Francois  PION dit LAFONTAINE

Occupation

Francois PION dit LAFONTAINE was a Forgeron,cultivateur.
A forgeron, or blacksmith, was primarily a craftsman of wrought iron on the anvil. Protecting himself with a thick leather apron, he used a bellows (first made of leather, then wood and finally metal) to push the air that fuelled the coal fire of the forge, a type of cast iron table where the iron was reddened... Using pliers of various sizes to hold the hot iron, the blacksmith would then give it a specific shape with the help of different hammers. The blacksmith made farm instruments, vehicle accessories and even schooners, cemetery crosses, steel bandages, hooks for hay bales, etc.
Source: tfcq.ca


Source: Old Sturbridge Village, Sturbridge, Massachusetts


A Day in the Life of a Forgeron in 18th Century New France

Québec Généalogie - What is a 'dit/dite' name?  When the first settlers came to Québec from France it was a custom to add a 'dit' nickname to the surname. The English translation of 'dit' is 'said'. The Colonists of Nouvelle France added 'dit' names as distinguishers. A settler might have wanted to differentiate their family from their siblings by taking a 'dit' name that described the locale to which they had relocated. The acquiring of a 'dit' name might also be the result of a casual adoption, whereby the person wanted to honor the family who had raised them. Another reason was also to distinguish themselves by taking as a 'dit' name the town or village in France from which they originated. This custom ended around 1900 when people began using only one name, either the 'dit' nickname or their original surname.

Source: American-French Genealogical Society, Woonsocket, Rhode Island (www.afgs.org/ditnames/index1.html)