René LeBlanc (1731 - aft. 1811)

Born 10 Nov 1731 in Grand Pré, Acadie, Colony of Nova Scotia

Ancestors

Descendants

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Biography

René LeBlanc is one of twins.

Rene LeBlanc and his twin Simon were born November 10, 1731 in Grand Pre, Acadia, New France (now Nova Scotia, Canada) and christened November 17, 1731 in Saint Charles des Mines Church in Grand Pre. They were the son of the notary René LeBlanc and Marguerite Thebeau^[1][2]

In 1752, Rene married Anne Blanchard, daughter of Rene Blanchard and Marguerite Theriot, at Grand Pre.

In 1755 the British began the Acadian expulsion. On August 18, expulsion orders were given in Grand Pré, and 418 males and their families were to be imprisoned and then deported. While detained in Grand-Pre and before deportation, On September 7, 1755, Grand Pre, Captain John Winslow, who was overseeing the prisoners, wrote to Alexander Murray, Commander at Forte Edward Piziquid, "Rene Leblancs Son has behaved as well as his Father and the French Say has Prevented ye young men from Going of and belive he May be Trusted." ^[3]

Rene must have been trusted with a good reputation by the British because on September 8 or 9, A. Murray in Fort Edward writes to John Winslow "I have Seen Several Horses, but Can Not Finde any that I Think will Please him, but am this Day Informd of a Black Horse belonging to one Amand Gros, of Grand Pre, which I am Told will answer his purpose for his own riding. I Therefore Desier you would be So Good as to order Rene Leblancs Son or Some Other French Man to Catch him and the Bearer will Bring him to me, you will Exstreamly Oblige Your Most obediant Humble Servt" ^[4]

However, a group of ten Acadian families—including Rene and Anne with his brother-in-law Rene Theriot— did manage to escape capture and took refuge in a refugee camp at Petit-Rochelle along the Baie des Chaleurs and the Restigouche River. They are recorded in the 1760 Census of Restigouche records "Renné (sic) LeBlanc in a family of 5."^[5] A year after the Battle of Restigouche, in late 1761, Captain Roderick Mackenzie and his force captured over 330 Acadians at the camp, including Rene's.

In 1761 and 1762, Rene and his family of five were recorded on Isaac Deschamps Fonds, which contains Lists of French Prisoners ^[6]. The prison lists for Fort Edward between 1761 and 1762 still exists. While prisoners, the Acadians were forced to work for the New England Planters to establish their farmlands.

On July 11, 1764, the British government passed an order-in-council to permit Acadians to legally return to British territories in small isolated groups, provided they took an unqualified oath of allegiance. Some Acadians returned to Nova Scotia (which included present-day New Brunswick). Under the deportation orders, Acadian land tenure had been forfeited to the British crown and the returning Acadians no longer owned land. The lack of available farmland compelled many Acadians to seek out a new livelihood as fishermen on the west coast of Nova Scotia, known as the French Shore.

On March 8, 1786, Rene was one of the seventy Acadien heads of families, the founders of Arichat Parish, that wrote to the lieutenant governor of Cape Breton, J.F.W. DesBarres, "for the promise of land concessions, the permission to construct a church and school, and the request for tax exemptions." ^[7]

In 1790, Rene and Anne, their sons Mathurin and Hyacinthe, son-in-law Michel Boudrot, and nephews Joseph and Simon Theriot, embarked on a bold venture. They acquired a lot of land at Caribacou (now Port Malcolm) on Cape Breton Island, with the dream of founding a new settlement. However, the location proved unsuitable, and after a decade of perseverance, Rene sold the land on January 30 1811. The family returned to Arichat on Isle Madame.

Sources

1. ↑ Library and Archives Canada, Fonds de la paroisse catholique Saint-Charles-des-Mines (Grand-Pré, N.-É.) - 1869; Canadiana, Heritage, Parish registers: Nova Scotia : C-1869 (Image 307): https://heritage.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.lac_reel_c1869/307?r=0&s=4
2. ↑ Jumeaux, Rene et Simon Leblanc, Baptême 17 novembre 1731 Saint Charles des Mines, Acadie, Nouvelle-Écosse url https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSLG-27CY-2 This record has not yet been indexed. View the original document. Notes Jumeaux, Rene et Simon Leblanc, Baptême 17 novembre 1731 Saint Charles des Mines, Acadie, Nouvelle-Écosse ne le 10 novembre fils de Rene Leblanc et Marguerite Tebaut
3. ↑ From the Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society vol. III John Winslow https://archives.novascotia.ca/deportation/archives/?Number=NSHSIII&Page=104&Language=&Search=rene%20leblanc
4. ↑ From the Collections of the Nova Scotia Historical Society vol. III John Winslow https://archives.novascotia.ca/deportation/archives/?Number=NSHSIII&Page=108&Language=&Search=rene%20leblanc
5. ↑ 1760 Census of Restigouche http://www.acadian-home.org/Restigouche.html
6. ↑ Manuscripts of Chief Justice Deschamps 1750-1800 and may be accessed at the public archives of Nova Scotia at Halifax—Family Papers Deschamps, Isaac—Vol. 32. http://www.acadian-home.org/acadians-Ft-Edward.html
7. ↑ Letter with the names of the families https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/15598945?mark=7b22746f6b656e223a226d535147566b6d5248535a3244796e5a44463175526c7a54622f674979452f7051364579646375474f33773d222c22746f6b656e5f76657273696f6e223a225632227d