A.k.a. Lascerte/La Serte/Laserte/Lasarte/Lassart
Link to Biography:
- Lawrence Barkwell http://www.scribd.com/doc/34218641/Legislative-Assembly-of-Assiniboia
Preliminary Biographical Notes:
Note: I have not yet confirmed whether the Louis Lacerte who served on the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia was [Francois] Louis Azure Lacerte born 1821, or his son Louis Lacerte born 1847.
[Francois] Louis Lacerte was born in Rupert’s land on 15 January 1821, to Louis Lacerte (Métis) and Marie ‘Josephte’ Martin (Métis). The elder Lacerte may have been a North West Company employee who transferred to the Hudson’s Bay Company after the 1821 union of the rival fur trading concerns.[1]
According to a census taken in Red River in 1843, [Francois] Louis Lacerte had married Josephte Vandal (born 1825) by that year. The couple resided in St. Boniface on property also inhabited by Joseph Vandalle. Louis and Josephte appear to have been newlyweds as they did not have children, and they had a useful, but small collection of livestock consisting of one horse, two oxen, two cows, and two calves. At the time, Lascerte was employed as a blacksmith by the HBC, across the river at Upper Fort Garry.[2]
Two years later, Lacerte was transferred to serve as blacksmith at Norway House, the HBC retaining him in that capacity to 1848. By 1850, it appears he had left the Company to settle at Pembina, North Dakota, with his family. The United States census of that year listed a Louis Lacerte, blacksmith, who had been born Red River, and was married to a woman listed as Josette. There are slight discrepancies, but there are also compelling similarities in details, particularly the names and ages of their children – especially when the census is compared with that of a decade later.[3]
In 1860, Louis Lacerte — blacksmith at Pembina, born 1821 — was identified as having had his application for treaty rejected, apparently partly because he had previously received consideration under the 1854 Treaty of La Pointe, but also because he was considered to be more properly associated with ‘Fort Gerry.’
By the 1870 census in Red River, Louis Lascerte, blacksmith, was living with his family at lot 24 in St. Norbert Parish. They must have arrived sometime before, because on 16 November 1869 Louis Lacerte had served as co-representative of the people of St. Norbert at the Convention of Twenty-four with Baptiste Touron.
As of 1870, either [Francois] Louis Lacerte maintained a position as a representative for both the Convention of Forty and in the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia, but switched parishes to act on behalf of the interests of Point Coupée [4] — or — possibly his son, also named Louis Lacerte, was elected representative of Point Coupée, for one or both councils.
Whichever Lacerte it was who served in the Provisional Government, it appears at least one of the Louis Lacertes maintained standing as a public figure after the creation of Manitoba, and for several years continued to reside in St. Norbert. In 1873 a Louis Lacerte was elected School Commissioner for the parish. In 1874 a Louis Lacerte was acting on the Grand Jury, Court of Queen’s Bench. Louis Lacerte ‘Jr.’ applied for a patent to lot 14 St. Norbert in 1874, and is mentioned in a newspaper notice as its owner the next year. On his scrip application of 1875, [Francois] Lacerte is described as a merchant in St. Norbert. In 1877 a Louis Lacerte was appointed overseer of highways for School District St. Norbert No 3.[5] By then Louis Lacerte ‘Jr’ had obtained the patent on 154 acres at lot 14, and 98 acres at lot 24 of the parish.
By 1878 the Louis Lacerte who was the son of ‘Francois’ Louis Lacerte appears to have relocated his family to Wood Mountain, North Dakota. In that same year, [Francois] Louis Lacerte’s wife, Josephte, died. He remarried in 1879, to Charlotte Lesperance, the widow of Jean-Baptiste Forcier.[6] At this point, Lacerte held title to his St. Norbert properties, along with an additional 102 acres at lot 114 Pointe Coupée, and 162 acres at lot 616 of that parish. [see Application for patent for Lot 114 Parish of Ste. Agathe - Lacerte, Louis Sr]
A Louis Lacerte was a Member of the Provisional Government of Assiniboia; Position in the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia:
- Honourable Member for Point Coupée[7]
Other Political Positions:
- Member of the ‘Council of Twelve’ (formed by early November 1869)
- Representative of St. Norbert at ‘Convention of Twenty-four’ (16 November 1869)
- Convention of Forty Member for Pointe Coupée. [8]
[1] La Socièté historique de Saint-Boniface, ‘Louis Lacerte,’ Family Group Sheet (1 September 2010). See John Pritchard, Frederick Damien Heuter, and Pierre Chrysologue Pambrum, Narratives of John Pritchard, Pierre Chrysologue Pambrun, and Frederick Damien Heurter, respecting the aggressions of the North-West Company against the Earl of Selkirk’s settlement upon Red River (London: John Murray, 1819), 50, 86; Andrew Amos, ed., Report of trials in the courts of Canada, relative to the destruction of the Earl of Selkirk’s settlement on the Red River: With observations (London: John Murray, 1820), 75; Samuel Hull Wilcocke, ed., Report of the proceedings connected with the disputes between the Earl of Selkirk, and the North-West Company, at the assizes held at York in Upper Canada, October 1818: From minutes taken in court (Montreal: Printed by James Lane & Nahum Mower, 1819), 151; HBCA, ‘Lacerte, Louis,’ Biographical Sheet. Jasper Alberta, ‘Alberta History 1784-1800,’ http://albertajasper.com/Alberta-History-1784-1800.html.
[2] See Michael K. Keplin, discussion thread, MétisGen, RootsWeb, Ancenstry.com, http://archiver.rootsweb.ancestry.com/th/read/METISGEN/2003-06/1056318381; D.N. Sprague and R.P. Frye, Genealogy of the First Métis Nation (Winnipeg: Pemmican Publications, 1983), ID#2469.
[3] Ibid.
[5] On the patent see Application for patent for Lot 14 Parish of St. Norbert – Lacerte, Louis Jr 1874. See also Manitoban and Northwest Herald (1 June 1872), 2: ‘Court of Queen’s Bench,’ Manitoba Free Press (21 February 1874), 8; ‘Commissaires d’Ecole,’ Le Métis (15 February 1873), 3; LAC, application for patent, ‘Lot 14 Parish of St. Norbert – Lacerte, Louis Jr 1874’; ‘The Official Gazette,’ Manitoba Free Press (5 May 1877), 1. Sprague and Frye, Genealogy, ID#2469.
[6] Glenbow Museum, Charles Denney fonds, M-7144-759,000.
[7] See ‘Provisional Government: First Council Meeting,’ New Nation (11 March 1870), 2; ‘Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia (1st Session …),’ New Nation (8 April 1870), 1; ‘Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia. Second Session,’ New Nation (27 May 1870), 1.
[8] Begg, Creation of Manitoba, 65, 247.
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Family Ties:
1. LACERTE, Louis. Born 27 December 1782 to Louis VACHER dit LACERTE; baptized 20 October 1788, Baie-du-Febre, Quebec; married c. 1820.
– sp. MARTIN, Marie ‘Josephte’. Born 25 December 1797, Athabasca, to Simon MARTIN (born 1775) and Lisette (a First Nations woman).
2. LACERTE, Josephte. Born c. 1812; died 18 March 1852; buried 20 March 1852, St. Francois-Xavier.
– sp. MORRISSEAU, Joseph ‘Akiwenzi’. Born c, 1811/1813.
3. MORRISSEAU, Louise. Born spring 1844.
– sp. MONETTE, Francois. Born spring 1838 to Andre MONETTE and Marguerite MARRON.
4. MONETTE, Marie Louise. Born 9 December 1865.
3. MORRISSEAU, Isabelle. Born 1846, St. Francois Xavier; married 1863, St. Francois Xavier.
– sp. MARRON, Simon. Born 1840, Baie St. Paul to Simon MARRON and Marguerite.
4. MARRON, Isabelle. Born 1865 at Baie St. Paul.
4. MARRON, Cecile Constance. Born August 1869, Baie St. Paul.
– sp. ATKINSON, James G.
4. MARRON, Simon. Born 1874, Cypress Hills.
4. MARRON, Adele. Born 1878, forks of the Red Deer.
4. MARRON, Louise.
– sp. BERARD
4. MARRON, Patrice. Born 1880, Battleford.
4. MARRON, Jean Baptiste. Born January 1884, Battleford.
2. LACERTE, [Francois] Louis-Azure. Born 15 January 1821; godfather to children of Antoine MORIN and Pelagie BOUCHER, 18 May 1845; godfather to Isadore PARENTEAU, 31 August 1852, at Assumption, Pembina; godfather to Josephte Apolline LARANCE, 2 April 1853, at Assumption, Pembina; godfather to Flavie LACERTE, 9 November 1853, at Assumption, Pembina; godfather to Elezar VANDAL, 16 May 1857, at Assumtion, Pembina; married second time, 24 November 1879, St. Francois-Xavier.
– sp. VANDAL/VANDALLE, Josephte/Josette. Born 18 July 1825 to Joseph VANDALLE and Marie LECHEVROTIERE dit CHARETTE; died 23 December 1878.
3. LACERTE, Catherine. Born 15 October 1843, Ile-a-la-Crosse; educated at Longueuil, Quebec, by the Soeurs des Saints Noms de Jésus et de Marie; taught school at the Mission, St. Joseph; married 24 November 1862; taught at St. Adolphe School 1866-1882; taught from her home (Otterburne) 1893-1895; died 22 April 1922.
– sp. MILLER/MULAIRE, Joseph. Born to Josph MULAIRE Sr. and Henriette PAUL de ST. DAVID; mail carrier between Fort Garry and Pembina; died of pneumonia 1871.
4. MULAIRE,
– sp.
5. MULAIRE,
3. LACERTE, Marie. Born c. 1846, Red River.
3. LACERTE, Louis. Born c. 1847, Red River; married 20 February 1871.
– sp. DEASE, Marguerite. Born 11 December 1853 to William DEASE and Marguerite SENTON.
4. LACERTE, Agnes. Born 15 September 1878, Wood Mountain; died 20 January 1880, Wood Mountain.
4. LACERTE, Jean Louis. Born 9 Auguat 1879, Wood Mountain; died 20 August 1880, Wood Mountain.
4. LACERTE, Patrice. Born 28 December 1883, Wood Mountain; died 3 June, Dunseith, North Dakota.
4. LACERTE, David. Born 11 July 1881, Wood Mountain; died 15 May 1882.
3. LACERTE, Josette/Josephte. Born 26 August 1850, Red River.
3. LACERTE, Adele. Born 1 November 1850.
– sp. BRUCE, Hermenegilde. Born 5 July 1846, St. Boniface to Baptiste/Jean-Baptiste BRUCE (brother of Hon. John Bruce of the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia) and Catherine Beauchemin PERREAULT.
3. LACERTE, Octavi. Born c. 1854; married 3 February 1880, St. Norbert parish; died c. 1885, St. Norbert .
– sp. GALARNEAU, Joseph Jr. Born 10 October 1850, Red River; died 26 April 1904, St. Boniface.
3. LACERTE, Isabelle. Born c. 1855.
3. LACERTE, Pierre. Born c. 1857; farmer.
3. LACERTE, Joseph. Born c. 1858.
3. LACERTE, Marie M. Born c. 1861.
3. LACERTE, Alphonsine. Born 31 July 1866; died 1875.
3. LACERTE, Christine. Born c. 1867.
3. LACERTE, Justine. Born c. 1867.
3. LACERTE, Marie Louise. Born c. 1869.
3. LACERTE, Jerome. Born c. 1875
– sp. L’ESPERANCE, Charlotte. Born 15 May 1827, St. Boniface, Red River Settlement, to Alexis L’ESPARANCE and Marguerite GUERON; previously married to Jean-Baptiste FORCIER; died 14 June 1903, St. Boniface.
2. LACERTE, Reine/Regina Louise. Born c. 1828/1830, Red River; ist marriage 14 January 1845, LaCerte-St. Pierre, St. Paul Minnestota; 2d marriage 10 April 1877, St. Vincent de Paul, Osseo, Minnesota; died 1899.
– sp. RAICHE, Emanuel. Born 15 June 1823, Rupert’s Land; died 22 September 1856, Osseo, Minnesota; buried St, Vincent de Paul Cemetery, Osseo.
– sp. POTVIN, Francois Xavier. Born June 1830, Longueuil, Quebec/ or Champlain, Clinton, New York; died 19 February 1896, Osseo, Hennepin, Minnesota.
– sp. PELOQUIN, Daniel. Born 2 November 1838, Red River.
2. LACERTE, Marguerite. Born 23 September 1833; baptized 23 September 1833, St. Boniface; died 20 March 1836; buried 21 March 1836 St. Francois-Xavier.
2. LACERTE, Francois Noel. Born 24 December 1835; baptized 27 December 1835, St. Francois Xavier; married 4 July 1857, St. Paul, Minnesota, United States.
– sp. CHARPENTIER, Leona. Born 25 December 1835.
2. LACERTE, Narcisse. Born 25 October 1838/2 April 1842; buried 5 July 1909, Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan.
– sp. CAPLETTE, Julie. Born c. April 1848/1850 to Louis CAPLETTE and Isabelle ROCHON.
3. LACERTE, Narcisse Jr. Born 22 May 1867.
Lacerte Jr., Narcisse – Concerning his claim as a child – Address, Willow Bunch – Born, May 22, 1867 on the Plains – Father, Narcisse Lacerte Sr., (Métis) – Mother, Julie Caplette, (Métis) – Scrip for $240 – Claim 1571 = ; Affidavit of Lacerte, Narcisse; applies on behalf of his minor child Narcisse Lacerte (born: 22 May 1867); mother: Julie Caplette (Métis); claim no. 6168 1/2; grant no. 4893
3. LACERTE, Marie Anne. Born 7 November 1870, Estevan, White Lake; died 1870, Pembina.
3. LACERTE, Alfred. Born June 1874, Willow Bunch; died 1878.
3. LACERTE, Octave/Octavie. Born June 1879, Willow Bunch; died 1898.
3. LACERTE, Virginie. Born 1883, Willow Bunch; died 1898.
3. LACERTE, Florentine. Born 2 January 1881, Willow Bunch.
3. LACERTE, Clement. Born February 1876, Wood Mountain.
3. LACERTE, Marie Emma. Born May 1887, Willow Bunch.
– sp. BEAUCHAMP.
2. LACERTE, Pierre.
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[Credit: The original research on which this page is based was commissioned for the Legislative Assembly of Assiniboia Project, by Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Manitoba. The current page is presented gratis -- I have no funding from any agency.]
Alias: Norma Hall. Visual artist, writer, historian. 
Wonderful research. Congratulations. Especially so as I’m a descendent of Louis Lacerte, through his daughter Catherine wife of Joseph Mulaire.
By: Bernard Mulaire on August 25, 2012
at 7:27 am
Thank you Bernard — it’s an honour to meet a Hon. Louis Lacerte descendant. Just wondering, do you have any info on Catherine and Joseph Mulaire’s children? I’d be grateful for any that could be used to fill in their line.
Norma
By: hallnjean on August 26, 2012
at 6:51 am
Hi!
Thanks for your e-mail. For more info on Catherine Lacerte/Mulaire, contact Gilles Lesage director of the Centre du patrimoine in Winnipeg. They have full info on her and her family, as well as photos. She is a historical figure.
As a young girl, Catherine was sent to Longueuil, in Québec, to study under the Soeurs des Saints-Noms-de-Jésus-et-de-Marie (SNJM), in order to join thereafter the religous teaching community that abbé Belcourt founded in Saint-Joseph, N.D. When Rome shut it down, she remained there as a lay teacher because her family was there. This is when my great-grand-father Joseph Mulaire came from Québec and they got married. Joseph’s grand-father came from the Brunswick region in Germany and his name first appears as Mulre.
After my great-grand-parents were married, they migrated back to the Red River, from where Joseph worked as a mail carrier on horseback between Red River and St. Paul’s. On one of these trips, he contacted pneumonia and died. My brother in Winnipeg still has his gunpowder rifle. Joseph’s death left Catherine as a young widow with three children. She immediately went back to teaching and as such is recognized today as a pionneering lay teacher in pre-Manitoba, in Saint-Adolphe actually.
When Catherine was old, the SNJM founded a convent school in Saint-Jean-Baptiste, Manitoba, and Catherine paid a visit to the nuns, introducing herself as a former student at Longueuil. This incident is reported in the biography of the then superior in Québec, Mère Véronique-du-Crucifix. The nuns were thrilled to learn that their former student had been a teacher for most of her adult life.
Catherine and Joseph had three children who lived on into adulhood: Emma (Félix Grégoire), Honoré (Agathe Laferté) and my grand-father Joseph-Hilaire (Amanda Beauvais).
Emma had two sons who might have had descendants, and Honoré may have had a daughter (but I’d have to look that up). Joseph-Hilaire had 12 chlidren and these account in turn for all the Mulaires in Western Canada; Ontario; and Québec (yours truly in Montréal).
Please keep me posted on your research.
Bernard Mulaire
By: Bernard Mulaire on August 26, 2012
at 10:35 am
Hello. I am researching a Lecerte (Lassart + many spellings) family that migrated to Centerville, Anoka, MN and Minneapolis, MN. Do you have any genealogical information for a first wife of Louis Lacerte (b. 1782) and his children between 1812 and 1820? Specifically, I am trying to connect Raphael Lacerte, b. 1816. Other online trees list his father as Louis Lacerte and mother as Marie Josephte Martin, but with no sources or references. Your research above is very impressive. I am at the beginning of an attempt to connect several different Métis families in early Minneapolis (1850s-1870s) with family, neighbors, co-parishioners, and descendants. Thank you for your time. Mary Dupont, St. Paul, MN.
By: marydupont on April 24, 2013
at 10:59 am