Ambroise Pitre (abt. 1750 - abt. 1787)

Born about 1750 in Cobequid, Acadie, Colony of Nova Scotia [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Elisabeth Anne Dugas — married 6 Apr 1774 in Pleurtuit, Ille-et-Villaine, France

Descendants

Died about 1787 at about age 37 in Lafourche, Louisiana, New Spain

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Biography

Ambroise Pitre is on the Wall of Names at the Acadian Memorial in St. Martinville, Louisiana, on Plaque 7 Left, La Bergere. Listed with him is his wife, Elizabeth Dugas, and their three children: Paul Ambroise Pitre, Marie Pitre, and Jean Marie Pitre.^[1]

Ambroise Pitre...

...was born c1750 at Cobequit, Acadia, the 3rd son of nine children of Amand Pitre & Genevieve Arsement. The following year, like many of his neighbors, Amand moved his family to Ile St. Jean. The 1752 La Roque census showed that they were residing at Grande-Anse on Ile St. Jean with four children. ^[2]

When the deportations began, Ambroise was only about nine. On 9th March 1759, Ambroise, four siblings and his parents arrived at St. Malo on du Supply. Still in France, fifteen years later, Ambroise married Elisabeth Dugas, also an Acadian refugee. Their son Paul Ambroise was born the following year.

When the large movement of Acadians to Nantes occurred in 1776, Ambroise, his wife and son were in the 4th Convoy which left Chatellerault. The journey lasted a week, from 6th March to 13th March 1776. Four more children followed, Elisabeth (died at age 2), Marie, Jean Louis (died at 1 month) & Jean Marie. In 1785 the family, which now consisted of Ambroise 35 a sailor, his wife Elizabeth Dugat 32, and their remaining three children (Paul 9, Marie 6 & Jean Marie 1) sailed from France to Louisiana on La Bergere.

The family settled in Lafourche Parish. Ambroise died within those first couple of years as widowed ‘Isabelle Dugats’ is found in the 1st January 1788 Lafourche census, with their children Paul, Marie, Jean Marie and 2-year-old Celeste (who was baptized at Ascension on 4 December 1785). They were settled on six arpents of land whose frontage would have been on the bayou. They had 20 quarts of corn, 1 cow, 1 horse and 4 hogs.

About a year later Elisabeth Dugas remarried to Jean Marie Campo. They had two sons, Joseph & Augustin Martin, before Elisabeth was again widowed. She is found in the 1791 Lafourche census as widow Isabelle Campeau 38, with her sons Paul Pitre 15, Jean Pitre 8, and Joseph Campeau 1.

The family is listed in the 1795, 1797, and 1798 Lafourche censuses with all members listed. Her four surviving Pitre children married between 1800 & 1805. Her youngest Campo son, Augustin Martin, married on 15 June 1812 to Emilie Marie Hebert. ^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ The Wall of Names at the Acadian Memorial, Wall of Names Committee; Jane G. Bulliard, Chair, eds., (Opelousas, LA: Bodemuller, 2015) p. 31.
2. ↑ Report Concerning Canadian Archives for the Year 1905, Volume II (Ottawa: Printed by S.E.Dawson, 1905), 1752 La Roque Census, p.114, image 258. A transcription of the original census, in French, can be found at Census Transcription of Original Record “Recensement de l'Isle Royal et de Isle Saint-Jean ” p. 426, Image 430

   Amant Pitre, ploughman, native of l'Acadie, aged 28 years, he has been one year in the country. Married to Geneviève Hertrement, native of l'Acadie, aged 28 years.

   They have three sons and one daughter:-

   Bazille Pitre, aged 15 years.

   Tranquille, aged 4 years.

   Ambroise, aged 3 years.

   Anne, aged 1 year.

   They have in live stock two oxen, three cows, one calf, two pigs, and three fowls. The land upon which they are settled is situated as in the preceding case. It was given to them verbally by Monsieur de Bonnaventure. On it, they have made a clearing for the sowing of three bushels of wheat..

3. ↑ Wendy Pitre Roostan, Ambroise Pitre, 1750 Acadia-1787 Louisiana, "The Pitre Trail from Acadia"