A Brief Family History

It has been a long time from the beginning of the search to now!! Our search for our family began a few years ago when we returned from India in 1990, and I finally retired from the United States Air Force in 1994.

I was always interested in my family surname, but never had an opportunity to find out much more information about it. Over the years I have encountered maybe a handful, of Frechette’s while in the military. Not many when you consider the many thousands of people who are in the services.

The desire to research my family started with a letter from my older brother Gary. In this letter he stated that a Claude Frechette from Canada was researching our name. My brother included a copy of a letter from my Aunt Jessie Frichette to this Claude Frechette, this letter has always been my inspiration for the research into the Frichette surname.

Though I have gathered much data and found many family members the task is never ending. There is always another person to add, another date, another place, another and another........Yes once you bite, the hook is forever set!

Frechette Families Background

The following brief was written by Claude G. Frichette, genealogiste, from Laval, Quebec, Canada. Claude has been a close friend and has helped in our family research. Claude and I have been in collaboration on several Frechette family researches. I am currently working with Claude on the San Francisco, New Orleans, and Keeseville Frichette families.

Their ancestors came from France to New France, now the Province of Quebec. The original family name was Frichet or Frechet. The name changed from Frichet, Frechet, Freschet, Frichette, to Frechette.

The first to arrive in Quebec was Pierre Frichet in 1653. Pierre, son of Jean Frichet and Jacqueline Goyon of Mazieres, diocese of Poitiers married Charlotte Godin, daughter of Elie Godin and Esther Ramage, 9 November 1671, in the parish of Sainte Anne de Beaupre, Montmorency County. They had no progenitor.

The second, was Francois Freschet, who arrived in 1677, from Saint Martin, Ile de Re, Diocese de La Rochelle, province of Aunis, now Charente Maritime. Francois, son of Etienne Freschet and Marie Belin, married Anne Lereau, daughter of Simon Lereau and Suzanne Jarousell, 18 January 1680, in the parish of Sainte Famille, Ile d'Orleans, Montmorency County. More than 65% of Frechette’s descend from Francois and Anne Lereau.

The third to arrive was Jacques Frichet in 1697. Jacques Frichet dit Desmoulins, son of Jacques Frichet and Louise Gaye of Saint Hilaire du Bourg DeBrie, Poitiers marries Marie Francoise Sarrazin, daughter of Nicolas Sarrazin and Marie Catherine Blondeau, 11 Jan 1706, in the parish of Saint Charles Borromee, Charlesbourg. More that 12% of Frechette’s descend from Jacques and Marie Francoise Sarrazin.

There is a fourth line of Frechette’s. Jean Baptiste Secheret, son of Jacques Secheret and Louise Poirier of Gueures, Normandie married Charlotte Charron Ducharme, daughter of Francois Charron Ducharme and Marguerite Piet, 27 June 1734, in the parish of La Visitation, Saint Francois du Lac, Yamaska County. Jean Baptiste became a widower and married Marie Agathe Lahaise, daughter of Jean Baptiste Lahaise and Jeanne Guilbert dit Laframboise, circa 1748, in the parish of Rivieres des Prairies. When the children of both marriages of Jean Baptiste married, they all adopted the patronym Frechette. About 17% of the Frechette’s descend from Jean Baptiste and his tow wives.

There is a fifth line of Frechette’s. Jean Cote and Anne Martin married 17 November 1635, in the parish of Notre Dame of Quebec. Their fifth descendant, Jean-Baptiste-Augustin Cote, married Madeleine Bergeron, 6 June 1763, in the parish of Saint Antoine de Tilly, Lotbiniere County. Jean Baptiste Augustin Cote died in 1776, leaving three sons and a daughter, aged from seven to thirteen years. Madeleine Bergeron needing someone to support her family married Francois Frechette, a bachelor, son of Jean-Baptiste Frechette and Urusule Rousseau, 27 January 1777, in Saint Antoine de Tilly. Within less than two years Madeleine Bergeron, also died, leaving four orphans. Francois Frechette raised and educated these four children, Jean-Baptiste, Benoit, Joseph-Augustin, and Madeleine. In the community of Saint Antoine de Tilly these children were called or known as Cote, Frechette or Cote dit Frechette, therefore the appellation Cote dit Frechette is found in some parish registers. Some of the descendants of these children took the name Cote, some Cote dit Frechette, and that eventually became Frechette. Today 5% of Frechette’s descend from Jean-Baptiste-Augustin Cote and Madeleine Bergeron.

Claude G. Frechette #857

Claude G. Frechette has uncovered another line of Frechette’s. They are known as the Souche des Hivon dit Frechette.

Claude passed on in May of 2004. His friendship and assistance in genealogy will be missed by many.