History of Petit-Rocher, New Brunswick


First Settled in 1797


Located twelve miles north of Bathurst, New Brunswick, on the beautiful Baie-des-Chaleurs in Gloucestor County.


In 1797, Petit-Rocher was still a virgin forest. In the spring of this memorable year, three young men, only eighteen years old but armed with great courage, travelled by canoe up the Nipisiguit (Bathurst-West), and stopped where the Ruisseau de l'eglise (Church Spring) empties into the Baie-des-Chaleurs.

This place was well chosen as it provided for protection for boats from high winds and storms. It was thus at this spot both pratical and picturesque, in the protection of le Petit Rocher, that the parish got its name and where the first pioneers pitched their tents.

First Pioneers of Petit-Rocher

The first pioneers of Petit-Rocher were named Pierre Laplante, Jean Boudreau and Charles Doucet.

  • Pierre Laplante

  • Pierre Laplante was the leader of this small group of pioneers. His mother was Acadian. He was born at Nicolet, Quebec in 1779, son of Joseph Laplante and Cecile Boudreau. He went to Nipisiguit at about six years of age accompanied by his maternal aunts and uncles. Joseph Laplante was also born in Nicolet in 1759. He married Cecile Boudreau on 26 April 1778. She was the daughter of Joseph-Athanase Boudreau and Felicite Orion dit Champagne.

    Joseph Laplante was the son of Joseph Laplante born in Angouleme, France who married Marie-Louise Coltret 11 April 1758 at Nicolet. This last Joseph was the son of Jean-Baptiste Laplante and Marguerite Lacotte from Angouleme, France also. Marie-Louise was born in 1731 and was the widow of Ignace Daniau.

    Pierre Laplante's descendants have been very numerous at Petit-Rocher. I don't know if that is still the case. Pierre, son of Pierre, the first settler of Petit-Rocher was born 15 November 1809 and married Henriette Godin 2 May 1831, d/o Jean-Baptiste Godin and Francoise Hache. He died in March 1882. Their children: Ubald, Marie, Denis, Francois, Marcelline, Louise, Monique.

    Denis was the grandson of Pierre I the pioneer. He married Marcelline Boudreau 20 November 1860 at Bathurst. She was the daughter of Sebastien to Cyprien Boudreau and cousin of Jerome Boudreau, teacher. Denis Laplante and Marcelline Boudreau had the following children: Marie, William, Delima (mother of M. Evariste Roy, general manager of the co-op at Petit-Rocher), Philomene, Joseph Alphonse (Tracadie), Jean-Baptiste, Philias and Anna.


  • Jean Boudreau and first line of Boudreau descendants in Petit Rocher

  • Jean Boudreau was Acadian. His father was Joseph Boudreau who was born in 1738 at Beaubassin. He married Marie Hache on 7 January 1761. She was the daughter of Jacques Hache and Josette Arseneau from Ile St-Jean (Prince Edward Island). He died at Nipisiguit on 8 December 1797 at the age of 59.

    Jean's father Joseph was among the young Acadians who escaped the Deportation in 1755. He lived in the forests for a long time eventually going to Restigouche where he married Marie Hache in the presence of Father Ambroise, chaplain of the French troops. Together, they had the following children who are among the first settlers of Petit-Rocher: Jean Boudreau, one of the first three pioneers, Anne (the mother of Charles Doucet also one of the first three settlers) and Cyprien.

    Cyprien married Francoise Melanson. He died 10 October 1827. Their children were: Sebastien, Laurent, Louis, Francoise, Marie, Rose, Marguerite, Judith, Felicite, Helene.

    Laurent, his son, married Anne Boudreau d/o Athanase Boudreau who was the brother of Cecile Boudreau and who was the mother of Pierre Laplante. Everybody seems to have been connected/related in one way or another! The children of Cyprien and Anne Boudreau: Narcisse, Flavien, Flavie, Guillaume, Charles dit Dias, Alexandre, Benoit, Jerome - the teacher - (born 15 March 1840), Delima and Bernard.

    Anyhow, here is the chronological genealogy of Joseph Boudreau and Anne-Marie Hache's family - Joseph died 8 December 1797 at Bathurst as already stated. Anne-Marie died 15 February 1825 and was buried in the cemetery at Petit-Rocher on the 17th of February. Their children were:

    Joseph who married Rosalie Hache 30 October 1792 at Nipisiguit.

    Cyprien who married Marie-Francoise Melanson.

    Timothee who married Venerande Doucet 3 November 1802.

    Jean, one of the three pioneers of Petit-Rocher, married Marguerite LeBlanc 4 May 1802.

    Marguerite married Michel Pitre, son of Michel and Marie Orion dit Champagne.

    Marie-Anne married Michel Doucet, father of Charles (one of the three pioneers of Petit-Rocher).

    Rosalie married Joseph LeBlanc son of Joseph and Modeste Doucet.


  • Second line of Boudreau descendants in Petit Rocher

  • The second family of Boudreau ancestors came directly from Nicolet, Quebec. These Boudreau ancestors were among the Acadians who sought refuge in different parts of Quebec at the time of the Deportation and then returned to what they still called Acadia.

    This family descended from Joseph-Athanase Boudreau. He married Felicite Orion at Nicolet about 1759. Their children:

    Joseph-Athanase who married Isabelle Bujeau.

    Francois who married Henriette Roy.

    Isabelle who married 1. Michel Frenette and 2. Francois Comeau, widsower.

    Cecile who married Joseph Laplante 26 April 1778 and was the father of Jean Boudreau one of the three founders of Petit-Rocher.

    Elizabeth married Raymond Doucet at Bathurst 15 October 1800.

    From the children of Joseph-Athanase Boudreau, it was said that Francois Boudreau, spouse of Henriette Roy, was among the number of settlers who came to Petit-Rocher after the first three pioneered the land. It is also probably that Athanase and son came since his children married four of the sons and daughters of Cyprien Boudreau. Getting these lines straight in Petit-Rocher seems to have been quite a task!


  • Charles Doucet

  • Charles Doucet was also of Acadian heritage. His parents were Michel Doucet and Marie-Anne Boudreau. Charles had 17 siblings, who for the most part, also settled in Petit-Rocher. Michel had a brother Pierro, born in 1752 who died at Bathurst on 25 March 1827. Pierro is the ancestor of all the Doucets of Bathurst. The parents of these two Doucet ancestors were Charles and Anne Arseneau. Charles died at Nipisiguit on 14 September 1798. This branch of the Doucet family came from Beaubassin.

    As has been said, the Doucet and Boudreau ancestors have been the largest at Petit-Rocher. By the very fact that Charle's father and mother had 18 children makes it easy to understand why this was so for the Doucet family since most of them went to Petit-Rocher to settle after Charles and his two companions pioneered the area.

    The following names are found in the first register for Petit-Rocher: Hubert Doucet husband of Marie Hache; Cyprien Doucet spouse of Suzanne Lejeune; Jules Doucet spous of Monique Pitre; Sylvain Doucet spouse of Rosalie Arseneau; Laurent Doucet spouse of Marie Lejeune; Joseph Doucet spouse of Melanie Pitre; Pierre Doucet, spouse of Constance Landry; Charles (Charlo) Doucet spouse of Marie (Pelagie) Lejeune. All of these Doucets were the sons of Michel who settled at Petit-Rocher abt 1824.

    In the register for Sainte-Famille Parish in Bathurst-West many Doucet ancestors are also listed. According to Placide Gaudet, the leader of this small colony settled at Nipisiguit abt 1782 and was named Charlitte Doucet. He died 19 September 1788 at the age of about 90. He came from Miscou Island and had been a refugee during the years of Deportation. He had four sons:

    Pierre who married Marie Hache; Charles spouse of Anne Arseneau; Michel spouse of Anne Boudreau (the father of Charlo who was one of the three pioneers of Petit-Rocher); Joseph dit l'Habitant, spouse of Victoire Bujeau. Michel and Anne Boudreau were the progenitors of all the Doucets of Petit-Rocher.



    SOURCE: A L'ombre du Petit Rocher - 1797-1947 - by F. M. Camille, O.C.R. - Printed in Ottawa - Excerpts translated from french.


    © Lucie LeBlanc Consentino
    Acadian & French Canadian Ancestral Home
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