GRANDPA ALBERT DALLAIRE 1900-1987
My grandfather Albert Dallaire was born in 1900 at Cap d’Espoir, a small village on the Gaspe Peninsula in Quebec. His childhood was spent fishing and farming on the family homestead. Grandpa loved to fish and I remember him bringing some trophy sized fish to my parents when I was a young girl. Albert was the 8th of 11 children, he had seven sisters and 3 brothers.
At the age of 17, he decided to enlist in the Canadian military service to fight in World War 1. He was assigned to the Canadian Forestry Corps in Bordeaux, France. The forestry experience he gained may have led my grandfather to choose carpentry as a profession. He built homes in Ontario and Western Canada. When he was about to retire, he helped to renovate my parent’s kitchen. The custom cabinetry included doors that were made of “book-matched” walnut.
Grandpa had a big booming laugh, he smoked cigars and he spoke in French most of the time. He always had a large car or truck. His last truck was outfitted with a large camper, great for fishing trips.
Grandpa Dallaire Cod Fishing at Gaspe
Grandpa Dallaire and his brothers 1941 Left to Right: Gaudiose, Albert (Grandpa), Eudore, Leopold
FRENCH ANCESTORS OF ALBERT DALLAIRE
CHARLES ALLAIRE 1637–1691 ARRIVAL 1658 from FRANCE
Charles Allaire (age 21) sailed from the port of La Rochelle in France to Quebec City in New France together with his older brother Jean Allaire (age 26). They sailed on the 150 ton ship named Le Taureau. The voyage took just over 2 months (69 days). They arrived in Quebec city on August 6, 1658. The brothers were committed farm laborers. They agreed to work clearing the land and then farming for a period of 3 years in exchange for free passage and an annual salary. Jean received 81 livres per year, Charles received 75. The brothers settled on the Île d’Orléans, one of the first centers of colonization in New France. Today, there are still direct descendants living on this beautiful island. Charles Allaire is my 7th great grandfather.
MARIE ASSELIN 1651 – 1729 ARRIVAL 1665 from FRANCE
Marie Asselin (Ancelin) sailed across the Atlantic from the port of La Rochelle, France together with her father Rene Asselin (also a pioneer) and her stepmother Marie Juin. She was just 14 years old. Two years later she married Pierre Michaud (also a pioneer), and they had 10 children. Although they initially settled at Saint-Jean, Île d’Orléans, their lifelong journey within Quebec would also include Île aux Grues, Rivière-Ouelle (aka Rivière des Trois-Saumons) and finally Kamouraska. Kamouraska is really the birthplace of the great Michaud family, it is from here that the descendants spread out everywhere in Canada and the US. Marie is considered to be the maternal ancestor of all of the Michauds of America! Marie Asselin is my 7th great grandmother (matrilineal).
CONNECTING the 17th and 21st CENTURIES
It is interesting to learn about the ways our ancestors survived the harsh Canadian winters. In the Cote-du-Sud Region of Quebec which extends from Île d’Orléans to Kamouraska the eel fishery provided our ancestors with enough food to survive the long winters. Salted or smoked, this fish kept very well. And it was a fish that our ancestors also remembered from their home country of France. Our ancestors combined their knowledge and fishing methods together with the Indigenous ways to develop a made in North America approach to eel fishing using weirs.
Today the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) has listed the American Eel as threatened. The main threats to the Eel fishery are believed to be habitat fragmentation and turbine mortality due to hydroelectric dams. There are nearly 3200 dams in the eel’s area of distribution in Quebec, but only 10 eel ladders. Various commercial gear and licence buyback programs implemented during 2002 to 2013 have not significantly increased eel abundance. The number of commercial fishing licenses was reduced from 67 to 21. As of 2019 fewer than 15 fishers are active in this sector and the catch trend is downward for a stable fishing effort.
ANCESTRY BY THE NUMBERS
KEY REFERENCES FOR CHARLES ALLAIRE
- Cyprien Tanguay, Genealogical Dictionary of French Canadian Families, (Montreal, Quebec: E. Senécal and Sons, 1871-1890), Volume 1, 3.
- Janine Giraud-Héraud and Gilbert Pilleul, These towns and villages of France, … cradle of French America, (CFQLMC and Association France-Quebec LDMC-Publication,2008), Volume 10, Pays de la Loire, 93.
- The Origin File: Charles Allaire
- Thomas J. Laforest, Our French Canadian Ancestors, (Palm Harbor, Florida: LISI Press,1990), Volume 10, Chapter 2, 21-29.
- Violet Allaire, Les Familles Allaire-Dallaire, Quebec, 1962, 329 pages, available at www.allaire-dallaire-genealogy.phildallaire.net/book.html (unsecured site)
KEY REFERENCES FOR MARIE ASSELIN (ANCELIN)
- Adolphe Michaud, Généalogie des Familles de la Riviere Ouelle, (Quebec: H. Chase, 1908), 503-511.
- Cyprien Tanguay, Genealogical Dictionary of French Canadian Families, (Montreal, Quebec: E. Senécal and Sons, 1871-1890), Volume 6, 20.
- Janine Giraud-Héraud and Gilbert Pilleul, These towns and villages of France, … cradle of French America, (CFQLMC and Association France-Quebec LDMC-Publication,2011), Volume 11 Poitu Charente, 138-139.
- The Origin File: Marie Ancelin
- Thomas J. Laforest, Our French Canadian Ancestors, (Palm Harbor, Florida: LISI Press,1990), Volume 2, Chapter 19, 178-187.
EEL FISHERY REFERENCE
- Ministry of Forests, Fauna and Parks, Province of Quebec, Update on the status of the American eel in Quebec, November 2019. https://mffp.gouv.qc.ca/documents/wildlife/Status_American_eel_anguille_2019.PDF Accessed 22 March, 2021