The Beausoleil Family of Georgian Bay

When Alexis Beausoleil placed his name on the 1840 Penetanguishene Métis Petition, he did more than sign a document. He joined other Métis families in a collective act of solidarity, asserting shared rights, privileges, and a distinct Métis presence in Georgian Bay. 

That moment of unity between Alexis Beausoleil and his fellow signatories would echo across generations, as the Beausoleil family continued to weave itself tightly into the social, cultural, and familial life of their Georgian Bay Métis Community.

Alexis and his wife, Olive Giroux, raised their eight children in Penetanguishene, where kinship was lived daily through marriage, witnessing, and shared responsibilities at important life milestones among members of their tightly knit Métis community. 

Their daughter, Adele, for example, married Francis Boucher of the Métis Delaronde family in 1866, while another daughter, Olive, married fellow community member Isidore “McKoy” Dusome and later witnessed multiple marriages within the large Métis Dusome family, further solidifying their close community bonds. These were not isolated events, but part of a wider pattern of Métis families standing for one another across generations.

That pattern continued with Alexis Beausoleil’s grandchildren. For example, Alexis’ granddaughter, Marie Sophie Secord, married Alexander Longlade, himself the descendant of a signatory to the 1840 Petition, uniting two deeply connected and community-minded Métis families. Marie’s brother, Alexandre Secord, married Elenore Dusome, further strengthening the kinship ties between the Beausoleil and Dusome families. 

Across more than a century, the Beausoleil family’s story is one of connection and continuity within the Georgian Bay Métis Community. From Alexis’ petition signature to generations of marriages, baptisms, and shared responsibilities, the Beausoleil’s history reflects an enduring Métis community, interconnected, resilient, and rooted in collective life.

See Our Sources

• 1840 Penetanguishene Métis Petition

• Beausoleil-Giroux Family VMFL

• “Strange Old Legends Surround Penetang”

Mini Word Search

Have fun with the facts by completing today's mini word search.