Ronald Eustice (55)
It has been more than 150 years since the arrival of the Perron family in Minnesota. The Perron family first came to Minnesota in 1851-52 when 8 sons of Francois Perron and Charlotte LeClaire left the area around Contrecoeur and St. Ours for what was then the Wisconsin Territory. Minnesota did not become a state until 1858. Five of the brothers remained in the area and 4 of these raised very large families. Three of the brothers chose to return to Quebec and settled in the St.Roch-sur-Richelieu area. The brothers that stayed first settled at Mendota (an old fur trading post and also a "watering hole" where thirsty soldiers from nearby Fort Snelling could buy liquour). The history of the families is well documented in my book Perrons-French Canadian Pioneers of Minnesota (1990).
Two additional emigrations of Perrons came to Minnesota. Pierre Perron and Edwidge Aucoin came in 1879 and raised a large family at White Bear Lake and Little Canada. Members of these families are involved in an annual Perron family gathering each year. Each year, close to 100 descendants of the immigrants attend the "Perron Picnic". Members of the Adolph Perron and Mary Ann Huard family began to gather in 1960. The picnic has been held each year since then (45 years). This year's picnic was held at Lorraine Park in South St. Paul. The dates for the 2005 Perron Picnic is Sunday July 31st. You are all invited.
Adolph Perron, who was born at St. Ours in 1856 and came to Minnesota with his parents Edouard Perron and Louise Cournoyer was the last member of this family to be born in Canada. (The father, Edouard was one of the original 8 brothers). The late Evelyn Thornburg, whose mother was a daughter of Adolph and Mary Ann made a record of living descendants of her grandparents in 1995-she came up with 975. We have a mailing list on computer of close to 200 Perrons and Perron descendants. The original Perrons that came to Minnesota were farmers for the most part, although the burial record of Henri Perron at St. Roch, one of the three sons of Francois and Charlotte, that returned to Quebec says that he was a voyageur. There are also descendants of this family in Massachusetts.