Bordeleau families in the United StatesBordeleau families can be found in most areas of Canada as well as in a number of American States. Towards the end of last century, several thousands Quebec residents uprooted themselves in search of jobs, especially at the cotton mills in Lowell, Massachusetts.
One of the first Bordeleau to do so was Eugène Louis. Originally from St-Stanislas, Champlain county, he left around 1888 with his wife and an already large family of 9 children. Two more children were born in Lowell, the last one being Georges-Amédée who became a pharmacist. Several of Eugène's descendants are now established in the neighboring State of New Hampshire. Musical talent is well in evidence with many of them. Indeed, the well-known piano and organ player Paul E. Bordeleau was asked in 1996 to create a March to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the city of Manchester. His son Edward is equally known as one of the better technician for tuning and repair of keyboard instruments.
Going back a few years to around 1890, one could witness a young man barely twenty years old, Napoléon Théodore Bordeleau, leaving from St-Stanislas, Champlain county, Qc. He was probably somewhat anxious, but he left nonetheless in the hope of earning good wages in the lumber camps of northern Michigan. After arriving there, people started to refer to him as "John", probably because it was easier to pronounce! Three years later, he married Jane (Jeanne?) Laplante in the small town of Iron Mountain, Michigan, and later on, they established themselves in Menominee, Michigan. It is interesting to point out that this town is on the shore of Green Bay, which used to be called Baie des Puants during the French regime.
John's son, Nelson, was born in Menominee in 1898, and eventually served as soldier for the United States in the First World War. I obtained most of these details from Christine Bordeleau, Nelson's great-grand-daugther. Nelson's daughter Doris, and her daughter Joan Miron-Braga have recently provided me with several photos of this family. I was able to establish the final connection to the Bordeleau family tree thanks to Lori Lehman, a distant "cousin" from another branch of the Bordeleau family. Her great great grandmother is Victoire Bordeleau.
Selected ascendancy charts
Christine Bordeleau
Edward Bordeleau