Daniel F. Johnson : Volume 69 Number 863

Date January 19 1887
County Northumberland
Place Chatham
Newspaper The World

Moniteur Acadien - Prudent ROBICHAUD, Esq., Neguac, Miramichi Bay, showed us eight years ago a French cup which was nearly 200 years old. Its served as a drinking cup for wine for Louis Prudent ROBICHAUD, one of the principle men of Port Royal before the expulsion of 1755. Tradition states P..lent ROBICHAUD, grandfather, of Louis Prudent made use of it. In December 1755, Louis Prudent Robichaud was transported with certain members of his family to Cambridge, Mass., U.S.A. He carried his cup with him and remained at Cambridge until the war of Independence in 1775. He went then to Quebec with his wife and some of his children where he died in 1781. His wife Jeanne BOURGEOIS surived him many years and also died in the city of Champlain. One of their sons, Otho ROBICHAUD by name, established at Neguac in 1789 and was one of the first settlers of this Acadian village. He was merchant and laborer and made many voyages to Quebec. It was he who carried the cup from Quebec to Neguac, and Prudent Robichaud, grandson of Otho, still preserves it as a precious family relic. A granddaughter of Prudent Louis Robichaud is still living at Negiac, viz. Mrs. ALLAIN widow of Louis ALLAIN and mother of Rev. Joseph ALLAIN of the Christian school at St. Catherine's, Ontario and aunt of Rev. Luke ALLAIN, curate of Meriton, Ontario. Otho Robichaud, father of Mrs. Allain was transported with his father to Cambridge and Mrs. Allain is the only person living who can claim the distinction of being the daughter of one of the proscribed Acadiens of 1755.

From PANB
ROBICHAUD, OTHO (1742-1824)

ROBICHAUD, OTHO, trader and JP; b. Annapolis Royal, N.S., 29 Apr 1742, s/o Louis Robichaud and Jeanne Bourgeois; m. 1789, Marie-Louise Thibodeau, d/o Alexis Thibodeau and Marguerite Dupuis, of Bay du Vin; d. Neguac, 19 Dec 1824.

Otho Robichaud's family was among the many deported from Acadia in 1755. Having a choice of destination, his parents elected to be sent to Massachusetts. Consequently, their children grew up in Boston and Cambridge, attended English-language schools, and made friends with some of those who later came to New Brunswick as Loyalists. Members of the Robichaud family had Loyalist leanings too, and when the American Revolution broke out they left New England for Quebec.

In 1781 Otho Robichaud bought a property at Neguac on which he subsequently settled as a farmer and trader. He had business relationships with all the leading Miramichi merchants, and in the 1780s he became the principal channel of communication between the Acadian residents of the Northumberland County coast and the local and central governing bodies of the new province of New Brunswick.

Robichaud was appointed a justice of the peace in 1796. He attended few of the county sessions but may have been more diligent in the discharge of his magisterial duties at the local level. He occupied a number of lesser parish offices as well, including those of overseer of the poor and school trustee. He was made a captain in the 1st Battalion of militia in 1799.

Robichaud was a committed Catholic but was often in dispute with the clergy, who were rivals for the power and privilege which he enjoyed in the Acadian community. He was forty-seven at the time of his marriage, and his wife, Marie-Louise Thibodeau, was fifteen. They had eight daughters and four sons. The home in which the family resided at the time of his death still stands at Neguac and was extended official historical recognition in 1996.

Sources

[b/m/d] DCB / Facey-Crowther; Miramichi Weekend 19 Jul 1996; Spray (ENC)
from online records

About Robichaud, Otho(Othon) ROBICHAUX
ROBICHAUX, OTHO (il signait aussi Robichaud), fermier, marchand, juge de paix, officier de milice et fonctionnaire, né le 29 avril 1742 à Annapolis Royal, Nouvelle-Écosse, fils de Louis Robichaux* et de Jeanne Bourgeois ; décédé le 19 décembre 1824 à Neguac, Nouveau-Brunswick.
Même si le père d’Otho Robichaux était bien vu des autorités britanniques d’Annapolis Royal, sa famille fut douloureusement victime de la Déportation en 1755. Les Robichaux purent cependant choisir leur lieu d’exil ; envoyés au Massachusetts, ils vécurent d’abord à Boston, puis à Cambridge. Plus tard, Otho Robichaux devait compter parmi ceux dont Andrew Brown s’inspirerait pour écrire son étude sur la Déportation. Pendant son séjour en Nouvelle-Angleterre, il fréquenta des écoles anglaises. Sa famille évoluait dans des cercles distingués ; parmi ses relations, elle comptait notamment Edward Winslow* et la grande famille Vassall, de Cambridge.
Quand la Révolution américaine éclata en 1775, la famille Robichaux, qui favorisait les loyalistes, se remit en route, cette fois pour Québec. Otho Robichaux y entra en relation avec plusieurs Acadiens de la région de Miramichi, qui fait aujourd’hui partie du Nouveau-Brunswick ; ce furent sans doute eux qui le persuadèrent d’aller s’établir là-bas. Le 28 mai 1781„ grâce à ses économies personnelles et à l’héritage que lui avait laissé son père, il put acheter de Pierre Loubert (Loubère) les droits sur une terre située à Neguac et les bâtiments qui s’y élevaient. Loubert commerçait depuis de nombreuses années avec les Indiens et les Acadiens de la région ; il avait fait construire sur sa terre une maison, une grange, un magasin et un fournil. Robichaux se lança dans l’exploitation agricole et les affaires, notamment dans la vente au détail, et il se mit à faire le commerce des produits locaux et devint aussi marchand de bois. Parmi les marchands de la région avec qui il faisait affaire se trouvaient entre autres James Fraser, Francis Peabody* et Richard Simonds*. Il faisait également du négoce avec Charles Robin de Paspébiac, dont il était aussi, semble-t-il, le représentant. Au fil des ans, il allait acquérir plusieurs propriétés dans la région de Miramichi.
Le 18 août 1789, Robichaux, jusque-là célibataire, épousa Marie-Louise Thibodeau (Thibaudeau) devant l’abbé Antoine Girouard. Fille d’Alexis Thibodeau et de Marguerite Dupuis, de Bay du Vin, la mariée avait alors 15 ans. Le couple devait par la suite avoir 12 enfants, soit 8 filles et 4 garçons. Pour une raison quelconque, ce mariage créa des dissensions entre Robichaux et sa propre famille. « Mes peines et mes chagrins ont commencé quand vous vous êtes marié », lui écrivait un jour sa sœur Vénérande*. « Vous avez des gens autour de vous qui vous accable, notait-elle en une autre occasion. Je croyais que quand vous vous êtes marié que vous n’aviez pris qu’une femme mais il se trouve que vous avez épousé toute une famille. » Robichaux maintenait néanmoins des relations assez amicales avec ses sœurs de Québec, Vénérande surtout, avec qui il correspondait régulièrement. Agissant souvent comme mandataire de son frère, elle réglait des factures, poursuivait des débiteurs et lui faisait suivre des marchandises.
Avec le temps, Robichaux se tailla une place au soleil dans la région de Miramichi. En 1788, James Fraser lui demanda de se joindre à un groupe qui réclamait la création de cours de justice dans le comté de Northumberland. Six ans plus tard, sans doute sur la recommandation de Winslow, Robichaux devint juge de paix, comme un autre Acadien, Joseph Gueguen, de Cocagne. À l’échelle du comté ou de la paroisse, il exerça aussi les fonctions de responsable de l’aide aux pauvres, de commissaire d’écoles et de commissaire de la voirie. Il fut également cotiseur municipal ; ainsi, lorsqu’on commença à construire une prison et un palais de justice dans le comté en 1791, ce fut à lui qu’il incomba de déterminer la participation de chacun des habitants du district de Neguac. Actif dans la milice, il détint le grade de capitaine à compter du 1er janvier 1799. Il fut aussi marguillier et, selon la tradition orale, devenait en quelque sorte un prêtre laïque quand il n’y avait pas de missionnaire : il présidait les réunions de prières, baptisait les enfants et recevait le consentement des futurs époux.
De nature entêtée, Otho Robichaux se disputa plus d’une fois avec des voisins à propos de titres fonciers et affronta à l’occasion le clergé, dont il désapprouvait souvent les opinions sur les questions temporelles. Dans les cercles gouvernementaux, on reconnaissait son influence et on tenait compte de ses avis. C’était par son entremise que le gouvernement communiquait avec les résidents acadiens de la région de Miramichi, et peu de mesures les touchant étaient prises sans qu’il ait été consulté.
Death Notes
[Death notes]Notes pour OTHO ROBICHAUD: Voir: Canadian Archives - Report concerning for the year 1905-Sessional Paper No 18, A. 1906. " Le 21 décembre 1824, j'ai inhumé dans le cimetière de Ste-Anne de Burnt Church, le corps de Otho Robichaud, décédé il y a deux jours, âgé d'environ soixante-douze ans, en présence de Otho Robichaud, son fils, de Michel Alain et de plusieurs autres.- WM. Dollard, prte. miss.

from online Dictionary University of Toronto

ROBICHAUX, OTHO (he also signed Robichaud), farmer, merchant, jp, militia officer, and office holder; b. 29 April 1742 in Annapolis Royal, N.S., son of Louis Robichaux* and Jeanne Bourgeois; d. 19 Dec. 1824 in Neguac, N.B.

Although Otho Robichaux’s father enjoyed good relations with the British authorities at Annapolis Royal, the family was not spared the grief of deportation in 1755. They were, however, allowed to choose their place of exile and were sent to Massachusetts, where they resided first in Boston and then in Cambridge. In later years Otho would be among those who contributed information for Andrew Brown’s study of the deportation. While in New England, he attended English schools. The family moved in good circles; among their acquaintances were Edward Winslow* and the prominent Vassalls of Cambridge.

In 1775, at the outbreak of the American revolution, the Robichaux family, whose sympathies were with the loyalists, removed to Quebec. There Otho made contact with a number of Acadians from the Miramichi region of what was to become New Brunswick; they no doubt persuaded him to settle in that area. His personal savings, supplemented by an inheritance from his father, enabled him to purchase from Pierre Loubert (Loubère) on 28 May 1781 the rights to and improvements on a piece of land at Neguac. Loubert for many years had been engaged in trade with the Indian and Acadian inhabitants of the region. The improvements consisted of a house, barn, store, and bakehouse. Robichaux began farming and set up in business, operating a retail store, dealing in local products, and involving himself in the lumber trade. Among the local merchants with whom he had business relations were James Fraser, Francis Peabody*, and Richard Simonds*. He also exchanged goods with Charles Robin of Paspébiac, for whom he seems to have acted as agent. Over the years he was to acquire a number of properties in the Miramichi area.

On 18 Aug. 1789 Robichaux, until then a bachelor, was married by Father Antoine Girouard to Marie-Louise Thibodeau (Thibaudeau), the 15-year-old daughter of Alexis Thibodeau and Marguerite Dupuis of Bay du Vin; the couple were to have twelve children, eight girls and four boys. For some reason, the marriage was the cause of dissension between Otho and his siblings. “My difficulties and my sorrows began when you got married,” his sister Vénérande* once wrote. “You have around you people who overwhelm you,” she commented on another occasion; “I thought that when you married you were taking only a wife, but it happens that you have married an entire family.” Robichaux nevertheless maintained a fairly amicable relationship with his sisters at Quebec, particularly Vénérande, with whom he corresponded regularly. She often acted as her brother’s agent, settling bills, pursuing debtors, and forwarding merchandise to him.

Robichaux came to occupy a position of considerable prominence in the Miramichi area. In 1788 he was asked by James Fraser to join in an application for courts of justice to be established in Northumberland County. Six years later, no doubt on the recommendation of Winslow, Robichaux became a justice of the peace, as did his fellow Acadian Joseph Gueguen of Cocagne. Among other positions he occupied at the county and parish levels were those of overseer of the poor, school trustee, and road commissioner. In addition he acted as assessor of rates; thus, when a jail and court-house for the county was being erected in 1791, it fell to him to apportion among the inhabitants the sum assessed on the district of Neguac. Active in the militia as well, he held the rank of captain from 1 Jan. 1799. He also served as a churchwarden and, according to oral tradition, acted as a sort of lay priest in the absence of a missionary, presiding at prayer meetings, baptizing children, and receiving the vows of couples who wished to marry.

A headstrong man, Robichaux was involved in many disputes with neighbours over the ownership of land and occasionally confronted the clergy, with whose opinions on temporal matters his own views were often at variance. In government circles his influence was recognized and his opinion valued. It was through him that the administration communicated with the Acadian residents of the Miramichi region, and few measures affecting them were passed without his having been consulted.

Cedric L. Haines

Arch. de l’évêché de Bathurst (Bathurst, N.-B.), Papiers Robichaud. Centre d’études acadiennes, univ. de Moncton (Moncton, N.-B.), Fonds Placide Gaudet, 1.31-13A, 1.87-1–5. PANB, RG 1, RS559, E10–11; RG 2, RS8, oaths, 2/1; Otho Robichaux et al. to Thomas Peters, 22 Aug. 1819; RG 18, RS153, A1–4. Collection de documents inédits sur le Canada et l’Amérique, [H.-R. Casgrain, édit.] (3v., Québec, 1888–90), 2: 94–95. Placide Gaudet, “Acadian genealogy and notes,” PAC Report, 1905, 2, pt.iii. “Vers le passé: la famille Robichaud, lettres d’une proscrite acadienne, de 1755, à son frère,” Le Moniteur acadien (Shédiac, N.-B.), 26 juill. 1887: 2; 29 juill. 1887: 2; 2 août 1887: 1; 5 août 1887: 1; 9 août 1887: 1. Winslow papers (Raymond). Donat Robichaud, Les Robichaud: histoire et généalogie (Bathurst, [1967]).

General Bibliography

© 1987–2019 University of Toronto/Université Laval

from NBGS records
ROBICHAUD: Otho Robichaud born 29 Apr 1742 at Annapolis Royal, NS, died 19 Dec 1824, s/o Louis Robichaud and Jeanne or Anne Bourgeois, m. 18 Aug 1789 at Baie des Chaleurs (Carleton, QC), Marie-Louise Thibodeau born c1774, d. 17 Aug 1821, d/o Alexis Thibodeau and Marguerite Dupuis of Bay du Vin: settled in 1781 at Neguac, Alnwick Parish, Northumberland County:



Children:

1) Adélaide Robichaud b. 1790:

2) Louis Robichaud born 1791:

3) Fréderic Robichaud born c1793, m. 27 Jul 1819 Marguerite Savoie d/o Firmin Savoie and Marie-Rose Bastarache: settled at Néguac: eight children:

4) Marguerite Robichaud born 1795:

5) Marie-Jeanne Robichaud b. 1795:

6) Otho Robichaud born 1797:

7) Marie-Monique Robichaud b. 1798:

8) Olivier Robichaud born 1801:

9) Vénérande Robichaud:

10) Marie-Esther Robichaud b. 1806:

11) Geneviève Robichaud born 1809:

12) Suzanne Robichaud born in 1812.



Sources: MC80/2184 W.D. Hamilton’s Dictionary of Miramichi Biography: see MC1286 Volume VI Dictionary of Canadian Biography, page 651: see also MC80/781 Bona Arsenault’s Histoire et généalogie des Acadiens, Vol. I, page 505: see also MC80/1843 Jean M. Comeau’s Edward Jacques Comeau, lineage and genealogy, pages 23-34: see MC80/2515 Donat Robichaud’s Les Robichaud d’Amérique: dictionnaire généalogique.