The Blanchards | Pioneer Families of Caraquet
Index: Pioneer Families of Caraquet
These micro posts present the first generation of each of the families that established different surnames found in Caraquet, New Brunswick. Most of the information is drawn from Fidele Theriault’s genealogical dictionary “Les Familles de Caraquet”. His book is in French and offers a lot more information including family trees of the first generations (with precise dates) and in many cases explanations of how the first pioneers arrived in Caraquet and other fascinating anecdotes. For additional information including precise dates and following generations, please leave your questions in a comment box below.
The Blanchards descend from Acadians who came originally from Martaize (Loudun, France) and who had settled in Port-Royal, Acadia in about 1636. The Caraquet Blanchards descend from Olivier Blanchard (son of Rene Blanchard and Marguerite Theriault of Grand Pre) and his wife Catherine Admirault dit Miraud. They first appear in Caraquet records with the birth of their daughter Julie in 1780. Olivier Blanchard and Catherine Admirault were married in about 1752.
Their children were:
- Marguerite Blanchard (m. Rene Hache dit Gallant, son of Francois Hache dit Gallant and Anne Boudreau). Rene Hache and Marguerite had the following children.
- Scholastique (m. 1795, Francois Theriault, son of Joseph Theriault and Marie-Joseph Girouard)
- Helene (m. 1793, Michel Godin, son of Jean-Baptiste Godin and Angelique Bergeron)
- Francois (m. Nathalie Thibodeau, daughter of Pierre Thibodeau and Anne Landry),
- Theotiste (m. 1795, Francois Godin, son of Antoine Godin and Madeleine Bergeron)
- Isaac (m.about 1803, Madeleine Thibodeau, daughter of Pierre Thibodeau and Anne Landry)
- Rosalie (m. about 1803, Pierre Thibodeau, son of Pierre Thibodeau and Anne Landry)
- Eusebe (m.1809, Marie-Blanche Poirier, daughter of Joseph Poirier and Charlotte Legere)
- Jean Leon (m.1813, Clotilde Pinet, daughter of Pierre Pinet and Barbe Dugas) and then (m.1815, Sophie Legere, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Legere and Felicite Robichaud)
- Marguerite (m.1812, Pierre Theriault, son of Pierre Theriault and Marguerite Pinet)
- Isaie (m.1818, Marie Legere, daughter of Cyrille Legere and Venerande Savoie) and then (m.1835, Adele Mallet, daughter of Jean Mallet and Anne-Marie Gionet)
- Pierre Romain (m.1819, Felicite Legere, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Legere and Claire Felicite Robichaud)
- Urbain Thadee Blanchard (m. 1784, Judith Legere, daughter of Olivier Legere and Marie Joseph Hebert). Thadee died by drowning in 1793.
- Helene (m. 1829, Isaac Gautreau of Tracadie, formerly married to Charlotte Comeau)
- Marie Cecile (m.1808, Elie Landry, son of Pierre Landry and Marguerite Allain)
- Ephrem Zozime (m. 1811, Marie-Julie Robichaud, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Robichaud and Felicite Cyr of Shippegan)
- Olivier Zozime (m.1811, Marie Venerande Pinet, daughter of Dominique Pinet and Rose Boudreau)
- Isidore Thadee (m.1822, Julienne Theriault, daughter of Victor Theriault and Julie Thibodeau)
- Desiree Blanchard (m.1789, Madeleine Cormier, daughter of Jean Cormier and Anastasie Aucoin). Desiree died without a will, so those who inherited eventually agreed to sell their piece of land to Tranquil Blanchard. The land was situated at Pointe de Roche. His wife and children then moved to Bathurst to live with her daughters in Grande Anse. Desiree and Madeleine’s children were:
- Marie Archange (m.1811, Jean-Baptiste Theriault, son of Jean-Baptiste Theriault and Genevieve Pinet of Grande-Anse)
- Tharsile (m.1811, Dominique Theriault, son of Jean-Baptiste Theriault and Genevieve Pinet of Grande Anse)
- Urbain (m.1818, Marie Hache, daughter of Michel Hache and Marie Godin)
- Fidele Blanchard (drowned in 1793)
- Raphael Blanchard (m. Pelagie Doucet, daughter of Pierre Doucet and Marie Hache of Bathurst). Raphael was a blacksmith. Raphael and Pelagie’s children were:
- Marine
- Marie (m. 1817, Jean Lanteigne, son of Jean Lanteigne and Marie Parise)
- Monique (m. 1817, Sebastien Paulin, son of Jean-Baptiste Paulin and Therese Canivet)
- Pierre (m.1824, 1824, Victoire Poirier, daughter of Joseph Poirier and Charlotte Legere) and then (m. 1827, Marguerite Losier, daughter of Prospere Losier and Charlotte LeBreton)
- Marguerite (m.1819, David Albert, son of Jean-Baptiste Albert and Therese Lanteigne) and then (m.1831, Luc Paulin, formerly married to Marie Gionet)
- Victoire (m.1822, Joseph Gionet, son of Jean Gionet and Veronique Duguay)
- Appoline (m.1824, Pierre Lanteigne, son of Pierre Lanteigne and Genevieve Chenard)
- Joseph
- Marie-Rose (m. Marcin Savoie, son of Joseph Savoie and Anastasie Robichaud of Shippegan)
- Raphael, who died by drowning in 1867 (m. Antoinette Lanteigne, daughter of Jean Lanteigne and Marie Parise) and then (m. about 1840, Veronique Comeau)
- Joseph Prospere (m.1834, Ursule Theriault, widow of Macaire Godin)
- Marguerite Henriette (m.about 1836, Joseph Gauvin, daughter of Charles Gauvin and Monique Landry
- Isidore Blanchard (m. Isabelle Legere, daughter of Olivier Legere and Marie Joseph Hebert). Their children were:
- Claire Appoline (m.1821, Pierrre Lanteigne, son of Jean Lanteigne and Marie Parise)
- Olivier Cyrille (m. 1818, Julie Poirier, daughter of Charles Poirier and Anne Bourg)
- Theotiste (m. 1818, 1818, Hubert Poirier, son of Charles Poirier and Anne Bourg)
- Elisabeth (d.1806)
- Augustin (m.1824, Marguerite Dugalet, daughter of Richard Dugalet and Esther Richard) and then (m. about 1845, Colette Cormier, daughter of Nicolas Cormier and Rosalie Hebert)
- Jean-Baptiste (m.1824, Genevieve Landry, daughter of Anselme Landry and Marie Brideau of Grande-Anse)
- Joseph (m.1827, Marthe Bouthillier, daughter of Edouard Bouthillier and Agathe Parise) and then (m. 1841, Esther Arsenault) and then (m. 1855, Olive Laurent, daughter of Francois Laurent and Marie Martin)
- Pierre (d.1806)
- Marie
- Tranquil Blanchard (m.about 1800, Modeste Robichaud, daughter of Jean Baptiste Robichaud and Felicite Cyr of Shippegan).Tranquil was a merchant, constable, assessor and church warden). He was an agent for the Robin company in Caraquet until 1838, In 1818 he bought some property from his brother Desiree.Together with his wife he wrote his last will and testament in 1834. Each of his daughters received fifty dollars and then the rest of their goods were divided between his four sons. His two sons, Agapit and Tranquil, each had a house near his. F. Theriault says that “each house measured 32 feet long by 25 wide”Tranquil was one of those who opposed to the modification of monsignor Cooke’s church in 1828. Tranquil and Modeste’s children were:
- Jean-Louis (m. 1822, Marie Poirier, daughter of Joseph Poirier and Charlotte Legere) and then (m.1841, Eugenie Boudreau, ex wife of Felix Caissie)
- Claire (m. 1825, Jules Lanteigne, son of Jean Lanteigne and Marie Parise)
- Marie (d.1801)
- Marie (m. 1835, Joseph Cormier,
- Angele (m.1834, Jean Landry, son of Maxime Landry and Pelagie Gauvin)
- Octave Agapit (m. 1838, Anne-Marie Poirier, daughter of Joseph Poirier and Charlotte Legere)
- Tranquil (m.1840, Agathe Cormier, daughter of Etienne Cormier and Marie-Rosalie Godin)
- Jean Olivier (d.1838)
- Julie Blanchard (m. Sylvain Boudreau, son of Joseph Boudreau and Anna Hache)
- Felix (m.1822, Marine Boucher, daughter of Firmin Boucher and Judith Legere)
- Jerome (m. 1827, Marie Godin, daughter of Jean-Baptiste Godin and Rosalie Theriault)
- Marie-Marthe (m. 1820, Joseph Gauvin, son of Charles Gauvin and Madeleine Paulin)
- Elisabeth Isabelle (m. 1827, Gregoire Theriault, son of Victor Theriault, and formerly married to Domitilde Legere)
- Marie Victoire (m. 1832, Pierre Legere, son of Jean-Baptiste Legere and Felicite Robichaud)
- Pierre Andre (m. 1832, Angele Landry, daughter of Maxime Landry and Pelagie Gauvin)
- Joseph (m. 1835, Marie Pinet, daughter of Pierre Pinet and Barbe Dugas)
- Jean-Louis (m. 1838, Romaine Godin, daughter of Luc Godin and Ursula Doiron)
- Marcel (born 1815)
- Theotiste (born 1818)
- Francois-Xavier (m. about 1845, Emilie Cormier, daughter of Thomas Cormier and Francoise Pinet) and (m. 1858, Odile Duguay, daughter of Desiree Duguay and Emilie Lanteigne)
- Marie (m. about 1845, Joseph Theriault, son of Joachim Theriault and Claire Gauvin)
Note: Les Familles de Caraquet has the following Blanchard family pictures: [Prosper Blanchard and his son’s family, Auguste, Edgar, his son Prospere, Charles-Auguste, Helene, Auguste. Clarisse Albert, pg. 48], [Philias Blanchard, son of Pierre and his wife Marguerite, daughter of Michel Landry, pg.48], [Luc Blanchard (1829-1895), son of Augustin, pg. 49], [Henriette Blanchard, (1837-1898), wife of Luc Blanchard, pg.49], Dominique Blanchard, (1837-1910), soon Raphael Blanchard, pg.49] Theotime Blanchard (1844-1911), son of Agapit Blanchard, pg.49, [Ferdinand P. Blanchard, pg.247], [Jos L. Blanchard, pg.247], [Ferdinand Blanchard, pg. 255], [Irenee Blanchard, pg. 255], [Jos. Blanchard, pg. 255].
Notes: Mgr Donat Robichaud Genealogical and Historical Research Collection (FR): [Blanchard, Auguste, 1907, The following men left for the Ottawa work yards: Placide Boudreau, Auguste Blanchard, Georges Poirier, Henri and Wilfred G. Legere, Philippe, Pierre and Jos Mourant.] [Blanchard, Therese, 1938, Three young girls entered the religious life: Therese (daughter of Augustin Blanchard, Moncton C.N.D.), Lea Landry (Joliette), Berthe (daughter of Joseph Albert), F.M.A. in Campbelltown)]
Notes: Mgr Donat Robichaud Genealogical and Historical Research Collection (FR): Blanchard, Pierre,1925, A fishing vessel went down with all aboard. Caraquet families are in mourning. The Caraquet fishermen who did return from fishing last Saturday recounted the tragic accident that had taken place with their four comrades on Thursday. The four were the crew of the T.H.B. The small fishing fleet had stopped at the banks when a very violent wind suddenly rose up.The other boats had already folded their sails and dropped their anchors. Once the gale had passed the fishers saw that the T.H.B. – with all hands aboard – had disagreed.The crew consisted of Captain Prosper Leger who leaves his wife and several grandchildren. The second was Alexandre Frigault, who leaves his wife and five children. Pascal Leger (unmarried) was the son of the captain. Pierre Blanchard was married and father of one child. The boat belonged to T.H. LeBouthillier. This tragedy plunged the whole parish of Bas-Caraquet into shock.]
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External Links
Blanchards in the 1881 Census – Caraquette
Blanchards in the 1901 Census – Gloucester
NB Vital Records – Blanchards of Gloucester County
A Canadian Family 
My grandmother, Martha Blanchard, was big into ancestry and traced the family line back to Guillaume Joseph Blanchard (1590-1610). We are descendants of Urbain Thadee Blanchard (although, in our family tree my grandmother noted his name as Maxime Urbain Thaddee Blanchard). If this helps I found this note in her records: “According to the Great Land Grant, the following record exists. Blanchard, Maxime Vol:100, p, Grant #17343 Orig. Prov. of reg.: N.B. 100 acres. Place and Country: Saint Louis, Kent County.”
Also, I am greatly appreciative that you shared this information here! One of my best friends is a Theriault and it’s cool to think we may be distant cousins.
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I am a relative of Urbain Blanchard, born 1796, married to Marie Hache.
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According to FamilySearch, I am related to Urban Blanchard, born in 1846, son of Thomas Blanchard, born in 1806. The line goes back to Jeanne Lecour, born in 1582, and her husband Andre Bernon, born in 1580.
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