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My Dube Family History
My Dube Family History
Alan C. Dube
Alan C. Dube
December, 2003
December, 2003
Amended February, 2024
Origin and meaning of the Dube surname
The history of the Dube family begins in France. The Dube surname appears to be Gaelic in origin, coming from the word “Be,” which means “Tomb.” In French, “du” means “of” or “from.” Near the community of Ménéac, in Brittany, lies the small village of Le Bé, and near the village was a forest called the “Forest of the Tomb,” or in French “La Forest du Bé.” The family descends from Johan du Bé, Seigneur (Lord) de Ménéac, around 1200 AD.
From 1427 to 1513, many lord and nobility listings were associated with the du Bé name, including Pierrot du Bé. In 1514, Jean du Bé married Gillette Hangoumar, lady of Morelais from Colinaye et La Lande, who had many land holdings, mainly in the diocese of Rennes.
In 1671 the Dubé family was declared as descending from nobility, having existed for six generations. The Dubé coat of arms was registered at the General Heraldry in the Register of Cotté in Rennes in 1698.
Jean Dubé is born
The earliest record of my direct family lineage begins in 1610, with the birth of Jean Dubé in the village of La Chapelle-Thémer. This tiny village, located in the province of Poitou (now called Vendée), is 210 miles southwest of Paris and is in the vicinity of La Rochelle -- an old sea port where many French settlers began their emigration to North America.
The Church at La Chapelle-Thémer, France
Jean Dubé marries Renée Suzanne
In 1630, Jean Dubé married Renée Suzanne in La Chapelle-Thémer. Renee was also born in La Chapelle-Thémer, about the same time as Jean.
Jean and Renée had 5 children, all born in La Chapelle-Thémer:
1. Mathurin - in 1631
2. Simon - in 1634, deceased at 64 years
3. Rene - in 1642
4. Jean - in 1658, deceased at 50 years
5. Jacques - in 1659, deceased at 60 years
Mathurin Dubé leaves for the New World
In 1659, Jean and Renée’s eldest son, Mathurin, left France for Canada (then called New France) – most likely from the port of La Rochelle. Compared to France, the New World was a harsh place with a lack of amenities, the ever-present danger of rebellious Indians, its severe winters, and its isolation from the rest of the civilized world.
Upon his arrival, Mathurin worked for several years in Québec City for a bishop named François de Montmorency de Laval. In a census conducted in 1666, Mathurin is listed as working in Beaupré, Québec.
On June 22, 1667, an act of the notary Paul Vachon revealed that the bishop of Pétrée conceded to his servant, Mathurin Dubé, a plot of land in the parish of St. Jean, on l’Ile d’Orléans (Island of Orleans).
Many colonists from France settled on the Island of Orleans, also called the Island of Bacchus (because of its vines). The Island of Orleans had, and continues to have, a remarkable diversity of woods and meadows, as well as an abundance of fish and game.
The Island of Orleans lies just south of Québec City in the St. Lawrence River. The parish of St. Jean is on the southern shore, facing St. Vallier. Mathurin Dubé was one of pioneers of the St. Jean parish.
Map of the Island of Orleans in 1754. The Parish of St. Jean is circled.
Mathurin Dubé marries Marie Campion – A King’s Daughter
On September 3, 1670, Mathurin, age 39, married Marie Campion, age 16, in the parish of St. Famille, on the Island of Orleans. Born in Rouen (Normandy), France in 1654, Marie was the daughter of Pierre Campion and Marguerite Hénault.
Marie came to Canada with a group of women called “The King’s Daughters,” known in French as "Les Filles du Roi." The women were recruited by the French government to help establish a stronger and more permanent foothold in its colony of New France… and to compete with the English, who were rapidly expanding in America.
The King's Daughters Arrive in Québec
The women agreed to travel to the New World and marry a settler there in exchange for a 50-pound dowry from the King of France. This dowry was, back then, quite a large sum of money. For example, a common laborer would have to work almost a year to make such a sum, and a surgeon at that time made from 100 to 150 pounds a year.
Before this program was initiated, the number of single women available to the French men in Québec and its environs were few and far between. Consequently, some of the men married either local Indian girls or daughters of pioneer Québec families. The Church, seeing the need for female companions and wives for the growing number of bachelors in Québec, also supported this program. Within one year of their arrival, most of the women got married and the dowry promised them from the Royal Treasury was received.
From 1663 to 1673, a total of 774 King’s Daughters made the journey to New France. The best year was in 1669, when 135 new women were enlisted. In 1670, 134 women took up the cause. A total of 238 were from Paris, 175 from Bourgs, 46 from Rouen, 35 from La Rochelle, and the rest from other towns and cities. Marie Campion, along with her counterparts from Rouen, likely began her journey to the New World from the port of Dieppe, in Normandy.
The Dubé family name is established in North America
As a result of the marriage of Mathurin Dubé and Marie Campion, 2 girls and 6 boys were born between 1672 and 1694.
On October 10, 1686, Mathurin sold his land in St. Jean parish and decided to move his family to La Pocatière, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. There he took up farming at the manor of François Ruette d’ Auteuil.
Mathurin then moved to Rivière Ouelle, where records indicate that he and two of his sons, Mathurin (age 18) and Louis (age 14), joined other French colonists there to fight and defeat the first English troops attempting to unload in New France in 1690.
Mathurin Dubé then moved to Kamouraska on February 18, 1695. Mathurin died on December 28, 1695 at the age of 64. He was buried at Rivière Ouelle. His widow, Marie Campion, died on January 28, 1697, in Rivière Ouelle at the age of 43.
Map of the Kamouraska area, with key towns circled
Four of the Mathurin Dubé’s sons were married. They are: Mathurin, Louis, Pierre and Laurent. Their tens of thousands of descendants are now located in Québec, New Brunswick, and in the United States, predominately in New England.
In Canada and the United States, the name of Dubé evolved to Dubay, Dubey, Duby, or without the grave accent, Dube – my family name.
The children of Mathurin Dubé and Marie Campion
· My family lineage descends directly from the eldest son, Mathurin.
Mathurin Dubé marries Marie Anne Miville Deschenes
On May 13, 1691, Mathurin Dubé, age 19, married Marie Anne Miville Deschenes, age 18, in Rivière Ouelle. Marie Anne, the daughter of François Miville dit LeSuisse and Marie Elisabeth Langlois, was born on March 27, 1673 in Lauzon, Québec. Anne died on March 11, 1717, in La Pocatière at the age of 43. They had 13 children: 7 girls and 6 boys, born between 1692 and 1713.
After Anne’s death, Mathurin Dubé married again: this time to Marie Dunn, daughter of Nicolas Dunn and Isabelle Rabat, on July 23, 1724, in Contrat Janneau.
The children of Mathurin Dubé and Marie Anne Miville Deschenes
· My family lineage descends directly from Augustin.
Augustin Dubé marries Marie Anne Soucy
On January 7, 1721, Augustin Dubé, age 25, married Marie Anne Soucy, daughter of Pierre Soucy and Elisabeth Ursule Fourquereau, in La Pocatière. Marie Anne was born on January 18, 1700, and died on July 29, 1785 in Rivière Ouelle at the age of 85. Augustin and Marie Anne had 15 children: 6 girls and 9 boys, born between 1722 and 1744.
The children of Augustin Dubé and Marie Anne Soucy
· My family lineage descends directly from Zacharie.
Zacharie Dubé marries Marie Catherine Lévesque
On November 21, 1768, Zacharie Dubé, age 24, married Marie Catherine Lévesque, age 23, at Rivière Ouelle. Marie Catherine, the daughter of Jean Baptiste Lévesque and Geneviève Côté, was born on January 24, 1745, in Rivière Ouelle. Zacharie and Marie Catherine had 12 children: 5 girls and 7 boys.
The children of Zacharie Dubé and Marie Catherine Lévesque
· My family lineage descends directly from Jean Baptiste.
Jean Baptiste Dubé marries Marie Anne Roy
On October 29, 1799 in Kamouraska, Jean Baptiste Dubé married Marie Anne Roy. Marie Anne was the daughter of Joseph Roy and Marie Anne Michaud, and was born in Kamouraska. Jean Baptiste and Marie Anne had 13 children: 5 girls and 8 boys.
The Village of Kamouraska, Québec
The children of Jean Baptiste Dubé and Marie Anne Roy
· My family lineage descends directly from Pascal.
Pascal Dubé marries Lavinia McEachern, then Virginie Gagnon
On September 10, 1832, Pascal Dubé married Lavinia McEachern in L'Isle Verte. Lavinia was the daughter of Peter McEachern and Margueret Hamilton. This marriage produced 9 children:
On July 27, 1846, Pascal Dubé married again, this time to Virginie Gagnon, in L'Isle Verte. Virginie was the daughter of Michel Gagnon and Marguerite Levesque. Pascal and Virginie had 6 children: 4 girls and 2 boys.
The children of Pascal Dubé and Virginie Gagnon
· My family lineage descends directly from Paul.
The Railroad watch carried by Paul Dubé while he worked as an engineer for the Maine Central Railroad.
The Grand Trunk Railway station on Lincoln Street in Lewiston, Maine.
69 Lincoln Street as it appears today.
Paul Dubé marries Arthémise Côté
On October 14, 1884, Paul Dubé married Arthémise Côté at the St. Jean Baptiste church in L'Isle Verte. Arthémise, who was born on December 26, 1866, was the daughter of Basile Côté and Clementine Dubé. Arthémise died in Lewiston, Maine, on May 18, 1941 at the age of 74. Paul and Arthémise had 11 children (1 girl and 10 boys).
Paul, Arthémise, and their children emigrated to the United States of America in 1905, settling in Lewiston, Maine. They arrived in Lewiston by train at the Grand Trunk Railway station on Lincoln Street and first established their residence at house # 67, just 100 yards away, and later at # 69.
Paul initially went to work for the J.W. White Lumber Company, and was then employed as an engineer for the Maine Central Railroad (based on the census record from 1910). Arthémise was a homemaker. The older children went to work in the textile and wood mills, and the younger ones attended St. Mary’s school.
The l'accent aigu was also dropped from the Dubé name at this time, with it then - as it is now - being pronounced "Dubee" instead of "Dubay."
Philippe Dube served with the Army in WW1 and was gassed by the Germans in the Meuse-Argonne defensive sector in France, an injury from which he never fully recovered. Napoleon Dube (also referred to as Paul) was tragically killed in an auto-train accident at the Lewiston Fairgrounds crossing in 1924. His brother Joseph Dube would also meet a similar fate in 1942 in Boston. Charles Dube served in the Army in WW2, and Ludger "Kid" Dube was a boxer - a Canadian featherweight champion from 1920-22, boxing coach at Yale University from 1927-29, and a cafe owner in his later years. Gilbert Dube became a well-known priest who later served in Old Town, Maine.
The children of Paul Dubé and Arthémise Côté
From left to right: Charles, Joseph, Philippe, Ludger, Ernestine, Aurele, Gilbert, Henry, Adelard
· My family lineage descends directly from Henry.
Henry Dube and Odile Drapeau
Henry Dube marries Odile Drapeau
On September 20, 1915, Henry Dube married Odile Drapeau in Lewiston, Maine. Odile, born on September 1, 1894, at St. Jean de Dieu, Province of Quebec, was the daughter of Thomas Drapeau and Celina Rioux. Odile died in Lewiston, Maine, on December 2, 1955, at the age of 61. Henry and Odile had 10 children (6 girls and 4 boys), producing the 10th generation of my Dube family lineage. Their many descendants, myself included, carry on the 11th generation of my family.
The children of Henry Dube and Odile Drapeau
· Gilbert was my father.
Front Row (left to right): Gerard, Henry, Gilbert, Robert, John, Odile
Back Row (left to right): Adrienne, Irene, Lucille, Nancy, Bunny, Ida
My Dube family lineage in summary
Sources of information and acknowledgements
Much of the information contained in this document was gleaned from the Internet, as well as public records and interviews with my relatives.
Special thanks go to:
Pierre Lacombe of St. Thérese, Québec, who helped fill in the gaps by preparing my direct patriarchal lineage.
Linda Dube of Madawaska, Maine, for providing her book “The Dube Family Index,” which contained valuable reference data for eight generations of the Dube family.
My uncle Gerry Dube for providing background information and the photograph of the 9th generation of the family.
My Mom and Dad for providing background information and the photograph of the 10th generation of the family. May they rest in peace.
This web page is not meant to be static. If errors are noticed, please contact me for corrections. Also, if you have any relevant information on any of my descendants listed, especially where information is missing or sparse, please contact me so that this web page can be updated.
While this web page may be linked on/by other sites on the Internet, I ask that you please do not reference or reproduce any part of it in any written and/or published materials without my prior consent and with proper citation.
Hopefully, the next generations of the Dube family will continue researching the family history and continue to take pride in and learn from the past, while looking forward to the future.
Alan C. Dube
P.O. Box 383
Standish, ME 04084
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