Malcolm (Mac) Bussineau was born on August 9, 1894, in Dunns Valley near Sault Ste. Marie, into Joseph Bussineau and Annie McKensie’s growing Métis family. Malcolm was the third brother in his immediate family to serve in the First World War. Unlike his brothers, John Joseph and George Mark, however, Malcolm did not initially volunteer to serve; instead, he made the difficult decision to remain at home to tend to the farm and support his family while his brothers were fightin

George Mark Bussineau was born on August 16, 1896, in Ophir, near Sault Ste. Marie, to Joseph Bussineau and Annie McKensie. Like many Métis families throughout the Homeland, several members of the Bussineau family took up the call to service during the First World War.  Nineteen-year-old George Mark voluntarily enlisted to serve in the First World War on January 15, 1916, joining the 119th Overseas Battalion. His decision followed that of his brother, John Joseph, who had enl

John Joseph Bussineau was born on October 19, 1890, in Cook Mills Township, into Joseph Bussineau and Annie McKensie’s growing Métis family. Baptized at Precious Blood Church in Sault Ste. Marie, John Joseph was raised in nearby Dunns Valley. On January 3, 1916, only eight months after his mother's death, John Joseph voluntarily enlisted with the 119th Battalion. He arrived in England in August 1916. In December 1916, he was transferred to the 52nd Battalion, where he rapidly

At twenty-four years old, Frank Francis Jollineau had already completed six years of military service with the 97th Regiment of Sault Ste. Marie when he volunteered to serve in the First World War. Frank Francis, a plumber by trade, enlisted with the 2nd Battalion on September 23, 1914, at Camp Valcartier, less than two months after the First World War began. He and his comrades were among the first Canadian infantry to go overseas as part of the war effort. Departing on Octo

In 1850, the Métis community at Sault Ste. Marie stood together to protect their River Lots from settler encroachment, following the Robinson-Huron Treaty, by signing the 1850 Sault Ste. Marie Métis Petition. Michel (Michael) Labatte was among the 1850 Sault Ste. Marie Métis Petition’s signatories, on behalf of his Métis River Lot family. Born in 1814 on the American side of Sault Ste. Marie, Michael was the son of Métis War of 1812 veteran Louis George Labatte and Louisa Cad

In 1850, the Métis of Sault Ste. Marie petitioned the Crown for the recognition and protection of their River Lots on the St. Marys River following their exclusion from the Robinson-Huron Treaty. The 1850 Sault Ste. Marie Métis Petition was signed by members of numerous prominent Métis families in the area, including the Biron, Cadotte, Lesage, Nolin, Sayer, and Labatte families. Seven members of the Métis Boissonneau family were also among the 1850 Petition’s fifty-five sign