Notes from Leon DeSerre, Rooks Co., Kansas

ROOKS COUNTY, KANSAS

Notes from Leon DeSerre

Submitted by Larry Desaire

The oldest memory I have of Saint-Guillaume, dates to 1823, relates M.DeSerre; I was barely 5 years old. My father rook me with him to visit his father, Jean-Marie DeSerre, who was very ill and lived at Ruisseau-des-Chenes, with his son, my uncle Antoine DeSerre.

It was in 1828, five years later, that I came to live on Cordon road with my father and sister Emilie, who married Elic Sicard. We left Petit Bois road at Riviere-du-Loup on April 19th of that year. Because the barge that was carrying the household furnishings could not safely carry the horses across, Nicolas Vadeboncoeur and I went to Lanoraie to take the horses across at Contrecoeur, and from there we took them to Yamaska, going south along the St. Laurence river. My father and my sister, having crossed straight over from la Riviere du Loup to Yamaska, were waiting for us at the home of Yamaska's teacher, Jude Vanasse, where we spent the night of 19 April.

The next day, our little caravan took the road d'Yamaska to the mouth of the River Riviere-David, and crossing through the woods, we arrived, at last, at my uncles Jose's and enjoyed his hospitality. A few days later, my father came to settle on Cordon Road, on land that he bought from Francois Lesmery, and where later, Joseph Dupuis resided. He lives still in the village of Saint Guillaume. It was at this same place that we started our difficult business of land clearing. There were two pieces of cultivated land, with one house, square, made of wood, and at the side, a small barn, if this building could be called that.

In 1828, at Cordon road, there were already some land clearers: Louis Desjarlais who also came from Pet it Bois de la Riviere du Loup, and Jean-Baptiste Lesmery from Yamaska, the later had a lot of trouble keeping his land. The sheriff came one day to make him leave the land, but he (Jean-Baptiste) fired a shot with the hope of scaring off this officer of the law. Cited in court for shooting his gun, he was found guilty and spent 2 years in the City jail at Trois Rivieres. There was also Mechele Lamothe, from bay of Winds of the Riviere du Loup, and he settled land precisely to the right of what is today the ?du Cordon?. Lamothe was there since 1820. He was very poor, and suffered great deprivation, having little to eat, especially in the winter. Lamothe was married to Julienne Hudson-Beaulieu de Maskinonge.

When I arrived at Saint Guillaume, the largest family of settlers lived on a road called Russeau des Chenes (Red Oaks). The father, Michel Houle, came from Yamachiche, and has brought with him Gabriel Danis and someone named Antaya. Later, Gabriel Danis' land passed to Louis Limoge, father of Jean-Baptiste. There was also my uncle Jose DeSerre, who was my Godfather, and was married to Francoise Blais, from Yamachiche. His land passed through other hands and belongs today to Edouard Beaudet.

My other uncle, Antoine DeSerre, was also established there on the land owned today by Octave Cote and the son of Leandre DeSerre: his wife, Francoise Gravel, famous singer, came from Riviere du Loup. A neighbor of my uncle Antoine was Augustine Regniere, d'Yamachiche, on the side of Michel Houle. This land is presently the propeerty of Octave Cote today. There was also Pierre Regniere, who died of cholera in 1832. Regniere cleared part of the land occupied at present by Francois Marcotte. Next to Regniere lived Jean-Baptiste Brunault married to Julie Doyon.

At 16 years of age I worked (battais au flot pour le comptede) for old Baptiste Brunault. In return, I received the sum of $2.50 per month. My day started at 6 in the morning and ended at 6 in the evening.

Near to Baptiste Brunault there were three Vanasse's who came from Maskinonge. The first one was Louis Vanasse-Beauvais; the second Joseph Vanasse; lastly the third, Thomas Beauvais, father of Pierre-Celestin, and Pierre-Benjamin Vanasse; the latter still resides in Trois-Rivieres, where he aquired a grand reputation, the the construction of the Railroad of Piles.

Michel Boulanger was also established at Ruisseau. One of his brothers left for the Prairies of Western Canada, and it is said, died of starvation, along with many other unfortunate voyagers who all suffered the same unhappy fate around 1835. Michel Boulanger's land is now the property of Calixte Robida.

When I was 20 years of age. My brother, Felix hired me to help him clear his land. He paid me $6.00 an acre to fell the trees and cut them into 12 foot lengths. It was soft wood--hemlock. In 30 days I cleared all with a hatchet, the trees on 6 acres. That same year, I went to the United States to make same money (Faire les foins) and returned with $125.00, which along with the $30.00 that my brother Felix paid me; while he was in the United States, he helped me in good projects (schemes?).

Still young, I worked for Augustin Regniere earning $4.00 per month. At the same time, and for the same Augustin Regniere, Aurelie Bellehumeur also worked as a servant for $12.00 per year, plus one pair of shoes. Rosalie Bellechumeur later married Charles Bienvenue-Fontaine, and was the mother of Agnes Fontaine wife of M Francis Maher. She is still alive, living with her son-in-law, Dolphis Fafard at Melancon Road. She's about 93 years of age.

When I was very young, my father would take me, once or twice a year, to visit my cousin Rivard, the notary of the parish of Yamaska. He was related by his mother, M. Anne DeSerre, sister of my father. I remember having made a visit to Nicolet, at M Proulx, father of the late Hon. Georges Proulx; this latter was the first cousin of Marguerite Proulx, mother of my wife, Olive Guilbert, of the Baie. I had otherwise taste for travel and taking trips. It was on one of those trips to Mitlebury, Vermont, that I was married to Olive Guilbert, Daughter of Gabriel and Margaret Proulx. I spent some years in the United States, and with the money that I earned there, I made the payments that were due on the land that I was clearing at Cordon Road. Those trips to America were not as convenient as today. I would buy straw hats in great quantities here. I would go to Trois-Rivieres and get large empty barrels, that I would fill with cranberries, and I would bring all this to Saint-Jean. There, a barge took me to New York where I sold this merchandise to the Americans. One year I sold $800.00 worth of apricots, and from that date, I gained the upper hand.

The misery that we experienced in that earlier period is difficult to relate. Since we had no routes of communication with the other Parishes, we had to travel on foot, through the woods, with our personal effects and provisions on our backs. One event perfectly true, will give you an idea of our cruel deprivations. I remember one day, the old man Michel Lamothe, had to saw wood for a great length of time. He had no other food by barley flour, and he wanted to give himself the luxury of having white bread to treat himself and his companions. With his goal, he went to Yamaska, on foot. Not being able to procure the "white bread" he so desired, he returned to Ruisseau and had to be content with ordinary nourishment-- the eternal and detestable barley flour. Another time. As there were no roads for carts in between Ruisseau and the grand Yamaska, Michel Lamothe went and bought a plough from that place and carried it on his shoulders to his modest shanty.