In 1689 Iroquois warriors, by order of the English, secretly landed on the island of Montréal on a mission to erase the "french fact" of Canada. It was a cowardly night attack and the Iroquois slaughtered many men, women and children. Prisoners were tortured and even burned alive. This sad bloody event is now known as the Lachine Massacre.
The following can be found at IROQUOIS HISTORY
The last part of the Beaver Wars coincided with King William's War (1688-97) between Britain and France. This meant warfare was not confined just to the Great Lakes, and in 1687 the French had struck the Seneca and Onondaga villages in the Iroquois homeland. More than 1,200 Iroquois warriors retaliated in August, 1689 with a massive raid against Lachine just outside Montreal which killed more than two hundred French settlers.
The following can be found at ...TIMELINE OF EVENTS
1689
Lachine Massacre -On Aug. 5, in the early morning darkness, 1500 Iroquois warriors crossed the Lake St. Louis under the cover a hailstorm, and struck Lachine. Hubert Ranger and his family lived at Bout de l'Ile, which could have been called the 'End of the World' -- there was nothing between them and the Pacific Ocean but trees and Indians -- demonstrating that they were braver than most. It probably saved their lives. Ranger is thought to be one of the few surviving families of the Lachine Massacre.
Extracted
from: Morts tragiques et Violentes au Canada 17e et 18e Siecles
par
Leonard Bouchard
Page 408a
"En 1689, environ 14 ou 1500 Iroquois descendirent le Fleuve Saint-Laurent. Dans la nuit du 4 ou 5 Aout, ils traverserent le lac Saint-Pierre au milieu d'un tempete de pluie et de grele, et se ruerent sur le village de Lachine. Alors fut entrepris l'un des pires massacres de l'histoire du pays. Hommes, femmes, enfants et bestiaux, en pleine nuit, furent la cible de la cruaute des Iroquois et personne n'y echappa.
Les victimes qui ne furent pas executees sur place furent emmenees en captive et durent subir le le sort habituel reserve aux prisonniers de guerre.On pense qu'au moins une centaine de personnes furent massacrees et le feu a detruit tout ce qu'il restait de vivant et de bon."
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Page 408
Michel Jean tue par les Iroquois a Lachine
"Le 18 Juin 1694, furent deterres les corps de Jean Michel et de plusieurs autres pour les transporter et les inhumer dans le cimetiere des Saintes-Anges de Lachine.
1 - Pres la maison de Lalande, etait le corps de Jean Faguret dit Petitbois, ou ayant des fouilles avec des pioches proches un egrosse roche nous avons trouve tous ses os, tous les chairs etant consommees lesquels nous avons fait lever la terre.
2 - Sur l'habitation de feu Jean Michel, nos avons trouves les os du dit Jean Michel, et de son fils Pierre, 15 ans, et d'Albert Boutin, de 18 ans, fils de sons femme.
3 - Sur l'habitation de feu Noel Charmois dit Duplessis, nous avons trouve les os du dit Charmois et d'Andre Danis dit L'Arpenty, tues et brules.
4 - Sur l'habitation d'Andre
Rapin, nous avons trouve dans un creux cinq tetes dont une de
Perinne Filiastreau, femme de Simon Davaux dit Bouterain avec ses
os; une et sees os d'un garcon qu'on dit etre un soldat; deux
tetes d'enfants et leurs os, et la tete de Marie Cadieux, femme
d'Andre Canaple dit Valtagane, dont les os furent touves dans une
fosse, au pieds du grand bastion du Fort Rolland.
Nos avons fait aussi lever de terre, sur le bord de l'eau, une
partie des os de deux soldats, tues le 6 aoust 1689, dans le
combat que les Iroquois livrerent aux Francais entre le Fort de
l'eglise et de Fort Rolland, n'ayant pu faire exhumer le reste
des os, a cause de debordement des eaux qu'il fait a present.
5 - Nous avons envoye six hommes par de la petit riviere de la presentation, sur l'habitation de feu Rene Chartier, ou lui et ses deux fils, et un petit sauvage..."
FRENCH/CANADIAN MASSACRE
(This is from the Summer 1988 Je Me Souviens, published by the American French Genealogical Society, Pawtucket, R.I.)
In 1689 the Iroquios attacked the small village of Lachine. Lachine is located a few miles southwest of Montreal. Here is a list of the victims of this attack.
- Vincent Aly dit Larosse, s/o Mery and Louise Bouton. He was a former
member of the Carignan Regiment. His wife, Marie Delphin Perrin, also perished but seven of their children managed to escape.
- Madeleine Boursier, eleven month old child was thrown into the river by the Iroquois, d/o Jean and Marthe Thibodeau.
- Albert Boutin, d/o Pierre and Marie Marchesseau.
- Marie-Genevieve Cadieu, d/o Jean and Marie Valade, she was the wife of Andre Canaple dit Valtagagne, her body was found decapitated.
- Marie Canaple, d/o Andre and Marie Cadieu, b 30 April 1689.
- Noel Charmois dit Deplesses, h/o Marguerite Delorme, he was found burned in his house.
- Andre Danis, his body was found with Noel Charmois, burned.
- Rene Chartier, s/o Rene and Marguerite Delorme.
- Francois Chartier, younger brother of Rene Chartier.
- Rene Chartier, h/o Marguerite Delorme. Marguerite escaped the massacre.
- Andre Danis dit Arpentigny, s/o Elie and Marguerite Brau, h/o Madeleine Barbary. Andre's remains were found several years after the massacre.
Andre Danny.
- Jean Fagueret dit Petitbois, he was a soldier of the Carignan Regiment, his remains were found and buried 28 October 1694 on the property of Rene Chartier, there was evidence that the flesh had been eaten.
- Perinne Filastreau, d/o Rene and Jeanne Herault, she was found decapitated.
- Therese Hunault, d/o Toussaint and Marie Lorgueil, married to Guillaume Leclerc, she was found in a barn brutally killed.
- Pierre Michel, s/o Jean and Marie Marchesseau.
- Jean Michel, h/o Marie Marchesseau. Marie managaed to escape the massacre with four of their children Marie-Renee, Francois and two others.
- Indian Panis, a slave to Rene Chartier and his wife, she was found decapitated.
- Marie Delphine Perrin, married to Vincent Alix dit LaRosse, she and her husband were burned in their cabin with their children.
- Andre Rapin, s/o Jean and Marie Boufandreau, several bodies were found on his property along with his wife, Marie Cadieu. He escaped unharmed.
-end of list-
Lachine, qui fait maintenant partie de la Communauté urbaine de Montréal, est située sur une concession accordée à René-Robert Cavelier de La Salle, commerçant de fourrures, explorateur et découvreur du delta du Mississipi. En 1669, La Salle se dirigea vers l'ouest, pensant à tort pouvoir traverser le continent et trouver un raccourci vers la Chine. C'est par dérision qu'on donna à ses terres le nom de Lachine.