Métis Marriages: Vasseur & Prisque

Paul Vasseur and Marie Prisque’s marriage reflects one of the many marriages between Métis families woven through Penetanguishene’s history. 

Born in Penetanguishene around 1837, Paul was the son of Marguerite Longlade and Charles Vasseur, a participant in the 1812 “capture of Mackinaw” and signatory of the 1840 Penetanguishene Petition. Paul was deeply involved in community life, serving as a witness at the wedding of Marie Girroir and Joseph Boucher in 1860, three years before his own marriage. 

Marie was born into the Georgian Bay Métis Community in 1846, the daughter of former Drummond Islander Julie Cadieux. 

Paul Vasseur and Marie Prisque married on February 16, 1863, in Penetanguishene, with Charles Quigley and Christine Prisque as witnesses to their union.

Together, Paul and Marie built a large family, raising seven children and nurturing a new generation firmly connected to Métis traditions and community life. Their marriage was not only a personal partnership but also a continuation of the unity and resilience that defined Métis families. While Marie died in 1903, Paul remained a figure of the local Métis community, and was documented as a widower, living with his daughter and her family, still surrounded by the kinship ties that had shaped his life into the 1920s.

See Our Sources

• Vasseur-Longlade VMFL

Mini Word Search

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