And now a Little History

Thanks to

The Beaudet Families Association

France

Louis XI laid the foundations for absolute rule by French kings. During the Hundred Years' War, the kings had lost much of their power to the French nobles. Louis regained this power. His greatest rival was Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. Charles died in battle in 1477 while trying to conquer the city of Nancy, and Louis seized most of his vast lands.

In 1497, John Cabot, an Italian navigator in the service of England, found rich fishing grounds off Canada's southeast coast. In time, his discovery led to the European exploration of Canada. France took the lead in exploring the country and set up a colony in eastern Canada in the early 1600's. Daring French fur traders traveled westward and came upon many of Canada's sparkling lakes, rushing rivers, and majestic, snow-capped mountains

During the early 1500's, a religious movement called the Reformation developed Protestantism in Europe. Many French people became Protestants. They followed the teachings of John Calvin and were called Huguenots. After 1540, the government persecuted the Huguenots severely, but they grew in number and political strength. In the late 1500's, French Roman Catholics and the Huguenots fought a series of civil wars that lasted over 30 years. In 1572, thousands of Huguenots were killed during the Massacre of Saint Bartholomew's Day.

Henry III died in 1589 without a male heir. He was followed by Henry of Navarre, who became Henry IV and started the Bourbon dynasty. But Roman Catholic forces prevented him from entering Paris because he was the leader of the Huguenots. In 1593, Henry became a Roman Catholic to achieve peace. He entered the capital the next year. In 1598, Henry signed the Edict of Nantes, which granted limited freedom of worship to the Huguenots.

In 1685, Louis canceled the Edict of Nantes and began to persecute the Huguenots savagely. About 200,000 Huguenots fled France, which weakened the country's economy. Louis's minister of finance, Jean Baptiste Colbert, promoted a strong economy. But the construction of Louis's grand Palace of Versailles and a series of major wars drained France's finances. Louis tried to rule supreme in Europe. He was stopped by military alliances that included England, Spain, the Holy Roman Empire, and other nations.

Sabastein Baudet

Jean Baudet

Jean Baudet, son of Sébastien Baudet and Marie Baudonnier, was born in Blanzy, in Poitou, France. In the spring of 1664 Jean Baudet left La Rochelle with about fifty people, mostly young men, hired to work in New France. Before embarking , each man was allotted 95 pounds : 60 pounds for his passage, 30 pounds for clothing and 100 sols, or 5 pounds, for food.

Jean Baudet and his friends left France aboard a ship called "Le Noir d'Amsterdam". This small ship under the direction of Captain Pierre de Filly of Dieppe arrived in Quebec City on May 25, 1664. Among the passengers only 42 could be identified. It is to be noted that among the passengers a young girl, Jeanne Besnard, made the crossing accompanied by Jeanne Mance. The latter was a devoted nurse, who, with the help and generosity of Mme De Buillon founded the "Hotel Dieu of Montreal" hospital. Jeanne Mance, was already living in Canada since 1641.

In 1666, according to the records our ancestor was hired by Nicolas Gaudry. He is believed to have worked at least three years for this farmer and perhaps more, for two years later, as we read in Father Scott's History of Ste Foy, Jean Baudet was still in the area.

Canada

Ancestor Marie Grandin

We are now in 1670. It has been six years since Jean Baudet arrived in New France. Well accustomed to the new world , he decides to found a family.

Now let us talk about the woman who shared her life with Jean Baudet and became the ancestor to all the Beaudet families of America. Her name was Marie Grandin, a French orphan girl, newly arrived in Canada. Marie, daugther of Michel Grandin and Marie Lejeune, was born in St-Euverte parish in the city of Orléans, today part of Du Loiret sur La Loire, a district about 125 km from Paris. Marie was nineteen years old and was part of a contingent of girls called "Les Filles du Roi" when she left for Canada.

Who are " Les Filles du Roi "?

Sylvio Dumas gives us a good explanation of what are "Les Filles du Roi" in the following text: "How to attract to Canada a sufficient number of French girls to give the young bachelors a chance to found a family? King Louis XIV and his minister Colbert had a plan. The Royal Treasury accepted to contribute part of the expenses for the trip and those needed to settle the young immigrant gils in Canada. They entrusted merchants with the task of recruting girls from France and were allotted 10 pounds for each girl found. The cost of the trip and stay in Canada for these immigrants were at the expense of the Royal Treasury. The girls who couldn't afford a modest trousseau were not excluded as the King himself paid for what was needed. Once hired " Les Filles du Roi" were taken to a seaport, Dieppe or LaRochelle, where they embarked a ship bound for Canada.

Upon their arrival, "Les Filles du Roi" were divided into three groups: 70% were sent to Quebec City and the surroundings, 12% to Three Rivers and 18% to Montreal. They were placed in trustworthy families at the expense of the Royal Treasury.

As for Marie Grandin, she was greeted by Mrs. Bourdon (Anne Gasnier) who became like a mother to her.

On September 28, 1670 Jean Baudet marries Marie Grandin in the chuch of Notre-Dame de Québec. Marie was nineteen and Jean was twenty years old. The young couple worked very hard to make ends meet. They spent the first years of their marriage in Sillery. On September 4, 1672 Jean Baudet rents from Mr. Noel Ringuet, a piece of land with a house, a barn and a stable. Six years later he rents from Mr. Mathurin Moreau two oxen and a cart with accessories.

In 1677 Jean and Marie leave Sillery for Lotbinière, where they rent the land reserved for the Lordship of Lotbinière. As Lord Louis Chartier of Lotbinière was always busy in Quebec City, because of his work, he confided to Jean Baudet the care of his seignorial domain. Two years later Jean renews his rental contract. During these four years Jean built the seignorial manor and lived there, on the condition that he reserve a room for the Lord of Lotbinière when he visits his land.

In 1680 Jean Baudet obtains from his Lordship, his first concession on "Platon de Lotbinière " but continues working for the Lord while building a house on his own concession. The following year he establishes his family on his own land.

While clearing the land, cultivating the earth, taking care of the buildings and animals, Jean Baudet establishes an important business of eels. For about twenty years he kept fishing and delivering eels as far as Montreal, 20 to 40 barrels each season.

In 1708 Jean Baudet obtains from the Lord of Lotbinière a second concession which, he divides between his sons Jean-Baptiste, Michel and Jacques.

Our ancestor dies sommewhere between March 25 and July 8, 1714. His wife cedes the concession on Platon de Lotbinière to her eldest son Charles, on condition that he takes care of her till her death. Marie Grandin dies on July 14, 1715 in Hotel-Dieu Hospital in Quebec City.

Their Children

The children of Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin

Marie (Louise) was baptized on September 14, 1671, in the City of Sillery. On October 6, 1686 she married Jacques Houde son of Louis Houde and Madeleine Boucher. They had eleven children all born and baptized in Saint-Antoine de Tilly. Jacques died on March 24, 1748, and Marie died on June 2, 1755 in Saint-Antoine de Tilly.

Simone (Anne) was baptized on December 27, 1673 in the City of Sillery. On July 4, 1689 in Cap Santé, she married Michel Pineau, son of Pierre Pineau and Anne Boyer, they had nine children. After Michel died she married François LeRoy a shoemaker from Verchères, they had one child.

Jean-Charles (Du Cap) was baptized on August 14, 1676 in Lorette (today called Ancienne Lorette). On November 26, 1726, in Lotbinière he married Madeleine Lemay, daughter of Ignace and Anne Girard. They had five children. Jean-Charles inherited the first concession from his father. He died in Lotbinière on July 23, 1749. His wife also died in Lotbinière on March 14, 1777.

Louise was baptized on April 21, 1679 in Neuville. In 1697, in Lotbinière, she married Jacques Marcotte, son of Jacques and Elisabeth Salé. They had eleven children and lived in Cap Santé. Jacques died in March of 1737 in Cap Santé. Louise died on February 7, 1760 in the same parish.

Jeanne-Francoise was born on October 1, 1681 in Lotbinière. In 1699 she married Jean-Baptiste Bisson (Buisson) son of Antoine Bisson and Ursule Tru. They had six children and lived in Saint-Nicholas. They both died of a terrible fever ( scarlet fever) that threatened the country in 1711 and 1712. Jeanne-Françoise died in January 1712, her husband passed away a few months later in the Hotel-Dieu hospital in Québec City.

Jean-Baptiste was born on September 2, 1683. In 1717, in Lotbinière, he married Françoise Chatel, daughter of Michel and Marguerite Lambert. They had nine children. Jean-Baptiste settled his family on the father's second concession. His wife died in Lotbinière on December 9, 1731. He died November 24, 1764.

Michel was born in 1686 in Lotbinière. On June 17, 17l9, in Ste-Croix de Lotbinière he married Thérèse Pérusse daughter of Jean and Jeanne Barabé. they had ten children. Michel lived in Lotbinière on his father's second concession. His wife died on January 3, 1755 and he died on May 27, 1764.

Marie-Josephte was baptized on April 24, 1687, in Sillery. On October 18, 1704 in Lotbinière she married Jacques Denevers son of Guillaume and Louise Vitard. They had three children, two died in their twenties. They lived in Sainte-Croix de Lotbinière. Jacques Denevers died on February 27, 1741, his wife died on May 28, 1748.

Jacques was baptized on Novembrer 20, 1690 in Lotbinière . On November 26, 1720, in Sainte-Croix de Lotbinière, he married Angélique Lemay daughter of Pierre and Anne Germain, They had seven children. Like his brothers Jean-Baptiste and Michel he lived on the second concession. His wife Angélique Lemay died on May 13, 1742 in Lotbinière, Jacques died on January 4, 1750.

Marie-Madeleine was born in 1692. Considering the fact that we have no records of her date of birth, marriage or death many genealogists have never mentioned her. They say only nine children were born to Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin. However, she was mentioned as their daughter in four contracts .

Du Cap

Father Paradis in the "Annales de Lotbiniere" sheds light on the Du Cap or Ducap families descending from Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin.

“Monsignor Tanguay and other researchers believed that a second line of Baudet families existed. It was their belief that Jean Baudet and Charles Baudet dit Du Cap were the sons of Laurent Baudet having once lived in Cap-de-la-Madeleine. Municipal records proved that when Laurent died he had no sons to continue his lineage. Where does the Du Cap name come from? An explanation. Jean Baudet's first concession is located on the St-Lawrence River in an area where steep cliffs are predominant. The locals called these cliffs the Caps. When his parents passed away, Charles inherited this first concession. To differentiate him from his brothers also living in the same parish, he was nicknamed Du Cap."

It is also noteworthy that Marguerite Crevier, Laurent Baudet's spouse remarried. Her testament reveals that Marie and Marguerite Baudet were the only children from her relationship with Laurent Baudet. There is never a mention of a Charles. The Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin contracts clearly record all of their children, especially Charles.
The Ducap and Du Cap families are definitely descendants of Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin.

N.B.: Several of Charles Baudet dit Ducap descendants kept the Beaudet surname, others decided to use the Du Cap or Ducap spelling.

What's in a name? Beaudet/Beaudette/bodette... Why not Boday??

Note: The orignal surname spelling was Baudet. The Beaudet variation evolved during the era of the 3rd and 4th generations. It is interesting to note that, as the family started leaving the Lotbiniere area, the surname started changing to Beaudette, Baudette, Beaudett, Bodett, and Bodette.

Canada (later)

The United Kingdom gained control of the country in 1763, and thousands of British immigrants began to join the French who remained in Canada. In 1867, the French- and English-speaking Canadians helped create a united colony called the Dominion of Canada. The two groups worked together to settle the country from coast to coast and to develop its great mineral deposits and other natural resources.

Notes on the Province of Quebec

Quebec differs greatly from the rest of Canada because of its French language and culture. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec City, the first permanent European settlement in Canada, in 1608. Quebec remained a French colony until the United Kingdom gained control of it in 1763. Today, about 80 percent of Quebec's people are of French descent. French is the official language of Quebec.

In the past, the Roman Catholic Church dominated Quebec's politics and daily life. Today, the church generally has a less important role in the lives of the people of Quebec. For example, the feast day of Saint Jean Baptiste (Saint John the Baptist) in June is now celebrated largely as a secular (nonreligious) holiday. It serves as an occasion for the French-speaking people of Quebec to display their pride in their province.

Quebec is the largest province in area and the second largest in population. Only Ontario has more people. Montreal, Quebec's largest city, is the hub of the province's economic and cultural life. The largest industries in the Quebec region are service industries--such as banks, hospitals, and advertising agencies--and manufacturing. Other important economic activities include agriculture, mining, forestry, and fishing.

The strong French influence makes Quebec quite different from the rest of Canada. For example, almost 90 percent of the people belong to the Roman Catholic Church. Many Quebec schools teach the Roman Catholic religion, and most schools use French as the language of instruction. The province's older buildings are French in architecture. Beautiful French-style homes can still be seen in the countryside. Almost every village has a Catholic church, and crosses and shrines stand by the roadsides. Nevertheless, Quebec has churches of a number of other denominations. The province also has hospitals, schools, and universities that serve English-speaking people. Government services use both French and English.

The early French settlers in the Quebec region were interested chiefly in the fur trade. Rapid economic growth during the 1900's placed Quebec among the great industrial regions of North America. Factories and mills use the power provided by hydroelectric plants on Quebec's many rivers. Quebec is a leading producer of hydroelectric power in North America.

Settling  down in the United States(a brief history) 

by  Robert Beaudette, Gatineau, QC, Canada

Though  Jean's sons are responsible for the continuity of the family name,  Laurent's daughter would be the first North American Baudet born  descendant to settle in Montreal. On March 3, 1717 in Montreal Jean-Baptiste  Paquet is born, the son of Noel Paquet and Margaret Baudet. Jean's  daughters would have the privilege to be the first North American born  descendants to give birth.

As  it was the custom, daughters married at an early age. Consequently it is the  girls who were the first to relocate in areas away from home. As family is  family, our ancestors would hitch the horse to the wagon, it is time to  visit. It was just a question of time before the men would leave home and  seek other settlements. Jean's daughters followed tradition, they were the  first to leave and settle new homesteads. Jean's sons developed their  homesteads on the ancestral land. Jean's grandsons would be the first  males to branch out.

The  period of 1718 to 1728 saw the majority of the grandchildren born in the  area of Lotbiniere and Ste-Croix. Gradually they branched out to  Deschaillons and St-Pierre les Becquets. During the period of 1779 to 1790  the family has settled in areas such as Becancour and Gentilly. The familly  continues to branch out in the 1800: St-Gregoire 1813, Detroit 1819,  St-Nicolas 1823, Coteau-du-Lac 1820, St-Guillaume d'Upton 1836.  The family has left the region of les Bois Francs and Coeur du Quebec. The  family continues to settle in areas of the province of Quebec: St-Norbert  1847, Plessisville 1849, Princeville 1852, Arthabaska 1853, Ste-Julie 1858,  Ste-Sophie 1863, and Victoriaville 1874.

Some  of the first Europeans arriving in New Hampshire were Martin Pring in 1603,  Samuel de Champlain in 1605 and Captain John Smith in 1614. In 1623 David  Thompson started the settlement at Little Harbour. In 1679 New Hampshire  separated from Massachusets. From 1686 to 1689 it was part of the Dominion  of England. In 1692 New Hampshire rejoins Massachusets. Their boundaries are  settled at an appeal hearing by the king in council in 1741. By 1750 the New  Hampshire governor was granting townships west of the Connecticut River, the  so-called New Hampshire grants, this territory is now the state of  Vermont. New Hampshire was involved in all four french and indian wars. In  1771 the colony was divided into 5 counties. In 1776 the United States  defeated Great Britain in the American War of Independance. The northern  boundary with Canada was not settled until the Webster-Ashburton Treaty of  1842. After the American Civil War 1861-1865, a large migration of  French-Canadians entered the states of New Hampshire and Rhode Island. The  U. S. Supreme Court decided on the New Hampshire-Vermont boundary in 1934.

Pierre  Beaudet and Florence Richer were married in 1853 in Clinton County, New  York. Alfred and Philomene Courchesne in Plattsburg, New York 1880. A Nelson  lBodette died in Churchville, Monroe Co., New York 1880.

Georges  Beaudet, Liboire's son, married and left St-Guillaume d'Upton in 1877  and immigrated to the States. Telesphore b. 1878 and Alma b. 1879, both in  Connecticut. Their brother Ovide b. in 1893 in Woonsocket, ILl. Georges'  brothers Hughes and Dosithee also decide to settle in Woonsocket. There are  other relatives settling in Rhode Island: Clovis and Malvina Beaulieu in  Woonsocket 1881; Ludger and Anne Provencher in Central Falls 1887; Odilon and Mathilda Forcier in Burillville 1899.

Fred  Nazaire, son of Nazaire and Lucie St-Jean, b. in Manchester, New Hampshire  1872. Edmond and Marie Cornelie Turcotte marry in Manchester 1883. Charles  and Mederise Courtemanche marry in Lebanon, N.H. 1883. Also in Lebanon 1883,  Elisee and Emma Langevin get married. Eugene and Delvina Demers marry in  Rolling Ford 1884. In Manchester 1894, Ludger and Marie Gosselin tie the  knot. Leon and Georgianna Beauchesne marry 1897 in Manchester. Also  in Manchester, Gedeon and Ernestine Mann 1899. Henri  and Marie Louise Florent in Manchester in 1900. Joseph and Marie-Louise  Gelinas have children that marry in Nashua. Franˆßais Cesaire and Lumina  Robillard mary in Berlin Falls 1901. Several of these branches are still  quite strong in New Hampshire.

         In 1867, Victor and Louise Toutant  have another child in Gentilly, Que. By 1872 their older children are  getting married in Lewiston, Maine. Relatives such as Neree and Virginie  Lavigne in 1875, Napoleon and Julie Biron in 1876, Honore G. and Celine  Labrecque in 1877, David and Marie Hedwidg Toutant in 1878, marry in  Lewiston. Ludger and Arlene Roux marry in Danville, Que 1881, by 1904 their  children are getting married in Rhode Island. Franˆßois and Amanda Laroche  marry in Westbrooke in 1884. Philogene and Marie Anne Paquin marry in  Lewiston 1887. Ovide and Nora Nolan-Bellerose marry in Augusta 1887. Calixte  Celeste and Elisabeth Charbonneau marry in Bedford 1888.

Adolphe  and Marie-Anne Victoire marry in Dover, Massachusets 1887. William and  Amanda Saulnier marry in Ste-Elie d'Orford, Que. in 1895 and later moved  to Massachusetts. Edouard Arthur and Alphonsine Rodrigue marry in Holyook in  1918. Ludger and Rose A. Daigneault marry in Vergennes, Vermont 1891.

By  1701 French families had settled in the Detroit River Region. tn 1763, the  seven years war between France and England ends. Wisconsin, Northern and  Eastern Minnesota become British Territory. The land between Ohio and the Mississippi rivers which now forms the states of Illinois, Indiana,  Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin was known as the Northwest Territory.. Three  states Virginia, Massachusetts, and Connecticut had claims in the area by  virtue of colonial charters and New York state by virtue of an Indian Treaty.  The Ordinances of 1785 and 1787 prepared the way for the orderly settlement  of the old Northwest. General Anthony Wayne's victory against the Indians  at Fallen Timber on August 20, 1794 opened the route across the Ohio. By  1804 a minimum of 160 acres could be purchased at $2.00 per acre, with  one-fourth down and the remainder to be paid within four years. Victories  against the Indians at Tippecanoe on November 7, 1811 and against the  British in the War of 1812 brought a new surge of population into the Northwest. Indiana became a state in 1816, Illinois in 1818, and Michigan in  1837. On January 14, 1819 Job Baudet, son of Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Pelagie  Auger marries in Detroit, Archange Bourguignon. Archange was born in Detroit, Michigan on July 15, 1800. There are no records of Job's sons  returning east. Did they stay in Michigan, go west, or maybe even south?  Thomas, the son of Onesime and Anny Lacroix b. Iron Mountain, Michigan 1896.

Though  some areas of Wisconsin are too stony, sandy and swampy, the land is most  suitable for farming and the state is known as America,s Dairyland.  Wisconsin's forests and rivers made lumbering an important activity. The  first European known to have set foot in the territory was Jean Nicolet in  1634, sent by Samuel de Champlain. He was followed by Medart Chouart and  Pierre Radisson in 1659-1660. exploring the Lake Superior Region. In 1665  Father Claude Jean Allouez establishes a mission on Chequamegon Bay. In 1669  Allouez founded St-Francis Xavier at De Pere. In 1673, Jolliet, Marquette,  Greysolon, and Cavelier travelled the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers and  explored eastern Wisconsin along Lake Michigan. In 1684 a trading post was  established at La Baye and Nicolas Perrot built fort St¬‚Nicolas near  Prairie du Chien. In 1689 the Upper Mississippi Valley was claimed for  France. The possession was ceded to England at the close of the French and  Indian Wars in 1763. There were no permanent settlements until 1764. In 1783  after the War of Independance, Great Brittain ceded the territory to the  United States. In 1787 Wisconsin became part of the Nortwest Territory, part  of the Indiana Territory in 1800, of the Territory of Illinois in 1809 and  of the Michigan Territory in 1818. The first large scale immigration occured  in the 1820's as a result of a lead-mining boom in southwestern  Wisconsin. After the Black Hawk War of 1832 home seekers from eastern states  flocked to the region. In 1836 Wisconsin was organized as a territory. On  May 29, 1848 Wisconsin was admitted to the Union as the 30th state. The post  Civil War period found the people of Wisconsin engaged in expanding the  state's railroad network, exploiting its timber resources, developing  manufacturing, dairying and extracting iron ore from the mines.

Joseph  and Elise Donaldson sometime around 1850, left the Province of Quebec and  headed for the states. Was it the New England states or the Central North  states? Cyrille, the son of Isaie and Margaret Mailhot b. 1815 marries in the U.S. To whom, where did they live and were there any children, are still  mysteries? It is known that he was buried in the Province of Quebec.

Edward  Theodore Bodette and Bertha Zeaman are living in Wisconsin Rapids 1873.  Benjamin Remi married Camilla Blanchette 1871, Philippe married Eveline  Lemay 1888, and Eloi married Celinay Fenly, all in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. All three were sons of Gregoire and Ursule Lemay. Not much is  known on Gregoire and Ursule, speculation is that they settled in the  Chippewa Falls area. They were married in Lotbiniere, Que. Some of their  children were married in Lotbiniere. It is known that there was a Joseph  Beaudette and Ella Carbona living in Fond-du-Lac, Wisconsin in 1878.

Louis  Alfred and Louis Albert Beaudet(te) headed out west sometime between 1880  and 1885. Louis Alfred takes a second wife Adele Debeau in Chippewa Falls  during this period and settles in the area. He has children from the first marriage. His brother Louis Albert leaves for Eastern Ontario in 1884, his  son Albert Joseph will marry Louise Esther Zutter in 1895 Chippewa Falls and  he also settles in the area.

Pierre  Radisson and Medart Chouart, Sieur de Groseiller in 1654 and 1660 were the  first white men to enter the Minnesota country. Nicolas Perrot in 1686 built  a fort on Lac Pepin. Jacques de Noyon arrived in the Lake of the Woods  region of North Minnesota in 1688. Pierre de La Verendrye visited North  Minnesota with a party of 50 men in 1732. He lost 21 men when caught in the  middle of a war between North American Natives in what is known as the Sioux  uprising. He establishes his headquarters at Fort St-Charles. The fort was  abandonned by 1763 when claim to the old Northwest was transferred to the  British following the fall of Quebec City. In 1873 the British-American  Treaty gave eastern Minnesota to the United States. The U.S. also obtained  western Minnesota through the Louisiana Purchase. All trade returning from  the north and the west had to cross the lake. Several municipalities  flourished as a French colony. French surnames are today's testimony. Fort  Snelling is established in 1819. It would appear that the Baudet river was  named prior to 1823. This is the year that the International Joint Boundary  Commission had been appointed to establish the border between Canada and the  U.S. The river carried the original name as late as 1865. Somewhere along  the line it became Beaudette and finally Baudette.

Furs  and lumber furnished the economic motives which brought people to Minnesota.  The development of pioneer agriculture occured in 1840. From the Catholic  chapel built by father Lucian Galtier in 1841 grew the hamlet of St-Paul;  and in 1847 settlement began at the Falls Sf St-Anthony (Minneapolis). In  1849 a road was opened on the Wisconsin side of the Mississippi accessing  trade in St.Paul and a stage kept settlers in touch with the outside world. Minnesota became the 32nd state on May 11, 1858. The french impact is still  visible. The State Motto on the State Seal reads: L'Etoile du Nord. The  first railroad was completed in 1862 and by 1870 the state had 1,100 miles  of track. Gold was discovered near Lake Vermillion in 1865. Experimental  telephone lines were run to Minneapolis and St.Paul in 1877. From 1860 to  1900, Minnesota was the leading lumber producing state.

The  Lake of the Woods region of Northern Minnesota was opened to settlement in  the late 1890's. Several trading posts previously existed as this was a  main trading and traffic route. Originally spelled Beaudette, the town was probably once a trading post, it received its first permanent residents in  1891. The name has been attributed to a trapper by the name of Beaudette  thought to have been in the region in the early 1880's. This is somewhat  questionable as the Baudet river was named prior to the International Joint  Boundary Commission appointment in 1823. Not much is known about a Jean  Baudet and Marie Antin married in 1814 Louisiana or about Agnes Elodie  Baudet and Franˆßois Nicolas Kellar married in Baton Rouge.

Are  there errors in the recordings of these manages? Are they descendants of  Jean who arrived in New France in 1664. Or are they from another European  Branch? Did they stay in the Louisiana area or did they move up the Mississippi? The original spelling of the Minnesota river is Baudet. Could  it be that this river as the one in Ontario and Quebec was not named in  honor of the family? Maybe it was named after somebody in the family? If so,  when? Was it in the days of Laverendrye? Did he operate a trading post? By  the early 1800's the familly name has changed to Beaudet. By 1900 the  Minnesota settlement is spelled Beaudette.

Records  do indicate the death of Joseph A. Beaudette in Baudette Minnesota August 8,  1944. Born January 5, 1878 in Fond¬‚du-Lac Wisconsin, the son of Joseph  Beaudette and Ella Carbona was considered as a one of Northern Minnesota's  pioneers. He died of congestive cardiac failure. He took up homesteading in  the early days of the district, and later went to Northern Dakota for a few  years. Later he worked at the Norris resettlemnt camp. To his friends he was known as the man with the gold mine under his nose, because of his many gold  filled teeth.

Theodore  Francis-Xavier and Josephine Beaudet married in Minneapolis 1880. Baudette  Minnesota in 1910 was also the home of John and Catherine Beaudette, they  became naturalized citizens in 1888. The descendants of Nelson Bodette left  New York state about the same time and they also settled in Minnesota.

Regardless  of the spelling, Minnesota has been home to the family for over a 100 years.  Several western, southern and southwestern states populated by the family  came from Wisconsin and Minnesota. The name is still alive and strong in  this part of the continent which was once called the Northwest Territory.