Catherine Bugaret

Ancestral Mother of the Petitpas Family, Ancestral Grandmother of the Guédry Family

by Martin Guidry

The Bugaret surname was short-lived in Acadia - only from 1638 until 1693. Although only two persons held the surname during its brief stay in Acadia, the Bugaret genes survive today in their descendants.

The first Bugaret to reach the shores of Acadia, Bernard Bugaret was the father of Catherine Bugaret, wife of Claude Petitpas. ¹ A ship's carpenter, he travelled from France to Acadia on at least three occasions - 1636, 1638 and 1648. With the tragic death of Governor Isaac Razilly in 1635, Razilly's brother Claude de Razilly, Sieur du Launay appointed Charles de Menou Sieur d'Aulnay de Charnisay as his lieutenant in Acadia. On March 9th and 20th of 1636 d'Aulnay drew up contracts in La Rochelle, France under the notary Pierre Teuleron to bring colonists to Acadia from La Rochelle on the 250-ton ship Saint-Jehan. ² On 12 March 1636 Nicolas Denys de la Ronde drew up a contract at La Rochelle under the notary Pierre Teuleron to transport his colonists to Acadia on the Saint-Jehan. ³ Sailing 1 April 1636 from La Rochelle, France on the Saint-Jehan to LaHève, Acadia was Bernard Bugare, a Basque carpenter - one of nine carpenters onboard. ⁴ As a carpenter, he must have signed a contract earlier in 1636 - perhaps with Nicolas Denys to work on Denys' lumbering operations in the LaHève-Merliguèche area and to construct buildings and boats.

The Basque country is in the western Pyrénées Mountains, straddling the border between France and Spain on the Atlantic coast. The Northern Basque Country (also called the French Basque Country) lies within the Pyrénées-Atlantique Département of France and comprises the three historic provinces of Labourd, Lower Navarre and Soule. Historic documents state that Bernard Bugaret lived in the community of Villefranche-duQueran, located in the Lot-et-Garonne Département. Both the Pyrénées-Atlantique and Lot-et-Garonne Départements are located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine Region of southwestern France; however, the Lot-et-Garonne Département is northeast of the Pyrénées-Atlantique Département. Villefranche-du-Queron is about 100 miles from the true Basque region within the Pyrénées-Atlantique Département.

Bugaret did not stay long at LaHève. On 15 September 1637 Pierre Teuleron, the notary at La Rochelle, prepared a contract between Nicolas Denys and Bernard Bugaret in which Bugaret and his ten men would be given free passage to Acadia. This document stated that Bernard Bugaret was a native of Villefranche in Gascony, France. ⁵ One of these ten men was Barthélemi Redon dit la Borderye. On 14 January 1638 under the pen of the notary Teuleron in La Rochelle Bernard Bugaret dit Saint-Martin of Villefranche-de-Queyran laid down the conditions of employment for Redon. Bugaret would transport Redon to LaHève, would board him for one year beginning the day of the hunt, would supply him with clothes, footwear, arms and munitions for the hunt and would pay him 300 pounds in wages. ⁶ It appears that Bernard Bugaret was establishing a fur hunting business near LaHève for his own profit.

Again Bugaret returned to France - this time before 1648. On 24 March 1648 Bernard Bugaret dit St-Martin living at Mas in Agenois contracted with Emanuel Le Borgne to cut timber near LaHève, and prepare and ship to France stave wood for barrels. Bugaret would receive one-third of the stave wood and would have to pay no freight charges. ⁷ Evidently, the stave wood would be transported in the "empty" ships returning to France after disembarking passengers and workers at LaHève.

Bernard Bugaret apparently had some influence with the leaders of early Acadia and the Compagnie de la Nouvelle France as about 1637 he was granted all rights to the lands at Merliguèche. In a report concerning his 1698 survey of the Acadian coast Jacques l'Hermite stated ⁸ :

The named Petitpas, grandson of one Bernard du Gueret dit Saint-Martin, a native of Bordeaux, established at Mirliguesche, between LaHave and Chebucto, coast of Acadie, by the gentlemen of the Company [de Razilly-Condonnier] about 80 years ago, was given this harbour in concession by the king, as recorded in papers registered with the registry [office] of Canada.

The named Petitpas, grandson of one Bernard du Gueret dit Saint-Martin, a native of Bordeaux, established at Mirliguesche, between LaHave and Chebucto, coast of Acadie, by the gentlemen of the Company [de Razilly-Condonnier] about 80 years ago, was given this harbour in concession by the king, as recorded in papers registered with the registry [office] of Canada.

The Petitpas mentioned very likely was Claude Petitpas, third child of Claude Petitpas and Catherine Bugaret. He was a schooner captain and interpreter of Mi'kmaq, had married a Mi'kmaq lady named Marie-Thérèse and lived in the LaHève vicinity at Mousoudabouet (Musquodoboit). The report is dated December 1716; therefore, "about 80 years ago" would have been approximately 1637.

In the historical record Bernard Bugaret's name was recorded in several ways including Bernard Bugaret, Bernard Bugare, Bernard Bugaret dit Saint-Martin, Bernard Bugaret dit St-Martin, Bernard du Gueret dit SaintMartin and Bernard Bugaret dit Saint-Martin du Gueret. Although he travelled to Acadia at least three times and worked there, he does not appear to have settled in Acadia. We find no record of him after 1648 although he apparently left a "record" in the Mirligueche area. In the vicinity of present-day Lunenburg we find Martins Cove and Martins (St. Martins) Brook near Second Peninsula, Martin Point, Martin River and Garretts (Gueret) Cove. ⁹

Although to date no record has surfaced as to the parents of Catherine Bugaret, without doubt she was the daughter of Bernard Bugaret. She first appears in the historical record in 1671 in the Census of Port-Royal, Acadia. ¹⁰

Laborer - Claude Petitpas age of forty-five years, his wife Catherine Bagard age of thirty-three years, Their children seven, Bernard age of 12 years, Marguerite age of ten years, Claude age of 8 years, Jehan age of 7 years, Jacque age of 5 years, Marie age of two years and a half, Elisabeth age of one year. Their horned cattle twenty and twelve sheep, Their plowed land thirty arpents. ¹⁰

She may have come to Acadia as a young girl of ten years when her father returned to Acadia in 1648. At the time of her marriage to Claude Petitpas she would have been about twenty years old. Could she have met Claude when her father Bernard had Claude Petitpas notarize some documents at Port-Royal? Nothing is known of the mother of Catherine Bugaret (wife of Bernard Bugaret) except her European heritage. She does not appear in any known Acadian records and has not been found to date in French records.

Fifteen years pass before we "hear" from Catherine Bugaret again. In the Census of 1686 she and her family were still at Port-Royal. Catherine's husband Claude Petitpas Sieur de La Fleur was 60 years of age and a greffier, and Catherine was 46 years of age (born about 1640). They had nine children listed in the census; however, Bernard, Marguerite, Jean and Isabelle were no longer in the family home. The family had 2 guns, 22 cattle, 10 hogs and 12 arpents of tilled land. ¹²

Claude Petitpas Sr. de la fleur Greffier, 60 years; Catherine Bugaret his wife, 46 years; Children: Claude, 23 years; Jacques, 19 years; Marie, 18 years; Henriette, 12 years; Paul, 11 years; Charles, 10 years; Martin, 9 years; Pierre, 5 years; Anne, 2 years; 2 guns, 12 arpents of tilled land, 22 cattle, 10 hogs. ¹²

Claude Petitpas Sieur de La Fleur died about 1691. ¹³ Shortly afterwards, Catherine Bugaret married Charles Chevalier dit La Tourasse, a sergeant at the garrison at Port-Royal. ¹³ In the spring of 1690 William Phips captured Port-Royal for the English and appointed Chevalier as head of the council of locals (Nova Scotia Council) to govern the colony in Phips' absence. In June of 1690 Acadian Commandant Joseph Robineau de Villebon kept Chevalier as President of the Council - a leadership position he held from 1690 to 1693. In 1694 Chevalier received a commission as an ensign in the Company of Sébastien de Villieu of the Marine. Charles Chevalier dit La Tourasse was killed about 9 October 1696 by Benjamin Church at the Siege of Fort Nashwaak. ^{13(b) , 14}

Charles Chevalier dit La Tourasse and his new wife Catherine Bugaret were censused at Port-Royal in 1693. Catherine at 56 years of age (born about 1637) was much older than her new husband Charles Chevalier, 30 years of age. Although they had no children together, five of Catherine's children with Claude Petitpas were still in the family home. With Charles as President of the Nova Scotia Council, the family played an important role in Acadia and were well-respected throughout Acadia. ^{13(b) , 15}

Le Sr. Charles Chevalier, age 30; Catherine Bugaret, wife, age 56; Children of the Dame Bugaret: Paul, age 22; Charles, age 18; Martin, age 15; Pierre, age 10 and Anne, age 9. Cattle 10, Sheep 6, Pigs 8, Arpents of tilled land 28 and Guns 3. ¹⁵

The French and English rivalry over Acadia impacted the everyday lives of Acadians throughout the country - and it did not elude Charles Chevalier and his new wife Catherine Bugaret. Villebon felt Catherine might have been a New Englander because of the confidence that the English authorities placed in her. In January 1693 Adam Boudrot offered to go to Boston under the pretext of trading, but in reality to spy on the English and see what they were planning. Chevalier saw this as an opportunity to change the opinion of Villebon about his wife and ensure him that she was a loyal French woman. He suggested to Villebon that Catherine accompany Boudrot on the voyage to Boston to obtain information for Villebon and to negotiate an exchange of prisoners. Villebon, believing that Catherine Bugaret was in a "tight spot" and thus would be loyal, approved the plan that she accompany Boudrot. Unfortunately, she died during the voyage in 1693 and never got the opportunity to prove her loyalty to the French cause. ^{9(c) , 13(b) , 14 , 16}

After her death Catherine Bugaret appeared in the marriage certificates of two of her children married at Saint Jean-Baptiste Catholic Church in Annapolis-Royal: Claude Petitpas & Françoise La Vergne (7 January 1721) and Jacques Girouard & Anne Petitpas (3 November 1704). ¹⁷

Catherine Bugaret lived a full life at Port-Royal from almost its founding until near the end of the seventeenth century. She died in 1693 near the age of 65 years leaving a family of thirteen sons and daughters that continue to spread the Petitpas name and genes throughout North America.