Who is LE GASCON in the 1686 Acadian census at Isle Percee?

Question

In the 1686 Acadian census at Isle Percee, the entry reads: LE GASCON and his wife.

I am looking for his birth name and date of birth so I can make a profile. His wife's name would be a bonus. There are two possibilities for Gascon. 1. He is from Gascony. 2. Le Gascon could be Legascou and transcribed as Le Gascon.

Comments

This question has been solved. The final answer is that Valleau-126 is LE GASCON. Thanks to everyone for their input, especially Murray and Marc.

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The Marc to whom Ralph refers is Marc-Andre Comeau, the historian and author of "Pêcheur Normand, Famille Métisse : Genése de l'installation d'une famille de pêcheurs, les Mallet de d'Acadie, á la baie des Chaleurs.". Knowing that he had done much research on Acadia and Gaspe, I forwarded Ralph's query to Marc, who responded quickly, corrected our bad assumptions, and pointed us to the documents that told the tale. 

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My hat goes off to Marc. His contribution was what cracked this case wide-open.

Answer 1

I have long wondered whether "Le Gascon" could represent Guillaume Capela, but he would only have been 14 yrs old in 1686.

Comments

Guillaume Capela is Capela-3. The most compelling information is that he was listed next to Lespine (Chatigny-9) in the 1686 census and they both ended up in the hospital in Quebec at the same time. I am going to wait to see what else I can come up with because some things don't compute like him having a wife in the census and records showing he got married in 1700 or 1705. However, he had children born as early as 1696 or 1697. He left France in 1688 and appeared on the 1686 census but that doesn't bother me because the 1686 census in the Isle Percee area wasn't taken until 1688 from all indications. I think you are right but I need more time to explore. Thanks for your input.

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Actually, it was not Lespine at Hotel Dieu at Quebec City in 1690, but rather the wife of Lespine.

You might also note that much later, Guillaume Capela took on a loan from the sons of Noel Boissel, who are also listed at Perce in the 1686 and 1688 censuses.

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Thanks for correcting me.  I knew it was his wife and forgot it when I answered. Even though it was Lespine's wife, it makes the case for him being at Percee. We know he was a fisherman and Percee was a fishing community that varied in size depending on the season. I think increased activity started in May.

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There is no record of Guillaume's existence between 30 March 1688 and 10-27 October 1690 and then until 22 September 1702.

His presence at Hotel Dieu in 1690 seems to support the view that he was resident/employed at Perce at that time.

By the way, there are no records of Guillaume's marriage or the births of his children. There has been some speculation about when he might have married ), but that is only based on the fact that he took loans to support his family.  

He would have arrived in Quebec in 1688, and so he could have been counted 1688 in a census on 1688. But that is still speculation and not verifiable.

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So, since we can't verify, I guess I have to set him aside for now. You have done a great job in explaining that we expect it was Guillaume but can't prove it. You deserve the best answer star. Thanks.

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Thanks for the Star, Ralph. We know now that "Le Gascon" in the 1686 census of Acadia was not Guillaume Capela.

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This has been like a good mystery novel with a surprise ending. Pierre Valleau was not even on our radar until Marc responded to you.

Answer 2

He is probably ''"Lespine"'' from '''Gascogne'''. First one in the list:

Pièces relatives aux Colonies françaises de l'Amérique, et particulièrement à la Nouvelle-France ou Canada (1673-1697). (Papiers de l'abbé Bernou, etc.) | Gallica (bnf.fr)

Comments

LESPINE AND LE GASCON  are two separate entries, even though they are listed next to each other in the census. Thanks for your input but I am afraid I have to discount it.

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"In Isle Percée, there are 5 main inhabitants: The first is named Lespine from Gascogne and his Parisian wife. He was there in 1678." This document is not the Census, it is "Pièces relatives aux Colonies françaises de l'Amérique, en particulier à la Nouvelle-France ou Canada (1673-1697). (Papers of Father Bernou, etc.)"

I tought it could help, sorry,

Regards,

Julie

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Even though it wasn't the answer I was looking for, your input helped me with the understanding of the people he associated with. Thanks. I appreciate your input.

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Julie, thank you so much for sharing this document. It is the link to the original census of 1688 of Baie des Chaleurs. I didn't know it was available online! The date is not given in the document, but it is fixed by correlation of events that happened in 1688. I will add it to the Acadian Census page, with its transcription. Lepine, with his parisian wife, and Le Gascon both appeared on the 1686 census at Ile Percée. But only Lepine is recorded in 1688. 

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Thank you Julie and Gisele for finding and adding that census.  And Ralph for asking this question that brought it up.

Answer 3

I can't find him. He is not in Stephen White's DGFA, on the 1688 census of Baie des Chaleurs, in various books and articles about the history of Acadie,  Gaspésie, and Île Percée. 

Comments

That is disappointing. Thanks for looking.

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Allo Gisèle, voici ce que j'ai trouvé:

"Lespine était à Percé depuis 1678. Cf. le recensement fait par Richard de Fronsac, en 1688 '''vraisemblablement'''.'' Documents Clairainbault, fol. 331. Ce recensement a été publié avec annotations par M. W-F. Ganong, dans The New Brunswick Hist. Soc., Collections, 1907, vol. III.

Bulletin des recherches historiques : bulletin d'archéologie, d'histoire, de biographie, de numismatique, etc. / | BAnQ numérique p. 22

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Merci Julie once again for your help finding records. This transcription by W.F. Ganong of the 1688 census is much easier to read. I replaced the other transcription, which was a copy of Ganong's, in the Census page.