Chambreau family

Revised: 26 NOV 2000

File: c:\mikec\htm\chambr.htm


Overview

The CHAMBREAU family came to the United States from France. Many participated in the westward migration during the 1800's. Several branches of the family are on the east coast of the US.

This document brings together all that I know about my family, based on my knowledge and on publicly-available documents.

Any additional information or comments would be very much appreciated, via e-mail to:

Michael Edward Chambreau

mikecgen@mgb67.com


Family tree - partial

Not placed in family tree - living

California birth records

Living in France (from phone directory, etc.)


The name "Chambreau"

We definitely know that the name "Chambreau" was the family name of Edward Emmanuel Chambreau, who emigrated from France to the United States.

We know of one other reference from France "Chemereau dit Chambreau" which is described below.

Other possibilities are:


Edward Emanuel Chambreau

He was born on 12 JAN 1821 in Froefhville, Moselle, France, with the given name of 'Edouard'. After emigrating to Canada/United States, he married Barbara Ann McBEE (daughter of Levi McBEE and Elizabeth REAM) on 13 DEC 1852 in Forest Grove, Washington County, Oregon.

Barbara Ann McBEE was born on 14 SEP 1837 in Ray County, (or maybe in Greentown, Stark County) Missouri.

They had twelve children:

He died on 20 FEB 1902 in Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon. Barbara Ann died on 15 APR 1927.

Gremmert family

The Gremmert family overlaps with the Chambreaus to some degree, and much of the above information comes from their fine web site at:

http://users.legacyfamilytree.com/EvaGremmert/16/12783.htm

http://users.legacyfamilytree.com/EvaGremmert/Index.htm


Chemereau

Marguerite Chemereau dit Chambreau was born in 1651 in France. She emigrated to Canada and married Jean Piet dit Trempe in 1669. in Sorel Quebec. They had eight children, the first born in 1670.

He was a soldier in the Carignan-Salieres Regiment and left from La Rochelle France in 1665 with the same group as the Lavalle ancestor, "Petit-Jean" Lavallee. In 1681, he came to Berthier with his wife and first five children. According to the 1681 census, he had one gun, 4 cows and 6 acres of land. His surname "dit Trempe" was given to him during his crossing of the Atlantic. "Tremper" means "to soak" in French. Jean had dental problems and had to "soak" his bread in water in order to eat it. His "dit" name in the Saurel (Sorel) Company was "Trempe La Crouste" (soak the crust). His first son, Pierre, adopted this surname. All other children used the name Piet or Piette.

She died on 1715 SEP 15 in Sorel, Quebec. He died in 1729/1730 in Berthier, Quebec.

(The dates above don't quite line up, but it is a good description of the French use of the "dit" names. "Dit" means "called" in French, and it is like our "nicknames".)

It is not clear where the "dit Chambreau" appeared for Marguerite.

Also there is a note for her indicating "Fille du Roi" )

Fille du Roi - All the Kings Daughters

These women, known in French as the "fille du roi" agreed to travel to the new settlements in North America and marry a settler there in exchange for a 50 pound dowry from the French King. Of the nearly 1000 women who undertook the journey, about 800 made it to Canada.

They made contracts of marriage with the men who had originally settled the New World and usually married within a few days or weeks of the contract signing. Often the women broke the contracts, only to remake them or make new contracts with other men. In many cases (including Marguerite Chemereau) the girls marriedsoldiers of the famous Carignan Regiment.

This book gives basic information related to the marriage of each woman. The name, date and place of the contract of marriage and the name of the husbands are included. The lists that were used as reference were originally compiled by Elmer Courteau and Joy Reisinger. The Lists are categorized:

  1. Women from upper class families
  2. Women who annulled marriage contracts
  3. Women from Ile-de-France
  4. Women from Normandy
  5. Women of unknown origin (including Marguerite Chemereau)
  6. Women from other places in France


Charbonneau

Louis Charbonneau was a guide for the Lewis and Clark exploration team. He married an indian woman, Sacajawea, and they had a son Toussaint.

Sacagawea was born to the Shoshone Indians, about 1788. In 1800, at the age of 12, she was kidnapped by Hidatsa (or Minitari) Indians and taken from what is now Idaho to what is now North Dakota. Later, she was sold as a slave to the French Canadian trader Toussaint Charbonneau, along with another Shoshone woman. He took them both as wives, and in 1805, Sacagawea's and Charbonneau's son, Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, was born.

The Lewis and Clark expedition recruited Charbonneau and Sacagawea to accompany them westward, expecting to make use of Sacagawea's ability to speak to the Shoshone. The expedition expected that they would need to trade with the Shoshone for horses. Sacagawea spoke no English, but she could translate to Hidatsa to Charbonneau, who could translate to French for Francois Labiche, a member of the expedition, who could translate into English for Lewis and Clark. President Thomas Jefferson in 1803 asked for funding from Congress for Meriwether Lewis and William Clark to explore the western territories between the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean. Clark, more than Lewis, respected the Indians as fully human, and treated them as sources of information rather than as bothersome savages, as other explorers too often did.

Sacajawea or Sacagawea? While most of the news stories and web biographies of this now-more-famous woman spell her name Sacajawea, the original spelling during the Lewis and Clark expedition was with a "g" not a "j": Sacagawea. The sound of the letter is a hard "g" so it's hard to understand how the change came to be. PBS in a website designed to accompany the Ken Burns film on Lewis and Clark, documents that her name is derived from the Hidatsa words "sacaga" (for bird) and "wea" (for woman). The explorers spelled the name Sacagawea all seventeen times they recorded the name during the expedition.

Accompanied by her infant son, Sacagawea set out with the expedition for the west. Her memory of Shoshone trails proved valuable, according to some sources; according to others, she did not serve as a guide to the trails so much as to useful foods and medicines along the way. Her presence as an Indian woman with a baby helped to convince Indians that this party of whites was friendly. And her translation skills, however indirect from Shoshone to English, were also invaluable at several key points. The only woman on the trip, she also cooked, foraged for food, and sewed, mended and cleaned the clothes of the men. In one key incident recorded in Clark's journals, she saved records and instruments from being lost overboard during a storm. Sacagawea was treated as a valuable member of the party, even given a full vote in deciding where to spend the winter of 1805-6, though at the end of the expedition, it was her husband and not she who was paid for their work.

When the expedition reached Shoshone country, they encountered a band of Shoshone. Surprisingly, the leader of the band was Sacagawea's brother.

After the Expedition and on returning to the home of Sacagawea and Charbonneau, the expedition paid Charbonneau with money and land for the work of Sacagawea and himself. A few years later, Clark apparently arranged for Sacagawea and Charbonneau to settle in St. Louis. Sacagawea gave birth to a daughter, and shortly after died of an unknown illness. Clark legally adopted her two children, and educated Jean Baptiste (some sources call him Pompey) in St. Louis and Europe. He became a linguist and later returned to the west as a mountain man. It is unknown what happened to the daughter, Lisette.


Emigration to Oregon - the Barlow Road

Reference: http://community-3.webtv.net/dmohlsick/TheBarlowRoad/

The Barlow Road was finished in 1846 and it was 80 to 90 miles long. Sixty-five miles of it was cut through forests and canyons. A subscription list was passed around among the Oregon settlers to help defray the expenses of this construction. A writer at the Oregon Spectator (in the issue of February 18, 1847), declared that he "has it from an authentic source that only thirty dollars was ever received."

For two years following the construction, Captain Barlow personally collected the toll. In 1846, according to his report, "one hundred forty-five wagons, fifteen hundred fifty-nine head of horses, mules and horned cattle, and one herd of sheep" passed through the toll gate.

On this road, there were five different locations for the toll gate. First it was at the Strickland Place on Gate Creek. This toll gate was in service from 1846 to 1852. It was called Barlow's Gate. Its keepers were James, Samuel K. and William Barlow. Then the gate was moved to the Francis Revenue Place. This gate was also called Barlow's Gate, and was in service from 1853 to 1865. Its keepers were Thomas A. Bell and Edward Chambreau. The next place in which the toll gate was moved was at Summit House......


Emigration to Oregon

1847

CHAMBREAU, Belle - m'd CHAMBREAU, J. Edward
CHAMBREAU, J. Edward - m'd

http://www.teleport.com/~sflora/1847.htm

1852

CHAMBREAU, Mrs. Barbara, born 1837 OH, died 16 April 1927 Portland, OR

http://www.usgw.org/or/linn/1852/1852c.html


http://www.miami.edu/miami-magazine/donorlist.html following listing recognizes individuals, associations, corporations, and foundations who donated $1,000 or more to the University of Miami between June 1, 1998, and May 31, 1999. Dolores J. Chambreau, R.N., '67, and William J. Chambreau


Notes from Christina

Great-grandfather Chambreau had 12 children. Eldest daughter (Ruth or Evelyn) married in NYC - paid for my dad to Staunton Military Academy High School

William W. was the youngest. He was my dad's grandfather?

William Chambreau (Will Jr. from 1st marriage). Supported Joseph to compile histories from diaries written by Grandad


Memo from Canada

[The following letter and information provide marriage information.]
                                   Montreal, Canada, Sept 25 1976

Mrs. Lorna Chambreau
3607 N. E. 45th Street
Vancouver, Wash. U.S.A.

Dear Mrs. Chambreau,

  	RE: CHARBONNEAU FAMILY (CHAMBREAU)

As promised, I am forwarding you a Genealogical Board of above
family, showing all the Great-Great Grand'Fathers of your sons, 
way down to 1654, which I trust will reach you in order.

They may be sure that said names, places and dates are official 
and if they wish to have a copy of each marriage they just have 
to write to addresses mentioned on said board.

Trusting that same will please everybody in your family.

Sincerely yours,

(signed)
D. M. Charbonneau

4445 Christopher-Columbus Ave.
MONTREAL, CANADA  H2J 304

-----

      GENEALOGICAL RECORD
            OF THE
  EDOUARD CHARBONNEAU FAMILY
          (CHAMBREAU)

   FIRST GENERATION

OLIVIER CHARBONNEAU & MARIE-MARGUERITE GARNIER
Married around 1654 at Marans (near LaRochelle) France.
Widower of Marguerite Roy. Isle de Rhe, France.
Daughter of Jean Garnier & Marie Renaudeau

   Olivier Charbonneau, his wife Marie-Marguerite Garnier and their
   daughter Anne, left the sea port LaRochelle on the Ship "St. Andre"
   on July 2, 1659 and arrived in Montreal on September 29, 1659.
   Marie-Marguerite Garnier was born December 25, 1625 at
   Marans, France.

   SECOND GENERATION

JOSEPH CHARBONNEAU & ANNE PICARD
Married January 8 1688 at Boucherville.  Chambly County.  Quebec.	
Son of Olivier Charbonneau & Marie Marguerite Garnier
Daughter of (Widow of Jean Desroches)

   THIRD GENERATION

PHILIPPE CHARBONNEAU & CHARLOTTE FORGET
Married July 14, 1732 at Lachenaie. L'Assomption County.  Quebec.
Son of Joseph Charbonneau & Anne Picard
Daughter of Jean-Baptiste Forget & Jeanne Beaudoin

   FOURTH GENERATION

JEROME CHARBONNEAU & CHARLOTTE MARTEL
Married February 13 1775 at Lachenaie. L'Assomption County.  Quebec
Sone of Philippe Charbonneau & Charlette Forget
Daughter of Augustin Marterl & Louise Asselin

   FIFTH GENERATION

JEROME CHARBONNEAU & AGNES VALIQUETTE
Married June 21m 1802 at Ste. Anne des Plaines.  Terrebonne County.  Quebec.
Son of Jerome Charbonneau & Charlotte Martel
Daughter of Antoine Valiquette & Marie-Brigitte Gareau

   SIXTH GENERATION

DOMINIQUE CHARBONNEAU & IZABELLE BOILEAU
Married February 7, 1825 in Montreal.  Terrebonne County.  Quebec
Son of Jerome Chambreau & Agnes Valiquette
Daughter of Jacques Boileau & Izabelle Morin

   SEVENTH GENERATION

EDOUARD CHARBONNEAU & BARBARA-ANN McBEE
Married December 12, 1852 at near Forest Grove.  Oregon.  USA.
Son of Dominique Charbonneau & Isabelle Boileau
Daughter of Levi McBee & Elizabeth Ream?