Guillaume  BLANCHARD

BLANCHARD, GUILLAUME, early settler on the Petitcodiac River; b. at Port-Royal (Annapolis Royal, N.S.), 1650; son of Jean Blanchard and Radegonde Lambert; d. 1716.

In 1672 Guillaume married Huguette Gougeon, daughter of Antoine Gougeon and Jeanne Chabrat. They had 12 children between 1674 and 1698. In July 1698, Blanchard and two of his sons joined Pierre Tibaudeau on the latter’s second expedition to the Chipoudy (Shepody) River. The Blanchards, sailing in their own boat, explored the Petitcodiac before returning to Port-Royal in the autumn. In the summer of 1699 they returned to the Petitcodiac and established a small settlement, known for a time as “Village des Blanchard,” probably near the present site of Hillsborough, N.B. Blanchard returned again the next year, and in 1701 he left two sons, a daughter, and her husband to spend the winter on the Petitcodiac.

Legal suits had been threatened by Claude-Sébastien de Villieu on behalf of his father-in-law, Michel Leneuf de La

Younger son, Guillaume, born at Port-Royal in c1650, married Huguette, daughter of Antoine Gougeon, at Port-Royal in c1673. Guillaume fathered a dozen children, including five sons who married into the Savoie, Thériot, Dupuis, Robichaud, and Girouard families. Guillaume's daughters married into the Bourgeois, Daigre, Gautrot, Girouard, and Le Prince families. During the late 1690s, Guillaume, believing he had received a seigneurie from Acadian commander Joseph Robinau de Villebon, pioneered the Acadian settlement along the Petitcoudiac River in present-day eastern New Brunswick. His sons settled there, too. Guillaume, along with his friend, Pierre Thibodeau of Pré-Ronde, who had pioneered the settlement at nearby Chepoudy, became embroiled in a lengthy dispute with Chignecto seigneur Michel Le Neuf de la Vallière et de Beaubassin, and his son-in-law, Claude-Sébastien de Villieu, over who controlled the land in the area. In the end, La Vallière and de Villieu won the dispute, but

Jean BLANCHARD, 60, wife, Radegonde LAMBERT 42; Children (married): Martin 24, Madeline 28, Anne 26; (unmarried): Guillaume 21, Bernard 18, Marie 15; cattle 12, sheep 9.

Guilleaume Blanchard & Huguette

Gougeon

6 acres 17 cattle 1 gun

2 boys 3 1675

6/ M 1678 Rene 1678

1 girl 5 1675 Marie 1674

Guillaume BLANCHARD 35, Huguette GOUJONNE 27; children: Rene 8, Antoine 6 1/ 2. Marie 12, Jeanne 5, Anne 2; 4 guns, 5 arpents, 16 cattle, 20 sheep.

Guillaume BLANCHARD 42, Agate GOUJON 37, Rene 16, Anthoine 14, Jeanne 11, Anne 9, Jean 6, Elisabeth 4, Guillaume 3, Madeleine 1, Charles BOURGEOIS (son-in-law) 20, Marie BLANCHARD (his wife) 19, Jeanne 1; 30 cattle 40 sheep, 15 pigs, 30 arpents, 3 guns

In August 1695, English authorities imposed on the Acadian inhabitants at Port-Royal an oath of allegiance to King William III. Many family heads signed or made their marks on the document that attested to their having taken the oath. Louis Allain, Jean Babineau, called Babinot, Jean Bastarache, Jean Belliveau, Martin and Guillaume Blanchard, Bernard and Martin Bourg, François Broussard, Pierre Cellier, called Le Cellier, Étienne, Jean l'aîné, Pierre l'aîné, and Pierre le jeune Comeau, Jean Corporon, Pierre Doucet, Claude Dugas, ___ Dupuis, Jean Fardel (an Englishman whose wife was a Gaudet), Pierre Gaudet, Jacob and Alexandre Girouard, Laurent Granger, Giraud (Jérôme) Guérin, Emmanuel Hébert, Claude and Pierre Landry, Daniel LeBlanc, Jacques Léger dit La Rosette, Pierre Martin, fils, Étienne Pellerin, Martin Richard, Charles Robichaud dit Cadet, François Robin, Germain Savoie, Pierre Sibilau, Claude and Bonaventure Thériot, and Jacques Triel dit Laperrière--all made their marks.

Guillaume BLANCHARD 48; Huguette GOUJON (wife) 47; Rene 22; Antoine 19, Jeanne 17; Anne 15; Jean 13; Elisabeth 11; Guillaume 9; Madeleine 6; Pierre 3; Charles 1/ 2; 26 cattle, 24 sheep, 12 hogs, 34 arpents, 12 fruit trees, 3 guns.

Guillaume BLANCHARD 49; Agathe GOUJON (wife) 45; Rene 23; Anthoine 21; Jean 13; Guillaume 10; Jeanne 18; Anne 16; Elisabeth 11; Madelaine 8; 26 cattle, 39 sheep, 30 arpents, 3 guns.

Guillaume BLANCHARD 52, Huguette GOUJOIN (wife) 46; Rene RICHARD 23, Anthoine 22, Jean 14, Guillaume 12, Pierre 6, Isabelle 12, Magdeleine 9; 5 guns, 25 cattle, 25 sheep, 17 hogs, 20 arpents.

In July 1698, Blanchard and two of his sons joined Pierre Tibaudeau on the latter’s second expedition to the Chipoudy (Shepody) River. The Blanchards, sailing in their own boat, explored the Petitcodiac before returning to Port-Royal in the autumn. In the summer of 1699 they returned to the Petitcodiac and established a small settlement, known for a time as “Village des Blanchard,” probably near the present site of Hillsborough, N.B. Blanchard returned again the next year, and in 1701 he left two sons, a daughter, and her husband to spend the winter on the Petitcodiac.

Legal suits had been threatened by Claude-Sébastien de Villieu on behalf of his father-in-law, Michel Leneuf de La Vallière (the elder), resident at Beaubassin, who claimed the Chipoudy and Petitcodiac settlements as part of his seigneury. A declaration of 1703 by the Conseil d’État, repeated in 1705, confirmed the settlers in the possession of their land, but also stated that La Vallière was to have seigneurial