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BISSON Martin

Male 1799 - 1890  (91 years)


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Generation: 1

  1. 1.  BISSON Martin was born in 1799 in LaPrairie, Quebec Canada (son of BISSON Antoine and Caille-Biscornet Rosalie); died on 11 May 1890 in White Earth, Becker Co., MN.

    Notes:

    Martin Bisson

    Notes
    INFORMATION TAKEN FROM THE WORK OF PATRICK E JACOBY - 1983 OF "THE
    FAMILY OF THEODORE BELLEFEUILLE"

    Section 4 Affiliated Families

    Since Martin Bisson, Bazil Beaulieu, and 0-ge-mau-ge-shi-go-guay
    played such important roles in shaping the destiny of the
    Bellefeuille family, it is of interest to look at their lives and the
    family traditions from which they came.

    A. Bisson family (This name can be translated to mean 'twins" or
    "bush")
    Theodore Bellefeuille's wife Sophia was of the family Bisson. Her
    father, Martin Bisson was born to Antoine and Rosalie (Caille) Bisson
    in 1797 at La Prairie, Quebec, Canada. According to William Joseph
    Bisson, Martin, at a very early age, became active with the fur trade
    in what is now northern Minnesota. While working as an agent near
    Thief River Falls he became acquainted with the Beaulieus (probably
    through Paul, brother of Bazil). He later married Margaret Beaulieu
    and they resided in Wisconsin at the time of the birth of their first
    child Antoine in 1828. Sometime before 1834, however, they moved
    back to Canada where Martin took up farming. The other two children
    were born there, Archange in 1834 and Sophie in 1836 (who later
    married Theodore Bellefeuille). In 1853 after almost twenty years in
    Canada Martin and Margaret returned to Minnesota to settle at Belle
    Prairie, Margaret's brothers Paul and Clement and her mother
    Marguerite Beaulieu had followed the westward flow of migration from
    Wisconsin and had settled a few miles north at Crow Wing.

    From Clara Fuller's History of Morrison & Todd Counties we get a
    brief biography of Martin Bisson:
    Martin Bisson is looked upon as the pioneer of the French race in
    Morrison County. He was a man universally respected for his honesty
    and much sought after for his generous hospitality. I am told that
    his modest home was crowded by travelers or prospective settlers whom
    he induced to settle in his neighborhood. Mr. Bisson was born in
    Maskinonge, Quebec about 1790. As a young man he had engaged in the
    fur trade in the Northwest, had married a sister of the Beaulieu, a
    people closely associated with the early history of Minnesota, had
    returned to his native home, where he purchased a fine farm. But the
    fascination of the West was too great to permit him to enjoy the
    peaceful life of a farmer in a quiet rural community. He sold out
    and came to Belle Prairie, bringing with him two of his neighbors,
    John Branchaud and Theodore Bellefeuille, who eventually became his
    sons-in-law. He must have lived about thirty years in Belle Prairie,
    to which he was really a benefactor, giving forty acres of his farm
    for the church. In his old days he followed his children to White
    Earth, where he died.

    Martin Bisson had a brother Francois, who although he did not leave
    Canada, has many descendants in Minnesota. One of those is Ginnor
    Bisson, Jr., who was born at La Prairie July 19, 1857. He was a
    grandson of Francois. Ginnor married Emma Bellefeuille and after her
    death he married her sister, Julia. Their descendants then have two
    strains of Bisson blood.

    Morrison County land records show a transaction dated November 23,
    1860 in which Charles Beaulieu sold land to Martin and Margaret
    Bisson (SE 1/4 of Sec 14, T 41, R 32 plus lots 3,4, and 5 in same
    section). This may have transpired earlier but With the Military
    Bounty Land Act of March 3, 1855, the organization of Morrison County
    in 1856 to get legal title to their land.

    According to church records Martin's home provided the shelter for
    the first Mass said in Morrison County, when in the fall of 1853 the
    famous missionary Father Francis Xavier Pierz came to the small
    French-Canadian community of Belle Prairie to open a mission. From
    this first service evolved the Holy Family parish which was the first
    parish in what is now the Diocese of St. Cloud. In July, 1861 Martin
    finally received a patent for his land from the U.S. Government. Ms
    farnhy gave a portion of the acreage to the church, which became the
    site of the Holy Family Church and Cemetery. At the time the little
    congregation included sixteen families. Father Pierz remained pastor
    there until 1865.

    Martin was well established at Belle Prairie at the time of the 1860
    Federal Agricultural Census as he was one of the wealthiest men of
    the area. He owned 157 acres of land of which 74 were suitable for
    cultivation, the cash value of his farm was $2,000, the value of his
    implements and equipment was $250, he owned 6 horses, 4 milk cows, I
    I other cattle, 16 swine, I I sheep, the total value of his stock was
    $735. His crops had done well. He had 100 bushels of wheat, 5
    bushels of rye, 40 bushels of Indian corn, and 1000 bushels of oats.

    Because of Margaret's affiliation with the Lake Superior Chippewa
    (her mother was a full blood) she was able to receive scrip. This
    took the form of both cash annuities and land issuances. The parcel
    of land that she received pursuant to the treaty of 1854 was located
    in Douglas Co., where she had grown up at Lac du Flambeau. The
    patent was issued January 18, 1869 and included the N 1/2 of SW 1/4
    of Sec 20, Twp 47, R 15 W. This land was sold May 26, 1881 to William
    Cranwel.

    On July 25, 1877 Martin Bisson ad wife Margaret, gave a Quit claim
    Deed to the Western Railroad Company of Minnesota for a tract of land
    50 feet on each side of the railroad bed. He was paid $1,877. today
    the Burlington Northern Railroad owns this strip of land.

    Martin and Margaret moved to Callaway in the late 1880's and lived
    the rest of their lives in that area, Martin died on May 11, 1890 and
    Margaret on April 27, 1896. Both are buried at Calvary Cemetery, St.
    Benedict's Mission, White Earth, Minnesota.

    Martin married BEAULIEU Margaret Elizabeth in 1826 in WI. Margaret (daughter of BEAULIEU Bazile Hudon Dit and Skies) Margaret Racine (O-ge-mau-gee-shi-go-quay) (Queen of the) was born in 1808 in WI; died on 27 Apr 1896 in White Earth, Becker Co., MN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

    Children:
    1. BISSON Frank
    2. BISSON Antoine was born in 1828 in WI.
    3. BISSON Archange was born in 1834; died on 22 May 1905.
    4. BISSON Sophia was born on 07 Jul 1836 in Maskinoge, Quebec, Canada; died on 30 Nov 1926 in Callaway, Becker Co., MN.

Generation: 2

  1. 2.  BISSON Antoine was born on 14 Apr 1776 in St. Constant, Quebec (son of BISSON Francois and DUPUIS Michelle Archange).

    Antoine married Caille-Biscornet Rosalie on 29 Oct 1798 in St. Constant, Laprairie. Rosalie (daughter of Caille-Biscornet Joseph Pascal and COTE Marie Anne) was born about 1778 in St Constant, Lapraire, Quebec; died after 1824. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]


  2. 3.  Caille-Biscornet Rosalie was born about 1778 in St Constant, Lapraire, Quebec (daughter of Caille-Biscornet Joseph Pascal and COTE Marie Anne); died after 1824.
    Children:
    1. BISSON Francois
    2. BISSON Antoine was born in 1798.
    3. 1. BISSON Martin was born in 1799 in LaPrairie, Quebec Canada; died on 11 May 1890 in White Earth, Becker Co., MN.
    4. BISSON Archange was born in 1799; died in 1885.
    5. BISSON Mare was born in 1801.
    6. BISSON Lucie was born in 1802.
    7. BISSON Antoine-Elestin was born in 1805; died in 1806.
    8. BISSON Francois-Xavier was born in 1807.
    9. BISSON Cyprien was born in 1809.
    10. BISSON Franicus was born in 1810.
    11. BISSON Dom Hille was born in 1811.
    12. BISSON Augustin was born in 1813; died in 1814.
    13. BISSON Osite was born on 23 Apr 1819 in St. Constant, Laprairie, Quebec; died in 1892 in Morrisonville, Clinton Co., NY.


Generation: 3

  1. 4.  BISSON Francois (son of BISSON Joseph and METHOT Marie Francoise).

    Francois married DUPUIS Michelle Archange on 07 Jan 1762 in St. Constant, Laprairie. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]


  2. 5.  DUPUIS Michelle Archange
    Children:
    1. BISSON Angelique
    2. BISSON Marie-Michelle
    3. BISSON Francois
    4. BISSON Marie-Archange
    5. BISSON Elisabeth
    6. BISSON Louis
    7. BISSON Marguerite
    8. BISSON Francois-Regis
    9. BISSON Catherine
    10. 2. BISSON Antoine was born on 14 Apr 1776 in St. Constant, Quebec.

  3. 6.  Caille-Biscornet Joseph Pascal was born in 1759.

    Joseph married COTE Marie Anne. Marie was born on 28 Oct 1762 in Laprairie. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]


  4. 7.  COTE Marie Anne was born on 28 Oct 1762 in Laprairie.
    Children:
    1. 3. Caille-Biscornet Rosalie was born about 1778 in St Constant, Lapraire, Quebec; died after 1824.


Generation: 4

  1. 8.  BISSON Joseph was born on 06 Jun 1704 in St. Nicolas, Province of Quebec (son of BISSON Jean Baptiste and BEAUDET Jean Francoise Marie).

    Joseph married METHOT Marie Francoise on 09 Sep 1731 in St. Nicolas, Province of Quebec. Marie (daughter of Méthot René [II] and Lambert Marie-Françoise [II]) was born on 15 May 1707. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]


  2. 9.  METHOT Marie Francoise was born on 15 May 1707 (daughter of Méthot René [II] and Lambert Marie-Françoise [II]).

    Notes:

    * PRDH Individual 78225: Marie Francoise METHOT
    Father: Rene METHOT
    Mother: Marie Francoise LAMBERT
    Birth: 1707-05-15
    Baptism: 1707-05-15, St-Nicolas

    First marriage: 1731-09-09, St-Nicolas
    with
    Joseph BUISSON STCOSME BISSON
    Father: Jean Baptiste BUISSON STCOSME BISSON
    Mother: Francoise Marie BAUDET

    Children:
    1. 4. BISSON Francois
    2. BISSON Joseph was born on 28 Jul 1733 in St. Nicolas, Province of Quebec; died on 13 Nov 1765 in St. Constant, Laprairie, Quebec.
    3. BISSON Jacques Alexis was born on 09 Oct 1743.