THE PATERNAL LINEAGE CHART FOR MY GRANDFATHER EDOIRE "EDDIE" JOLICOEUR
Here is the lineage chart for my paternal grandfather Edoire Jolicoeur. It shows the family surname change from Meloche to Jolicoeur. I have started the lineage chart with Michel Meloche who was the grandfather of Francois I Meloche. Francois I Meloche came to New France late in the 17th century. This ancestral lineage chart conforms with the certified copy of the Meloche Genealogy available on the Fichier Origine website. Scroll down to page 8. This certified copy of the Meloche Genealogy includes only the Meloche ancestors who were born in France, therefore it only includes 3 generations of Meloche.
(Please note that I have created customized lineage charts: Each Generation is indicated with a number, Name and birth date/location is indicated next; then D for date/location of death; then spouse name and marriage date/location; and finally number of children.)
THE START OF THE MELOCHE SURNAME EVOLUTION
The Meloche surname “Evolution” starts with generation 5, when Joseph Marie Meloche added the surname Jolicoeur to his birth surname Meloche. Joseph Marie Meloche was 4 years old when his father died and only seven years old when his mother remarried. He added Jolicoeur to his surname to honor his stepfather.
His stepfather was Joseph Girard dit Jolicoeur who was a French soldier. Joseph arrived in New France aboard the Ship named the Leopard in 1755. The Leopard sailed from the port of Brest, Brittany, France during April of 1755 and arrived in Quebec City around July 29, 1755. The Leopard was one of a flotilla of 6 ships carrying Regular French troops to defend the French colony from the British during the Seven Years War. A second squadron of ships arrived later that summer.
JOSEPH GIRARD DIT JOLICOEUR, A French Soldier
The historic record for Joseph Girard dit Jolicoeur is on the left of the above image. This image can be found in the online database of French and English soldiers who participated in the battle of the Plains of Abraham in 1759.
On the right of the above image is a drawing that outlines the battlefield on the Plains of Abraham. Joseph fought for the French Regular Troops in the Bearn Regiment (highlighted). The French lost the Seven Years War to the English in 1760 and signed the Treaty of Paris in 1763 giving up its claim to Canada.
Jolicoeur was a popular “dit” name for French soldiers. The soldiers assumed a “nom de guerre” to aid with identification as there were no serial numbers used at that time.
JOLICOEUR SURNAME SEARCH ON FICHIER ORIGINE WEBSITE
A quick search on the Fichier Origine website for “Jolicoeur” yields 26 records. (The Fichier Origine website has a database for certified French migrants that became pioneers of New France.)
If you type in the surname Jolicoeur, the result will be 26 records. A quick review of the 26 records for the surname JOLICOEUR shows that 12 were soldiers in the Marine Troops, 9 were soldiers in the Regular Troops (including Joseph), 1 was a soldier in the Carignan Saliere Regiment and 1 was a soldier stationed in the Quebec Fort in 1637. There are only 3 French migrants with the surname “dit JOLICOEUR” that were not soldiers. That is why family historians say that often a French “double” surname with dit before the second surname is for a soldier, but that is not always the case.
JOSEPH GIRARD DIT JOLICOEUR AND THE BEARN REGIMENT TROOP MOVEMENTS
The Bearn Regiment arrived in Quebec in July of 1755. My namesake ancestor Joseph Girard dit Jolicoeur served for more than 5 years as a soldier in this regiment. The map below provides a pictorial overview of the troop movements for the Bearn Regiment from 1755 to 1760.
As you can see the Bearn Regiment was engaged in many battles and assignments throughout the Seven Years War. It also lost many soldiers and officers during this war. While reviewing the background information for the officers (individual soldier records are scarce) in this regiment, I was able to determine that of the 48 officers listed, 10 were killed and 15 were wounded.
Most of the French Soldiers of the Bearn Regiment departed on British transports from Quebec City on September 10 and 11, 1760. Joseph Girard dit Jolicoeur was among a small group of soldiers who chose to stay. To stay in the colony, Joseph would have been required to swear an oath of allegiance to the British King.
JOSEPH GIRARD DIT JOLICOEUR MARRIES MARIE BRUNET
Less than 8 months after the majority of the troops departed, Joseph married Marie Brunet, the widow of my ancestor Francois II Meloche and the mother of Joseph Marie Meloche who started the evolution of my family surname from Meloche to Jolicoeur.
How did Joseph meet Marie Brunet? The records for the Bearn Regiment troop movements indicate that soldiers spent the winter on the Island of Montreal during 1757, 1758 and 1759. Perhaps Joseph and Marie met during one of these winter sojourns.
Perhaps Joseph met Marie through her first husband Francois II Meloche who is my 5th great grandfather. Francois would have been a member of the militia in Montreal, as all men between the ages of 16 and 60 were required to join the militia. And the militia participated in several battles and excursions together with French troops and First Nation allies.
When Marie Brunet married Joseph Girard dit Jolicoeur she was 32 years old and had five children under the age of 10, all of whom were baptized at Sainte-Genevieve Pierrefonds: Jacques (9 years); Joseph (7 years); Albert (6 years); Marie Suzanne (4 years); and Louis (3 years). The first four children reached adulthood, but Louis the youngest died when he was only 14 years old in 1772.
Marie and Joseph had 6 more children: Marie Josephe, Joseph, Marie Marguerite, Genevieve, Joseph II and Andre. All of these children were born between 1762 and 1768 and they were also all born at Sainte-Genevieve Pierrefonds. Sadly, only 3 of the Girard-Brunet children reached adulthood.
ANCESTRAL LINEAGE CONNECTIONS
Francois I Meloche (see the lineage chart at the beginning of this blog) who was born in France in 1676 (arrival in New France about 1698) is my 6th paternal great grandfather. Francois II Meloche (the first husband of Marie Brunet) is his son.
Marie Blanchard, born in France in 1647 (arrival 1667) is my 9th paternal/matrilineal great grandmother. She married Michel Mathieu Brunet dit Letang. Marie Brunet (who is the mother of Joseph Marie Meloche dit Jolicoeur) is the great granddaughter of Michel Brunet.
So my paternal and matrilineal lineage intersected so to speak. It is not surprising to find connections like this in my lineage. The small population of New France and the fact that families were tied to the land in small close knit communities increased the chances for these type of intersections to occur. And they did. Over and over, as future blog stories will tell.
DETAILED EVIDENCE FOR THE SURNAME CHANGE FROM MELOCHE TO JOLICOEUR
FIRST, EVIDENCE THAT JOSEPH GIRARD JOLICOEUR BECAME YOUNG JOSEPH MELOCHE'S STEPFATHER
Baptism Record: Joseph Marie Meloche (G5) was baptized at Sainte Genevieve (Pierrefonds) in 1754. His Father was Francois II Meloche (G4) and his mother was Marie Brunet.
Wedding Record: Joseph Girard Jolicoeur was the second husband of Marie Brunet. They were wed at Sainte Genevieve (Pierrefonds) in 1761. Francois Meloche (G4) is recorded as the deceased former spouse of Marie Brunet.
Note: G5 refers to generation 5 on the lineage chart found at the beginning of this article.
SECOND, EVIDENCE THAT JOSEPH MELOCHE (G5) AND HIS SON FRANCOIS III MELOCHE (G6) WERE RECORDED WITH THE SURNAME “MELOCHE JOLICOEUR” IN 1824.
Baptism Record: Francois III Meloche (G6) baptized at Sainte Genevieve (Pierrefonds) in 1792. His father was Joseph Meloche (G5) and his mother is recorded as Mary Monsion.
Wedding Record: Both father and son are recorded with the surname “Meloche Jolicoeur” at the wedding of Francois III to Archange Brisebois that took place at Sainte Eustache in 1824.
THIRD, ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE FROM THE MELOCHE LEGACY
The Meloche Legacy is available online (note the website is not secure). This website has an online extract of the much larger book on the Meloche family. Below you will find the paragraphs where reference is made to the Meloche to Jolicoeur surname change on pages 9 and 13.
Note that James Meloche the author starts the Meloche legacy with Andre Meloche. Andre Meloche is believed to be the grandfather to Francois Meloche.
My lineage chart starts one generation later with Michel Meloche (G1) who was the father of Francois Meloche. Francois Meloche (G2) came to New France (Quebec). I have chosen to conform with the certified copy of the family tree that does not include Andre Meloche. Therefore the reference to the seventh generation (G7) of the Meloche Family that is highlighted in the book extract below, corresponds to the sixth generation (G6) in my lineage chart.
FOURTH ADDITIONAL EVIDENCE OF THE SURNAME CHANGE BY MOYSE (MOISE) MELOCHE JOLICOEUR
Baptism Record: Moyse Meloche (G7) was born and baptized at Sainte Eustache in 1825. His father was Francois Meloche (G6) and his mother is recorded as Archangel Brisebois.
Wedding Records: Moyse (Moise) my great-great grandfather was married twice. His first wedding records the groom as Moyse Meloche in 1854. And in 1869 the groom is recorded as Moise Meloche Jolicoeur.
ADOPTION OF THE SURNAME JOLICOEUR FOR MY FAMILY WAS COMPLETED LATE IN THE 19th CENTURY
The adoption of the surname Jolicoeur was completed by the 7th generation of my family during the latter part of the 19th Century. The evidence used is the CENSUS DATA.
19th Century Census Data
The census data obtained for my Jolicoeur ancestors can be found at this link 19th Century Census Data -you will need to scroll down to the “19th Century Census Data Snippets for my Jolicoeur Ancestors”
Below you can clearly see that for the 1871 Census, “Moise” and his family members are all recorded using the surname Jolicoeur. Note that my great grandfather Edmond Jolicoeur (G8) is recorded as the third child living in the household.
When you review the 1891 Census data you will note that the family is recorded using the surname Jolicoeur.
20th Century Census Data
The census data obtained for my Jolicoeur ancestors can be found at this link 20th Century Census Data -you will need to scroll down to the “20th Century Census Data Snippets for my Jolicoeur Ancestors”
I was able to locate Edmond Jolicoeur (my great grandfather) in the 1911 Census, my grandfather Edoire (Edouard) Jolicoeur was living with his father in the Labelle District of Quebec.
FINAL COMMENT
Please note that the soldier Joseph Girard dit Jolicoeur is a namesake ancestor only. He is not related by blood to me directly. This article provides evidence for the surname change that occurred in my ancestral bloodline from Meloche to Jolicoeur.
SOURCES:
Bearn Regiment:
“Béarn Infanterie”, extract from the Seven Years War Project knowledge base by Kronoskaf, available at : https://www.kronoskaf.com/syw/index.php?title=B%C3%A9arn_Infanterie Accessed 26 October 2022
“Officiers Du Regiment de Bearn”, Bulletin des recherches historiques : bulletin d’archéologie, d’histoire, de biographie, de numismatique, etc. /, 1945-10, Collections de BAnQ p352 to 358. https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2657543 Accessed 26 October 2022
Image of Corporal and Soldier of the Bearn Regiment found at https://www.militaryheritage.com/bearn.htm Accessed 26 October 2022
Image of Bearn Regiment Flag found at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9arn_Regiment Accessed 26 October 2022
Certification that Joseph Girard dit Jolicoeur was a French soldier, Bearn Regiment, Company of Montredon can be found at Fichier Origine website: https://www.fichierorigine.com/recherche?numero=410079 Accessed 31 October 2022
Meloche to Jolicoeur Surname:
“The Nicknames and Dit Names of French-Canadian Ancestors” in Library and Archives Canada Blog, January 30, 2014 Accessed 25 October 2022.
Extracts from a book prepared by James Lawrence Meloche of Detroit Michigan “The Meloche Legacy: A Family History Dating Back to the Year 1575” (Wisconsin: Association des familles Meloche, 2001), pages 9 and 13.
The Baptismal and Wedding Records are published here courtesy of Généalogie Quebec. Permission obtained November 2022.