The first Tetreau who came to New France (Canada) was named Louis, and was the son of Mathurin Tetreau and Marie Bernard, born about 1634 in either the parish of St-Martin-de-Liguge, or St-Martin-de-Louin, diocese of Lucon, in the ancient province of Poitou in France.
He arrived at Trois-Rivieres, Que., by 1660, as a domestic servant to the Jesuits. Here, he married Noelle (or Nathalie) Landeau on 9 June 1663; the daughter of Jean Landeau and Marie Aubert, baptized 2 November 1638 in the parish of St-Barthelemy, Jauze (Tosse), diocese of Mans, in the ancient province of Maine in France. (The marriage record is one of only a few instances where she is identified as Nathalie; elsewhere she is identified as Noelle.) She had previously been married to Jean Beaudoin at Trois-Rivieres on 12 August 1659; he later died there in 1662.
Among the signers of the marriage contract of Louis and Noelle were: Magdeleine Beaudoin, Etienne de Lafond, Magdeleine Hertel, Urbain Baudry, Joseph Masse dit Besnier and the notary Severin Ameau. The celebrant was a famous pioneer Jesuit: Rev. Claude-Jean Allouez.
The married couple enjoyed a certain popularity. They were also fairly well off financially. The widow of Jean Beaudoin was sole heir to her deceased husband's estate. Louis Tetreau was worth 400 pounds, a goodly sum in those days. In the marriage contract is a clause to the effect that Madeleine Beaudoin, born in 1662 to Jean Beaudoin and Noelle Landeau, will be nourished and kept in the family, and that she would partake of the same rights and same goods as the other children who might be born from the future marriage.
From the marriage of Louis Tetreau and Noelle Landeau are descended all the families carrying the name today, both in Canada and the United States. Variations of the name are: Tetrau, Tetreault, Tetrault, Tetro and (in the U.S.) Tatro. There are also other minor variations. The name Tetreau dit Duchaarme originated with Joseph-Marie, a son of Louis and Noelle. Later on, the name Jeannot, Janot, Genault or (in the U.S.) Geno appears among some members of the Ducharme branch living in the vicinity of Beloeil, Que., and later in L'Acadie, Que.
Until 1667, Louis Tetreu and his family lived at Trois-Rivieres. They then moved to Cap-de-la-Madeleine, to Champlain, and to Montreal. Their oldest son, Claude, was killed in Montral by the Iroquois, in September 1695. Four years later, Louis Tetreau was buried at Champlain, on the shores of the St-Lawrence River. The register of the parish shows that he was buried in the afternoon of 22 June 1699, having died that morning. His sons, Daniel and Joseph-Marie, together with a number of relatives and friends attended the funeral.
The author's lineage:
1. Louis TETREAU (Mathurin & Marie BERNARD) m. Noelle LANDEAU (Jean & Marie AUBERT) at Trois-Rivieres, Que., 9 June 1663.
2. Joseph-Marie TETREAU dit DUCHARME m. Anne JARRET de BEAUREGARD (Andre & Marguerite ANTHIAUME) at Montreal, Que., 12 June 1700.
3. Louis TETREAU dit DUCHARME m. Anne-Marguerite FONTAINE dit BIENVENUE (Pierre & Marguerite GENTES) at Contrecoeur, Que., 23 February 1721
4. Joseph TETREAU dit DUCHARME m. Marie-Catherine LUSSIER (Joseph & Elisabeth GUYON) at Vercheres, Que., 20 June 1757.
5. Jean-Baptiste TETREAU dit DUCHARME m. Genevieve BARSELOU (Toussaint & Madeleine POIRIER) at Chambly, Que., 1 February 1785
6. Michel TETREAU dit DUCHARME m. Emelie SAMOISETTE (Jacques & Marie-Pelagie COMEAU) at Marieville, Que., 26 February 1821.
7. Amedee-Benoni TETREAU/TATRO m. Mathilde PERRAULT (Etienne & Lucie ST-LOUIS) at Milton, VT, 12 August 1861.
8. Eugene Benoni TATRO m. Ida DRAGON (Olivier & Angele LEVITRE) at Northampton, MA, 19 July 1897.
9. Raoul Eugene TATRO m. Ethel Ruth NORTON (Arthur & Annie SMITH) at Northampton, MA, 25 February 1924.
10. Eugene Raoul TATRO m. Faith Eleanor NORRIS (Ralph & Hazel NICHOLS) at Cambridge, MA, 20 May 1945.
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