With regard to our ancestors, one of the oldest reference to this name is the mention of Pierre Vadenay, "contrôleur des guerres" (a man in charge of the maintenance of troops) near the end of the seventeenth century. Pierre Rémi Vadenay was the father of Jean-Baptiste Vadenay, our ancestor in Canada. Pierre Rémi had a second son from Louise Mori, Pierre Vadenai, who married Madeleine Retrou, daughter of Jean and Elisabeth Gareau, on november 24, 1711 in Asnières.

As we have seen before, the Vadenays where settled in Asnières - the S is not pronounced, it's like aniere - whose name was going to change to become Asnières-sur-Seine (see map). It was from this place that our ancestor leaved for the New World : He had heard of an immense land covered with forest and filled with animals, that people called New-France, and that was found on the other side of the sea. He wanted to leave for adventure. He thus said farewell to his family and to his small village and walked, I imagine, to the nearest port and that could be Le Havre or Honfleur. There, having no money to pay his passage on the boat that would take him on this great adventure, he had to be hired in the army (I ignore dates, the name of his regiment, the name of the port and the name of the boat). Once at sea, our Jean-Baptiste Vadenay received the "baptism of the regiment". They have therefore named him "Vadenay dit d'Argenteuil". After having faced the dangers of the sea, the sickness and deprivations during the two months that generally took the crossing, our ancestor walked for the first time in this country that was to become Canada some centuries later. I ignore to what place exactly where he landed. The first time where it's made mention of Jean-Baptiste Vadenay, is at St-Sulpice near l'Assomption. There he met the beautiful Marie-Anne Mousseau dit Desilets, daughter of Jacques Mousseau dit Desillets and Marie-Anne Daunay of St-Sulpice. The two lovebirds got married on september 23, 1723 and they have raised a family of seven children of which a girl, Marie-Anne, born and baptized on April 3, 1728. She deceased on February 13, 1730, and was buried the next day. The boys are :

• Jean-Baptiste born ??, baptized june 26, 1724 in St-Sulpice.
• Nicolas born ??, baptized march 3, 1726 in St-Sulpice.
• Antoine born february 10, 1730, baptized february 11, 1730 in Montreal.
• Joseph born september 19, 1732, baptized september 20, 1732 in Portage l'Assomption.
• François born ??, baptized ??
• Louis born february 19, 1737, baptized ??

Our ancestor Jean-Baptiste Vadenay "dit d'Argenteuil" was master flourmaker in St-Sulpice, in replacement of Pierre Gour by lease of May 7, 1728. According to the census of 1731, he possessed estate 239 of which 15 arpents were plowable and he resided there with all his family. He also had estate 244 that he sold to Jean-Baptiste Janot (171) on june 4, 1741 (notary Senet). This estate 239 where he resided was conceded on May 28, 1727 (notary Chaumont). Jean-Baptiste Vadenay was probably the first miller of the "Moulins de l'Achigan" (mills of l'Achigan).

Saint-Gérard de Magella (Vaucluse) colonized in 1719, this area counted in 1731 eleven houses of which the one of our ancestor Jean-Baptiste Vadenay.

Of the six sons of Jean-Baptiste at least three had the taste for adventure, they were "voyageurs", hired by fur traders that were exchanging goods for furs with the Indians and the "coureurs des bois" (adventurers who lived in the forests), they left for several months for the "Pays d'En-haut" (Upper Lands), the lands around the Great Lakes, now province of Ontario and Manitoba, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Winsconsin.

To reach the Great Lakes, it's necessary to count two or three months of untiring efforts to cross the distance between Montreal and Michillimakinac. The voyageurs first had to row up river Ottawa and Matawa right to lake Nipissing, and cross this body of water in the direction of the French river, which lead them to the north of the Georgian Bay in Lake Huron. Many times during the trip, 30 times at least, the men must portage. That is, put the goods and the boat ashore and carry all on the back, walking in sand or stones, through the forrest or along rocks up to the next navigable point. Distance covered on earth was of some miles. Each man had to take two bundles weighting up to 200 pounds. The "canot" of 17th century could carry 1,000 pounds of goods. After 1715, the boats were even bigger, and could carry up to 3,000 pounds.

Men had to endure innumerable bothers like mosquitoes, the burning sun, the icy rain, nights spend under the reversed boat as shelter, in addition to have to be ready for a possible attack by hostile Indians.

Michillimakinac was founded in 1679 at the confluence of Huron and Michigan lakes as a mission and fur trading post, and was fortified in 1751. At this time near 7,000 peoples were gathered there, most of them Frenchs, Hurons and Ottawas. The original name, meaning "turtle", was altered to become Mackinac.

After living in the conditions that they have known, the "voyageurs" and "courreurs des bois" slogan could have been "without faith neither law, without home nor land".

Here is an example of some contracts (free translation) that three of our ancestors have made with fur traders :

END of the small but wonderful history of our ancestors, men and women that have suffered and worked without rest to build this beautiful and great country, try to never forget them.

Thought :
"I will never die completely, as long as there will be someone to remember me".