Benjamin Pitre
1725 Acadia – 30 September 1782 France
Benjamin Pitre was born c1725 at Cobequit, Acadia, the eldest child of Claude Jean Pitre and Marguerite Doiron. He was followed by seven brothers.
About 1747 Benjamin married Jeanne Moyse, the eldest daughter born at Port Royal of Francois Moyse and Marie Brun. Benjamin and Jeanne had a son Canute, and two daughters Agnes and Francoise, before being deported to France. This, as for so many other families, became an ill-fated journey.
Only Benjamin and his oldest daughter Agnes survived the crossing. They arrived at St. Malo on 23rd of January 1759 from one of the "Five Ships". They lived in St. Suliac for the first six months and in La Gouesniere for the last six months of 1759. It was at La Gouesniere where Benjamin married again to Marguerite Boudrot, a woman about 15 years his junior. They settled in St. Suliac where their first five children were born.
On 15 September 1772 Benjamin was listed as 45 years old, a widower (sic), a little deranged, and as being from St. Malo. Marguerite Boudrot, his second wife, spins and sews.
Following the birth of the next two children, Benjamin Pitre, wife Marguerite Boudrot, and their family totaling nine persons, were in the 4th Convoy leaving Chatellerault for Nantes (6 March –13 March 1776). At Nantes, Benjamin’s eldest daughter Agnes married Joseph Guerin. Six years later Benjamin died at the age of 57.
Only three years later the remaining family members left France for Louisiana on L’Amite. They consisted of Benjamin’s widow Margueritte Boudrou 46, children Marie 23, Magdelaine 21, Cecille 15, Marguerite 14, Etienne 7, and Jean 4. (Agnes’ family left France for Louisiana as well.)
The 1788 Lafourche census (left bank) found Margueritte Boudreaut widow Pitre 47, Marie 25, Magdeleinne 23, Olivette 19, Margueritte 17, and Jean 6 with 6 arpents of land, 20 quarts of corn, and 1 swine. (Marie, Madeleine and Marguerite were actually already married at this point.)
Continuation of tree (1st child of Claude Jean Pitre/Marguerite Doiron); all known surname descendants:
4 Benjamin Pitre b: Abt. 1725 Cobequit, Acadia; d: 30 September 1782 St. Pierre de Reze, Bretagne, France
+Jeanne Moyse b: 29 July 1714 Port Royal, Acadia; m: Abt. 1747 Acadia [Francois/Marie Brun]; d: 1758 at sea during the crossing to France
5 Agnes Pitre b: Abt. 1748 Cobequit, Acadia; d: Aft. 1798 Louisiana
+Joseph Guerin b: Abt. 1753 Acadia; m: 30 April 1776 St. Similien, Nantes, France [Dominique/Anne Leblanc]; d: 12 December 1813 Plattenville, Assumption, LA
5 Francoise Pitre b: Abt. 1749 Acadia; d: 1758 at sea during crossing to France
5 Canute Pitre b: Abt. 1755; d: 1758 at sea during crossing to France
*2nd Wife of Benjamin Pitre:
+Marguerite Boudrot b: Abt. 1741 Acadia; m: 27 November 1759 La Gouesniere, Ille-et-Villaine, France [Jean Baptiste/Catherine Brassaud]; d: Aft. 1788 Louisiana
5 Marie Pitre b: 25 November 1761 St. Suliac, Bretagne, France; d: 2 December 1825 Thibodaux, Lafourche, LA
+Antoine Marin b: Abt. 1746; m: Abt. 1787 Lafourche, LA; d: Bef. 1825
5 Madeleine Modeste Pitre b: 22 July 1763 St. Suliac, Bretagne, France; d: 26 October 1793 Plattenville, Assumption, LA
+Jean Alain Gautrot b: 27 September 1764 Pleslin, Cotes du Nord, France; m: 21 January 1786 St. Louis Cathedral, New Orleans, LA [Alexandre/Marguerite Hebert]
*2nd Husband of Madeleine Modeste Pitre:
+Antoine Renaud b: Abt. 1760 Bordeaux; m: 17 August 1792 Donaldsonville, Ascension, LA [Francois/Marie Berrinel]; d: Aft. 1793
5 Jean Baptiste Pitre b: 22 December 1765 St. Suliac, Bretagne, France; d: 13 January 1767 St. Suliac, Bretagne, France
5 Cecile Olive Pitre b: 19 January 1768 St. Suliac, Bretagne, France; d: Aft. 1788 Louisiana
5 Marguerite Charlotte Pitre b: 25 January 1770 St. Suliac, Bretagne, France; d: Bet. 1798-1807 Lafourche, LA
+Armand Philipe Fremin b: Abt. 1768 Chantenay, Bretagne, France; m: 14 February 1787 Donaldsonville, Ascension, LA [Armand/Anne Taunee]; d: Bet. September 1808-1820
5 Francois Jean Baptiste Pitre b: 12 August 1773 St. Suliac, Bretagne, France; d: 20 September 1781 St. Pierre de Reze, Bretagne, France
5 Genevieve Louise Pitre b: 17 July 1775 Vienne, France; d: 9 September 1777 St. Pierre de Reze, Bretagne, France
5 Etienne Pitre b: Abt. 4 June 1778 France; d: Bet. 1785 - 1788 Louisiana
5 Jean Pitre b: Abt. 2 October 1780 St. Pierre de Reze, Bretagne, France; d: Bet. 1813-1832 Ascension, LA
+Marie Reine Bourg b: Abt. 17 November 1789 Donaldsonville, Ascension, LA; m: 1 September 1808 Donaldsonville, Ascension, LA [Jean/Catherine Viaud]; d: 10 November 1832 Thibodaux, Lafourche, LA
5 Mathurin Pitre b: Abt. 24 January 1783 Nantes, France; d: 3 February 1783 Nantes, France
Back one generation to parents of Benjamin Pitre
Items in RED verified from transcriptions in the following:
- Dictionnaire Genealogique des Familles Acadiennes (Stephen A. White)
- The Acadian Exiles in Chatellerault 1773-1785 (Robichaux)
- The Acadian Exiles in Nantes (Robichaux)
- The Acadian Exiles in St. Malo 1758-1785, Vol. 2 (Robichaux)
- South Louisiana Records: Church and Civil Records of Lafourche-Terrebonne Parishes (Rev. Hebert)
- Diocese of Baton Rouge Catholic Church Records
- Sacramental Records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of New Orleans
Last updated: 2 February 2010***