AN INTERVIEW WITH FRANÇOIS KIROUAC
A KFA FOUNDING MEMBER &
RESPONSIBLE for the KIROUAC GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH
The current President of the K/rouac Family Association has been active within the KFA for the past thirty-two years. He was one of the fifteen founding members and the only one still on the KFA Board. In 1978, like many others he answered Jacques Kirouac’s first call to plan a gathering for 1980, marking the 250th anniversary of our ancestor’s arrival in New France, as it was believed then that our ancestor had landed in New France in 1730.
Over the past three decades, within the KFA François has worn many hats. At first, as counsellor; by 1981, he was already involved in the genealogical dossier. In 1988-1989, he was Vice-President; then Secretary from 1989 to 2002. In 2005, he became President of our family association. In 1992, he joined the editorial committee of Le Trésor.
His trademarks are passion, commitment, and tenacity, but where does he get it all? Everyone knows it takes resolve and persistence to do historical and genealogical research. It is a long road to travel, one day you take a first step but, as you go along, it seems that the end is never in sight.
The KFA Board members and the Trésor Editorial Committee members, eager to learn more about this KFA pioneer and his deep convictions on the pursuit of the truth about our Ancestor, Urbain-François Le Bihan alias Alexandre de K/voach, asked if he would agree to an interview. We thought there would be a double advantage to this exercise, first to better know our President and, second, give our readers a streamlined history of the research carried out over three decades as well as the publications that ensued during those years.
Marie Lussier Timperley, for the KFA Board members and the Trésor Editorial Committee members
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES
LE TRÉSOR — The word ‘genealogy’ comes from ‘gene’, so, by any chance, did you inherit a special ‘research gene’? Please tell us about your youth!
FRANÇOIS — I was born in May 1951 at the Arthabaska Hospital. My paternal grandparents, Augustine (née Lemay) and Émile Kirouac, were my god-parents. I grew up in Warwick and attended the local elementary school. After a year and a half of ‘cours classique’ at the Nicolet Seminary, I came back to finish my high school studies in Warwick and Victoriaville. Then, because of my great love of nature and outdoor activities, I opted for professional training in forestry in 1969-1970, a course given in La Tuque.
LE TRÉSOR — Pardon the pun, but how did you go from forestry to genealogical trees?
FRANÇOIS — In the autumn 1970, I started working for the Department of Natural Resources as a labourer. Then, from 1975 until 1997, I worked as a technician in mineral resources in a department responsible to do the geo-chemical survey of the whole of Quebec. In that capacity I travelled the length and breadth of Quebec which I enjoyed very much. After the department’s mandates were modified, I accepted administrative responsibilities in the procurement services of the same department from 1997 until 2000. From December 2000 until May 2007, I worked as an industrial relations counsellor for a labour union. My mandate was to resolve complaints and grievances submitted by union members and, if no settlement was agreed upon, I prepared the proof to be presented to either an administrative tribunal or a conciliation board. This was an extremely important part of my mandate as I was the one deciding whether or not to present the case to a tribunal or conciliation board. I was also responsible to see that harmonious workplace relations were maintained within the sections covered by the union I represented.
LE TRÉSOR — When were you bitten by the history and genealogy bug?
FRANÇOIS — I think this is really my mother’s doing because, when I was very young, she used to remind me that my grandfather Émile was very proud of his Kirouac ancestors and that he knew the names of each one in each generation as far as the first one who came to New-France. I think that my mother’s comments made a great impression on her young son and that, I believe, was the spark that fired my imagination at a very young age. However, it is only with the birth of the KFA that it materialized.
THE KFA GENEALOGICAL DICTIONNARY
LE TRÉSOR — Who or what prompted you to get involved in the Kirouac genealogy?
FRANÇOIS — Alain Kirouac, who had started working on the Kirouac genealogy, asked me in 1981 if I could give him a hand. Alain and his wife had already collected genealogical data on about 1200 cards. My wife, Francine, and I then accepted his invitation and started to copy the 1200 cards, first to safeguard all the info so far gathered. Having two copies of all the data was certainly safer than only one. Once this was completed, I started searching through the parish records for births, marriages, and burials that could be found in Quebec’s National Archives.
Every family gathering organized by the KFA was a good occasion for Alain and I to collect new data and validate data previously collected. It is important to remember that we were still in pre-computer days. Everything was done by hand, that means written by hand on cards bearing sequential numbers and ‘safely’ kept in shoe boxes! At that time we did not even have an index to help us find names; so that was the next thing I did, I built up an index by alphabetical order, one with the husbands’ names and one with the wives’ names in order to quickly find a person and family links. And, again, these were all handwritten cards!
LE TRÉSOR — So, when did you ‘graduate’ to computerize data and how did you go about it?
FRANÇOIS — In the middle of the eighties we started thinking about computerizing the data. However, at the time, genealogical programmes were new and being created and did not meet our needs. They have greatly improved since. So, to get the work done, I looked around for a computer science student who could build us a database in which we could enter all the accumulated data, always keeping in mind that, eventually, it would be published.
LE TRÉSOR — Who did you find and what did that person do?
FRANÇOIS — I contacted John Ewen Cameron from Baie-Comeau (QC) who was studying in Québec City at the time. I do not remember who gave me his name but I shall never forget his immediate enthusiasm for our project. Within a few weeks, we had a prototype and I was able to start entering the data written on 2,900 cards which represents what we had accumulated up to 1990. But by then I was solely responsible for the project as Alain had left the KFA a few years earlier. However, I am glad to say that a few other people were also doing some genealogical research. Once all the data was entered in the database, we started working on the layout and design of the book that was to be published in 1991. As a title we used the Breton name known then for our ancestor: Généalogie des descendants de Maurice Louis Alexandre Le Brice de Keroack.
LE TRÉSOR — This book is very impressive not only because of the genealogical data but also because it includes so many stories about some K/ personalities and some K/ families too; it must have taken months of work; tell us about it?
FRANÇOIS — About the mid-1990, the KFA Board gave me the mandate to publish the data. However, to be honest, the idea of publishing only names, dates, and links, did not really appeal to me, so I decided to add a historical part including some important family members and what was known about our ancestor at the time. With Raymond Bergeron, who created our logo and knew first hand the publishing world, I prepared a tender for three printers. As soon as one was chosen, 500 copies were quickly printed and by the beginning of the summer 1991, the KFA organized launchings in Quebec City, Warwick, Montreal, as well as in Nashua, New Hampshire, during the 1991 Annual Gathering held there.
LE TRÉSOR —Since the Genealogy was printed, twenty years ago, did you keep researching and adding to the original data?
FRANÇOIS — Of course, publishing a genealogical dictionary was the crowning point of the first stage. It was very important to carry on particularly as computerized data made it so easy to draw family trees. Thus I kept collecting data from KFA members, archives, and various records whenever I had time. Quite a few years ago already, I transferred all the data onto a commercial genealogical database which enabled me to add a great deal of information that we did not previously have, like children who no longer bear the name K/rouac but whose mother was born K/rouac; also whenever they are available, photos of individuals are added to the genealogical data bank, as well as sources of information and photos. To date, the database includes 14,697 persons, of which 5,941 are couples. For our ancestor’s eldest son, Simon-Alexandre, so far we have recorded 3,438 descendants, plus another 2,590 for his younger brother Louis, for a total of 6,028 recorded descendants.
IMPLICATION IN THE RESEARCH ON THE ANCESTOR
LE TRÉSOR — While you were concentrating your efforts on the genealogy of the Ancestor’s descendants, was anyone trying to find out about the Ancestor himself?
FRANÇOIS — Yes, indeed; our founding President, Jacques Kirouac, was deeply interested in finding out about our Ancestor and he was responsible for that side of the research. I was keenly following every new development brought to light by Claude Le Petit, a Breton genealogist, paid by the KFA, to find our Ancestor’s place of origin in Brittany. In 1993, when Mr. Le Petit came to Quebec, he gave a lecture which was an opportunity for me to talk with him and, because of a comment he made, I got more involved in the research. He said: “It could be you here in Quebec who, one day, will find the elements enabling you to answer the search.” That sentence was the spark that got me going. My curiosity was aroused particularly as I realized that, funnily enough, no one here had done any research in Quebec; except possibly Father Gérard Lévesque who had discovered our Ancestor’s purchase contract of a lot called terre des Trois Ruisseaux and a renunciation to the same lot by Louise Bernier (1), in 1736. Besides those two documents, the only other one that we knew then was the Ancestor’s marriage as entered in the Parish records in Cap-Saint-Ignace.
LE TRÉSOR — So, one spark and you were off the rocket launching pad; but what to look for and where?
FRANÇOIS — Remember, I mentioned that my mother aroused my curiosity when I was very young so, I was always keen to discover more. If I remember well, it was around 1995 that I started digging into archives. However, prior to that, I was already actively involved in this research project and, when I had asked the KFA Board to create a special research fund, it was agreed upon enthusiastically and the initiative was rather successful. Many people were closely following the evolution of the research, thanks to the reports sent by Claude Le Petit and regularly published in Le Trésor.
LE TRÉSOR —What were the results? How long did it go on?
FRANÇOIS —By 1996 the research for our Ancestor’s place of origin in Brittany unfortunately came to an end for lack of funds. So the KFA Board decided to put that project on the back burner. However, at that time, Clément Kirouac who was the KFA President, decided to carry on the search in Brittany at his own expense and privately. A Breton genealogist, Patricia Dagier, joined him in his efforts. At the time, Clément Kirouac made it very clear at each and every Board meeting that the KFA was NOT involved in that particular search in Brittany.
Nevertheless, the search in Quebec went on more than ever, I was seriously involved and had been for quite a while and it was always a pleasure for me to share my findings with Clément Kirouac, because what really mattered to me and the KFA was that we would eventually find out here where our Ancestor came from.
In the summer 1997, I found a first deed concerning our Ancestor; the contract by which Louise Bernier and Maurice Louis Le Bris de K/voach ceded, for 600 pounds, their inheritance rights to Jacques Rodrigue who was Louise Bernier’s step-father and our Ancestor’s (2) step-father-in-law. During that same summer, I had been looking up information on Louise Bernier herself, and the results of my research was later published in Le Trésor and showed all her ascendancy for both of her parents: Bernier & Caron (3) as well as what we knew then about herself and her life as our Ancestor’s wife while he was alive.
LE TRÉSOR — Where did you go to search?
FRANÇOIS — Starting in the mid-eighties, I used to go to the Archives nationales du Québec (Quebec National Archives = QNA), at first to establish the genealogical lines of our Ancestor’s descendants and, later on, I discovered the various types of documents available at the QNA. So I looked up the archivists’ reports, the notaries’ deeds, the various indexes, the judicial archives and especially the inventory of the Intendants’ ordinances, e.g. the Authorities’ decrees and regulations.
LE TRÉSOR — Did you discover anything else?
FRANÇOIS — The second deed I discovered was a major one, but, at first, it was rather disappointing (4). Let me explain; I discovered the existence of the document but I could not read it because it had been misfiled. Also, in the inventory I had looked at, it stated that a certain Pierre Riou had written the deed. It is only much later (5) when I finally read the deed that I realized its importance. Of course, that was after discovering the mistake in the Notaries’ inventory of deeds. When I looked at the signature of Pierre Riou, it was perfectly obvious to me that he had not written the contract; it had to be our Ancestor who had written the text as well as signing it as: Alexandre le Breton. This deed constituted the absolute proof that our Ancestor was indeed a trained notary. In addition, for the first time, I held a proof that our Ancestor had most likely arrived in New France before 1730.
The third deed I discovered was a document giving the results of a claim that our Ancestor had instituted against one Joseph Martin (6). The fourth deed was a renunciation by Louise Bernier to the common ownership of assets that had been agreed to between herself and our Ancestor (7). The fifth deed was a second document about the claim instituted by our Ancestor against Joseph Martin (8). The sixth deed was our Ancestor’s letter to the Governor, the Marquis de Beauharnois (9); this letter was another proof that our Ancestor was highly educated. The seventh deed was the ordinance of Intendant Hocquart asking people to help Alexandre le Breton (10). The eighth deed was the hiring contract of one Claude Chamberlant by Alexandre de K/uoach (11). In the ninth deed, dated 1726, was the very first Le Bihan signature ever found (12). In the tenth deed, signed at Montréal and dated 1727 (13), was the third Le Bihan signature found. And the 11th deed was the letter of Alexandre de K/voach to Mr Boucher, seafarer from Quebec’s Lower Town, dated 8 February 1734 (14).
LE TRÉSOR — Do you think that more documents about Alexandre de K/ could still be hidden in the Quebec National Archives?
FRANÇOIS — It is most likely and I certainly hope to find more. Besides, there is at least one major mystery to elucidate because there are no more traces of Urbain-François Le Bihan in Brittany after 1721 and we found Alexandre de K/voach in New-France in 1726. Everything has to be discovered about this five-year gap for which, so far, we have absolutely nothing about our Ancestor on this side of the Atlantic.
INTERPRETATION OF AVAILABLE DOCUMENTS
LE TRÉSOR — In 1999, Patricia Dagier, the Breton genealogist, published a first book (in French only) entitled Jack Kerouac, Au bout de la route … la Bretagne, about what the life of our Ancestor might have been. Has she published anything else since?
FRANÇOIS — Since 2008, Mrs. Dagier has published (in French only) two books on our Ancestor. The first one, entitled Le véritable trésor de Clément Kirouac presents all documents found about our Ancestor in Brittany as well as in Quebec. This book includes the documents that she found as well as those found by Father Gérard Lévesque, Clément Kirouac, and myself. Mrs. Dagier comments each document and spells out clearly what she thinks about them and gives her very personal interpretation. A second book entitled Jack Kerouac, Breton d’Amérique, co-authored with Hervé Quéméner for the part about the biography of Jack Kerouac, tells what the author, Patricia Dagier believes to have been the life of the Ancestor in New France and also what the life of his widow was after the Ancestor’s death.
LE TRÉSOR – So what do you think about that interpretation of Alexandre de K/voach’s life?
FRANÇOIS – It seems quite obvious to me that there are gaps in our actual knowledge of our Ancestor’s life, therefore we must keep looking in order to find out more about it. The whole truth has yet to come out. It is obvious that documented facts have to be used to come to conclusion but, at the moment, the existing documents leave a great deal of room for many various interpretations, and personally I cannot accept the romantic story that Mrs. Dagier gives in her books. . . all based on her own assumptions and deductions. Of course hypotheses are useful in genealogy, but they must be used as questions to enable to push the investigation forward. To accept suppositions and assumptions as absolute truths puts an end to all research. Given what I know about the actual state of the research, I think this is absolutely ridiculous.
For personal reasons about which it would be inopportune to speculate here, Mrs. Dagier chose to describe our Ancestor as good-for-nothing “forced to leave Huelgoat, his home town (15) forced to go away and make himself scarce for a while”. She is, of course, free to explain the situation as she wants, but personally I would draw other conclusions, also suggested by the content of the same documents and I feel that she must accept the fact that other people are also free to think differently from her.
LE TRÉSOR — Do you mean that the story, as published, could be a very different one?
FRANÇOIS — Yes indeed, that is my opinion. But do not get me wrong, Mrs. Dagier’s research is remarkable and thorough but, it is the way she chose to draw her conclusions from the documents found that is not in line with what I read in the same documents. Like everyone else, she is entitled to her conclusions, but, in my opinion, one cannot offer such conclusions as the only possible explanations unless they are supported by facts proven by known documents. And, frankly, it does not appear to me to be the case here.
LE TRÉSOR — What would your assumptions be?
FRANÇOIS — The story published by the genealogist, Patricia Dagier, depicting our Ancestor as a delinquent character – something she constantly repeats in her public interviews in Brittany - is that “he was a very bad boy who, after 1720, left Huelgoat, his native town, because he made the headlines.” (16) - this whole argument is based on two facts: a court proceeding whose outcome was never discovered – this is an important point to remember – and the fact that our Ancestor used different names when signing documents in New France; according to Mrs. Dagier the second fact is a direct consequence of the first one. She pretends that our Ancestor used different names and surnames in New France because he had something to hide and she adds that it is the proof that he necessarily had something to hide. So, her bet is that the accusations made against our Ancestor at a wedding in 1720 where wine overflowed, were justified. So the whole story she builds up is based on those two presumptions!
LE TRÉSOR — Why do you say that she is betting on this?
FRANÇOIS — Because, in my opinion, in all the documents pertaining to the court case, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, that could lead us to believe that our Ancestor had done anything that could incriminate him, or force him to leave Brittany as she asserts. Quite to the contrary; some elements in the proceedings clearly point towards the opposite direction, in other words, this event was of rather minor importance in our Ancestor’s life.
THE 1720 STILL PENDING COURT CASE
LE TRÉSOR — What are the elements in these same documents that allow you to prove a position opposite to that of Mrs. Dagier?
FRANÇOIS — First, let us look at the trial. And here I wish to underline that this trial is a libel suit against those who defamed and molested our Ancestor... and nothing else. In the trial, he is presented as a victim of various accusations – and of a search – that took place publicly during a wedding where alcohol flowed generously. The testimonies in themselves cannot validate the events at the wedding. Our ancestor was never accused of anything nor brought to justice at any moment, neither in Brittany nor in New France. Let us also remember that, at the time, libel suits existed and were brought up in court, because some people had been lying about others, otherwise such proceedings would not have existed. In other words, it is possible that our Ancestor was victim of false accusations; and this is what Patricia Dagier wrote in her book published in 1999, Jack Kerouac, Au bout de la route… La Bretagne.
In the documents she found in Brittany, one can read that the Court says that it does not believe the testimonies of two of the four witnesses accused of defaming our ancestor. This is a major fact. It means that the Court considers that the individuals lied to her. It undermines their credibility. In my opinion, in such a case, one has to ask if these individuals might not also have lied about what happened at the wedding, when they accused the ancestor of various mischiefs. This possibility opens the door to a possible condemnation of the defendants for libel and not a declaration of their innocence. In addition, the other two accused in this case admitted to the Court that they were too intoxicated with drinks to remember what they had said then.
In short, two of the four defendants facing the libel suit brought on by the Ancestor’s father, were not believed by the Court and the other two admitted having been too drunk to remember what they had said. Theses facts must be taken into account as they are detailed in Court documents, and they cannot simply and completely be ignored, taking for granted that the defendants were not guilty of defamation. Unfortunately, the Court documents pertaining to the trial’s conclusion are still no where to be found.
In my opinion, the only remaining way that Patricia Dagier, the Breton genealogist, can conclude as she does, is by taking for granted that our Ancestor used different names in New France in order to hide his true identity because he would have committed something wrong. But… the court procedure found so far does not show anything to that effect. Finally, in the documents found in Brittany as well as in New France, there is not a single proof worthy of mention that enables us to find or even suspect our Ancestor guilty of anything at all. It is quite likely that this court case affected the young man’s reputation. As the saying goes, no matter what you say, something always remains. However, other documents found in Brittany even put a damper even on this possibility.
FORMER FOES RENEW FRIENDLY RELATIONSHIP
LE TRÉSOR — What do these new documents found by Patricia Dagier tell us?
FRANÇOIS — These documents show that the two families involved in the case were reconciled after the 1720 events. Members of the Le Bihan family were godparents to two children of the Berthelemy family (the family of the girl who had claimed that Urbain-François had stolen her purse during the wedding party); in addition, our Ancestor’s father who, in the name of his son, sued members of the Berthelemy family for libel, was chosen by members of the said Berthelemy family as their notary on a number of occasions during the following years (17). The Berthelemy could well have chosen another notary as, according to Mrs Dagier, there were some others in the area. But no, they opted for Notary Le Bihan. Therefore, if the whole episode had been damaging to Urbain-François Le Bihan and his family, would they have resumed their relationship? This seems to me to be a reasonable question.
Let us be logical for a moment; who would restore relationships, friendly or professional, with people who would have ruined the career or reputation of a son, brother, or even a cousin? Honour, was not a trifling matter in those days; quite the opposite as duals, although forbidden, were still frequent and a normal way of settling accounts!
Furthermore, if there was anything true in the original story, e.g. that the accusations made during the wedding party against the Le Bihan family were founded, who would want to do business with the Le Bihan once stripped of their good reputation? Let us not forget that these Le Bihan are notaries and that their reputation must remain impeccable to be qualified. And of course if the reputation of one family member had been stained, it would reflect on the whole Le Bihan family. But, quite the opposite, they remained in business. So, obviously there must be a reason for that! Therefore, contrary to Patricia Dagier’s opinion, I think it is quite unlikely that the two families would have restored their former relationship if the career of the young Le Bihan had been compromised and the honour of the Le Bihan family had been stained.
It seems to me far more likely that, once the dust had settled, the two parties involved in this case found new understanding, or that the court procedure had little effect on the honour of the young Le Bihan and his family. In this case, our ancestor most likely came to New France for quite another reason than what the Breton genealogist, Patricia Dagier, has been claiming for nearly ten years.
LE TRÉSOR — So, if this is the case, why would Urbain-François have left Brittany?
FRANÇOIS — Well if we ask the question, we must offer other hypotheses. In fact, asking that raises more questions. In spite of the court case, is it possible that the young Le Bihan’s decision to leave Brittany was due to something else? Can we reasonably think so? Could he have left because, like any young man, he dreamt of greater freedom? Or, simply wished not to follow in his father’s footsteps? He would not be the first one refusing to follow a path pre-determined for him! Or, perhaps it would be reasonable to think that the call of adventure was very strong? And what about hoping to make a fortune for himself? Would any serious researcher refuse to look at these possibilities? After all, on this side of the Atlantic, though one may now refer to our ancestor as a coureur des bois (fur trapper), documents found refer to him as a voyageur (licensed fur trader under contract), what is more likely to be, due to his level of education. Isn’t this indicating that he possessed an independent mind and liked adventure? While in New France, given his superior education, he could well have chosen a more comfortable life. But of course, these are all hypotheses, e.g. questions in need of answers.
And, talking about assumptions, what about the abundantly documented extremely serious economic crisis that struck France in 1721 as a result of the collapse of the French monetary system built on the principles of Scottish financier, John Law of Lauriston (1671-1729)? As many families saw their fortune evaporate in the economic turmoil, exile to the colonies became a strong incentive for the sons deprived of the future they counted on and it is in great numbers that they left the Old World for the promising colonies in America and Asia. The scandal was such that the army was called in to repress the riots in the streets of Paris. Could this historical event have been a motivation for our ancestor’s move to New France? It might be worth looking into!
NAME CHANGE OR VARIATION USED BY OUR ANCESTOR
LE TRÉSOR — From what you explain, it seems that you do not believe in the argument that our ancestor would have used various names and surnames in order to hide his identity while in New France?
FRANÇOIS — So far in the known documents, there is nothing to conclude that the ancestor ever used the Christian names Urbain or François when he lived in New France (18). Perhaps he did not like them! Who knows? However, it is undeniable that he chose to use the Christian name Alexandre. Did he think it looked more “noble”? Again, who knows? Let us study the facts closely!
When looking at the eighteen signatures left by our ancestor and found to date, we see that they vary. Now, when looking at them closely, one notices a constant use of the surname de K/voach as ‘family name’ (patronyme in French, which derives from the latin word, pater = name of the father) so, for all and sundry, the ancestor distinctly and generally identified himself by that ‘family name’.
In all, de K/voach appears in fifteen of the eighteen signatures found so far. As for the Christian name Alexandre, it appears fourteen times. In the three signatures where de K/voach does not appear, one notes in the first signature what would be his real family name Le Bihan, in the second signature, he uses the nickname Le Breton and in the third signature, he used only his chosen Christian name, Alexandre. In the known signatures, de Kervoach is some times used with the family name Le Bihan, sometimes with the family name Le Bris, but generally, de Kervoach is used by itself.
Consequently, our ancestor’s use of the surname de K/voach finally replaced both family names of Le Bihan or Le Bris that he used only on three occasions each. And that might explain why, almost three hundred years later, all his descendants are using Kirouac - in a multitude of spellings - as their family name, and no longer Le Bihan or Le Bris.
LE TRÉSOR — What conclusions do you draw from these observations?
FRANÇOIS – This question raises even more questions: what is our ancestor actually doing when signing de K/voach as he did fifteen out of eighteen times? He is simply using the name currently and constantly used by his own father, the name his grandfather constantly used and that his great-grandfather also used throughout his life. Knowing that the surname de Kervoach was not only unique in Brittany but that it was used only by the Le Bihan family, how can one conclude without any doubt, that this is done by someone who, by all means possible, wants to hide his true identity? Is it permitted to think otherwise? Would it not be more appropriate and logical for a Breton who supposedly wishes to loose himself in the crowd and hide his identity, to simply used Le Bihan or Le Bris, two rather common family names in Brittany then and now?
LE TRÉSOR — What else did you notice in the documents known to date?
FRANÇOIS — In spite of all the various signatures, there is no doubt whatsoever that in New France, our Ancestor was known by all and sundry under the name Alexandre de K/voach dit (known as) Le Breton. And if we wish to better understand the personage, it is essential to look beyond the variants; otherwise one could read too much into it and come to unfounded conclusions. It is absolutely essential to consider the ways and customs of the time, and then, it was perfectly normal for people to use a number of names or, varied forms of the same name, and, more often than not, names were written as one heard them, they were not spelled according to any rules, examples abound. Just look at the forty-five different ways our family name was written in Phillipe’s Papers that we published in the last issue (#99) of Le Trésor des Kirouac!
It is also important to keep in mind the context in which the signatures were written and consider what had just happened before and after these events. From all this I can draw one conclusion and make one comment: our Ancestor always introduced himself as Alexandre de K/voach and everybody knew that he was from Brittany. This is perfectly clear on a deed he signed on 25 January 1727 (19). Our ancestor signed Le Bihan on the deed, but in the text it says that one Alexandre Carunoac was present at the ceremony; this obviously means that he gave his name to the parish priest as: Alexandre de K/voach, but in the Church record the parish priest wrote the name as it sounded to him without bothering about the spelling… and the signature in the same parish records is clearly Le Bihan.
LE TRÉSOR — Can you give us other examples, just as relevant?
FRANÇOIS — The same thing happened at his marriage, on 22 October 1732 (20). On that occasion, he uses another name in front of the surname de K/voach. Nevertheless, it is difficult to think that his in-laws would have known him as anything else but Alexandre de K/voach, dit le Breton even if he used a new name that day. When he was married to Louise Bernier, our Ancestor officially acknowledged a son born out of wedlock in February 1732, which is eight months earlier. However, on the birth certificate, in the parish records (21), the parish priest could have written the common form used at the time: “born of unknown father”, but he wrote: “son of one called Alexandre voyageur” (usual for “traveling fur trader”). Thus, eight months before the wedding he was already known as Alexandre and it is not by chance either that the son was baptised Alexandre in the absence of the father. Therefore, in February 1732, his future in-laws knew him as Alexandre and, as on 25 January 1727 in Quebec City, he would have introduced himself as Alexandre de K/voach, and then, a few months later, at his wedding, he signed the parish records in Cap St-Ignace as Maurice Louis Le Bris de K/voach.
LE TRÉSOR — Fascinating! Now what else did you observe?
FRANÇOIS — There is another interesting fact: three of Louise Bernier’s sisters married three Côté brothers between 1720 and 1722. Louise Bernier was our ancestor’s wife. Her three sisters’ husbands were the sons of the Seigneur de la Rivière-Verte and our Ancestor already knew that family in 1730, which is two years before getting married to Louise Bernier. The Seigneur Côté, who could neither read nor write, evidently fully trusted our Ancestor because he asked him to prepare a simple contract* for the sale of a piece of land (22). The contract is signed by Alexandre de K/voach dit le Breton, therefore his new wife’s sisters already knew him as Alexandre le Breton, the nickname under which he was obviously known at the time according to the documents discovered so far.
Finally, I wish to add that our Ancestor signed all these documents in full view and knowledge of all those present at these signing sessions. He introduced himself as Alexandre de K/voach and signed something else! Whenever he used these various signatures, those present must have been aware of it, at least the notaries, the parish priests and those who witnessed the signing of the deeds and, no one ever seem to find fault with this or be annoyed by it. Why? Most likely because it did not matter at the time. Of course, today, it would not be accepted as our customs and our laws have changed; so nowadays our ancestor would be caught red-handed. But at the time, no one cared about spelling and the Ancestor’s signature was perfectly legible, which is not always the case nowadays.
LE TRÉSOR — How would you explain our ancestor’s varied signatures?
FRANÇOIS — Let us look at his marriage for example. Then, he gives himself two new Christian names, Maurice and Louis and he signs the family name Le Bris accompanied with the surname de Kervoach. Furthermore, he invents, for himself, a set of parents whose names make them look like nobility: François Hyacinthe Le Bris de Kervoach and Madeleine de Meuseuillac. Now, let me quote the Breton author, Pierre Jakès Hélias (23): “The owner of a farm, or even one whose family had been living on a farm for some years, is given the name of the farm, just like in the olden days the Seigneurs took on the name of their land. When speaking of one called Yves de Kerlaeron, do not believe for a moment that it is a noble personage, a viscount or a marquis. When you know that the surname de Kervoach is indeed the name of a property in Lanmeur that belonged to Urbain-François’ ancestors, and that, they too used that name as a surname, when he signed Maurice-Louis Le Bris de Kervoach and invented himself some ‘noble’ parents, would you not think that our Ancestor simply had been trying to climb up an extra step or two on the social ladder rather than attempting to change his identity to mix the cards as the Breton genealogist asserts? Does he simply wish to make people believe that he is ‘noble’? Why do I ask myself that question? How could we ignore the family legend that members of our family at large believed in for so long? Yes, let us admit it; we liked to believe that our ancestor was of ‘noble’ origin. And during a century, a few members of our family knocked on the door of the Marquis of Kérouartz in Brittany believing that we were related. So, may we be allowed to think that the real purpose of Alexandre de K/voach on 22 October 1732 was simply to raise himself up an extra notch on the social ladder?
As far as I am concerned to pretend that our ancestor changed his identity because he did not want to be linked to his past because this past was supposed to be non-commendable does not hold water. By giving himself ‘noble airs’ at his wedding, what was he exactly doing? Let’s face it; he was clearly attracting attention to himself as there were rather few ‘nobles’ in Cap- Saint-Ignace during the 18th century. As far as I am concerned if he had really wanted to hide his true identity and remain out of sight, he would not have used the surname de Kervoach, being fully aware that it was unique and that only his ancestors had ever been identified by it. To me, he looks more like someone who is very sure of himself and knows his true worth.
LE TRÉSOR — Captivating! Do you have anymore examples like that?
FRANÇOIS — Here is another one. The Breton origin of our ancestor was common knowledge, so much so that he was called Alexandre le Breton by all and sundry. In 1730, when he signed his name Alexandre le Breton, in no way would he have been trying to make people believe then that this was his “family name in lieu and place of Le Bihan”, he is signing his surname or nickname because it was the done thing at the time! People were quite normally identified by their place of origin. Hence the Houde/Houle dit Desrochers, Durocher, Desruisseaux, Duruisseau - following the splitting of a family estate, Pépin dit Lachance and Quemenner dit Laflamme! Here, the French word ‘dit’ means ‘known as’.
On 30 November 1733, our ancestor wrote a letter to the Governor of New France, the Marquis de Beauharnois (24). Now the follow up to that letter is most interesting as an indication of our Ancestor’s famous identity. He signed his letter Alexandre de K/voach. However, the Intendant Hocquart, the highest authority in New France at the time, further to our ancestor’s letter, a few days later published an ordinance (25) inviting the population to help Alexandre le Breton. The letter was signed de K/voach but the ordinance mentions le Breton without even mentioning de K/voach. The content of these two documents clearly show that our ancestor, Alexandre de K/voach, who was known by the population in general by the surname/nickname of Le Breton was also known as such by the administrative and judicial authorities of New France. For everybody he was Alexandre de Kervoach dit le Breton, no matter how he signed documents and deeds. The use of the surname/nickname le Breton was indeed so popular among his contemporaries that long after his death, his own sons, grandsons, and even some of his great-grandsons were still known by that surname. With time it has been transformed in some cases into Berton and even Burton.
LE TRÉSOR — Would you say that he liked to take front stage?
FRANÇOIS – Definitely, and not only with the administrators of the colony but also with the ordinary people. The documents found to date in Quebec prove that Alexandre de K/voach led a very active social life on the Côte-du-Sud (St. Lawrence River South Shore, North of Quebec City). We find him in Beaumont, Cap St-Ignace, L’Islet, Saint-Roch-des-Aulnaies, Kamouraska and Île Verte. He is present at the signing of various contracts and notaries’ deeds, at funerals, burials, baptisms and marriages. He also signed documents and deeds in Quebec City and once in Montreal where he was god-father to a baby girl. Everywhere he is known as Alexandre de K/voach dit le Breton.
His notoriety is uncontested and proven again, one last time, at his own funeral. He died on 5 March 1736 and at his funeral the following day, the parish priest wrote in the parish records that the whole parish of Kamouraska attended the funeral and burial, this was a rare occurrence at the time, so much so that it is very seldom recorded in writing.
CONCLUSION
LE TRÉSOR ― What conclusion would you draw from the research about our Ancestor in New France at the time?
FRANÇOIS — Considering that our ancestor used de Kervoach on a regular basis to identify himself vis-à-vis his contemporaries;
Considering the fact that the uniqueness of the name de Kervoach would have enabled his contemporaries to easily link him with the Le Bihan family of Huelgoat, because the family was originally from a place known as de Kervoac in Lanmeur, this reference enabling the same link to be made three hundred years later;
Considering that variation in the spelling of names was a customary practice in New France;
Considering that the social life lead by our ancestor does not at all fit the profile of one who wished to remain unknown because he had committed some reprehensible act, would try to hide himself, not wanting to be found out;
Also considering that the conditions in New France at the time could have made it extremely easy for him to stay hidden if that had been his goal, but quite to the contrary, he put himself our front everywhere;
Considering that our ancestor, instead of avoiding the administrative and judicial authorities in New France, as would have done any person wanting to keep one’s identity hidden, he in fact collaborated with said authorities on a number of occasions, and even was hired by them to work as guide for said authorities;
Given all the afore mentioned evidence, we cannot but believe that our ancestor does not at all fit the profile of the infamous delinquent that the Breton genealogist, Patricia Dagier, insists in describing in her two recent books entitled: Jack Kerouac, Breton d’Amérique and Le véritable Trésor de Clément Kirouac. There are also sufficient reasonable explanations to let us think that the importance of the 1720 court case was rather minor on the life of our Ancestor.
LE TRÉSOR — Given all this information, can we reasonably think that, so far, the whole story has not been told and that more is yet to come?
FRANÇOIS — The genealogical research started in 1978 by the KFA had essentially one aim, to discover the place of origin of the Ancestor of the Kirouac families and nothing more, no matter what others might pretend. However, this research has brought us a lot of information but far more interrogations. When researching, my philosophy is that every affirmation must be backed by facts proven by documents and certifiable references. Hypotheses are permitted and numerous but they are only questions to be answered. It often takes months and years of research to finally unearth documents in archives that will eventually and finally shed light on a person or a period of their life. I could fill pages with questions - still to be answered - about our ancestor. How I would love to fill all the gaps one day, or at least some of them. For the moment it is a dream. Reality is often more extraordinary than fiction and I am convinced that the research file is far from being closed; I would rather say that it is wide open.
LE TRÉSOR — Thank you very much indeed for answering our numerous questions. I think we can believe that the enigma of the true history of our ancestor will be resolved one day but not without your input. We wish you the best possible success, many more discoveries and, one day, to publish the history of our Ancestor.
FRANÇOIS — If I may add as a last word, I think that when analyzing the results of the research, it is important to look not only at what is written in the documents and what it says, but it is also important to take into consideration the ways and customs of the time and, added to that, what has been imprinted in our collective minds for so long. It is also most important to remember that Alexandre de K/voach is not only Jack Kerouac’s ancestor. He is also the ancestor of Brother Marie-Victorin as well as the ancestor of thousands of descendants for who, as for my own grandfather, the motto of our Association has a profound signification: Pride, Dignity and Integrity.
REFERENCES
(1) Le Bris de Keroack no 20, pp. 6-8.
(2) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 50, pp. 6-8.
(3) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 50, pp. 20-24.
(4) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 51, pp. 10-15.
(5) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 60, pp. 21-24.
(6) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 51, pp. 10-15.
(7) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 52, pp. 8-9.
(8) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 53, pp. 9-12.
(9) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 54, pp. 4-16.
(10) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 54, p. 17.
(11) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 54, p. 18.
(12) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 57, pp. 38-41.
(13) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 65, pp. 9-10.
(14) Le Trésor des Kirouac no 68, pp. 20-27
(15) Jack Kerouac, Breton d’Amérique, Patricia Dagier, Hervé Quéméner, Édition Le Télégramme, p. 67.
(16) Jack Kerouac, Breton d’Amérique, Patricia Dagier, Hervé Quéméner, Édition Le Télégramme, p. 79.
(17) Le véritable trésor de Clément Kirouac, Patricia Dagier, p. 69.
(18) Name changes were frequent and normal in New France at the time. But it is interesting to note that it was then just as normal and frequent in France, so much so, that by the time of the French Revolution, a law was enacted to stop anyone from using names and surnames other that those registered in the official government files. (Geopatronyme.com). So, our ancestor was very much a man of his time!
(19) Archives nationales du Québec, registres paroissiaux de Notre-Dame-de-Québec (CE301, S1). (QNA)
(20) Archives nationales du Québec, Cap-Saint-Ignace Parish Record CE302, S1. (QNA)
(21) Archives nationales du Québec, Cap-Saint-Ignace Parish Records CE302, S1, dated 28 Feb. 1732. (QNA)
(22) Archives nationales du Québec, Fonds Cour supérieure (Superior Court Archives), Abel Michon Notary CN302, S29). (QNA) (*simple contract, translates the French expression: contrat sous seing privé)
(23) Tradition bretonne, le savoir-vivre, 1973. (Book about ways and customs in Brittany)
(24) Archives nationales du Québec, Fonds Gouverneur, Régime français R1, P40 – Governor’s archives under the French Regime, (QNA)
(25) Archives nationales du Québec, Ordonnances des intendants, 4 December 1733, Ordonnances de l’intendant Hocquart (E1, S1, P4351) – Orders in Council, by Chief Administrator Hocquart. (QNA)