...from the Great-Branch of
'Léo F. & Marguerite R. Thériault' [MRIN 3135]
[VERSION FRANÇAISE]
Lineage
1. Jehan
2. Claude
3. Germain
4. Jean
5. Hilarion-Charles
6. François
7. Cyriaque
8. Nicholas
9. Léo


Migration:
Acadia
All nine generations of this branch lived in Acadia, after 1713, Nova Scotia.

Journey of the Fifth Generation. Hilarion-Charles was the last of 11 children of Jean Terriot and Madeleine Bourg. Although current literature refers to him as Hilarion, he apparently was called 'Charles' by his family. When the Great Eviction was launched in 1755, Hilarion was 16 years old. Aside from his birth in 1739 in Grand Pré, we know little else about his early life except that he was not deported during the Great Eviction unlike his older brother, Joseph who eventually migrated to Louisiana where his descendants live today. (See MRINs 701, 1167, 1523, 1553, 1557) 

Somewhere in Acadia, Hilarion married Jean Beliveau’s daughter, Marie in 1761. In his book[1], M. J. Alphonse Deveau postulates that because of the close relationship between the Belliveau and the Thériault families in Acadia and later in Nova Scotia, Hilarion and perhaps other members of the Thériault family were with the Belliveau family in Miramichi and Restigouche during their years of taking refuge between 1755 and 1761. Eight years later in 1769, we pick up his life in Port Royal in Baie Ste Marie when his 3 year old son, Charles was baptised. Apparently, he had not had the opportunity to baptise him earlier because of the on-going hostilitites with the English. Around this time, he received his land grant of 200 acres in the Bastarache concession of Anse des Belliveau. His neighbors were all members of the Belliveau family. Here is an account of the founding of the Clare district of Baie Sainte Marie by Bona Arsenault:

"The first Acadian to take advantage of land grants in the District of Clare was Joseph Dugas (1738-1823) who settled in the Anse-des-LeBlanc in the parish of St. Bernard with his wife and daughter... Other Acadian families followed in the spring of 1769 and subsequent years. They first gave a permit of occupation of land, but it was not until 1775 that the land was granted. Founding families are: Amirault, Babin, Belliveau, Boudreau, Comeau, Deveau, Doucet, Dugas, Gaudet, Guidry LeBlanc Maillet, Melanson, Robichaud, Saulnier, Thériault, Thibault, Thibodeau and Trahan. The founding couple was Hilarion-Charles Thériault and Marie Madeleine Belliveau... "

So, it seems that Hilarion held an important role in the founding of the Baie Sainte Marie area. In 1801, Hilarion witnessed a renewal of marriage vows. He was 62. Finally, in 1818 when Father Sigogne surveyed his parish and found Hilarion’s spouse, Marie living with their son Joseph. He noted her as the widow of Hilarion; Hilarion had died some time earlier. (Visit our 'Shores of Nova Scotia' section to the "Acadian Word" page for two audio sessions with M. Deveau on the Thériault's of Baie Sainte Marie.)

The 6th (François) through the 9th (Léo) generations remained in Nova Scotia.

 
 Photo 1. (l-r): Gustave J. Thériault and Hélène M. Gaudet married in 1929 at Notre Dame du Mont Carmel in Concession, NS. They had three sons: Gérard, Eddie and Leo (2). Gustove is the son of Léo (1) and father of Gérard.
(Click on photo to enlarge)

 
 Photo 2.  (l-r): Gustave, son Gérard, grandson Peter, and great-grandson Christopher. (10th generation to 13th generation)
(Click on photo to enlarge)


 
 Photo 3. (l-r): Gérard, son Peter, and grandson Christopher while holding great-grandson, Noah. (11th generation to 14th generation
(Click on photo to enlarge)


Gérard Thériault is a 11th generation grandson of Jehan Terriault and is our Delegate for the Léo F. & Marguerite R. Thériault Great-Branch.


[1] « Les Familles Belliveau et Thériault de la Nouvelle-Écosse », J. Alphonse Deveau, Rivière aux Saumons, 1990. ISBN 0-9690866-0-I