A Centre of Métis Kinship

Following its construction in 1832, St. Ann’s Church in Penetanguishene quickly became more than a place of worship. It served as a centre of Métis kinship, strengthening family and community connections across Georgian Bay and the wider Upper Great Lakes.

Following his years of advocacy on behalf of Upper Great Lakes Métis interests, Michel Labatte saw those efforts come full circle when he married Archange Berger in the very St. Ann’s Church he had helped to build. Like the Labattes, Archange’s family was among those who relocated from Drummond Island to Penetanguishene in the late 1820s. 

As Upper Great Lakes Métis families continued to grow in Penetanguishene, St. Ann’s remained a constant gathering place where memories were made and relationships were affirmed.

St. Ann’s became the setting for countless Métis marriages and baptisms, including the union of Charles Beausoleil and Catherine Brissette, as well as the baptism of four children of Thomas Jones and Mary Blette dit Sorrelle.

Through these moments and countless others,  St. Ann’s Church witnessed family histories and strengthened community connections, giving it deep and lasting importance to the local Métis across generations.

See Our Sources

• LES VOYAGEURS

• Upper Great Lakes Expert Panel Submission

• Beausoleil-Giroux VMFL

• Labatte VMFL

• Penetanguishene Halfbreed Petition, 27 January 1840

• Jones-Blette dit Sorrelle VMFL

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