Robichaud of Rang Bédard, Lac-des-Aigles – 22 children
Lac-des-Aigles is located south of Trois-Pistoles, east of Saint-Michel-du Squatec in the Témiscouata Region.
Text by Kathia Robichaud and Armand G. Robichaud.
(Translation by Armand G. Robichaud)
The Robichaud of Rang Bédard
Lac-des-Aigles - 22 children
Generation 1 - Étienne + Françoise Boudrot (Port-Royal)
Generation 2 - Francis said Niganne + Madeleine Thériault (Port-Royal)
Generation 3 - François + Marie LeBorgne Belleisle (Eagle's Nest, St. John River)
Generation 4 - Joseph + Louise Chouinard (Saint-Jean-Port-Joli)
Generation 5 - François + Victoire Jean (Saint-Jean-Port-Joli)
Generation 6 - Honoré and Clarisse Boucher (Saint-Jean-Port-Joli)
Generation 7 - Alfred + Delvina Caron (Saint-Honoré)
Generation 8 - Joseph + Claudia Boucher (Saint-Honoré)
Generation 9 - Joseph Barthélémi + Cécile Ouellet (Lac-des-Aigles)
Generation 10 - 22 children
Generation 11 - Kathia Robichaud (Benoît, fifth of 22 children of Joseph and Cecile).
(10) Réjean, Yves, Yvette, Monique, Benoît, Jacqueline, Claudette, Gaétan, Rino, Jacinthe, Lucie, François, Étiennette, Ghislain, Bébianne, Solange, Yolande, Roseline, Serge, Colombe, Carol, Sylviane - 22 children, what a family! This may be the biggest Robichaud family of Quebec? The largest known family was that of François (Herménégilde) Robichaud and Eva Landry, married November 24, 1914 in Caplan, Gaspésie. This couple had 18 children.
The record for the largest number of Robichaud with the same wife, is however in Acadie. The family of Dosithé Robichaud and Rosa Frenette, married Nov. 26, 1939 in Robertville, northeast of New Brunswick, had a total of 23 children. All grew to adulthood.
(9) Kathia Robichaud has prepared an excellent website dedicated to her grandparents. Let’s see what it tells us :
Joseph Barthélomi Robichaud (August 1914 - September 1996)
Cécile Ouellet (December 1919 - October 2008)
Joseph Robichaud was born in St-Honoré on August 5, 1914 , son of Joseph Robichaud and Claudia Bouchard, while Cécile Ouellet was born in St-Louis du Ha! Ha!, December 1, 1919, daughter of Ludger Ouellet (Ludger Ouellet and Vénérante Dubé ) and Alma Dumont.
Cécile's mother died at the age of 29. At this time, Cécile was only 7 years old. She lived with Jos Lavoie up to the age 12 and a half. From this age, she returned to live with her father to take the role of " queen of the home " to take care of her sisters Regina and Albina. Her brother Rhéal at that time was too young to come home.
A few years later, Cécile went to the sugar shack in St-Elzéard (Témicouata) accompanied by Jos Lavoie and Jos Lavoie’s sister, Cécile Lavoie, where she met Joseph Robichaud. Some time later, on April 19, 1938, Joseph and Cécile united their destinies.
A few months later, the first of the family, Réjean, is born in St-Elzéard. On October 14, 1939 they move to Rang Bédard, Lac-des-Aigles. Walking four miles on foot through the virgin forest Joseph and Cécile, holding in her arms a baby of 8 months (Réjean), arrive to their new homestead.
All winter, they reside in a camp settlement belonging to Lucien and Gérard Robichaud. In May, Cécile and Joseph move into their first log building. For two years, the couple clears and cultivates the land. The family grows. Two other children were born, Yves and Yvette. A new home is needed.
In 1942, the family home was built. During this period, Cécile finds time to have boarders : loggers and mill workers of the Maurice d'Amours mill. She also finds time to have a fourth child, a daughter, Monique.
The family grows. Children are born year after year, Benoît, Jacqueline, Claudette, Gaétan, Rino, Jacinthe, Lucie, François, Étiennette, Ghislain, Bibianne (died 52 days after birth), and Solange and Yolande (twins), followed by Roseline, Serge, Colombe, Carol and Sylviane. They were all born in the family home.
During all these years, Joseph discovers different professions: barber for men of Rang Bédard, blacksmith, has a general store for a few years, built a sawmill that was powered with the farm tractor. Later, he was hired as a forest ranger.
Ultimately it is the job of restaurateur who bring him to the central village of Lac-des-Aigles. He will be assisted by his older children for three years. Meanwhile, Cécile continues to operate farm. Abandoning the restaurant, Joseph returns to the farm to support Cécile.
Thursday, May 16, 1963 , in the mail from Trois-Pistoles, Cecilia was proclaimed "mother of the year." In this newspaper article made mention of his courage and determination which over the years have never flanchée and recounting a brief summary of their history. To finish with a quote from a historian : "As long as our French-Canadian people will such as arms and vocations, it should not , he can not die. "
The elder brother of Joseph, Adélard Robichaud married to Thérèse Ouellet also moved in Lac-des-Aigles, Main Street. They have ten children. Adélard died 19 April 2011 at the age of 86 years and seven months.
The village of Lac-des-Aigles is a new village, the first inhabitants arrived in 1931. The municipal incorporation was made in 1948. The village is located in the hinterland between Rivière-du-Loup (100 km) and Rimouski (70 km), 60 km from Trois-Pistoles . In the 2006 census the village has 629 inhabitants. The economy revolves around agriculture and forestry. (Wikipedia)
The strangest thing about this Robichaud family lineage is that there were several other large families. Lets go search for the ancestors of these fertile Robichaud.
(8) Joseph Robichaud married to Claudia Bouchard on October 22, 1913 . They had 13 children in Saint-Honoré-de-Témiscouata .
(7) Alfred Robichaud was born in 1853 in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli. He married in Saint-Cyrille, L'Islet County, on February 8, 1876, Delvina Caron (Philippe Dubé and Madeleine). They had nine children in Saint-Honoré-de-Témiscouata.
Saint-Honoré-de-Témiscouata is a municipality in the Bas-Saint-Laurent region, located on the line between the watershed basins of the St. Lawrence River and of the Saint John River. Crossed by the portage trail between the two rivers, Saint-Honoré welcomes its first settlers in 1837. In 2006, there was 812 inhabitants in the municipality of Saint-Honoré, whose economy depends on agriculture and forestry. There is a route named, route à Robichaud in Saint-Honoré. (Wikipedia)
(6) Honoré Robichaud, was born in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli on May 10, 1824. He married on May 13, 1844 Clarisse Bélanger (Louis and Judith Caron). They had 20 children.
(5) François Robichaud was born on July 31, 1788. He married on July 3, 1813 Victoire Jean (Michel and Françoise Caron). They lived in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, where they had 20 children.
Saint-Jean-Port-Joli is a municipality located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, 100 km from Quebec. Established since 1677 as a seigneurie, Sain-Jean-Port-Joli will host Acadians fleeing the Great Deportation. The municipality of 3393 inhabitants is a tourist destination, rekown for its many wood carvers. Saint-Jean-Port-Joli is the Robichaud capital of Quebec, it is in this area that there is the greatest concentration of Robichaud. (Wikipedia)
(4) Joseph Robichaud was born in 1750 at Eagle's Nest (Nid d’Aigle) on the Saint John River in Acadie. He married in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, on October 26, 1773, Louise Chouinard (Charles and Dorothé Fortin). This is the first marriage of a Robichaud in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli. They had 10 children.
(3 ) Two of the sons of François Robichaud said Niganne, Pierre and François (the young) will marry Francoise and Marie, two daughters of the former governor of Acadie, Alexandre Leborgne de Belle Isle. Circa 1736, the Belleisle / Robichaud clan will establish a trading post at Eagle's Nest, where they will stay for about 20 years.
In November 1758, during the Deportation of the Acadians, Colonel Monckton burned the houses once occupied by the Robichauds at Eagle's Nest. In the census of 1762, two Robichaud families, the family of Pierre Robichaud and the family of the widow of François Robichaud are listed in Cap-Saint-Ignace, Quebec. Most of the descendants of these two brothers will settle in the region of Côte-du-Sud, Québec. François Robichaud and Marie Leborgne Belle Isle had nine children.
(2) The youngest of the family of Étienne, was François said Niganne (or Nighan) Robichaud. François worked in business with his brother Prudent in the provision of English fort. François said Niganne married in 1702, Marie-Madeleine Therriot , they had nine children.
(1) The first known Acadian Robichaud is Étienne Robichaud. Étienne is presumed to be born in France, around 1638. In the census of 1671, Étienne asks his wife, Françoise Boudrot, to tell the enumerator he does not want to give account of his animals and his land. Étienne and Françoise had six children.
References:
1. ROBICHAUD, Donat, Les Robichaud d’Amérique, Shippagan, 1999, 936 pages.
2. ROBICHAUD, Armand, Des histoires de Robichaud, du Poitou à la mer Rouge, Éditions de la Francophonie, Moncton, NB, 2002, 346 pages.
3. ROBICHAUD, Armand, Maisons ancestrales des Robichaud, Éditions de la Francophonie, Lévis, QC, 2009, 416 pages.