TETREAULT FAMILY HISTORY

The first Tetreau who came to New France (Canada) was named Louis, and was the son of Mathurin Tetreau and Marie Bernard, born in 1634 in the parish of St-Martin-de-Liguge, diocese of Lucon, in the ancient province of Poitou in France.

He arrived at Trois-Rivieres, Quebvec, by 1660, as a domestic servant to the Jesuits. Here, he married Nathalie (or Noelle) Landeau on 9 June 1663; the daughter of Jean Landeau and Marie Aubert, baptized 2 November 1638 in the parish of Tosse (Jauze), diocese of Mans, in the ancient province of Anjou in France. She had previously been married to Jean Beaudoin at Trois-Rivieres on 12 August 1659; he later died there in 1662.

Present at the marriate of Louis and Nathalie were: Magdeleine Baudry, Etienne de Lafond, Magdeleine Hertel, Urbain Baudry, Joseph Masse die Besnier and the notary Severin Ameau. The celebrant was a famous pioneer Jesuit: Rev. Claude-Jean Allouez.

The married couple enjoyed a certain popularity. They were also well off financially. The widow of Jean Beaudoin was sole heir to her deceased husband's inheritance. Louis Tetreau was worth 400 pounds, a goodly sum in those days. In the marriage contract is a clause to the effect that Madeleine Beaudoin, born in 162 of the marriage of Jean Beaudoin and Nathalie Landeau, will be nourished and kept in the family, and that she would partake of the same rights and same goods as the other chidlren who might be born from the future marriage.

From the marriage of Louis Tetreau and Nathalie Landeau are descended all the families which bear the name today, both in the United States and Canada. Variations of the name are: Tetreau, Tetreault, Tetrault, Tetro and (in the U.S.) Tatro. There are also other minor variations. The name Tetreau dit Ducharme originated with Joseph-Marie, a son of Louis and Nathalie. Some time later, the name Jeannot, Janot or Genault appears among some members of the Ducharme branch of the family living in the vicinity of Beloeil, Quebec, and later in L'Acadie, Quebec.

Until 1667, Louis Tetreau and his family lived at Trois-Rivieres. Then they moved to Cap-de-la-Madeleine, to Champlain and to Ste-Anne-de-la-Perade. Their oldest son, Claude, was killed in Montreal bu the Iroquois, in September of 1695. Four years later, Louis Tetreau was buried at Champlain, on the shores of the St. Lawrence River. The register of the parish says that he was buried in the afternoon of 22 June 1699, having died in the morning the same day. His sons, Daniel and Joseph-Marie, together with a great number of relatives and friends were present at the funeral.

This information was received from Eugene Tatro on 17 September 1998

~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~

Les Origines du nom Tetreault

The patronymic Tetreaut derives from the ancient French word "tetel" related to breast-feeding. Other spelling: Tetrel. As time went by and depending on the understanding of priests and notaties, the spelling of this surname was modified. The spellings "Tetrault", "Tetreault" and "Tetreau" were used.

The ancestor Louis Tetreau, was originally from Louin, in Poitou. Born towards 1635, he was the son of Mathurin Tetreau and Marie Bernard. Towards 1660, at the age of twenty-four, he arrived in Nouvelle, France. It seemed that Tetreau had the gift of gab. In the summer of 1662, he lost his employment after a quarrel with his employer. Consequently, he turned towards the Jesuits who granted him some land for a period of four years.

On June 9th, 1663, Louis Tetreau married Nonlle Landeau, daughter of Jean Landeau and Marie Aubert, widow of Jean Boudin. She had a daughter Madeleine, from a previous marriage and a son Louis who did not survive. At the time of the census of 1666, the couple Tetreau lived on the Jesuits' farm. In 1667, they were located in Cap-de-la-Madeleine. Louis was a very active and a fearless speculator, buying and selling land. In addition to Madeleine, daughter of his wife Nonlle, the couple Tetreau raised nine children of whom three died on their infancy. The survivors married and carried the name.

In February 1685, after the mutual donation of their properties, the Tetreau settled down. It seems that Louis and his son Jacques, earned their living with the profitable fur trading business. On June 22nd, 1699, Louis passed away in Champlain. His widow, Nonlle, took care of the family business before dying on September 24th, 1706. She was buried in the Cemetery of Montreal. Sister Delia Tetreault, founder of the Immaculate Conception Missionaries, descendant of the ninth generation, is the most famous of the family. She died on October 1st, 1941. A request for her beautification was conveyed to the Vatican.

This information was received from: Centre de recherches genealogiques du Quebec

Since 16 Oct 1998 you are the person to read the Tetreau history. Thank you for visiting.