History
Beginnings
The First Six Generations
Note: I believe the following to be correct, based on the cited sources. Several sources reference “The Morins of Acadia,” French-Canadian and Acadian Genealogical Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, Rev. Archange Godbout, translated by G.P. Hebert, 1968
For out purposes, we trace the Morin Beginnings in North America to Pierre Morin dit Boucher.
Pierre Morin dit Boucher – This account is from the following link – Claude Morin, on WikiTree: http://www.cranstoun-family.com/morin-family-tree.html
At the 1671 Acadian Census, which according to history books was done between Nov. 1670 and Feb 1671, Pierre claimed to be 37 years old. At the 1686 census, which again according to history books was done early 1686, Pierre was 51 years old. For both declarations to be true, he had to have been born between January 1 and February 28, 1634.
There was apparently a couple, Jacques Morin and Noemie Lejeune [1] married at Saint-Nicolas de Granville in Normandy, August 23, 1629. They had a son which I [Claude Morin\ believe was baptized on May 28, 1634 called Pierre, which would make him 3-6 months old. Could this be our Pierre dit Boucher?
Additional source material on Pierre Morin dit Boucher [for reference, the 1st generation] is available from WikiTree: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Morin-217
From France to Acadia (now Nova Scotia)
[Jacques Morin and Noemie Lejune] had a son named Pierre Morin dit Boucher, born on May 28, 1634 in Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France. Pierre came to Port Royal, Acadia (Nova Scotia) and married Marie Madeline Martin (1635-1714) in 1659 [?] in Port Royal, Acadia.
Marie-Madeline Martin was the daughter of Pierre Martin (1601-1686) and Catherine Vigneau (1603-1678). They arrived from France on April 1, 1636, bringing the first apple trees to Acadia. They came on the ship Saint-Jehan and were recruited by Nicolas Denys under the instructions of Governor of Acadia Charles de Menou d’Aulnay.
Note: another account lists Marie’s birth as about 1636/1642 in Port Royal so was considered to be a native Acadian. However, the Saint-Jehan log lists 90 passengers on the ship, the Martin family was shown on the passenger list as: “Pierre Martin, farmer, with his wife and one child, living at Bourgue!.”
The following is from: : https://greenerpasture.com/Ancestors/Details/9558
[1st Generation] Pierre MORIN dit BOUCHER was born abt. 1634 in France. Pierre MORIN dit BOUCHER was the child of ? and ?. (see note below) Pierre was an immigrant to Canada, arriving by 1661
[2nd Generation] Pierre MORIN was born abt. 1662 in Port Royal, Acadia . Pierre MORIN was the child of Pierre MORIN dit BOUCHER and Marie Madeleine MARTIN and the grandchild of: (maternal) Pierre MARTIN and Catherine VIGNEAU
[3rd Generation] Pierre MORIN was born 23 December 1683 in Beaubassin, Acadia (Fort Lawrence) . Pierre MORIN was the child of Pierre MORIN and Françoise Jeanne CHIASSON dite LAVALLEE and the grandchild of: (paternal) Pierre MORIN dit BOUCHER and Marie Madeleine MARTIN (maternal) Guyon CHIASSON dit LAVALLEE and Jeanne BERNARD
[4th Generation] Augustin MORIN was born abt. 1723 in Québec Province, Canada. Augustin MORIN was the child of Pierre MORIN and Marie-Françoise BOULET (BOULAY) and the grandchild of: (paternal) Pierre MORIN and Françoise Jeanne CHIASSON dite LAVALLEE (maternal) Jacques BOULET (BOULAY) and Françoise FOURNIER
[5th Generation] Rene-Toussaint MORIN was born 22 December 1767 in Saint-Pierre-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Province of Québec, Canada. Rene-Toussaint MORIN was the child of Augustin MORIN and Judith-Theotiste TALBOT dite GERVAIS and the grandchild of: (paternal) Pierre MORIN and Marie-Françoise BOULET (BOULAY) (maternal) Jacques TALBOT dit GERVAIS and Marie-Marguerite-Angelique MEUNIER
[6th Generation] Rene MORIN was born abt. 1793 in Québec Province, Canada. Rene MORIN was the child of Rene-Toussaint MORIN and Marie-Madeleine BOUCHARD and the grandchild of: (paternal) Augustin MORIN and Judith-Theotiste TALBOT dite GERVAIS (maternal) Augustin BOUCHARD and Marie-Françoise DESTROISMAISONS
Note: Regarding the “?” in the above on parents of Pierre Morin dit Boucher, Pierre appears to be the son of Jacques Morin and Noemie Lejune. See the link below.
https://gw.geneanet.org/anne871?lang=en&p=jacques&n=morin&oc=4 for Jacques Morin. By expanding the tree, open the link for the parentage of Noemie Lejeune.
Acadia (Nova Scotia) to Restigouche
From Restigouche to Province Quebec
A history of the French in Acadia can be found [HERE]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acadia
Briefly: The indigenous Miꞌkmaq had lived in Acadia for millennia. The French arrived in 1604, claiming the Miꞌkmaq lands for the King of France. Despite this, the Miꞌkmaq tolerated the presence of the French in exchange for favors and trade. The first capital of Acadia was established in 1605 as Port-Royal. During the first 80 years of the French presence in Acadia, there were ten significant battles as the English, Scottish, and Dutch contested the French for possession of the colony. Port Royal remained the longest-serving capital of French Acadia until the British siege of Port Royal in 1710 during Queen Anne’s War, The 1710 conquest of the Acadian capital of Port Royal during the war was confirmed by the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, ending the War of Spanish Succession. However, the Miꞌkmaq refused to recognize the treaty handing over their land to the English and hostilities resumed. Though the French continued to live in Acadia, the Acadians refused to swear unconditional oaths of allegiance to the British crown. the British continued to develop the area and establishing fortifications. Numerous Miꞌkmaq and Acadian raids took place against these fortifications, such as the siege of Grand Pre (1749). Beginning in 1755, and during the French and Indian War, the British sought to neutralize any military threat Acadians posed by deporting them. After 1764, many exiled Acadians finally settled in Louisiana, which had been transferred by France to Spain as part of the 1763 Treaty of Paris which formally ended conflict between France and Great Britain over control of North America (the Seven Years’ War, known as the French and Indian War in the United States),
Banished From Acadia in 1688 — Pierre Morin dit Boucher
Sources used in following two blog posts for Pierre Morin dit Boucher and Pierre Morin:
“The Morins of Acadia,” French-Canadian and Acadian Genealogical Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1968
Dictionnaire Genealogique des Familles Acadiennes, Stephen A. White, 1999
Accounts of family banishment to Restigouche:
http://ancestorbios.blogspot.com/2012/03/banished-from-acadia-pierre-morin-dit.html
A note about this link. The blogger is Laura M. It may be “Morin” … or not … but the blog provides an excellent account (and map with routes and timeline) of the successive relocations of the Morin family from Port Royal, Acadia to (eventually) Montmagny and St-Francois-de-la-Riviere-du-Sud in Province Quebec (PQ).
Pierre Morin dit Boucher: B. about 1634 in Normandy, France, emigrated: before 1661, M. about 1661 in Port-Royal, Acadia, Wife: Marie-Madeleine Martin, D. about 1690 in Ristigouche, New France They had 12 children born between about 1662 and 1686. The oldest being Pierre Morin (the Morin ancestry line). The 1671 census of Port-Royal said that he was a farmer on 1 arpent* of land, with 3 cattle and 4 sheep.
*arpent”: French unit of land measure – about 0.85 acre (0.34 hectare).
In 1680, Pierre moved the family to Beaubassin, a town on the isthmus that connects modern-day Nova Scotia to New Brunswick. It was founded by Michel Leneuf, who had power over the residents there. By 1686, Pierre had 30 arpents of land with 15 cattle, 8 sheep and 12 pigs – a comfortable life. But all that changed when in 1688, Leneuf’s 17-year-old daughter became pregnant and Pierre’s son Louis was named as the father. This had Louis charged with rape and Leneuf sought to hold the entire Morin family responsible.
Pierre, his wife and all of his children, including some who were married with spouses, were charged – 19 people in all. Their punishment was awarded by a parish priest named Father Claude Trouve, who acted on behalf of Leneuf. He claimed that he took action against the entire family because one of Pierre’s sons-in-law spoke out against him. All of the family’s property was handed over to Leneuf and the Morins were banished from Acadia.
Michel Leneuf and Father Trouve were unpopular men in Beaubassin after what they did to the Morin family. Their actions were reported to authorities in France, and they were forced to leave town. Lenuef is said to have died at sea in 1705.
Louis was sentenced to a lifetime of service in the French Navy and put on a ship. The family never heard from him again. The other 18 Morin family members left Beaubassin and took refuge in a remote place called Ristigouche, a Mi’kMaq village inside Quebec. It was here that Pierre died in 1690. The family, including his widow, Marie, eventually moved on and most of them settled in Quebec, continuing the family lines there. Marie was in Quebec in September of 1692 where she “renounced an estate of a half league on each side of the river of Gaspe given to the family by Francois de Gallifet, the king’s lieutenant at Montreal.” Marie died in Quebec (city) on September 17, 1714.
Note: On the blog is a link to an account of Pierre Morin dit Boucher. (listed above)
http://ancestorbios.blogspot.com/2012/03/making-fresh-start-in-quebec-pierre.html
His Brother’s Crime Changed His Life — Pierre Morin
Pierre Morin: B. about 1662 in Port-Royal, Acadia, D. April 1741 in St-Thomas, Montmagny, Quebec. (Stanislas Morin Family Ancestor) [for reference, the 2nd generation]
Pierre had married Françoise Chiasson Lavallée (1668-1724) on November 8, 1682, Francoise was born in Beaubassin, Acadia, Nova Scotia; daughter of Guyon Denis Chaisson dit Lavallee & Jeanne Bernard De Saint.
Chiasson. The marriage contract reads as follows: The year 1682 on November the eighth , after publication of the Banns for the marriage of Pierre Morin, (son of Pierre Morin commonly known as Boucher, and of Marie Martin, his wife) and Francoise Chiasson, (daughter of Guyon Chiasson and Jeanne-Bernard, his wife) both from the parish of Saint-Jean Baptiste, of Port Royal, and now living at Beaubassin and since no impediments have been made known, I, Fr. Claude Moireau, Missionary Priest, Recollet, marry them in our chapel of Notre Dame de Bon Secours Between 1683 and early 1688, the couple had two or three children born on their Acadian farm. The census of 1686 showed that Pierre had 6 arpents under cultivation, 14 cattle, 6 sheep and 8 hogs.
Quebec to Illinois
See the map below to the right:
The following link to the Bourbonnais Grove Historical Society provides additional information on the history of Kankakee Valley, IL spanning Kankakee and Iroquois counties, including links to Genealogical Society sites for Kankakee Valley and Iroquois County:
https://bourbonnaishistory.org/french-canadian-corridor
In 2015, the French-Canadian Heritage Corridor was established to remember the legacy of French-Canadians in Kankakee and Iroquois counties. Signs along Interstate 57 in the area draw attention to that heritage.
Early 19th Century: Sometime around 1825 a French-Canadian fur trader, Francis Bourbonnais, arrived in Illinois. He married a Pottawatomie squaw who had been given 640 acres as a reservation along the Kankakee River. As a result of the marriage, the town of Bourbonnais was founded. Noel LeVasseur, a voyageur who had set up a trading post among the Pottawatomie Indians, settled at Bourbonnais in 1832. Sometime after 1837, LeVasseur returned to Canada to encourage the emigration of his compatriots to Illinois.
1840’s and 1850’s: Several families came in 1844, and more in 1848 and 1849. The new arrivals settled in Bourbonnais, buying or renting from fifteen to forty acres of farmland, some of which they purchased from LeVasseur. A French-Canadian priest Charles Chiniquy*, visited in 1851, and resolved to encourage French-Canadian colonists to settle to the south and east of Bourbonnais, in and around an area known as Beaver Creek in Iroquois County. Although the Quebec Catholic Church was not entirely favorable to his efforts, by 1855 it was estimated that between nine hundred and one thousand families left Quebec and some of the New England states to settle on forty square miles of land in central Illinois.
*Chiniquy was a “renegade priest” – one of the very few apostate priests in French-Canadian history.
By the spring of 1688, the family had all moved to Restigouche, a tiny settlement on a bay north of Acadia, where Pierre’s father, Pierre Morin dit Boucher, died within a year.
Pierre and his family stayed at Restigouche for at least the next couple of years and had one or two children born there. They relocated to Quebec City, where another son was born, then by March 1697, the family lived on the south shore of the St. Lawrence in Montmagny.
Children:
Pierre and Francoise eventually had 11 children. The oldest was Pierre Morin (the Morin ancestry line). Their other children were Barbe, 1686; Marie, 1688; Sebastien, 1691; Denis, 1694; Agathe, 1697; Michel, 1698; Jean, 1702; Antoine, 1704; Charles, 1707; and Marie Francoise, 1709.
On January 17, 1725, Pierre’s family gathered for a meeting to establish the division of his land that the children would inherit, under the provision they would take care of them for the rest of their lives. All eleven of the children were in attendance, along with a priest who recorded the event. All of Pierre’s sons and the wives of his daughters either signed or made their mark on a document defining the agreement. Pierre and Françoise added their marks as well, since neither of them could sign their names.
The signatures and marks of Pierre and his family.
Françoise died sometime between 1727 and 1731. Pierre passed away at St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud in April 1741, and was buried on the 15th of that month.
Pierre: B. Dec 1683, (baptized 12/23/1683 in Beaubassin, Acadia. (Stanislas Morin Family Ancestor) [for reference, the 3rd generation] Pierre II married Mary Francoise Boule 10 Jan, 1707 in St-Thomas, Quebec. Mary Francoise was born in 1687 in Montmagny. Pierre II inherited the Morin farm place. Pierre II and Marie had fourteen children, they were Pierre 1708; Marie Charlotte, 1710; Jacques, 1711; Marie Francoise, 1712; Jean- Baptiste, 1713; Marie Francoise, 1714; Madeleine, 1715; Marie Anne, 1717; Antoine, 1722; Francois, 1725; Reine, 1726; Augustin, 1728; Joseph, 1729; Marie Angelique, 1734. Pierre IV died suddenly in 1767, on a Sunday morning, holding a book of plain chant in his hand.
Augustin-Norbert Morin is descended from this family. (Stanislas Morin Family Ancestor) [for reference, the 4th generation]
Augustin Morin was born about 1728 in St. Francis/ Montmagny, Quebec, the son of Pierre II and Marie Francoise Boule. On November 16, 1750 he married Judith Theostiste Talbot in St.Francois de Sales, Riviere du Sud, Montmagny ( county), Quebec. Augustin and Judith had eight children: Marie Theresa, 1751; Augustin, 1753; Madelene 1755; Jean Baptiste, 1765; Rene-Toussaint abt 1766; Marguerite; Marie-Anne and Joseph.
Augustin married Marie Judith Talbot in 1750. Augustin inherited the Morin farm place. Augustin and Marie Judith had nine children. The Morin lineage of the 5th generation is through their 6th child, Toussaint-Irrenee Morin (Rene-Touissaint Morin), born abt 1766. Augustin died in 1802.
Rene-Toussaint Morin is descended from this family. (Stanislas Morin Family Ancestor) [for reference, the 5th generation] Rene-Toussaint Morin, was born about 1766 in St. Pierre S. the son of Augustin and Judith Theostiste Talbot. He inherited the estate of his forefathers at St. Francis and continued to clear timber. On February 22, 1791 he was married to Madeline Angelique Bouchard at St. Pierre Rivere du Sud. Madeline, the daughter of Augustin Bouchard and Francoise Picard, was born about l 771, and died sometime before 1829. They had several children, but the records are not clear as to the number and dates of birth. They may have had as many as 10 children, but the records are incomplete. Three: Augustin-Charles; Rene-Toussaint; and Francois, were born before 1800; followed by Thomas. The record also shows that Rene-Toussaint was married a second time to a Genevieve Proulx on October 29, 1829 in St. Pierre S. It is not known if Rene-Toussaint had any children by the second marriage.
Irrenne Morin is descended from this family. (Stanislas Morin Family Ancestor) [for reference, the 6th generation] The Morin lineage of the 6th generation is through, Irrenee Morin, born in 1792. Tousssaint-Irrenee married a second time to Genevieve Proulx in 1829. He died in 1851.
Irrenee Morin (known as Rene) married Marie Anne Gervaise Gendron (who was born in 1802) in 1823. They had eight children. Toussaint-Irenee inherited the home place at St. Francis (east of Quebec city) and continued to clear timber (about 44 acres, leaving four acres). The Morin lineage of the 7th generation is through their 3rd child, Olive Morin, born in 1828. Her younger brother, Vital, born in 1837, inherited the home place. Rene (Irrenee) died in 1848 at 52 years. His eight children (2 boys and 6 girls) were under 19 years of age when he died. His wife, Marie Anne, died in 1877.
Olive Morin is descended from this family. (Stanislas Morin Family Ancestor) [for reference, the 7th generation] Olive Morin married Jean Baptiste Morin*, who was born in 1822 in St. Theodore d’Acton (or perhaps St. Hyacinth). They had 15 children. They were: George 1850; Prudent 1851; Celestine 1852; Esther 1854; Macaire 1855; Odile 1857; Joseph 1859; Marie Marthe 1861; Stanislas 1861; Francois Xavier 1864; Angele 1866; Rosalie 1868; Francois 1869; Edward 1871; Edward 1872. It is through this couple that the Morins of Damar Kansas separate from the Morin family tradition at St. Francis of Montmagny County, Canada. Jean Baptiste died in 1883. Olive Morin died in 1906. The Morin lineage of the 8th generation is through their 9th child, Stanislas Morin, born in 1862.
*The relationship of the two Morin families is unknown; they may have been cousins, married by dispensation. The line of the mother of Olive (Marie Anne Gervaise Gendron) traces back to another family of Morins, that includes Noel Morin**, who married in Quebec in 1640, and his father Claude Morin, who married at Ile de France (presumably in France)
**Noel MORIN was born abt. 1609 in St-Étienne, Paris, France. Noel MORIN was the child of Claude Morin and ?. Noel was an immigrant to Canada, arriving by1640. Noel married Helene DESPORTES 9 January 1640 in Québec, Canada, New France,
**From greenerpasture.com
The Four New Settlements:
St. Anne, St. Mary, Papineau, and L’Erable
The following is drawn from a history of Kankakee Valley, IL spanning Kankakee and Iroquois counties, (see the following map):
Sometime in 1850 a French Canadian, Michel Allain, moved from Bourbonnais to Beaver Creek. A church was built in 1852, dedicated to St. Anne, the patron saint of the Province of Quebec. As increasing numbers of French-Canadian immigrants moved into St. Anne Township, some settled in adjacent Iroquois County communities. To the immediate south, they settled in Papineau. Adjacent to Papineau Township was Beaver Township. The French Canadians moved into the northern part, founding the village of St. Mary (platted in 1859 but never incorporated, renamed Beaverville in 1905) along the border between Beaver and Papineau townships. The final village in the area founded by French Canadians was L’Erable settled in 1853 and 1854 as a mission of Maternity Church in Bourbonnais.
In 1860 approximately a third of the population of Kankakee County (which included St. Anne Township) was foreign-born. The 1880 census data indicate that the total number of French-Canadian or French-Canadian descent individuals in the four townships increased only slightly (by 41 persons) from 1860.
Westward to Kansas
The Eventual Destination – Damar
The small increase from the 1860 Illinois census was in part due to the departure of some members of the second generation to places further west, drawn by the availability of land under the Homestead Act. The initial destinations were particularly Clay and Cloud counties in Kansas where, in the 1870s, 160-acre plots of land were made available by the U. S. government under the terms of the Homestead Act. Stanislas Morin migrated directly to the Damar area; Rosanna Hebert and her parents initially stayed over in the Concordia area of Cloud County, before continuing onward to the Damar area.
Stanislas and his brother, Joseph, born in 1859, are the only known family to live in the United States. Stanislas Morin came to Damar, Kansas by way of Kankakee, IL, around 1880 – looking for cheap land and a new home under the Homestead Act of 1860. Recalling flooding he had experienced in Illinois, in 1888 he claimed the “Mound Quarter”, which was 161 acres in Morland Twp, Graham County, the NW 1/4 of Section 2, Range 21, Township 9.
William Edward “Ed” Morin is the son of Stanislas and Rosanna (Hebert) Morin. Stanislas Morin married Rosanna Hebert Sep 16, 1894, recorded at St. Anne Church, Zurich, KS. Rosanna born Oct 22, 1875 to Leon and Louis Frigon Hebert in Iroquois County, near the village of St. Marys (now Beaverville), Illinois. The Heberts reached the Damar, Kansas community in 1886. Thus begins the 9th Generation of the Morin lineage, and by this union, the 9th Generation of the Hebert lineage and the Frigon lineage.
Irene Delphine (Roberts) Morin is the daughter of George and Alice (Simoneau) Roberts. George P. Roberts married Alice Delphine Simoneau November 10, 1902. George Roberts was born 24 April, 1882 in Brookville, Kansas and died 6 March, 1924. His parents were Simeon Roberts, b. 1852, d. 1905, and Delphine Gervais. Alice Delphine Simoneau was born 16 August, 1882 in L’Erable, Iroquois, Il and died 4 June, 1975. Her parents were Peter Pierre Simoneau and Delphine Bechard. They left Illinois for Kansas about 1885.
Some of the early settlers of the Rooks and Graham County area around Damar were the, Desbien and Desmarteau families settling in Rooks County and the Hebert, Frigon, Saint Pierre, Senesac and Morin families settling in Graham County. The Saint Pierre family was the first to arrive, in 1877 – staking their claim in 1878.
The westward extension of the railroads was a factor in migration and settlement as well. The nearest railroad to Rooks and Graham counties went to Ellis county, south of Damar, in 1872. In 1884 the Missouri-Pacific Railroad was laid as far west as Downs, KS (still east of Damar). By 1885 the tracks would reach Stockton, in Rooks County, and the first train came through Damar in 1888.
The HomeStead Act required that claimants live on the land. There being a shortage of trees, early shelters were initially dugouts, then “soddies”, shelters of stacked sod walls and wood-framed window openings.
The first church was built in 1887, on land donated by Saint Pierre settlers, and the location, on the eastern line of Graham County was named “St. Petersville, The church was moved east, into the new town of Damar (established on the Railroad track) in Rooks County in 1898. The present St. Joseph Church was started in 1911.