Genealogy of the Lanoues
Genealogy of the Lanoues

Theory on the origin of Pierre Lanoue

Researchers of the Lanoue family in the United States claim that Pierre Lanoue was Pierre de La Noue of Bogard Knight oc Malta. Their assertion is based on researching files in Canada, France and parochial registers of the catholic Church.  

Since there is no mention of a particular document I could refer to document this assertion, there will always
remain
doubts until the necessary evidence can be located.

During the summer 1998, Duane Lanoue from California, visited my home in Notre-Dame de Stanbridge, Quebec, and told me that he had returned from visiting the Maritime Province in Canada. He visited the Acadian Museum of the University of Moncton. A professor there who specializes in Acadian history told him that there was no Acadian of noble origin among Lanoue names. Duane then went to Port-Royal and found positive evidence pertaining to the first  Pierre Lanoue of long ago. He also discovered that this land was to be sold. Did the Acadian history professor really conduct a thorough research to back up his claim? Where are the information sources that profess such a declaration?

During the summer of 1999, I was invited to visit the castle of Bogard by Baudoin and Harald Capelle the current owners.  I had the opportunity to review their extensive files and I also attempted to see precisely what areas I could focus on to continue my research. I soon discovered that a longer stay in France would be necessary to achieve  goals.

I thus continued my information research by scrutinizing documents for evidence that could reveal the place of origin  of Pierre Lanoue and his family. Initially, to accomplish this, it is necessary to locate the father of Pierre Lanoue (the first one to come to Acadia)  and to determine his place of origin in France. However, efforts in this direction proved fruitless.

Another method is by tracing of Pierre de La Noue, Knight of Malta, and to know his life. First, we are familiar with the life of Pierre Lanoue approximately from 1668 and the following years. About Pierre de La Noue, we know that his birth was in 1643, that he studied, that he was made Knight of Malta into 1662, then accepted a three years mission. After that, he seems to disappear.  Is it possible that the two individuals are one and the same? To this question I answer  "yes" .

There are those who will theorize that people of nobility who engage in trading practices no longer have nobility status.
If one accepts that theory then Pierre Lanoue of Acadia was not of the nobility, considering that he used his boat to trade. "When an individual is  buying or selling products, he is considered to be trading and to trade is to derogate. Around 1760, to derogate started to get quite popular among the nobility. Naval officers and even the Knights of Malta did not feel constrained by their nobility status to venture forth and amass fortunes by using vessels of the (Order and even of the King to engage in these practices. Then to trade without derogating. The Island of Malta was  highly regarded by the young noble people of the Province. They all entertained daydreams of some day acquiring  a place in the prestigious Order of Malta. Many families submitted official requests to have one of their sons  admitted to the prestigious Order. The Order of Malta is widely known to be more active in the movement of goods  than in displaying the pomp and glory associated with its title." (La Bougainvillee of Fanny Deschamps).

George Lanoue asked to me: "Is this significant?", he referring to the marital status of our ancestor, Baron, Count  or peasant involved in trading? What is significant is not whether our ancestor had strains of nobility, but to establish the truth regarding our history. If it can be determined that we are rightfully descendents of Pierre de La Noue of Bogard then the lineage of our ancestors can established up to the Means-Age. If not then the known  Lanoue ancestor lineage ascent halts at the seventeenth century for the moment

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Some pertinent data:

Anne Le Metayer deceased 3 June 1665. The sharing of young Pierre de La Noue, Knight of Malta was 30,593 pounds. An additional amount of 4,174 pounds for anticipated expenses must arrive for the Knight of Malta. (Reference:  Document of the Castle of Bogard, noted in July 1999)

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(Extracted from " History from Acadian " by Bona Arsenault)

Between 1654 and 1667, there was no French immigration to Acadie.

July 31 1667, as a result of the Treaty of Breda, England returned Acadia to France. In 1668, the following year, Marillon du Bourg, again took possession of Acadia in the name of King de France. Alexandre Le Borgne, Sire of Belle-Isle, son of a wealthy merchant in La Rochelle, creditor of d'Aulnay, became Provisional Governor and Lieutenant-General of Acadia.

In the Spring of 1671, French immigration in Acadia began again in earnest. The new colonists left La Rochelle on a ship named "Oranger". There are no Lanoue in the names mentioned among them.

In 1665, after the construction of Fort Chambly on the river Richelieu, many soldiers from the Regiment of Carignan went to Acadia and in 1670, left the service and took up residency. The first Colony of Acadia census was made in 1671 by Father Laurent Molin, religious Cordelier, before the first of the first group of French colonists arrived at Port-Port-Royal in 1671.

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Considerations

According to several new arrivals, the name Lanoue did not appear in the list of new emigrants. At the time of the census  of 1671, Pierre Lanoue was there. He did not come with the La Rochelle group en 1671.In reviewing all this information, I wondered when and by what means did Pierre Lanoue arrived in Acadia and I submit the following thoughts. 

One: Did he accompany Le Borgne of Belle-Isle in 1668?
Two: Did he come from the Regiment of Carignan in 1670 ?
Three: Did he travel with his own boat in 1668 ?
Four: No emigration took place between 1654 and 1667, and prior to that Pierre was too young in age.

Numbers one and three seem more plausible to me. They could be an indication that he was of Breton origin and that he had enough resources to own his own boat. Further, Pierre Lanoue was known to be a tradesman- navigator traveling between Acadia and the coasts of New England to Boston. (Reference: Books of the S.H.A., Vol.VII, No 4, page 161 ss., December 1976.)

About number two. During the summer of 1999, while checking the public records in Quebec, I discovered an  officer by the name of Lanoue assigned to the Regiment of Carignan. However, he did not go to Acadia rather electing to remain in Quebec. He is of little interest to us.

For verification puposes, it would be interesting to find the names of all the people who embarked with Le Borgne for   Acadie into 1668, and also those who accompanied Marillon du Bourg.

Between the years 1642 and 1650, the Sire of d'Aulnay recruited at Poitou, Anjou, Saintonge, Champagne, and left La Rochelle to join other ships in Morbihan and sailed towards Acadia. Le Borgne, father, traded between Acadia and La Rochelle and advance funds to d'Aulnay. (Reference: History of Acadian of Bona Arsenault) 

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During this time Henri de La Noue passed away and his son Pierre was born. Pierre's mother assumed tutoring responsability to provide the children with proper education opportunities. Pierre was sent to the Priory of Aquitaine  which was close to Poitiers. He was elevated to Knight of Malta into 1662. (Reference: Precis généalogique de la Maison de La Noue by the Viscount Oscar of Poli).

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Interpretations:

Guillaume de La Noue VIII, Knight, Lord, Adviser to the Parliament of Brittany, Adviser to the queen Marie de Médecis, Chancellor to the Duchess of Orleans. In 1604, married Anne de Cornulier. He had a son by the name of Henri.

Henri de La Noue, was Lord of Crenolles, and Adviser at the Parliament of Brittany. In 1632, married Anne Le Metayer and became Lord of Bogard etc. (Reference: Marriage contract, Carres, p. 92, exped. pap. 1658). Guillaume and Pierre were born from this marriage. Henri deceased in 1643. (Reference: On 21 May 1643, a sentence is delivered by the marshal of Moncontour concerning the supervision of the children of the late Henri de La  Noue by Anne Le Metayer mentioning that she is seven months with child.) (Reference: 16 August in Rennes. Baptism of Pierre, son of Henri de La Noue in St-Sauveur).

After her husband's death, Anne le Métayer was named tutor of his children. She assured the future welfare of her children, and then remarried. The older Guillaume inherited his father's position and the younger Pierre, was inscribed at Grand Priory of Aquitaine near Poitiers for his formation. Letters of nobility were available and genuine.        (Reference: 22 July 1662, Poitiers, Grand Priory Register ).

During the sojourn of Pierre de La Noue in Aquitaine, recruitment for Colony of Acadia around this area was thriving. Students gathered locally and discussed the possibility of future adventures. During this period, exotic stories abounded in Court as well as saloons about the colonies and the possibilities of future trade with these distant lands.

Departures to Acadia occurred from La Rochelle in the neighborhood of the Grand Priory. Recruitment around the area was well known by Pierre and his companions and influenced him to begin trading with Acadia for his own monetary monetary gains. In this regard, he contacted d 'Aulnay or Le Borgne, sons who were no longer obligated to their father.

In 1662, having finished his studies, Pierre was received in rank of Brother Knight in Order of S. J. of Jerusalem. The Receiver's Prior acknowledged receiving the amount of 1425 pounds tournement. (Reference: 24 July 1662, Poitiers, of Grand Priory )

During the autumn of 1662, Pierre sojourned at Castel of Bogard. He received his shared amount of 26,631 pounds. His brother Guillaume had inhérited the Castel of Bogard and the position of Adviser to the Parliament of Brittany in Rennes. In this family, there existed positions of magistrate, ecclesiastic or military. His brother in law, de Pern, who was one year older, attended the same school, and chose to pursue a military carreer. It would be interesting to know what he accomplished.

In 1663, Pierre received in Bogard, an order to pursue a three-year mission at Malta. (Reference: Notes from archives of Bogard).

When he returned from this expedition in 1666, Pierre was sad to hear that his mother Anne le Métayer had passed away on 3 June 1665. In view of the many years he was required to spend far away from home, his mother's passing left a void in this family links. Pierre received his shared amount of 30,593 pounds that came at a convenient time to time to serve his needs. Military live did not appeal as a career. Meanwhile, he had accumulated three years of navigation and garrison experience that prove to be useful. Now that he had his independance he did not want to have to rely on others. He had now enough resources to follow up his dreams of adventures in New-France. His first move was to purchase a ship. He outfitted his ship with the necessary equipment and put out to sea from St-Malo, north-east of Bogard.

Around 1668, we trace Pierrre Lanoue in Acadia. He purchased property at Port-Royal and cultivated enough to
satisfy his personnal needs and indulged in trading produce utilizing his ship and navigating between different points on the East Coast down to Boston. He traded on a scale that satisfied his personnal nedds and those of the Colony. His work consumed all of his time and he did not see need to inform his family of his activities since family relatinship had deteriorated somewhat. He preferred to be addressed merely as Pierre Lanoue and discouraged discussing his age or his birthplace with anyone. The fact that he knew how to read and write and that he had his own ship made him realize that he possessed the knowledge necessary to increase his wealth. His uncertain situation explaind why he put off marriage until his later years.

His brother, Guillaume de La Noue, was mortally wounded on 26 December 1677 in his Castel of Bogard. In May 1680, an agreement in Rennes, named Françoise Orégon, tutor of children. At this time, it is believed that Pierre had deceased. (Reference: de Poli) Since Pierre had not contacted his family in quite some time, she believed he had passed away. Many times, after emigrating to America, documents written in France declared emigrate, deceased.

About 1681 Jeanne, his sister, also passed away.

In 1681, Pierre married Jeanne Gautrot in Port-Royal. Shortly after his marriage, he put out to sea for France. He was discontented about events that happened in his family and uncertain about arriving in port of St-Malo after all this time some fourteen years since his first departure.

He visited and introduced his wife to his family. With his wife pregnant, he acquired temporary lodging around St-Malo. During this time, he made necessary repairs his ship and waited for the birth of his child. A son was born on  21 November 1683 in Dol. A maternal relative, Michel-David Bogard, Canon and Archideacon of Dol to baptise his son.

During the 1686 census in Acadia, Pierre Lanoue was absent, but he is listed in census of 1693. Later after his
wife's recuperation and his ship supposedly ready to sail, Pierre did not seem to be in any hurry to leave and return to his home in Port-Royal in Acadia. Perhaps he had problems with his boat or maybe personal difficulties with
his family?

In 1695, two years after his return in Acadia, he want to exchange his boat. In fact, Pierre had duty problems in
Salem, Massachusetts where he had just buyed a ship the "Fortune ".

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OTHER ARGUMENTS:

When I was a young man, my mother said to me on many occasions " your father, his ancestors were part of the minor nobility, they had noble blood in their veins ". Perhaps she wanted me to hear that my father should be given the propre respect due him and that I should be aware of the circumstances surrounding his past. At the time, I did not regard my mother's words seriously. I did not realize what she was attempting to instill in me was indeed the truth.

Several years later, while I was conducting my research and discovered who could be my rightful ancestors, the words of my mother slowly returned to my memory. (With the assistance of my sister who related the same words to me).

I now believe that my mother would not have given me her message if it had not been the truth and had not been passed on from father to son by Lanoue descendants over time. In Quebec, a similar approach was regarded as completely objectionable. I hesitated for a long time before writing about this subject. One point I had to consider was that even if I endeavoured to bring forth elements of evidence of tangible affiliation, such as agreements depicting dates and places, and writings as proof, certain individuals think that I should add this point and make known this argument.

Even prior to the intensive beginning of my research, my mother had talked about the family tradition that attached us to a noble origin. Taking into account the saga displayed by our ancestors over time, such a past tradition handed down from generation to generation attached great importance for interested genealogists. Especially since a priority were not necessarily interested in the genealogy of all generations of ancestors nor dis they show any particular interest in the French aristocracy that appeared quite remote to them. Consequently if such a tradition occurred from generation to generation, it was not simply a product of phantasm.

" As I consider myself an important witness to this entire affair, I do not entertain any doubts as to its authenticity. I find quite convincing the theory regarding the peregrinations of the young Knight of Malta reported by Gaetan in his website." (Reference: Baudoin Capelle)