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October 15 and 16 weekend 2011 in Victoriaville
This year the gathering of descendants took place in the Bois-Francs [harwood] region of Quebec as part of the 150th anniversary of the founding of Victoriaville.
On October 15 participants were invited to discover the region by Olivier Perreault [interpreted by Alfred Lamirande of the Société d'histoire et de généalogie de Victoriaville], one of the first Perreault settlers during the XIXth century.
By bus we toured the towns of Princeville, Norbertville, Warwick, Tingwick, and Ste-Elisabeth-de-Warwick and learned more about some famous local personages including Joseph-Edouard Perrault, Joseph and Armand Lavergne, Alfred Laliberté and Suzor Coté. At Ste-Elisabeth-de-Warwick we were welcomed to sample the "Louis d'Or", grand champion cheese in 2011 at the canadian Grand Prix in Toronto, a product of la Fromagerie du Presbytère. This long day was capped off by a return to Victoriaville and supper at restaurant Maxime.
The next day the descendants were awaited at the Saint-Christophe d'Arthabaska church for a commemorative mass to honour our ancestor.
Nicolas himself was present [interpreted this time by Jean-Marie Perreault], a seasoned and wiser Nicolas come to present some small furs at the altar. The mass was followed by a buffet lunch, a powerpoint presentation on the Perreault's in the Bois-Francs region and a general assembly at the Pavillon Arthabaska reception hall.
Visiting the Maison Saint-Gabriel june 2011 in Montreal
On June 26, 2011, a group of our members visited the museum and historical site of the Maison St Gabriel, a 300-year-old house ceded to Marguerite Bourgeoys in 1668 by François Le Ber, uncle of Jeanne Le Ber. Converted into a museum in 1966, it showcases through its permanent collection various aspects of rural life in the 17th century and the extraordinary experience of the King's Wards.
Also in 2011 until September 4, you can attend an outdoor theatre presentation of several short scenes, including one in which Frédéric Parent, member of the Catherine-Crolo actors, plays Nicolas Perrot and talks of his trips westward.
2010 cousinfest in Saint-Liguori
On October 17 2010 the get-together of descendants was in Saint-Liguori. The memorial mass was celebrated by Father Serge Perreault who was born in this parish. Following mass and a generous lunch at the Club de golf Montcalm, we honoured Thérèse Perrault-DeGuire, one of the pioneers of the founding of the Association.
Two Powerpoint presentations prepared by Yves Perreault were viewed, the first on the life of Thérèse and the second on the traces left by Nicolas Perrot through Wisconsin. These two productions can be procured, at the cost of 10 $, by contacting the secretariat of the Association.
2009 cousinfest in Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare
In 2009, the annual get-together of descendants took place in Saint-Ambroise-de-Kildare, in the Lanaudière tourist region. It was around 1867 that Urgel Perreault, son of François and Sophie Payette, descended from Nicolas via his son Michel, settled on a property bought on the Kildare concession road. He would go on to become president of the school board and municipal councillor.
After a memorial mass at the Saint-Ambroise church, the participants made there way to the nearby reception hall L'Ambroisienne at no. 940, route 343.
Following the banquet Yves Perreault presented an audiovisual montage on the life and exploits of Nicholas. This presentation (a Powerpoint document) is available on CD from the Association.
2008 cousinfest in Becancour
This year, which marks the 400th anniversary of French presence in North America, the city of Bécancour, in collaboration with the Association, paid particular homage to our ancestor, Nicolas Perrot, by re-christening the Bécancour community hall as the NICOLAS-PERROT hall.
Among the numerous guests, everyone had eyes only for Nicolas and his beloved, Madeleine Raclos [played by Donald Racine and Suzanne Marier]. They were accompanied by Michel Godefroy [played by André Clément Perreault], seigneur of the fief Dutort, where the village of Bécancour is located, and his wife, Perrine Picoté de Belestre (Belêtre) [played by Chantal Perreault], godparents of Michel Perrot, son of Nicolas and Madeleine.
The day began with a mass celebrated by Father Serge Perreault in the church of the Nativité-de-la-Bieuheureuse-Vierge-Marie (Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary) at 10:30am, followed by the rededication ceremony in the community hall facing the church, presided by the mayor of Becancour, Maurice Richard, and a banquet, held at the Auberge Godefroy, in the Louisbourg room at 1pm.
After the feast, Manon Vincent, accompanied by Sylvie Boudreau on the piano, amazed us with the song "Metaminens", based on the poem by Thérèse Perrault DeGuire [adapted and sung by Manon Vincent, music by Sylvie Boudreau].
Click here for more information on the CD and the poem.
The day ended with a short General Assembly. To see the official invitation for 2008, which had been distributed to members with the Messager newsletter, click here.
To see more photos from September 21, 2008, check out our image gallery.
For more information on Becancour, consult Becancour tourism
and the Becancour wiki page.
2007 cousinfest held in Montreal
The 2007 get-together was held in Montreal, with a commemorative mass being celebrated by Serge Perreault, in the Chapelle Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Coeur (Sacred Heart chapel) of the Notre-Dame basilica at 10:30am.
This was followed by lunch afterwards at Le Vieux Saint-Gabriel, in old Montreal, to feast in an atmosphere recalling New France at the time of Nicolas. See more photos in our image gallery.
A General Assembly of members was held after lunch, of short duration, and we adjourned to the Pointe-à-Callière museum, site of the Great Peace deliberations in 1701. The museum is built atop an archaeological dig of Old Montreal streets, which were at lower levels in centuries past.
Click here to see the 2007 official invitation, which had been mailed with the newsletter Le Messager.
2006 cousinfest held in Saint-Sulpice
On September 17, 2006, the annual get-together of the descendants was held in Saint-Sulpice, in Lanaudière, to coincide with the 300th anniversary of the foundation of the parish. More than 100 persons were present for this festive occasion.
The day started with a mass at the church of Saint-Sulpice at 11am, followed by a "vin d'honneur" reception and lunch (hot and cold buffet) at 12:30 and ended with a talk by Maurice Prud'homme, local alderman and historian, and descendant of Nicolas through Claude, based on his new book, "Les 300 ans de Saint-Sulpice... une fenêtre historique sur le Saint-Laurent 1706 - 2006" ("The 300 years of Saint-Sulpice... a historical window on the Saint-Lawrence").
Five (5) children of Nicolas settled and lived here. Clémence, Michel, Pierre, Claude and Jean were each granted land (censive, a form of copyhold) in the seigneury of Saint-Sulpice, owned by the Sulpician Fathers, who were also the proprietors of the seigneury of Montreal island.
Each year, we organize meetings, a general assembly of members of the Association, and a get-together or "cousinfest", primarily in Montreal and surrounding areas, but also in Trois-Rivières, and Becancour, where our ancestor lived and was buried. Dates for these events are published in the Association newsletter, Le Messager, and the web site will be updated regularly as planning advances.