LADOUCEUR, JOSEPH - son of Joseph + Josette Cardinal
- born 1815- -prairie, possibly Alberta (then NWT)
- married 1845- Fort des Prairie (Edmonton) tp Julie Auger
- 14 children, most with date of birth (in genealogy section)
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"In the mid 1800's the Metis settlements were concentrated in what is now known as the province of Manitoba. However, within a short time the Metis began a vast migration ands dispersed into the western region of Canada. The shift in domicile was because of the many laws that were being put in place and the establishment of the province of Manitoba. Uncertain that their property rights would be recognized and unable to adapt themselves, the Metis of the Red River sought new land."
" One particular family that lived at St.Boniface, Manitoba, was that Joe (Joseph )son, Ladouceur. Being a man pride and liking his solitude, Joe realized that it was time to pull up roots and move away from the area. Joe could not see the survival of himself and his family in a country that was starting to be invaded and imposed upon. Packing his family and belongings into carts, they started their journey west where the buffalos were plentiful."
"The journey was long and not without mishaps. However, they managed to make it through Saskatchewan and into the north eastern part of Alberta, where they finally settled. They made their home on the banks of the Lac La Biche. Their new home was made of logs and hand cut lumber with a roof of sod. Hunting, fishing and trapping were the family's main occupations, for the game was plentiful. They later moved to one particular serene north hill overlooking a beautiful meadow with a creek running through the middle. Eventually, this place became known as Plamondonville, but not for approximately another fifty years."
"Joe Ladouceur was a very prominent man in this area. His signature can be found on many vital documents such as birth, death and marriage certificates. Joe was also a very religious man, spending much of his time with the priest at the Lac La Biche Mission one the first mission established by the Oblate Fathers in Western Canada."
"Augustin Ladouceur was one of the first children to be born in this valley on April 12, 1858, He played a major role in settling the area around the shores of Lac La Biche. He was a trapper and fur trader also a farmer with 50 to 60 head cattle that would graze in the lush meadows. He built the first small trading post near Plamondon. It was located on the shores of the Plamondon Bay (near Fred Smith's residence.) Incidentally, this trading post later burned down. Augustin was in fact a very successful businessman; in his lifetime he was responsible for building six stores in the area. Two of these buildings are still in use today in Lac La Biche (the building across the street from the Aurora Theater and part of Hamar's Store)."
"The Ladouceurs travelled many miles by horses and wagon to obtain materials and supplies for this trading post. When it came time for Augustine to sell his furs at the auction, he always chose Winnipeg where the prices were higher. A clipping from the Edmonton Bulletin dated 1889 stated that Augustin's load of furs for that year totaled $900.00. His son Maxime remembered going on many of these two month long trip. These expeditions were using five to six teams of horses. Winter travelling proved to be easier and faster. On the return trip, they would bring back supplies for the store."
"Laura (née Ladouceur) had a pleasant surprise when she found these letters at the Alberta Archives addressed to Joseph Ladouceur."
"Augustin was also the first man to raise and breed foxes in the Lac La Biche area. In 1911, he bought live foxes from the trappers and was able to start his ranch west of the Mission. He operated the ranch for 3 years. In the fall of 1914, he made a small fortune by selling over 200 foxes for breeding, to farmers in Prince Edward Island."
ref: from The Plamondon Book - copied exactly as is
notes; François Beaulieu who came to Fort Chipewyan (NWT) in or about 1770 as a coureur de bois, in what I think was north of Lac La Biche, probably Fond du Lac, SK, then directly to Fort Chip. The people of Fort Chipewyan believed that François Beaulieu married to a Chipewyan girl (Dene) (if my memory is good, it would be about 1760+. His son François, later named "King" Beaulieu was not the oldest child of the family) It would appear that François Beaulieu, (father) and the Chipewyan woman produced the first métis family in Western Canada.
A short lesson on the metis from Grant McEwan. When a Frenchman married an Indian woman - the children were called "Métis" but when an anglophone (Scots) married an Indian woman - the children were called "Half-breed".
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