Le Borgne (father & son)
STUCK IN A FRAME(1591-c1623):
-- CLICK HERE --There were two: Emmanuel Le Borgne (1610-1675) and his son, Alexandre Le Borgne, (1640-1693). I first deal with the father, Emmanuel.
Emmanuel Le Borgne was a merchant banker at La Rochelle, France. He was to invest in the new world venture of Charles de Menou d'Aulnay. By the year, 1650, Le Borgne had a sizable investment in d'Aulay and his establishments in Acadia. In was in that year, 1650, that d'Aulay died in a boating accident at Port Royal. Word travelled slowly in those days, back across the wide Atlantic, but in time Le Borgne was to hear of d'Aulay's death: news, which was to give him considerable alarm: he determined to sail to Acadia, likely with his two oldest sons: Emmanuel, jr.; and Alexandre.
"In 1653 le Borgne himself came to Port Royal, and on 30 August made the widow, who in July had married her husband's rival in the hope of safeguarding her interests, sign an account showing that 206,286 livres were still due to him. He used this document as authority to seize property belonging to the d'Aulnay heirs both in Acadia and in the French ports. Continuing his effort to monopolize the Acadian trade, he captured the posts at Pentagouet (Castine, Maine), La Heve, Saint-Pierre, and Nipisiguit (Bathurst, N.B.) ..." (DCB.)Le Borgne proceeded on the basis that all of Acadia was in the hands of the late Monsieur d'Aulnay and that La Tour and Denys were mere vassals to be crushed, if necessary.
Though it seems he stayed over at least one winter, likely at Port Royal, we see that, in 1655, Le Borgne sailed for France in the Châteaufort leaving family members behind to protect the Le Borgne interests in Acadia (Port Royal and LeHave). Emmanuel Le Borgne never returned to Acadia; he died broke at La Rochelle in 1675.
I guess that Alexandre Le Borgne came over from La Rochelle, France, during 1653, with his father, Emmanuel Le Borgne, the principal creditor of the d'Aulnay estate. While attempting to gathering up the pieces of the Acadian enterprises run by d'Aulnay, Le Borgne was to be trumped, in July of 1654, by a very powerful English force under General Robert Sedgwick; Sedgwick captured Pentagoet, Port Royal, and Le Heve. The following year, 1655, Le Borgne senior sailed back to France leaving his son (sons?) to pick up the pieces in Acadia, best he can.
In May of 1658, Alexandre Le Borgne was to establish himself at Le Heve, which presumably the English had let go. Thomas Temple, who held English papers, came up "from Boston and attacked Alexandre Le Borgne's improvised fort. Le Borgne was wounded during the engagement then taken to London, where he was held captive for some years." (DCB.)
By The Treaty of Breda (1667), Acadia was to be handed back to the French. While the official handback did not occur until 1670, we see that Alexander Le Borgne, by October, 1668, was sailing the entire coast of Acadia with the news of the handback; he was now sporting a new title, Le Borgne de Belle-Isle.
Alexandre Le Borgne was never to be take charge in Acadia, the authorities at Quebec were not much impressed with him: liked wine too much, they say. He continued on however at Port Royal and was to be one of the leading men of the community up until his death at Port Royal, c. 1693.1
Alexandre Le Borgne, (1640-1693):_______________________________
FOOTNOTES:
[1] Alexandre was to marry Marie La Tour (b.1654). Marie's parents were Charles La Tour & his third wife, Jeanne Motin. Charles and Jeanne were married on February 24th, 1653. The couple went on to have three girls and two boys. Marie was born in 1654 (married Alexandre Le Borgne); Jacques, 1661 (married Anne Melancon); Charles, 1664; Anne, 1664 (married Jacques Muis); and Marguerite, 1665 (married Abraham Muis). (This information comes from Hannay in a fn at p. 206. One of my correspondents wrote with different information. "The Jacques born in abt 1655 is actually the brother of Alexandre's wife, Marie de la Tour born in 1654. Jacques de la Tour married Anne Melancon. Anne and Marguerite were also sisters to Alexandre's wife Marie. Anne de la Tour born 1661 married Jacques Mius d'Entremont and Marguerite de la Tour born 1658 married Abraham Mius d'Entremont. Is this possibly an error? I can only go by the many sources I have used, but they all go back to being Marie de la Tours siblings, not her children. Alexandre LeBorgne and Marie de la Tour weren't married until 1674, according to my sources." The correspondent does not give her "sources," so I leave it to others to research the subject further.