Charles Chandonnet dit Léveillé, I

Charles Chandonnet Sr. (1690-1756) has no entry on the 1907 Wooster Roll but he is the father of André Chandonnet (1720-1790), the only one of his children born outside Québec. André was known as André Chandonnet Aniquiba and was born in Cass and Barrien County, Michigan so Charles Chardonnet Sr. had a presence in Michigan for part of his life. André appears to have lived his entire life in Michigan and died there in 1790.

The genealogical record of French Canadian men who fathered children in the upper Great Lakes needs to take into account the practice of polygamy and having a so-called "Country Wife". For background see http://www.northwestjournal.ca/XIII2.htm

Because André Chandonnet , known as André Chandonnet Aniquiba, married Katabwe (1723-1834) from a Potawatomi family and had descendants who were prominent Potawatomi leaders of the mid 1800's, some Potawatomi personalities carry the DNA of Charles Chandonnet Sr.

Occupation: Sergeant in the troops of the company of D'alogny,

Bailiff, Lawyer

Religion: Catholic

Charles Chandonnet dit Leveille

Chandonnet descendants are unaware that their family name with so

fine a French appearance is a diminutive for a place of origin:

Chandon, attributed to several hamlets in

France and to a community of the Loire in the arrondissement of

Roanne. Chandonne and Chandonnais are only different names for the

same bearers.

Charles Chandonnet, child of Gatien and of Marguerite Legeay, was

born about 1674 at Saint-Calais, arrondissement of Le Mans, today in

la Sarthe. This locality has a

long history. Its abbey, founded under the name of Anisola in the

sixth century, in the twelfth century took the name of its founder

Caislefus (Saint-Calais), a monk from

Auvergne; in 1425, the English destroyed this monastery at the same

time as the town. The abbey was rebuilt by Jean de Ronsard, the

father of the great poet.

It was in this civilized and religious atmosphere that Charles

Chandonnet was raised. He was educated and signed his name with

flourish "Chandone".

It seems likely that Charles committed himself at the age of 20 to a

military career. One does not become a soldier at the age of 35! I do

not know his resume in France.

When he arrived in Canada about 1709, he held the title of sergeant,

a rank that he kept all his life. Sergeants were, in the beginning,

servants, either at the Provost in Paris,

or for the magistrates or the senechaux. Sergeant and servant were

synonyms. In Charles's time, a sergeant was a non-commissioned

officer in an infantry company. That

definition, by and large, remains true today.

AT QUEBEC

Charles Chandonnet dit Leveille, was at Quebec in 1709. On 13

December, he appeared at the church of Notre-Dame as godfather of

Charles Jodouin, son of Claude and of

Louise Renaud. Marie-Catherine Larcheveque accompanied him as god

mother. The curate Pierre Pocquet did not miss the opportunity to

mention the title of the spiritual

guardian of the infant:

"sergeant in the troops of the company d 'Alogny ".

Charles-Henri Aloigny de la Groye, midshipman at Rochefort, had come

to Canada in 1683 as a lieutenant. For 30 years, he pursued a very

active military career here as

captain, ship's ensign, commander at Fort Frontenac in 1700, major

in 1702 and commander of troops in 1704. He would occupy this last

position until his death in the

autumn of 1714 in the shipwreck of the Saint-Jerome at Sable Island.

Sergent Chandonnet was therefore under the orders of Charles-Henri

Aloigny in 1709. It took this

baptism to reveal to USA these valuable details. If Claude Jodouin

had chosen Ancestor Leveille as godfather, it was because he was

already favorably known at Quebec

and perhaps had been so for a few years.

From 1711 to 1712, Charles Chandonnet assisted as witness at four

marriages. On 23 November 1711, Jean Chandelier dit Saint-Louis,

soldier in the Company

d'Aloigny, abandoned bachelorhood. He married Jeanne-Elisabeth Joly

at the cathedral of Quebec. Sergeant Chandonnet and Nicolas Framery,

soldiers in the same

company, were honored to act as witness for their companion-in-arms.

On 19 January of the following year, the same friends, Charles and

Nicolas, did the same at the marriage of Louis Dautrepe dit Lanoix,

soldier in the Company d'Aloigny,

and Marie-Madeleine Delaunay, daughter of Henri and of Francoise

Crete. Ten days later, it was the turn of soldier Rene Girard dit

Brindamour and Marie-Josephe Poitras

to commit themselves to the great company of married people. This

time, Sergeant Charles Chandonnet enhanced this wedding at Quebec by

his presence: along with, to his

right Etienne de Villedonne, aide major of the troops, and to his

left Jean Vergeat dit Penouveau, veteran sergeant at the garrison of

Chateau Saint-Louis.

Finally, on 5 April 1712, Jean Bonneau, royal baker, native of Saint-

Quentin-les-Trod, took as his wife Marie-Madeleine Moreau, widow of

Francois Rolland. In his

lifetime Rolland had been a soldier in the company de Mantet and

master baker. This widow, who was marrying again, was accompanied by

a diverse crowd of people:

Jean-Baptiste Lacoudray dit Tourangeau, inn keeper and merchant;

Francois Pampalon dit Labranche, sergeant at the garrison of Quebec

since 1703; Louis Guerrain, an

unknown soldier; Claude-Charles Detisne, ensign of troops; and

finally, Sergeant Charles Chandonnet.

The presence of Charles Chandonnet appears again at the baptism of

Marie-Charlotte Dautrepe, the eldest daughter of Louis. Accompanying

the soldier on this 5 April 1712

was Marie-Barbe Delaunay, the child's aunt and godmother.

In short, the presence of Sergeant Charles Chandonnet did not pass

unnoticed at Quebec. He was so kind! Did Charles decide to set up his

home before white flakes fell on

his roof?

DAILY LIFE

The life of sergeant Chandonnet appears rather tranquil and with

reason. The Treaty of Utrecht, signed on 11 April 1713, gave Hudson

Bay and Newfoundland to England.

Acadia was already lost. With the permission of the king, the

soldiers were used to strengthen the fortifications of the capital:

they built a redoubt and a wall along the slope

of the Palais to provide a curtain between the redoubt and Cap-au-

Diamants. The sergeants, the first rank in the hierarchy of the non-

commissioned officers, assured the

supervision of these defensive works.

After the death of his commander Aloigny, Charles changed companies.

We know that in 1740, he belonged to the Company of La Ronde. Charles

de Beauharnois

(1726-1749) replaced Philippe Rigaud (1703-1725) as Governor of

Canada.

Chandonnet was educated. He sometimes used his talents as bailiff or

lawyer. Thus, on 23 May 1725, he signed an official report of an

account of expenses to be paid by

the widow Duchesnaye at the request of Jean Badeau.

On 8 August 1746, Sergeant Chandonne argued at the Sovereign Council

the case of the late Jean-Baptiste Roy, who was during his lifetime,

resident of Saint-Valier. And

on the 13th of the same month, he produced the account of expenses

to be paid by the widow Claire Cadrin. Another similar document for

the same case was drawn up on

the first of August 1747.

On 26 March 1739, we learn that Chandonne and Larche owned a lot at

Quebec rented to Joseph Huppe, hatmaker. The latter said he was

unable to pay the 50 livres owed

in arrears; he begged them to annul this debt, considering that he

now was living at Terrebonne, and to take back this lot located on

Rue Saint-Joseph and acquired in the

presence of Pinguet on 13 and 18 December 1731. The debtor received

an acquittal from his easy-going creditors.

HOUSE SALE

Elisabeth and Charles, residents of Rue Saint-Joseph, decided on 30

June 1740 to sell to the tailor Pierre Lamothe, living with his wife

Charlotte Boisandre at the carrefour

Saint Jean,

"a lot and house above built on it located and situated on the level

of the said rue saint Joseph, containing about 24 feet 10 inches of

frontage...by 38 deep ".

The neighbors were Etienne Roy and the widow Badeau. The house 20

feet wide, log on log, had only one floor with kitchen, bedroom, a

small room, cellar and attic.

Chandonnet had acquired the lot on 8 November 1715 from the Fathers

of the College for 24 livres in non-redeemable annual rent. The

buyers could draw their water from

the Chandonnets' wells located on Rue de la Fabrique, near the heirs

of Louis Vaillant. The tailor would pay a total amount of 700 livres

to the sergeant. Charles and

Elisabeth gave a receipt to Lamothe on 20 March 1742.

At the time of the census of the city of Quebec in 1744, the

Chandonne family was still living on Rue Saint-Joseph. Pierre

Lamothe, tailor, and Francois Lachambre,

shoemaker, were their neighbors.

At that time, were the Chandonnets property owners or renters? A

receipt from Sieur Couillard de Saint-Thomas given to Charles on 30

April 1747 sheds some light. In the

presence of the notary Louet on 18 March 1729, they had acquired

this piece of land "from a division" to Sieur Couillard de Saint-

Thomas after the death of his uncle

Jean-Baptiste Couillard, Sieur de l'Espinay. Charles had paid 400

livres to acquire this lot on which he was presently living with his

family.

THE CHANDONNET FAMILY

At Quebec, the sun of life shone at least 13 times in the Bourget-

Chandonnet cradle. But Charles, Marie, Madeleine, Marie-Anne, Antoine

and Jean-Baptiste did not reach

adulthood. I am unaware of the destiny of Etienne, baptized on 4

September 1738, present in the census of 1744.

There are stitches missing in the fabric of the history of this

second generation. One day, a descendant researcher will bring new

details.

LAST WATCH

Geography is learned by measurements, the history of a country by

ones heart and the value of life by the number of years one has

lived. Charles Chandonnet, sergeant

major, had crossed the ocean to protect the property of his

homeland. For almost a half-century, he was faithful to his post as

sergeant in New France. Now he was ready to

trade his military stripes in order to receive those of the chosen.

On Sunday, 27 June 1756, there was a changing of the guard. He was 78

years old. He was buried the next

day at Quebec, in the presence of a single witness recorded in the

registry, Jean Vallee. The officiating priest Jean Baptiste Rousseau

could have said more but he seemed to

have counted his words.

On 20 September of the following year, Elisabeth Bourget ordered an

inventory of the property of her late husband. Before the

distribution, she had the right to 1,000 livres

in dowry, 600 livres in preciput, her old clothes and her ornate

bed. Half of the remaining property reverted to her as a wife married

with community property. Thus, a

fortune did not remain to be divided among the minor children.

Etienne Chandonnet, Andre, Marie Marthe, Elisabeth, Marie-Anne,

Josephe and Charles settled on the

Riviere Saint-Jean.

The number of inventoried objects is impressive. Not to mention the

pots, iron trivets, skimmers, casseroles, numerous plates and the

bird cage, I especially note the small

frypan from the forges of Saint-Maurice with its sheet iron rack;

the small iron pepper mill with its crank; the 13 inch mirror with a

frame of gilded wood; the 2 small cotton

curtains and their small iron rods; an old and new testament; 2

prayer books; 2 dictionaries Latin and French; a box containing 3

alphabets of copper for printing letters and

an old copper horn.

In the cellar were found 6 cords of firewood; a small oratory

composed of a Christ and 9 small paintings with their frame; 1 basin

of coarse crockery for shaving; 2 old

spinning wheels, and so forth.

The widow declared owning no silver. She owed the nuns of the Hotel-

Dieu 10 livres for the care of her cow. Pierre Poulin was in debt to

the Bourget-Chandonnet family

in the amount of 450 livres "by a debt signed before Mr Sanguinet

and Dulaurent" on 9 March 1752.

That which Charles left was not important; the important thing is

what he brought: an honest life shared with his loved ones, his

homeland and his first commanding officer,

the Lord and Master of people and men.

The Chandonnet descendants have multiplied quietly in Quebec and

elsewhere.

FAMILY NAME VARIATIONS

Chandon, Chandone, Chandonne, Chandonnais and Leveille.

END NOTES

1) Records of Barolet, 13 July 1750; 20 September 1757.

2) Records of Dubreuil, 10 June 1712; 8 November 1715.

3) Records of Dulaurent, 26 March 1739; 30 June 1740; 20 March 1742;

30 August 1747.

4) Record of Pinguet, 13 December 1731.

5) Adrien Bergeron, Le Grand Arrangement des Acadiens au Ouebec

(1981), Vol.2, p. 212-217.

6) Albert Dauzat, DENFPF (1951), p,107.

7) Rene Jette, DFO (1983), p.221.

8) Andre Lafontaine, RAVO 1716 & 1744 (1983), pp.17, 156.

9) ___. DBC, Vol.11, p.192. Thomas-Aime

10) ___.Histoire et Archeologie (Ministry of Indian Affairs and of

the North), Vol.17, p.366, no 1527. Before me Gilbert de Godefus,

comes one Francois Morin hired to

square off a house for Andre Chandonnet. This house of 30 x 25 x 9,

with 8 openings, 6 for windows and 2 for doors; 150 beams and 300

pine planks.

11) ___. IJDCSNF 1717-1760, Vol.5, pp. 6, 39, 65.

12) ___. RAPQ, Vol.51, pp. 82, 98, 99.

13) ___. RHAF, Vol.l. DD. 200-201, 210-212, 234. The history of the

Abbot T.-A. Chandonnet.