1662-2012, 350th Family Anniversary

On 18 August 1662 in Quebec City my ancestor Jean Philippe Lebel de Beaulieu arrived in Canada. He will join the French army regiments like Le Régiment de la Reine and the Régiment de la Franche Marine sent by the King Louis XIV, the Sun King to protect the borders of the French Empire in North America from the English south of Montreal. From humble beginning to today. We know that he was only 16 years old and illiterate, had come to New France to make a life for himself. Hired himself as a man-servant and worked for friends of  the Governor of New France, he then decided to join the regiments arriving from France. He saw quite a lot of action in what is today Vermont, Lake Champlain area and Albany, New York. He was then posted on the St-Lawrence river at Fort Chambly. Finally returning to Quebec City he received a deed of land and managed to triple his landholding. He will, later in life, do battle again in 1690 when Quebec City is attacked by Admiral Sir William Phipps, the English are quickly defeated. The rest is family history, of farms along the St-Lawrence river and of settlement.
We no longer have farms and are now all city dwellers, involved in different trades and the family now spans Canada and the USA. I wonder what our ancestor would think of such success.

I dedicate this popular musical piece of the 17th Century to his memory.



Malbrouque s'en va en guerre, referring to the Duke of Marlborough and the battle of Malpaquet 1709.
Who has not heard or learn this song in their childhood. I like this clip because it shows the uniform and flag of the regiment under which my ancestor served. There is one funny family trait we all share to this day, the Beaulieu nose. We all have the same nose it is quite funny at family gatherings, anyone looking at all of us would notice that family trait.