the Bay of Mines: "Pierre
Melancon dit le Verdure, 54 ans; Marie Muis d'antremon, sa, femme, 36.Enfans:
Philippes, 20; Cecile, 18; Pierre, 16; Marie, 13; Marguerite, 10; Isabelle, 7; Jean, 5; Magdelaine, 2; et un enfant d'un jour."