« D'un océan à l'autre » : le parcours migratoire des frères Goudron au Canada, 1875-1936

Abstract

From 1875 until the first years of the twentieth century, as Frenchmen by the thousands fled their native fields for a more propitious land, the Goudrons followed their example, leaving behind the forests and mountains of the Ardennes region, near the Belgian border, to sail to Canada, trusting in their entrepreneurial mindset to overcome all challenges. Of the Goudron family, some went into primary industries (smelting, sawmills), while others showed a preference for manufacturing (bolts, cattle feed, tobacco processing and packaging) or retailing (building materials, coffee roasting, honey products). Throughout their many successes and setbacks, spatial mobility was a main determinant in their lives as, having hardly set down at their point of arrival in Montréal, most of the family went on to Berthierville in the Lake Saint-Pierre region. Two of the sons soon left the province of Québec for British Columbia, though one of them came back later to Montréal. Following the Goudrons in their journey, one learns how central the role of the family is in the migration process, and in the set-up and operation of business undertakings.