Placide BRUN DIT O’BRIAN (16 Dec 1788-186?) +
Susanne HUNTLEY (~1789-186?)

Angélique (~1814-????) — m. Joseph Fournier on 20 Aug 1834

Charlotte (29 Jun 1819-????) — m. Maximin “Marc” Arsenault on 7 Jan 1840

Anne (~1819) — m. Raphael Doiron dit Gould in 1842

Thomas (~1822-1901) — m. Françoise “Fanny” Gautreau on 20 May 1844

Susanne (Mar/Apr 1826-????) — m. Marcel Doiron dit Gould on 28 Feb 1843

Frederic (~1828-????) — m. Madeleine, m. Johanna, poss. m. Judith

Placide (~1830-????) — m. ???

Antoine (~1835-1910) — m. Rosa ???

Placide was born in Menoudie (now Minudie), Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, the son of Jean “dit Petit Charle” Brun and Angélique Doiron.

Susanne was probably the daughter of Daniel Huntley and Elizabeth Wickwire of Kings County, Nova Scotia, although several records of that couple’s children omit her, and the findagrave record for her father claims his daughter Susannah married someone else.

Placide and Susanne married around 1810 to 1813.

Around 1818, Placide, his elderly father Jean, and his father’s brother-in-law Pierre Comeau founded a hamlet called Les Borgittes just east of Bas-Cap-Pelé, Westmorland County, New Brunswick. This was very probably because they were on the losing end of land-ownership conflicts in Nova Scotia. They might not have moved there all at once, since daughter Charlotte’s 1819 baptism was back in Minudie. Around 1820, Placide built a house on land owned by his wife in Bas-Cap-Pelé. The historic Placide Brun house is still standing, among the oldest in the area.

On 2 Apr 1826, daughter Susanne Brun was baptized at St. Timothy’s Catholic Church, Shemogue, Westmorland County, about 9 miles south-southeast of Bas-Cap-Pelé. Her actual date of birth is not listed.

The 1851 census showed French farmer “Placied Brian” (61) living in Botsford, Westmorland County, New Brunswick with wife Susanna (61) and children Frederick (23), Placied (20), & Anthony (17). Botsford is several miles further southeast of Shemogue, so they must have left the Bas-Cap-Pelé house.

In 1853, they moved to Richibucto, Kent County, New Brunswick, which was becoming an important fishing and ship-building port. Many families from New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island moved there in the mid- to late 1800s.

The 1861 census for Richibucto listed the family as O Brian: Placide, farmer, “native”; wife Susan, French; and sons Placide (31) and Antoine (26), both “native”. Placide and Susan were listed as 83 and 82 respectively, which conflicts with other data. Maybe they told the census-taker their years of birth, and he did the math and got their ages wrong by a decade. Sons Frederick and Thomas and their families were next door. In the same neighborhood were Joseph & Marie Gallant and their grand-daughter Julia Gallant.

For 1871 and later, I haven’t found Placide & Susanne. Odds are they died during the 1860s.

Children

Angélique Brun (~1814-????)

Angélique on 20 Aug 1834 in Barachois married Joseph Fournier (~1801-????). Children:

Susanne (29 Jan 1836-????)

Damien (1837-????)

Aime (1840-????) — m. Henriette

Placide (10 Sep 1845-????)

Marie B. (1847/1848-????)

Nathalie (~)

Daughter Nathalie in 1873 witnessed the marriage of her cousin Mary Ann Doiron dit Gould in Richibucto.

Frederic Brun (~1828-????)

Frederic’s first wife was Madeline (~1829-????). They had at least one child, and probably four:

Joseph (~1859-????)

?Ozet? (~1861-????)

?James? (~1863-????)

Nancy (~1864-????)

In 1861, Frederic (35), Madeline (32), and son Joseph (2) were living in Richibucto next door to Placide and Susanne, listed as “O’Brian”. Frederic and Joseph were categorized as “native” and Madeline as “French”. Madeline apparently died during the 1860s, because the 1871 census for Richibucto listed Frederic O’Brien (42) with wife Johanna (35) and five children. I speculate, based on nothing really, that the youngest of them was Johanna’s child:

Reuben (~1867-????)

I can’t find Frederic with certainty after that. The 1881 census showed a Frederick O’Brien (57), farmer, wife Judith (47), and sons Frederick (9) and Alexandre (4) in Acadieville. Age, wife, children all don’t fit, so it probably wasn’t him.

Thomas Brun (~1820-1901)

Thomas married Françoise “Fanny” Gautreau in 1844 in Barachois, Beaubassin East. They had at least 12 children:

Philippe (1845-1847)

Théophile/Theophilas (1846-????) — m. Christine Thibodeau on 17 Nov 1868

Philippe (1847-1931) — m. Adèle Collette on 9 Nov 1875; m. Ursule Daigle in 1900

Marguerite/Margaret (1849-1937) — m. Benjamin Robichaud on 16 Oct 1871; m. Edward Wilson on 24 Mar 1909

Antoine (1851-????) — m. Elisabeth Fournier on 15 Jan 1874

Frederic (1853-1926)

Thomas (1854) — m. Marguerite Mazerolle on 13 Apr 1885

Ann (1856) — m. Jude Robichaud on 9 Nov 1875

Charles (1858)

Francois/Francis (1860)

Georges (1863-1931) — m. Marie Marguerite Leblanc on 25 Feb 1893

Jean/John (1866-????) — m. Marie Vitaline Comeau on 3 Aug 1887

In 1861, Thomas (43) and Fanny (41) O Brian were living next door to Thomas’s parents and three of his brothers in Richibucto. They were in the same place in 1871. A near neighbor was John Finnigan, brother of Mary Finnigan dit Fagan. Thomas reportedly died in 1901.

Susanne Brun (1826-????)

Susanne has her own entry in the family tree.

Placide Brun, Jr. (~1830-????)

Placide Jr. was living with his parents and unmarried in the 1861 census. In 1871, he was living with his brother Placide Jr. and family. After that?

Antoine Brun (~1835-????)

Antoine was living with his parents and unmarried in the 1861 census. In the 1860s, he married someone named Rosa (~1828-????). The 1871 census showed them with children, although the older ones were probably Rosa’s from a previous marriage:

Simeon (1853)

Hariett (1855)

Susan (1857)

Caroline (1865)

William (1868)

Antoine’s older brother Placide Jr. was living with them as well.

Links

Probably Not