Claude Thomas , the Canadian ancestor of the Bigaouette family , was born in Dover in New England about 1680 .His father John was a sheet merchant who was originally from Hampshire County south west of London .His mother's name was Anne Lera. The " Township of Dover " in New Hampshire was assaulted seven times by Indians and french from New France.The most violent attacks were those from 1689 and 1690 who was ordered by the Gouvenor Fontenac .It was probably by 1689 that Claude Thomas and his mother were seized by the Abénakis , allies of the french , and made prisonners.Claude and his mother were brought into the Quebec region by a trip of about 300 km which latest at least three months. Children alone , such as Claude Thomas , who was then seven or eight years old , were carried by the Indians when they were too tired to travel.Claude was adopted by the an Abénakis woman named Bigaouette who took care of him and he was placed under her protection during that long trip returning to Québec .He lived with her a dozen of years in Abénakis village in the Lorette region . It is without doubt and gratefulness to this woman , who was very good to him , that Claude decided to take her name . About 1698, Claude was freed by the french by means of ramson .He was then about 17 years old. His name appears on the list of the English freed in a letter dated 27 may 1669 to the Sieur of Calllière and Sieur of Champigny , steward of Montreal . Claude 's family was protestant . In accepting his freedom, Claude become a Catholic . Curiously he didn't not obtain his naturalization until 1753.Up to his marriage , Claude worked as a domestic at the home of Paul St-Simon an important person at the time in Québec. Finally Claude settled in Charlesbourg where in november 15 1706 he married Marie Anne Villeneuve daughter of Mathurin Villeneuve & Marguerite Lemarché . From this union 14 infants were baptized in Charlesbourg .Marie Anne Villeneuve died 23 january 1759 and Claude Thomas died 2 years later on november 1761. Claude was then 84 years old according to the burial register. Both were buried in Charlesbourg . |
HISTORY OF CLAUDE THOMAS BIGAOUETTE |
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