Mick started by saying having been born in Toronto, he’d grown up in Canterbury, with his mother and sisters and brother from 1952. Although he knew his father was Canadian, he couldn’t find out about the paternal side of his family, following his parent’s divorce.
Eventually he was in a position to investigate the Bernier side: there weren’t many Bernier’s in the UK, how hard could it be? He tried contacting Bernier’s through the Toronto Yellow pages- all 36 of them but drew a blank. Finding his parent’s divorce papers, he discovered the solicitor was still practising, and with a minimal amount of information and other, various links, managed to trace the Bernier line back to 1447 in France. The family appeared to be wealthy, which by the 1640’s was not a good position to be in: France was in turmoil. Jacques Bernier left Paris and sailed to Quebec in 1650, which was developing as a French trading post, with the help of the native Huron tribe.
Men had to work for 3 years before they were able to acquire their own land and the severe shortage of women hampered the growth of the colony. Respectable, but impoverished women from Paris were recruited to travel to the area, choose their own husbands (a rare opportunity!) and live new lives. Over a short period, 800 women went out and became known as ‘The Fils de Roi’ or The Kings women! Jacques met and married his wife at this time, they were to have 12 children.
At 18 years old, Jacques served his apprenticeship on the Ile de Orleans. The British were endeavouring to take over Canada, with the help of the, anti-Huron, Iroquois tribe. Jacques, his family and other settlers were caught up in a number of vicious incidents where property, crops and people were destroyed. Existence was tenuous.
In 1667, Jacques sold his land on the island and moved to a heavily wooded area on the St Lawrence River. Becoming a Seigneur, he was required to build a mill and a church. His house served as a chapel for visiting missionaries. He was the very first settler on the South bank of the St Lawrence River. Having founded the town of Cap St Ignace. Mick’s branch of the family established themselves down the generations working in the logging trade, clearing forests and transporting wood down the many rivers. They were caught up in the global conflict of the Seven Year war (1756-1763). Mick calculates that at least six members of the Bernier family must have served with the local militia, but no records, if there were any, none appear to have survived. The war left families impoverished and under British rule; they had to start over again. The Bernier’s spread rapidly along the south bank. Following a move to St Etienne des gres in 1859, the family were to move yet again, arriving at Lake Huron in 1891; some moved onto Aird Island a large logging mill. Byng inlet Cemetery is the last resting place of many Bernier ancestors. Mick’s grandfather moved to Michigan in 1913 for work, but by 1924 the family had moved to Toronto, where his grandfather owned and ran a barber shop until his death in 1952.
Mick visited both France and Canada in an effort to pin down this side of his ancestry. In doing so, he discovered, and has established contact with, relatives he did not know he had. Thanks to the technology of the Zoom session, several were able to listen to Mick’s talk. It was fascinating and, as we know he has only used a fraction of the material he has accumulated, we look forward to part 2!
Report by Viv Carter