Desmarais | Metis, Chippewa, Mixed-heritage: Cree | Surname Anchor Post

Each of these posts is dedicated to one surname that is carried by someone connected to indigenous, Metis or mixed-heritage people in Canada.

SURNAME NOTES | DESMARAIS

Purpose:
- The goal of these Surname Anchor Posts is to answer these questions: Based on settler documents, has my surname ever been associated with indigenous people in what is now called Canada? If so, where and when did it occur? And finally, with which specific peoples was my surname associated? Note: These posts are just a Finding Aide to help you continue with your own in-depth research. This project is constantly updated but will never be complete 🙂
Regions:
- Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan
Ethnicity:
- Metis, Chippewa, Mixed-heritage: Cree, French
Associated surnames:
- Anderson, Asham, Bear, Beauchamp, Beriault, Blondeau, Blondin (Upd. 2023), Boisclair / Bereau, Boucher, Bouchette, Brabant, Cadot (Upd. 2023), Campbell, Cardinal, Clermont
- Daniel, Delorme, Desjardins, Desjarlais, Desnomme, Ducharme, Erasmus, Fagnant / Fayant, Favel (Upd.2023), Fisher, Fontaine, Foulds
- Gariepy (Upd. 2023), Gervais, Gordon, Gosselin, Hamelin, Hennery, Hodges
- Kakwetowen, Klyne, Ladouceur, Lamirande, Larence (Upd. 2023), Larocque
- McKay, Moar, Muggaberg, Orrey, Ouellette, Page, Paquenode, Paquin, Patrice, Pelletier, Piche, Prisque
- Richards, Rocheblanc, Rochon
- Scheer, Schoonover, Shangness, Sinclair, Smith, St. Denis, St. Germain
- Valet / Vallee, Vivier
- Whitford, Wilson, Wray.
Misc.:
- 1. Red River Ancestry lists these Desmarais Metis lineages.
  - a) Charles King Desmarais was the son of French Canadian Francois Desmarais and Salteaux First Nations woman Marie Suzette. He married Harriet Catherine Favel and their offspring included: Catherine Ellen Desmarais (m. Pierre Cadotte), Eliza Desmarais (m. Joseph Larocque, Louis Bellegarde), Francois Desmarais (m. Catherine Pocha), Margaret Desmarais (m. John Norman Sinclair), Michael Desmarais (m. Isabella Sinclair).
  - b) Another Desmarais Metis lineage is that of Jean Baptiste Desmarais and his wives Sophia Erasmus and Margaret Gunn. Jean Baptiste’s earliest descendants include: Fanny Desmarais (m. James Finlay Wray), John Peter Desmarais (m. Caroline Anderson, Christina Anderson), Marguerite Catherine Desmarais (m. George W Hodges), Marie Jane Desmarais (m. Neil Wilson). Mary Ann Desmarais (m. Samuel Smith), Rebecca Desmarais (m. James Anderson), Victoria Harriet Desmarais (m. Alexander Moar), William Thomas Desmarais (m. Elizabeth Harriet Bear, Harriet Cochrane).
- 2. Scroll down for External Links to biographical and other information.