Métis Marriages: Lesage & Belleau

On January 3rd, 1902, Leonard Lesage and Mary Belleau were married in Sault Ste. Marie, further deepening the already strong family and relationship networks within their historic Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community.

Born in Sault Ste. Marie in 1877, Mary Belleau grew up in the Sault Ste. Marie area and remained closely connected to both her Métis family and community. She lived at home until 1901 with her parents, Joachim Belleau and Elizabeth Isabella Boissonneau. The next year, she married Leonard and they started a new life together.

Like Mary, Leonard Lesage, son of Eustashe Lesage and Melinda Schwink, was born around 1870 and raised within the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community. He spent a short period living at nearby Mackinac with his first wife, where his first three children were born, before returning to Sault Ste. Marie by 1901. Just one year after the passing of his first wife, Leonard married Mary Belleau. 

Together, Leonard and Mary raised eight Métis children within the Sault Ste. Marie Métis Community, further strengthening the family and community ties that had previously shaped each of their own lives, which would continue to grow for generations to come.

See Our Sources

• Lesage-Schwink ​​VMFL

• Boissonneau VMFL

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