Document of the Month #8

The Regiment of La Reine - Hebecourt

Researching the regiments who came to Canada can be - at times - frustrating and confusing. The confusion comes, in part, in trying to determine exactly which soldiers actually came overseas. While with some regiments we are lucky enough to have fairly complete lists (La Sarre and Royal Roussillon made a list of soldiers just before embarking in 1756), other regiments have lists that are at least a semi-reliable (Languedoc has a listing made in 1755 - just before coming over, but by no means complete). And then there are those that you just have to fight through and hope for the best.

The regiment of La Reine is one of the latter. Under ordonnances declared by the King, each regiment was to make a list of soldiers every so many years. These lists were updated as soldiers left, or were recruited. The 2nd battalion of the regiment of La Reine had lists (or Etats des troupes) in 1749 and 1752. The next book we have found is in 1761 when the regiment returned to France. The problem with the 1752 Etat is that it ends with recruits made in 1751. That leaves 4 years until the regiment l eft the port at Brest to come to Canada - a substantial time in which many changes may have occurred. Some notes, however, were made in the book up to 1754, and so we can assume that like those troops that left France in 1756 under Montcalm, La Reine did another Etat at the time of embarkation. This book, if it ever existed, has not been found. It is possible that the book was lost when the English captured the Alcide and the Lys in 1755. Perhaps the book was thrown overboard with other important paper s. Our greatest hope is that the book was captured by the English and even now sits somewhere in an English Archives - waiting to be discovered in some forgotten box.

In the meantime, we must deduce who the likely candidates are by deduction, research, and piecing together clues from the various sources that are currently available to researchers. The following is an attempt to piece together an overview of the happ enings to the company of Monsieur Hebecourt from 1749 to 1761.

In the 1749 Etat des Troupes, the company of Hebecourt lists a total of 60 men (2 Sergeants, 1 Drummer, 3 Corporals, 3 Lance-Corporals, and 51 Fusiliers). As a complete company consisted of 2S 1D 3C 3L 31F, it is obvious that some of these soldiers a re recruits enlisted to replace those that left the company.

We find this to be true. Of the 51 Fusiliers listed, 1 transferred to the Grenadiers, 2 died, 3 deserted, and 1 was released in the company reform of 1749. In addition, the enlistment period of 1 of the sergeants and 1 Lance-Corporal ran out, so 2 F usiliers were raised to these ranks. This leaves us with a total of 42 Fusiliers. Since we know that we should have 31 fusiliers it stands to reason that 9 of the fusiliers should have been released as they had reached the end of their enlistment period (most enlistments were for 6 years, so 9 soldiers should have enlistments in 1746 or earlier). In fact we find 10 soldiers who would have been released for this reason, leaving 30 fusiliers. This might be a bit disconcerting - is there a mistake? No. In the 1752 Etat we find one more soldier listed there who enlisted in 1750 - bringing the company up to full strength.

Next comes the difficult part. In 1752 the company has experienced a serious downsizing (as all the regiments show during this period). By 1752 Hebecourt shows 2S, 1D 3C 4L and 28F. The notes show 1 Sergeant as transferring to the company of Montbray (he was replaced by one of the Fusiliers), 1 Fusilier transferring to the grenadiers, and 2 soldiers being released on Conge - leaving totals of 2S, 1D, 3C, 3L, 24F. A light company indeed! But it was also peace time, and so the military presence was not only not necessary, but a drain on the public funds. The regiments were allowed to slip somewhat - until 1755.

By the time the regiment left for Canada, we find that the company totals are back up to their legal limits. This means that the company needed not only the 7 fusiliers to bring the total back to 31, but those few more to replace fusiliers whose enlist ment period ran out. According to the 1752 Etat, only 4 of those 24 available Fusiliers enlisted during, or prior to 1749 (the 6 year enlistment period running out in 1755). Of those 4, we know that one re-enlisted as he shows up in the 1761 Etat. That leaves us needing 10 fusiliers to bring the totals up to par (if none of the other 3 fusiliers re-enlisted - and none of the rest deserted or died and weren't recorded as such in the 1752 Etat). The 1761 Etat sheds a small clue to this, and also creates some problems. The Etat shows 1 Fusilier who enlisted in 1752. It also shows, however that the two Lance-Corporals (Anspessades) that returned enlisted in 1751 and 1754. None of the Lance Corporals listed in the 1752 Etat returned. It is unclear at t his time whether the 2 new Lance Corporals replaced those listed in the 1752 Etat before the regiment left France, or after. According to the 1752 Etat, all three Lance Corporals enlisted prior to 1746, and so it is very possible that they did not accomp any the company to Canada. The same it true of the Caporals. These ranks would have been filled with men from the Fusiliers.

From the 1752 and 1761 Etats, and excluding those soldiers that left the regiment up to 1755 for various reasons, we then conclude that the company of Hebecourt looked something like this: (minus the needed recruits as noted above):

*Jean Renau dit Renau....Sergent
Francois Paquin dit Jolibois...Sergent (buried 22 Mar 1756 at Fort Carillon)
*Mathieu Tonnerieux dit Millery..Tambour
?Francois Drodun dit Toussaint..Caporal
?Pierre Voualet dit Lajeunesse..Caporal
?Jean Garnier dit Laviolette..Caporal
?Jean Dimet dit Belleville..Anspessade
?Philippe Nogaret dit Lafeuillade..Anspessade
?Nicolas Leclerc dit Leclerc...Anspessade
Michel Fouquet dit Desmarest...Caporal (see note above) (Died on 11 Nov 1755)
*Francois Brandy dit Laviolette...Anspessade (see note above)
*Jean Barbier dit Divertissant...Anspessade (see note above)
Fusiliers:

Jacques Bernard dit Laverdure
Nicolas Bonnard dit Vadeboncoeur
*Leopold Bourgeois dit Bourgeois (Married in Canada 16 Jan 1758. Became a Sgt)
Ignace Caille dit Sansregret
Etienne Ceres dit Sanschagrin
Francois Chatelain dit Lapensee
Henry Collin dit l'Eveille (have record of his presence on 24 Mar 1756)
*Jullien d'Olle dit St Laurent
*Nicolas Etienne dit Francoeur
Felix Geoffroid dit Ladouceur (listed as a Corporal at a cermony in 1757)
Louis Germain dit Laforme (appears at a ceremony in 1757)
*Claude Godar dit Martincourt (listed as a Corporal in 1761)
Antoine Guillet dit Latreille
Marc Hocquart dit Pretaboire
Francois Jacotel dit Lafontaine (married on 16 Aug 1762)
Claude Lafosse dit Sanssoucy
Joseph Milhau dit Deslauriers
Francois Pagny dit Derasoirs (appears at a cermony on 29 Jan 1760)
Gabriel Pion dit Potdevin
Lambert Remis dit Jolicoeur
Alexis Thiriot (or Thirnois) dit Beausejour (Died on 06 Feb 1757)
Barthelemy Trembleur dit Crepin

The names above that are proceeded by the * symbol indicate soldiers who appear in the 1761 Etat as having returned to France. In addition to those indicated, 7 soldiers are listed below that enlisted after the regiment had already been situated in Can ada. These soldiers came to Canada as recruits to fill out those men who were captured or lost in battle. (The year in parenthesis indicate the year of enlistment) All of the below soldiers returned to France in 1761:

(1757) Henry Gardel dit Vadeboncoeur
(1757) Dideo Gaudin dit Nancy
(1756) Jean Jean dit Mirepoix
(1758) Mathieu Lavilleroy dit Lachutte
(1757) Louis Passe dit Laframboise
(1757) Mathias St Alore dit Beausoleil
(1757) Claude Therase dit Sansquartier

So what happened to the remaining soldiers? How do we find out who the remaining 9 recruits were who came to Canada in 1755, as well as those that came later? That is the area that needs research in even more depth. To this point I have discovered the d estiny of a small number of the above list.

In reviewing Canadian church records, I have found not only the appearance of several of the aforementioned soldiers, but also record of some names not previously listed. Some of those are obviously recruits that joined the company prior to leaving Franc e. Others were recruits that came later.

Of those that appear above, I have already placed notes to the right of their name. Obviously more work needs to be done. In addition to those soldiers I have located the following soldiers who were listed as being in the company of Hebecourt. For most of them it is unclear when they enlisted. When known I have noted such:

Henri Collin (appears at a ceremony on 24 Mar 1756, and so almost certainly came to Canada in 1755)
Jean Crepin dit Beausoleil (married on 19 Jean 1758)
Lecoq dit Lacouture (died on 10 Jul 1760)
Claude Maufay dit Laforge (died 09 May 1760)
Hubert Ouellet (or Voyer) dit L'Esperance (married 19 Jan 1758)
Francois Pagny (appears at a cermony on 29 Jan 1760)
Leopold Rency (or Remy) dit Bellehumeur (married 19 Jan 1758)
Francois Robert dit Bellehumeur (appears at ceremonies in 1757)
Louis Robier dit Meze (Enlisted on 06 July 1756. Returned to France in 1761 as a Sergeant in the company of Assezat)
Albert Traverce dit Laliberte (Died on 15 Dec 1758)
Jean Valois dit Valois (Died on 23 Feb 1756 - Certainly came to Canada in 1755)
??? ??? dit Lafranchise (died 13 Jan 1758)

That is a look at how the companies shifted as time progressed, and why it is so difficult to recreate the originaly listings today. Nothing amazes me more than the fact that we are able to progress as much as we do.