Jean-Chrysostome Loppinot:
(1680-?).
According to Arsenault, he was the "greffier, notaire royal, conseiller et procureur du roi en Acadia."
Jean-Chrysostome Loppinot was originally from Paris (parish of Saint-Nicolas) and came to Port Royal, likely just after receiving a commission as clerk of the court at Port Royal on April 5th 1699. In 1702, he was to marry Jeanne Doucet.1 On May 4th, 1704, Loppinot's career was considerably advanced when he received an appointment as King's Attorney. It was in such a capacity, it would appear, he took a petition on behalf of the shocked and religious Acadians in regards to the activities of their philandering governor, Joseph de Brouillan, for, in 1705, he was to take a ship and plead a case in France against Brouillan requesting that he be recalled (in the midst of this brouhaha, Brouillan died). Loppinot's opposition against Brouillan did not seem to work against his interests, for, during December, 1706, now presumably back at Port Royal, Loppinot was to obtain a grant of lands at Cap Fourchu (present day Yarmouth County) from the new governor, Subercase.
We see from the history books, that, during December, 1710, the French Governor, Subercase, and his entourage, after the capture of Port Royal, was sent by the British out of Port Royal to France; I suspect, that included in those deported were Loppinot, his wife Jeanne and their young family of four children with the oldest being seven years of age and the youngest but a babe in arms. They were, however, not to settle into France for, in 1713, they were to form part of the original founding group aboard the Semslack which came to establish Louisbourg.
Through the years of its short existence (1713-1758), Louisbourg, as a French stronghold in America, grew. This growth, in part, was as a result of the efforts of many French families at Louisbourg, the Loppinot family was typical.2 . Two sons, Jean-Chrysostome (b.1703) and Louis (b.1707) show up on the 1730 military lists at Louisbourg.3 The Loppinot family was among those who were transported by the conquering colonials back to France, in 1745. As far as the Loppinot family is concerned, history was to repeat itself; for, in 1749, the family returned when Louisbourg, was handed back by the terms of the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle. Now, I am not sure of the make up of the Loppinot family during the second siege;4 but, once again, during August of 1758, this pioneering family, for the third time (1710, 1745 & 1758), was forcibly transported back to France. I assume, with France now being dispossessed (1758-1763) of its American Territories that the Loppinot family was never to return to America; their descendants, undoubtedly many, forming part of the present day population of France.5
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FOOTNOTES:
[1] Jeanne's mother was Marie Landry (b.1648); her grandfather, Rene Landry (b.1618). I am advised by one of my correspondents: "JC Lipponet
married Louise Jeanne Doucet widowed from Pierre Chenet dit Dubrueil.
The children of Pierre and Louise were Pierre born 1691, Francois born
1692, and Marie born 1698. Pierre Chenet Jr. married in 1724 and had a
daughter Marie Josephte in 1726."
[2] It is to be understood that the families of these times were large consisting of many children within each of a number of generations all supporting one another. The family extended, too, to numerous indentured servants; or, if you like, slaves. Loppinot, in 1736, was to purchase a domestic slave, Marie Marguerite Rose (b.c.1717). Marguerite Rose was to have a child by him, Jean Francois (b.1738-51). She was, by all appearances, an integral part of the Loppinot family, and, as such, was transported out of Louisbourg, in 1745; and again she and Jean Francois as part of the Loppinot family came back to Louisbourg, in 1749, as part of the French take-over. Marguerite Rose, undoubtedly with the backing of the Loppinot family, was to turn to tavern keeping, in those days, a favourite occupation of freed slaves. In 1755, Marguerite Rose married Jean Baptiste Laurent, an "Indian." In 1757, Marguerite Rose died. (See "Slaves in Ile Royale" by Kenneth Donovan, found in Acadiensis, Autumn, 1995.)
[3] McLennan, Appendix I, p. 333. One of them (we might assume Jean-Chrysostome, jr.) was made Enseigne en second on May 8th, 1730; Enseigne en pied, April, 1737; Common, de Capite, March 1749.
[4] Jean-Chrysostome (b.1703) and Louis (b.1707) were there when Amherst laid siege in 1758, together with two younger members of the Loppinot family, cadets: Joseph-Charles, age 17; and Louis, age 14; both sons of Jean-Chrysostome (b.1703).
[5] One of the Loppinot boys died at February 22nd, 1765, Rochefort, France. (McLennan, Appendix I, p. 333.)