Ignace Gamelin dit Lafontaine: (1663/64 - 1738)
     He was the son of Michel Gamelin dit Lafontaine & Marguerite Crevier-Bellerive, born in Yamaska, Quebec. Ignace married Marie-Marguerite Lemoine (daughter of Jean Lemoine & Marie-Madeleine Chavigny) and their children were: Jacques-Alexis (1697-1730), Ignace (b.1698) (m.Marie-Louisa Dufrost), Marie-Madeleine (b.1700), Anne-Marguerite (b.1702), Louis (b.1704), Marguerite-Charlotte (b.1706), Marie-Angelique (b.1707), Joseph-Urbain (b.1708), Marie-Josephe (b.1709), Jean Bte.-Rene (b.1713) & Paul-Joachim (b.1715).
     Through his marriage with Marie-Marguerite Lemoine, Ignace gained several brother-in-laws who were involved in the fur trade: Jean-Alexis Lemoine Moniere, Jean Giasson (wife-Marie-Anne Lemoine), Louis Gatineau Duplessis (wife-Jeanne Lemoine) & Rene Godefroy de Linctot (wife-Marie-Madeleine Lemoine).
     In the fall of 1715, Ignace & Jacques (son or nephew ?), began hiring men for Detroit (Jean Bte.Regeas dit Laprade, Louis Quintal, Jacques Seguin & Louis Venne) and in the following spring, Ignace was again hiring men for Detroit and the military French commander (Jacques-Charles Sabrevois de Bleury). In the fall of 1718 his fur-trade interest seems to have move farther west, employing men to Green Bay & "les pays d'en haut" (Pierre de Lestage had also hired Jean Bte.Reaume & Louis Ducharme to trade in the Green Bay area in 1718). During this period France acts on new plans of expansion in the west with the establishment of Fort St.Francois (by Louis de la Porte, Sieur de Louvigny) at Green Bay, Fort de Chartres (by Pierre Dugue, Sieur de Boisbriant), Fort Lapointe, Fort Ouatanon, Vincennes, Rainy Lake post/Fort Kaministiquia (by Zacherie Robutel, Sieur de la Naue), a new community at the mouth of the Mississippi (named by Bienville, New Orleans) and the exploration of the lower Missouri by Etienne Veniard de Bourgmont.
     In the spring of 1725 Ignace hired Claude Caron & Philippe Leduc ("voyageurs et associes") to go to "poste de La Baye"(they were accompanied by Louis Brunet & Jean Bte.Heneaux dit Deschamps), where Francois de Amariton was commanding the French fort of St.Francois.
     During the late 1720's and early 1730's Ignace had established himself securly in the fur trade and seems to have turned to assisting his sons & his nephews (sons of his brother Pierre) in become established in the western trade. Again in 1727, Ignace was involved in financing the trade out of Green Bay in association with Nicolas Sarrazin, Francois Lefebvre Duplessis Faber ("commandant au poste de la Baye"), Joseph Gamelin fils & Rene Bourassa. In 1729 he financed his son Joseph Gamelin (sending Thomas Blondeau to the west) & his nephew's Michel & Laurent-Eustache Gamelin Chateauvieux to the Michilimackinac trade. In the spring of 1731 Pierre Valiere was sent to France by some of the leading merchants of the western fur trade, Jean Francois Maihot, Francois Poulin Francheville, Charles Nolan Lamarque & Ignace Gamelin (he was hiring men for the "poste des Miamis" at this time), for some unknown reason. In 1732 "Ignace Gamelin et Compagnie", financed Louis-Mathieu Damours, Sieur de Clignancourt in his trading venture to the west.
     Ignace and his sons seem to have reduced their involvement in trade expeditions to the west in the remaining years of his life (he died in January of 1738) but the Gamelin name continued in the trade, with the involvement of son (Ignace II) and his brothers sons Pierre, Michel & Laurent (Eustache).

Jacques-Alexis Gamelin: (1697 - 1730)
     He was the son of Ignace Gamelin & Marie-Marguerite Lemoine, born at Batiscan, Champlain, Quebec.

Ignace Gamelin Jr.: (1698 - ?)
    He was the son of Ignace Gamelin & Marie-Marguerite Lemoine, born at Batiscan, Champlain, Quebec. Ignace II married Marie-Louisa Dufrost in 1731 at Montreal and their children were: Ignace III, Medard (b.1733), Marie-Louise-Michelle (b.1734) (m.Etienne-Joseph Porlier in 1759), Rene (b.1735), Marie-Josephe (b.1736), Louis-Christophe (b.1738), Catherine (b.1737), Marie (b.1740), Basile-Alexis (b.1741), Renee-Ursule-Charlotte (b.1743), Francois-Medard (1745-1778) (m.Angelica Cicotte in 1767), Charlotte-Elisabeth (b.1744), Joseph-Antoine (b.1746) (m. Marie-Catherine Gamelin in 1766), Paul-Jean Bte.-Mathurin (b.1749) & Pierre-Amable (b.1752).
     Ignace II, was hiring voyageurs (Pierre Forestier & Claude Dudevoir dit La Chine) for "poste des Miamis" in the late 1720's and hired Pierre Leduc for Michilimackinac in 1730. In 1732 Ignace II is in partnership with Sieurs Moniere in financing Paul Marin, who is the commander of the fort at Green Bay that year and Ignace (fils) is found little in the records of hiring voyageurs for the west until after the death of his father in 1738. In May of 1739 he hired a number of men for Michilimackinac, "la mer du ouest", "poste de Kamanistigouia", "pays du ouest", "lac Tekamamiouanne", "lac de la Pluye" & "poste du lac des Bois" and continued hiring voyageurs through the 1740's. He seems to have made a shift to the "post des Illinois in 1752 and continued to hire until 1754.

Louis Gamelin: (1704 - ?)
     He was the son of Ignace Gamelin & Marie-Marguerite Lemoine, born at Batiscan, Champlain, Quebec. Louis was associated in the fur trade with Pierre Gaultier, Sieur de la Verendrye de Varennes & Zacherie Robutel, Sieur de la Naue in 1727 & 1728. In 1729 he was involved in the fur trade at the "poste des Folles Avoines" with Paul Marin, Catherine Neveu & Alexis Lemoine Moniere. In the spring & early summer of 1731 Pierre Gaultier, Sieur de la Verendrye de Varennes was hiring men for his mission to explore the far west, he & Louis Gamelin jointly hired Blaise Richard, Jacques Lavallee, Antoine Lefebvre & Louis Mesnard for the journey. The next year Louis is associated with Gaultier & his father (Ignace) in hiring men for the "poste de Ouinepigon".
 
Pierre Gamelin Chateauvieux: (1667 - ?)
    He was the son of Michel Gamelin dit Lafontaine & Marguerite Crevier-Bellerive, born in Yamaska, Quebec. Pierre married Marie-Jeanne Maugras in 1690 at Yamaska and their children were: Jacques-Joseph (b.1691) (m.Jeanne-Angelique Giasson in 1720), Laurent-Eustache (1695-1771) (m. Marie-Josephe Dudevoir in 1740),  Pierre-Antoine (b.1697) (m. Marie-Clemence Dufrost in 1735), Michel (b.1700) (m. Charlotte-Julie de Catalogne in 1735), Antoine (b.1702) (m. Marie-Angelique Hertel), Anne-Therese (1707-1733) (m.Pierre-Henri Solo/Saulau in 1727) & Marguerite (1710-1756) (m.1st.Jean Bte.Petit in 1727 & m.2nd.Jean Bte.Legras in 1733).

Jacques-Joseph Gamelin: 1691 - ?)
     He was the son of Pierre Gamelin & Marie-Jeanne Maugras, born at Saint-Francois-du-Lac, Yamaska, Quebec.

Pierre Gamelin (Maugra/dit Gauche) Jr.: (1697 - ?)
     He was the son of Pierre Gamelin & Marie-Jeanne Maugras, born at Saint-Francois-du-Lac, Yamaska, Quebec. Pierre II married Marie-Clemence Dufrost (daughter of Francois-Christophe Dufrost & Marie-Renne Gaultier) in 1735 at Saint Francois-du-Lac (she was the widow of Timothe Sullivan married in 1720).
     In 1724, Pierre hired Pierre Mongeaux to go to Michilimackinac and the next spring hiring for "les pays d'en hault" in partnership with de Clignancourt. Pierre shows up in the records again in 1732 as hiring Louis Defosset & Alexis Provanche for "pays d'en hault" and then in 1734 he & brother, Michel were hiring for Michilimackinac & "poste de la riviere St.Joseph".  He continued to hire voyageurs in 1738 for the Illinois country, 1739 poste des Illinois & Michilimackinac, 1741 "poste du lac de Ounepigue", 1742 "poste du lac Bourdon"/"poste du lac de la Pluye"/"poste du fort La Reine", 1743 "poste de la mer du ouest"/"poste de la Riviere Postcoya", 1744 "poste du lac Bourbon" & "1745 Kamanistigouia".

Michel Gamelin (dit Mangras/Maugras/Gaucher): (1700 - ?)
     He was the son of Pierre Gamelin & Marie-Jeanne Maugras, born at Saint-Francois-du-Lac, Yamaska, Quebec. Michel married Charlotte-Julie de Catalogne in 1735.
     Michel was hiring for the "8iatanons" post in 1738 and engaged to go to that post with Joseph Marie Lecuyer and Ustache Gamelin (brother), for Alexis Lemoyne Moniere.  He was hiring voyageurs in 1741 for "Detroit et aux 8yastanons",  1743 for Detroit & poste des Ouyas and continued hiring until 1754.
 
Laurent-Eustache (Ustache) Gamelin: (1695 - 1771)
     He was the son of Pierre Gamelin & Marie-Jeanne Maugras, born at Saint-Francois-du-Lac, Yamaska, Quebec. Laurent married Marie-Josephe Dudevoir (daughter of Claude Dudevoir dit Bonvouloir & Barbara-Elisabeth Cardinal) in 1740 at Detroit and their children were: Marie-Josette (1741-1797), Marie-Jeanne (b.1743), Marie-Catherine (b.1744), Agatha (b.1745) (m.Joseph Normand in 1768 at Detroit), Marie-Josephe (b.1746), Joseph (b1748), Francois (b.1749/50), Pierre (b.1752), Hippolyte (b.1754), Laurence Jr. (b.1755), Paul (b.1757) & Magdelene (b.1759).
     In 1729 Ignace Gamelin Sr. financed his son Joseph Gamelin (sending Thomas Blondeau to the west) & his nephew's Michel & Laurent-Eustache Gamelin Chateauvieux to the Michilimackinac trade. Laurent may have left his association with his brother (Michel) by 1731, when he is found in partnership with Jean Bte. Gaultier, Sieur de la Verendrye & Nicolas Sarazin in the hiring of Antoine Lefebvre & Joseph le Gau Delaurier for a trip to Michilimackinac. The next few years Laurent (Eustache/Ustache) was hiring for "de la Manestigouia", "pays d'en haut", "la Mer du Ouest", Michilimackinac, "poste du lac des Bois", "poste de Kamenitigouya" & "le Nord" and in 1738 Laurent was hiring men for Detroit, "poste des 8iatanons" & Michilimackinac..

Michel Gamelin dit Lafontaine III: (abt.1674 - ?)
    He was the son of Michel Gamelin dit Lafontaine & Marguerite Crevier-Bellerive, born in Yamaska, Quebec. Michel was with Duluth in the west (to Michilimackinac)  in 1694-95 (with Jean Le Roy, Jacques Jobin, Jean Bte.Gastineau Duplessis, Simon Baillarge & Charles Cusson).
 

BACK TO MAIN PAGE