Most
people would associate Northern New Mexico with its heavy Hispanic and Native
American populations. I’ve written about my Portuguese ancestors who arrived in
Taos in the early 1800s, and played important roles in 19th Century
New Mexico. Another important part of my Northern New Mexico heritage has
French Canadian roots.
My
Great-Great-Grandmother was Virginia LeDoux, who married Jose Cayetano DeTevis.
Their son, Anotnio DeTevis, was my Great Grandfather who I knew from Las Vegas
when I was a child.
I
actually have two sets of DeTevis-LeDoux ancestors; Virgina LeDoux’s brother,
Robert, married Cayetano’s sister, Carolina.
The
DeTevis-LeDoux connection makes sense because both families descend from traders,
merchants and fur trappers who ended up in Northern New Mexico where they would
spend their final days.
The
LeDoux family is traced back to central Canada, near Montreal. Antoine LeDeoux
and Marie Madeline Lussier were the parents of two sons, Antoine Jr. and
Abraham LeDoux, born in 1784 in St. Denis, St. Hyancinthe, Quebec. Those sons
made their way to St. Louis where they entered into the fur trade.
According
to a historical account in Mountain Men, by Janet Lecompte, the brothers made
their way to the headwaters of the Platte and Arkansas rivers in East Central
Nebraska. By 1820, they had been living among the Pawnees. Both men married
Pawnee women and each had a child.
Both
would eventually make their way to Taos; my ancestor, Abraham, took his Pawnee
wife with him, but by 1826, he found a new wife, Guadalupe Trujillo, of Taos.
He was granted Mexican citizenship in 1830. Both brothers spent their final
years farming in Northern New Mexico. Abraham would die in 1842. Antoine would
another 17 years, surviving the 1847 uprising by the local Mexican population
against outsiders. Antoine spent his final years on the other side of the
mountains near Mora.
As
for Abraham’s descendants, he had a son named José,
for whom the village of LeDoux is named. Another son, Felipe de Jesus LeDoux,
born in 1835, would marry Maria de la Luz Trujillo. They were the parents of Virginia
LeDoux and Robert LeDoux.
Hello from Santa Fe!
ReplyDeleteGreat to see your post. I am not sure that we met before, I was at the Ledoux family reunion near Las Vegas in July 2013. Check my website at www.newmexicofrenchhistory.com
All my best, Francois-Marie Patorni
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ReplyDeleteThe cousins I never knew hope to met you some day. Anthony Richard Sailas from Wattenburg Colorado
ReplyDeleteMy great x 4 grandmother was Tiburcia Ledoux. She was one of Abraham's kids. :)
ReplyDeleteHe we are cousins. Maria Tiburcia Ledoux
Delete1832–1874 is my 3rd great-grandmother
Abraham is my 5x great grandfather. There are many descendants here in colorado.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this information, Gilbert. I am amazed. I am the great granddaughter of Dora Ledoux who is the daughter of Roberto Ledoux and Rosita Alires.
ReplyDeleteI've been researching the French Canadian presence in early new Mexico, supposedly my husband, who is Martinez, had a French grandmother somewhere down the line. As for me my last name shows my French connection.
ReplyDeleteHello. I am coming late to the party on this, but found your post as I was researching my family tree. Antoine LeDoux is my 4th great grandfather. However, I cannot find a marriage record for him. He was the father of Maria Dolores LeDoux. Records on Ancestry show him married Apolonia Lucero but she was married to another relative of mine, Juan Baptista LaLanda. If you have any information on him, I would appreciate it. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteJust now saw your blog while researching Long's Expedition in 1819-1820. You probably know this but Abraham LeDoux and Joseph Bissonette were signed on as Guides with Long in 1820. Still trying to find a copy of Janet Lecompte's article on the LeDoux brothers. Ray Nichols bushnell63@hotmail.com
ReplyDelete