1754 Ile St. Jean – after 1826 L'Ardoise, Nova Scotia
Continuation of tree (1st child of Pierre Pitre/Anne Bourg); all known surname descendants:
5 Francois Xavier Pitre b: 16 July 1754 Port Lajoie, Ile St. Jean; d: Bet. 1826-1845 L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS
+Marie Modeste Cheverie b: 27 February 1755 Ile St. Jean; m: Abt. 1778 Prince Edward Island [Antoine/Marie Pinet]; d: 16 February 1845 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS (age 94; listed as widow of Xavier Pitre)
6 Helene Pitre b: Abt. 1781 Prince Edward Island; d: 24 August 1849 River Bourgeois, Richmond, NS
+Louis Boucher b: Abt. 1787; m: Abt. 1815 L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS; d: 30 April 1870 River Bourgeois, Richmond, NS
6 Marguerite Pitre b: Abt. 1782 Prince Edward Island; d: 2 August 1850 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS (age 69)
+Joseph Samson b: Abt. 1776 L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS; m: Abt. 1803 [Pierre/Marguerite Landry]; d: 1 January 1849 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS [no marriage record found; however burial entries list Joseph Samson h/o Marguerite Pitre, age 72 & Marguerite Pitre widow of Joseph Samson, age 69]
6 Agnes Pitre b: Abt. 1783 Prince Edward Island; d: 21 February 1872 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS (age 90)
+Pierre Xavier Samson b: 31 January 1767 L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS; m: Abt. 1811 L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS [Pierre/Marguerite Landry]; d: 14 November 1855 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS [no marriage record found; however burial entries listed Francois (Pierre) Xavier Samson h/o Agnes Pitre, age 92 & Agnes Pitre widow of Xavier Sancon, age 90]
6 Benjamin Pitre b: Abt. 1785 Prince Edward Island; d: 8 April 1853 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS (age 68)
+Martha Marie Martel b: Abt. 1794; m: Abt. 1814 L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS; d: 8 August 1854 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS (age 60)
6 Marie Pitre b: Abt. 1787 Prince Edward Island; d: 27 March 1864 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS (age 84)
+Martin Samson b: Abt. 1774; m: Abt. 1811 L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS [Jean Baptiste/Marguerite Clerge]; d: 22 January 1830 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS [no marriage record found; however burial entries listed Martin Samson h/o Marie Pitre, age 55 & Marie Pitre age 84]
6 Casimir Pitre b: Abt. 1790 Prince Edward Island; d: 25 November 1862 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS (age 72)
+ Judith Martel b: Abt. 1793 L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS; m: Abt. 1811 L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS [Augustin Paul/Agnes Pitre]; d: 8 May 1863 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS (age 60)
6 Pelagie Angelique Pitre b: Abt. 1796 Prince Edward Island; d: 2 November 1872 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS (age 76)
+ Julien Martel b: Abt. 1794 L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS; m: Abt. 1821 L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS [Augustin Paul/Agathe Pate]; d: 13 March 1853 Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise, Richmond, NS [no marriage record found; however burial entries listed Julien Martel h/o Pelagie Pitre, age 59 & Pelagie Pitre widow of Julien Martel, age 76]
6 boy Pitre b: Abt. 1797 Prince Edward Island; d: Bef. 1811
Notes for Francois Xavier Pitre:
Francois Xavier was born in 1754 at Port Lajoie, Ile St. Jean (now Prince Edward Island), the first of three children of Pierre Pitre and Anne Bourg. His father died about 8 months before the birth of his younger sister Anne. I have no record of what became of his mother, brother or sister.
The family may have remained on the island or close to it. Francois Xavier seems to be the only member found in later records. Xavier married Marie Modeste Cheverie c1778 and according to later censuses, their children were also born on PEI. The 1798 census of PEI listed Xavier (Lavia Peter) at Lot 43 with his wife, 3 boys under 16, 3 girls under 16 and 2 girls over 16. Sometime before 1811 the family moved east to Cape Breton Island.
The 1811 census at Isle Royale (Cape Breton) listed Xavier Pitre (aged over 60), yeoman, with his wife, 2 sons over 14, and 2 daughters also over 14. The family had 18 sheep and a horse, and lived between River Bourgeois and Barachois du Couteau. The neighbors were Fougere & Babin. Two daughters were now married. The 1813 militia list listed him at River Bourgeois. Xavier was part of Capt. Lawrence Kavanaugh's Co., 2nd Regt. Cape Breton militia, 2nd military division, age 64, born PEI, fisherman, on 10 acres (no title). He is now known as Xavier Peters with wife and 2 daughters. His sons Benjamin 25 and 'Cassimere' 23, both fisherman, are also listed.
An 1813 land petition listed Xavier Peters as age 64, a British subject, with a wife and four children. He asked for a lot on the east side of the Barrasaw (sic Barachois) des Cotte.
Xavier's sons Benjamin and
Casimir married and some of their descendants still live in the area
today. Xavier died sometime before his wife. Marie Modeste's 1845
burial record in L'Ardoise listed her as a widow, aged about 94.
Back one generation to parents of Francois Xavier Pitre
Births/marriages/deaths in RED may be from Nova Scotia Antigonish Catholic Diocese (1823-1905) online records.
- Letter from Stephen A. White to Leo Peters
- Holy Guardian Angels, L'Ardoise registers (online)
Last updated: 17 January 2011.