From a book about Acadia

 

This is written in French but it would be a good information to share as this could very well be the father of Magdeleine Dedam or his father. I will have to find out. What peaked my interest is that they say in this book that Denis Dedam was chief of Nipisiquit (Bathust). I was told as a teenager that John Young was married to the chief’s daughter. 

In his thesis Ethnogenese des premiers metis canadiens (1601-1763), Denis Jean has a discussion of the origin of the Desdames surname in Eastern Canada. he explains that in 1635 employees (and two missionaries) arrived in Miscou when a permanent fishing post was established there by the Compagnie de Miscou. The Compagnie de Miscou was part of the Company of One Hundred Associates. A certain Thierry Desdames was named Captain and he became the progenitor of the Metis Dedams. The Dedam  surname appears in several Gaspe records, and in particular, Jean states that the surname was appearing regularly in civil records after the Restigouche census of 1765. An interesting note (still from Denis Jean) is that 25 years earlier, in 1741/1742, a certain Denis Dedam of the Gaspe – received a valuable gold-embroidered robe from the King. Denis Dedam was described as a saqamaw. My notes – a saqamaw is a chief or commander, and the king in question  would have been Louis XV.

 They are preventing me from sharing this on Facebook: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/indian-act-charter-supreme-court-1.7614346

 

If someone would like to help me with this blog and write articles just message me in the comments. 

 I have made an intersting discovery of a book written Janet E. Chute who depicts all Mi'Kmaq territories I have found in it some quotes from my blog but there is a lot of research in this book and a lot has to do with the Young family. There is some parts of in on Google which is still very informative but myself I have ordered the hard copy. It can be purchased on Amazon .

Here is a sample of this manuscript 

Something is lurking in the St-Lawrence

Toward the end of WWII aunt Alice Young was working at a dining room at The Bic a few miles from Rimouski, Quebec. On that particular morning she noticed something unusual in the St-Lawrence river. At first she thought it was a big fish but looking closely it was something else, nothing that was familiar to this young lady who left home with her thirteen siblings left behind. She was one of the eldest of the family. So she had to go to work to help the family.

Setting tables before the guest woke up for their breakfast was her daily routine. Her two sons related the same incredible story to me so it must be true. The odd object in the cold water of the river was a German submarine. Towards the end of the war Germany was out of fuel. The sub was stranded in the St-Lawrence seaway. In the early morning the submarine would surface without any light to keep from being detected but this young lady was a witness and couln't keep it a secret so she alerted her employer who alerted the authorities. The submarine was intercepted by the Canadian Army. It appears that the reason the ship was behaving as such was because the people on board were hungry as they ran out for rations and were sneaking at the cover of darkness to go to neighbouring farms to steel eggs and whatever else they could find to eat or clothing to move undetected dressed as civilians. 

They were busted by this sharp teenager with a keen eye. Years later aunt Alice is working at her restaurant in St-Jerome Que. a man walked in with a German accent. His name was Shultz she learned. Commandant Shultz. Apparently this Commandant was the same one who was aboard the submarine a few year prior. Alice and Mr. Shultz became friends for years to come. When my cousins were narrating this amazing tale I was in awe. This was the first time I had heard anything about a member of my family having any close encounter with anything to do with WWII. Wait a minute not so true. My mother use to tell me when I was a child about her cousin Adrian who was like her big brother as they were both adopted by their uncle Polydore and aunt Maggie from Eel River Crossings N.B. Adrian was around twenty years old when he was drafted to go abroad to fight for the Canadian Army but he chose to go hide in the Yukon until the end of the was. Adrian while he was on the run from the authorities contracted tuberculosis and died. Later on my mother was sick with tuberculosis  but after about eight months in the hospital came back home. 

Two members of the same Young family dead at the same railway crossing a few years apart. A coincidence?

A few years ago I came across the story of Frank Young a fellow from Bathurst who was involved in a car crash at a railway crossing. Him and another young man had borrowed a car and perished when they crossed the path of an uncoming train. Here is the news paper article: 

A collision between a freight train and a car at a level crossing not far from the C.N.R. Station attracted a large crowd on September 28, 1926. Cormier noted on his negative that a gentleman by the name of Fraser lost his life under a freight car while Frank Young, driving Mr. Charles Miller’s car was also killed by the impact. One can understand that such an accident would attract a large crowd.

Keeping that article in mind the other day I came across another interesting story and it had a link to this one. Here is the death certificate of Frank Young.

There is another accident that occured at a crossing in Bathurst N.B. It involved a teen by the name of Gertrude Young. Here is the news paper article: YOUNG; Gertrude age 21 died on the 8th/February/1936, she had been staying at the home of Mrs. James McGibbons since early November and was planning to leave for Montreal on Saturday she went to visit her mother at South Bathurst when she left she was seen walking on the train tracks toward Newcastle the trainman seen her by the McIntyre’s crossing about two miles from Bathurst, she crossed the track when they blew the whistle she then knelt down facing the oncoming train which being so close was unable to stop. She leaves her mother Mrs. James Daigle, her step-father James Daigle, two sisters, Miss. Katherine Young at home, and Miss. Isabelle Young of South Tetagouche three brothers, Leonard Caraquet, Edmond South Bathurst, and Joseph of Jacquet River. Her brother was killed at the same crossing 5 years ago when his car was struck by the train. Here is her death certificate.

It appears that she had never got over the fact that her brother was killed by the train, she wanted to go the same way a few years later.

 

Gilbert Sewell 

Gilbert Sewell 1939-2021 is a descendant of Etienne Young my ancestor. His great great grandmother was Elisabeth Anastasia Young. Elisabeth from Pabineau First Nation was married to Lemi (Remi Sewell) a member of the Eel River Bar first nation. Here is a list of the descendance: 

Gilbert I met a few years ago when I found out we were related, he was knowledgeable about the family history and the history of the Pabineau First Nation. He recanted how our common ancestor John Young was given land for the reserve where the Gowen Brae golf course is situated in Bathurst but he refused and asked for land along the big river (Nepisiquit) which is more populated with salmon. I ran into this fine gentleman many times after this first encounter and he was always happy to tell stories about the link of the Young family to the Pabineau Reserve. Gilbert was a highly regarded elder in his community, he was an Actor a storyteller, an Ambassador, he was a teacher of the Mi'kmaq language and the traditions and a lot more. From Atlantic Books: Over the years, oral storyteller Gilbert Sewell has achieved more than most people could ever imagine doing in a lifetime. He’s met with Pope John Paul, Lady Diana and the Consul of France. He’s received the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, the New Brunswick Human Rights Award, the New Brunswick Eco Award and the Canadian Merit Award. And he has had his work featured by media outlets like the CBC, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network and the Discovery Channel.

I am honored to have had the pleasure of meeting such a nice soul he will be greatly missed by all who were in contact with him. If Sewell means soul he wore it well. 

Here is a video of the songs he performed in his story telling: https://vimeo.com/48892696

 

According to the book A Compendious History of the Northern Part of the Province of New Brunswick John Young was an Englishman, this book was written in the 1800's and it was James Robertson at 93 a colleague of my ancestor who told the writer that John Young was an Englishman

                                                              Walker released from prison

Remember in the history of John Young in a book one of his grandsons recant a story about the fact that John Young had to send 3 canoes (Boats in Mi'maq interpretation ) to the king of England for a pardon. This makes me wonder if John Young was in prison with Commodore George Walker and became his righ hand man.

 

This is interesting because I find on this map Thomas Young son of John Young and Roseanne Pitre, close to him on this map is his father. What is cool about it is that I was looking for a long time who was that John Young who lived in Rough Waters close to Chamberlain Settlement.

 

Update on the epitaph from the St-Francois Madawaska area

PELLETIER MILLS CEMETERY: Map with clearly marked burial location
Located on the east side of the St. John River, 6.5 km NE of Connors, on the road to Saint-François-de-Madawaska; Saint-François Parish, Madawaska County:

This cemetery was destroyed after the land was sold and then plowed through to make way for potato farming. A small section of the field was returned to the family after a dispute. Map details show the land reserved for a burial ground was adjacent to land owned by George Young. At one point a wooden monument was erected but has since deteriorated and is all but gone. The names placed within this cemetery come from the monument that was placed there. The photo was taken by Allen Jackson in 2005 and was never meant to be used for research purposes. He's an avid researcher for the area and just wanted to add it to his collection. The photo was released by someone else, without his permission, and has caused confusion for years. It is for this reason that the decision was made to make a memorial of this cemetery and clear up some of the errors and confusion surrounding this image. THE WOODEN MARKER IS ONLY A MEMORIAL AND IS "NOT" PROOF OF BURIAL.

Note: So far, as of Feb 2018, I've found many on this memorial that are in fact buried in different locations as shown through church records. See links below. For this reason, I have not placed them here. It should also be noted that not all burials here were necessarily Native American and there are most likely more names unknown here; Alexis Oakes was NOT an Indien (sic). I don't know why they put that next to his name. The images of the teepee and Indians have caused some to believe that all buried here were Native American. That is a very false belief.

List of names as I read them:
Alexis Oakes
Marie Henriette Lavigne
Oliver Oakes
Marguerite Oakes
John Oakes
Henriette Oakes
Christine Sara Oakes
Guilliaume (Bill) Oakes -- Luce Landry
Louise Oakes -- Bruno Landry
Joseph Oakes
Olive Oakes -- Jean Baptiste Landry
Helene Oakes
Elizabeth Oakes
Etienne Young -- Marie Lavigne (no evidence of burial here)
Jean Young**(no evidence of burial here)
Madeleine (sauvagesse)**(no evidence of burial here)
Helene Bois
Thomas Thiboutot -- Marie Coulombe

Above is some information about who posted this plaque there. I don't agree with the last statement as I see 3 out of 4 members of my family who were Aboriginals.

On The Search for Etienne Young...

A few weeks ago I came across this picture on Ancestry searching for my ancestor Etienne Young. I was surprised and very thrilled by this find. Why you ask! For years in my genealogy research I have got little on the whereabouts of Etienne Young, other than some records of  the wood he was chopping in some documents kept by the government at that time, there was nothing on this patriarch until the other day. I was planning at the first opportunity to go find where this plaque was erected. 

Today on my birth day I decided to take a trip to the Madawaska area where this sign was posted. The image was posted on Find a Grave and the area of the old cemetery is called Pelletiers Mill. If you look on the map for Pelletiers Mill it is in St-Francois du Madawaska area a tiny village. Beautiful place in a fall day like today for a drive. According to archives N.B. Located on E side of the St. John River, 6.5 km NE of Connors, on the road to Saint-François-de-Madawaska: Saint-François Parish, Madawaska County: Germain Pelletier was an early settler here: Rémi Pelletier built a mill in the area: PO 1888-1949: in 1898 Pelletiers Mill was a settlement with 1 post office and a population of 200.

Latitude : 47° 14'

Longitude : 68° 46'

County : Madawaska

Parish : Saint-François

Left Pointe-Verte my home this morning, drove towards Bathurst and headed the Resources Road towards St-Quentin. On the way there my mind is racing thinking about what I will find in that area which is quite far from where John Young and Magdeleine Dedam began their family in the 1700's. I tried to think what could have brought them in that area, was is the search of work, war maybe. John Young according to some books was a wanted man, was he hiding there?

When I got close to Edmundston I saw a sign announcing the Malecite Reservation. The Reservation sits between St-Basile and Edmundston. Something told me to make a stop there and ask at the Band Council if there was a Historian or someone who could shed some light on this enigma. I was introduced to Mario a young man in his maybe late twenties to early thirties at the most. I related the story of this find to Mario, took out my phone to show him this picture of the Oakes and Young family plaque. Mario said to me that he had seen it before that an Elder by the name of Noel Francis had showed that same picture before. Mario said that he could hook me up with Noel Francis who is form the same Malecite Reservation. On my way to Pelletiers Mill I called Noel and made an appointment for the afternoon around 1 PM. I was surprised that my hunch of checking with the Malecite people was a good one. We're getting somewhere I thought.

Driving through Edmundston I saw a road named St-Francois Rd. Humm! on the map it showed that Pelletiers Mill is beside a small town called St-Francois I recalled could it be that that road with the same name leads to that town. It usually works that way. I stopped once to check the G.PS. to see if I was headed the right way and sure enough I was. I had a funny feeling because a few years back I went to Edmundston for a coffee with my wife Suzanne. I thought if I followed the St-John river which serves as a border between the State of Maine and New-Brunswick we would end up in Quebec and then we could come back home from Rimouski. When we passed a town called Baker Brook we stopped for lunch and turned around and didn't go further. Today I'm thinking maybe there was a reason I was attracted to that area but just didn't know it. I am on the same road but this time I'm on a mission I have a picture.

St-Francois du Madawaska is pretty first thing I see is the church and usually cemeteries are near a church. In front but across the street on top of a hill that is a big white cross which looks like it could be overlooking a place where they keep the dead. I later found out that it was but they moved everyone to another location. I drove towards that location but I didn't go far enough. My G.P.S. was telling me that I was a few kilometers away from Pelletiers Mill so I got back on the road and kept an eye for an old graveyard. Opps! I see Pelletier Rd. since its one of the name I have in my mind for a few weeks I decide to drive down that road. I see a white pickup truck, its the first person I see on that road, she pulls up in a driveway and I pull up behind. For sure she looks at me with a surprised face. I proceeded to tell her the reason of my visit and she directs me to her husband who is a local from childhood. I am truly sorry I didn't ask this nice man his name. Mr. chose after I briefed him of my purpose there said that he knew of the grave site I was talking about and that it was an old Indian Cemetery. When he said an old Indian Cemetery it hit me then that it all made a lot of sense since my family are Natives.

Mr. Chose takes off ahead of me and I follow, he drives to a cement plant and drives down a dirt road to a potato field, stops there and points towards the river to a bunch of poplars. This is what you are looking for he tells me. When I was a child he remembers fishing there and there was an old Indian Cemetery.  What a story you say, wait there is more. Mr. Chose left and I drove down the potato field to the rive bank to the area he had pointed. All there is is brush, twigs and a few trees, its obvious the vegetation has grown since anyone was last at this place. I searched for a while, found a post where that plaque in the picture could've stood it actually was I later found out. It was little bit of a deception but one clue I had from Mr. Chose was to check with the Oakes family.

I drove down a few blocks, they are not called blocks in a rural area like this, I should say I passed a few fields and stopped at this house, first sign of life I saw in town actually. I asked about the old Indian Cemetery, the young man knows what I'm talking about, his father was plowing the field and was one of the people who petitioned for this site to be considered of importance if not sacred.  This young man turns out to be named Oakes, yes the same Oakes as the names on the picture. I asked him if they have a Native background and he says they do. I'm not surprised as it seems to me all the names on the epitaph are Indians.  Across the road is Maurice Oakes his uncle who he referred me to. It was an interesting talk with this man who knew of the site but doesn't know the history behind but he directs me to a man named Adrien Bernier and older gentleman in his 80's who enjoys talking about genealogy and history. Mr. Bernier is away his spouse tells me and he is probably got delayed by talking about his favorite subjects she says. Humm! Suzanne my partner in crime would tell you that she knows someone like that giving a look like she was talking about me. wonder why. Anyway Mr. Bernier is not there but he's on my list for a future visit.

I called back Noel since I'm running a little late for out 1 PM appointment. Noel Francis and his spouse are an adorable couple. We shared info about this photograph, he has the same one but his is faded and its hard to read the names on it. I tell him my connection the the Pabineau reserve. I showed him the letter John Young has written referring to his tribe. Noel doesn't know the history behind this old burying ground and is as fascinated as I am. Mr. Francis would like to tag along with me next time I am on the search for my ancestors. Did I find the grave site of John Young, Magdeleine Dedam, their son Etienne Young and his wife Marie Lavigne? I think it could be but I'm not certain but it sure is a nice detective work. I feel I am onto something.  The plot thickens...

Our Family is growing all the time on Facebook

We now have 176 members in our Facebook group: John Young Magdeleine Dedam genealogy group. Its very interesting to find relatives who we didn't know even existed. I am always amazed when someone new joins us and a new piece of the puzzle is added. Last summer we had a family reunion in Pointe-Verte New-Brunswick. It was a lot of fun and we've made new friends from different parts of the globe. Oh! by the way there is another reunion beside the warf in Pointe-Verte for the 2019 summer if you need more info e-mail me or come see us in one or our Facebook groups in relation to the Young family. There is a link to the Young page in this Blog. 

Letter from John Young on the behalf of his tribe

This is what I can read from my ancestor's letter:

Windsor September the 7, 1783
Sir
I make bold to write to you having no opportunity to acquaint you before until it was to late I mean Sir that you shall have a proper understanding in what we were talking about concerning the Indians in the Northern parts of this province: Firstly Sir is that every Indian shall be obliged to stay at his respective place or river and not be running from one place to an other. So that if any crime is committed by any of those people the person will be very easy found out, Secondly that no Settle or trader may be allowed to sell liquor to the Indians, except it may be such ones as may be pointed our for good Indians. for liquor is the forerunner of all evil among them. Thirdly that any Indian going to any place where there is Inhabitants will not be allowed to take dogs with him. It has been cause of many disputes and will be more so as people are coming to settle every day. The country will be full of people makes me think Sir that good regulations will by proper and it will be pleasure on both sides to have them. In all rivers where the salmon fishery is carried on: the laws of the country is that no one can stop the channel but leave opening for the fish to go up: So that every one has an equal share of the fishing, the Indians as well as others: it is proper that this should be mentioned Sir so that every article may be known to all persons in consequence of what you observe to me concerning the Indians duty to defend their property as other Good Subjects do in time of war after his Excellency the Governor's goodness to grant them lands: I will make it known to them in the manner you directed me.

Land clain from John and Philippe Young 1790

This is the microfilm for the claim Philippe and his father John did which according to the documents Placide  Gaudet: 

17 March 1806 John & Philippe Young ask lot at Nipisiguit adjoining Pierre Doucet. (Lejeunes?)

article de Placide Gaudet: A propos des Notes Historiques de la paroisse de Bathurst.

The strory I read was that John and Philippe were away when a group of Nipisiguit folks claimed land so they claimed later with an explanation and the land was granted.

This ties up to the post of Thursday, November 24, 2016

Knowing that the family of John Young and Magdeleine Dedam established themselves in Nipisiguit and that John and his son Philippe were granted land adjascent to Pierre doucet. According to an article by Mgr. Donat Robichaud: in 17 of March 1806 John and Philippe Young asked for Lot adjoining Pierre Doucet. If you look at where Pierre Doucet's property is and beside you can see Joseph Lejeune and not John Young. When I saw that I thought why are they calling them Lejeune? Now look where Charles Doucet's property is and then read this pamphlet on the Doucet Hennessy house which is on of the oldest house in Bathurst and keep in mind that we are named lejeune at this point and remember the family tree of the Lejeune I posted yesterday. To me its starting to make some sense and it would explain why we cannot find anything on John Young and Magdeleine Dedam prior to them coming to Nipisiguit. Maybe we were on a false trail by looking to Scotland or England for the origin of our John Young. Maybe he was all along Joseph Lejeune from Acadia.

http://www.doucethennessy.com/archives-transcript.shtml

Celeste Young  Born 7 March 1815 in Nipisiguit from the marriage of Etienne Young and Marie Lavigne. Celeste married Benjamin Theriault the 27th of May 1834 in Caraquet N.B. The had eight children. The picture below is from Caraquet around the same year as when Celeste was married.

The first born was Marie Theriault was born in 1835, Leocadie Theriault  born 8 décembre 1838, Marguerite Theriault born 15 février 1841, Henriette Theriault born 1843, Benjamin Theriault born 5 août 1845, Luc Theriault born 16 mai 1849, Benjamin Theriault 28 novembre 1851, Marie 6 novembre 1856.

Sebastien Young who is a son of Etienne Young his descendants are living in the Jacquet River area. Often I was asked if I was related to someone named Young of this area. The only answer I had was "I don't know" specially when I moved in the Belledune area which Jacquet River was amalgamated with a few years back. Last year I picked up the phone book and made some calls and one of the gentleman invited me to his home and showed me his family tree and briefed me on the whereabouts of his family. I read in a book that Sebastien and his wife Olive Doucet lived in a house in the Belledune area which belonged to a Mr. Landry. I believe Sebastien first live in the Little Nipisiguit are which is now Beresford.

Sebastien married Olive Doucet who was the daughter of Laurent Doucet and Mary Lejeune. Laurent Doucet was the son of Michel Doucet. Michel Doucet was the son of Charles Doucet. In one of the church documents they write the Charles Doucet was Etienne Young's best friend. The Doucet family seems to have a long history with the Young family after all they were neighbours.  Sebastien and Olive had six children. Louisa Young the eldest, Elisabeth Young, John Young, Mary Young, Frederic Young, Marie Jane Young.

Athenas Young was my ancestor, he lived in what they called back then Big River Nipisiguit as it appears on the 1861 census the area took its name from Nipisiguit, which is derived from the Mi'kmaq Winpegifawik, which means "rough water" and the residents of that area of Bathurst adopted the name Rough Waters.

Athenas age 65 with the members of his family are eternalized in this document and gives us a little bit of a view of what their life was like. He and Mary his wife age 60 are living with their youngest children who are: William 23, John and Mary 20 twins, Margaret 18 and Louise 13.  There is Abraham Young age 28 and his family living in the same area as well: Elisabeth his wife 30 and Mary Anne 1 and on the same road there is Oliver age 30 son of Athanase and Marie Chamberland with his family: Wife Mary 20 and John 3 months. They are all farmers according to the census.
Athenas built a house on his land in Rough Waters more precisely on Twin Lane. its a house built in the way of the time with Tenon and mortise made of rough lumber squared with an ads as seen in the picture:

Its a very solid house, it has lasted for over a hundred fifty five years. The only sign of decay was before they added a cement foundation back in the 70's there was a beam in the floor that rotted because it was sitting on the ground prior of lifting the house. Here is a recent picture of the house: