Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau
Encyclopedia
Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau (May 11, 1848-November 17, 1923) was a self-taught naturalist and Canadian government official. The city of Baie-Comeau, Quebec
, is named after him , as well as this city's history museum building.
He was born in Les Îlets-Jérémie
(located in the municipality of Colombier
), not far from Betsiamites
on the North Shore of the Saint Lawrence River
. He was the eldest of eleven children. His father, Antoine-Alexandre Comeau, was an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company
. His mother, Mary Luce Hall-Bedard, was of Irish
origin. Napoleon-Alexandre Comeau spent his childhood in the woods in Labrador
, at North-West River
and the Mingan Islands, along with the Innu and Inuit, who taught him to hunt, fish and navigate.
As a teenager, he spoke fluent French, Montagnais
, Naskapi
and Inuktitut
. In 1859 he was sent to an English school in Trois-Rivières
, where he learned to read, write and speak English.
He worked for 15 years as a trapper
. He married Marie Antoinette Labrie on June 14, 1871. In 1877 he was appointed postmaster at Godbout
. He became the assistant coroner (even practicing medicine, he attended the births of more than 250 newborns), before becoming, in 1879, Superintendent of Fisheries for the Canadian government.
In 1883, he became a telegraph operator in Godbout
. In January 1886, following the rescue of his wife's brothers, Alfred and Francois Labrie on the Saint Lawrence River
, during which he traveled 60 km on the ice, he and his brother Isaiah were decorated by the Canadian government.
In 1888, his wife Antoinette died of cancer. Comeau, who had no children from his first marriage, remarried in 1889, marrying his wife's sister, Victoria Labrie, who gave him 12 children.
He was invited by Dr. Stevenson and Dr. Ahearn to stay at the Jeffrey Hale Hospital
in Quebec City
, to his knowledge.
Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau died on November 17, 1923, in Godbout, where a monument was dedicated to his memory in 1927, with the text: "Humble child of the North, he learned to read with authority in the great book of nature while serving his people and his country." There is a copy of this monument in Charlesbourg
. His house is called "Castle Comeau". In 1998, Canada Post
issued a stamp to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth.
. Comeau gave them a list of birds beyond North Shore, which was published in the Bulletin of the Madison Nutall Ornithology Club in 1882, and in the journal The Auk
, in July 1884 and provided them with bird specimens. He also took many photographs, most of which have been lost.
That same year 1882, he became a member of the American Ornithological Union in New York before going to hunt buffalo in Wyoming
with Baron Ernest de la Grange. On March 6, 1883, he delivered a lecture before the Geographical Society of Quebec, entitled "The physical geography of the northern part of the province of Quebec." The same year he collaborated with the prestigious American magazine Forest and Stream
.
In 1914, he collaborated on a study by the Canadian government on fisheries in the Arctic and the tourism potential of the Hudson Bay
. Five years later he helped found the Provancher Society of Natural History.
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, is named after him , as well as this city's history museum building.
He was born in Les Îlets-Jérémie
Les Îlets-Jérémie, Quebec
Les Îlets-Jérémie is a settlement in the municipality of Colombier in the Côte-Nord region of the Canadian province of Quebec. Located on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River, the small community is named after the Jérémie Islets that are just off its shores and mark the western end of the...
(located in the municipality of Colombier
Colombier, Quebec
Colombier is a municipality in the Canadian province of Quebec, located in the Côte-Nord region and the regional county municipality of La Haute-Côte-Nord...
), not far from Betsiamites
Betsiamites, Quebec
Betsiamites, also known as Pessamit , is a First Nations reserve and Innu community in the Canadian province of Quebec, located about southwest from Baie-Comeau along the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River at the mouth of the Betsiamites River...
on the North Shore of the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
. He was the eldest of eleven children. His father, Antoine-Alexandre Comeau, was an employee of the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay Company
The Hudson's Bay Company , abbreviated HBC, or "The Bay" is the oldest commercial corporation in North America and one of the oldest in the world. A fur trading business for much of its existence, today Hudson's Bay Company owns and operates retail stores throughout Canada...
. His mother, Mary Luce Hall-Bedard, was of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
origin. Napoleon-Alexandre Comeau spent his childhood in the woods in Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
, at North-West River
North West River, Newfoundland and Labrador
North West River is a small town located in central Labrador. Established in 1743 as a trading post by French Fur Trader Louis Fornel, the community later went on to become a hub for the Hudson's Bay Company and home to a hospital and school serving the needs of coastal Labrador...
and the Mingan Islands, along with the Innu and Inuit, who taught him to hunt, fish and navigate.
As a teenager, he spoke fluent French, Montagnais
Innu-aimun
Innu-aimun or Montagnais is an Algonquian language spoken by over 11,000 people, called the Innu, in Labrador and Quebec in Eastern Canada...
, Naskapi
Naskapi language
Naskapi is an Algonquian language spoken by the Naskapi in Quebec and Labrador, Canada. It is written in Eastern Cree syllabics....
and Inuktitut
Inuktitut
Inuktitut or Eastern Canadian Inuktitut, Eastern Canadian Inuit language is the name of some of the Inuit languages spoken in Canada...
. In 1859 he was sent to an English school in Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières
Trois-Rivières means three rivers in French and may refer to:in Canada*Trois-Rivières, the largest city in the Mauricie region of Quebec, Canada*Circuit Trois-Rivières, a racetrack in Trois-Rivières, Quebec...
, where he learned to read, write and speak English.
Life and career
In 1860, Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau joined his father in Trinity Bay. His father appointed him, at fourteen, "guardian of the Godbout River". This, one of the 116 salmon rivers in Quebec, is a fishing area, and was then the private property of Agar Adamson. Comeau retained this position throughout his life. He completed his training through the library. With Ashini Montagnais hunters, he learns the hatch and deepens his knowledge of the fauna and flora.He worked for 15 years as a trapper
Trapper
Trapper may refer to:*A person who engages in animal trapping*Coal trapper*Trapper Keeper, a brand of loose-leaf binder*A make of Yacht, no longer manufactured in the UK.*A Hungarian jeans brand.*A pattern of jack knife....
. He married Marie Antoinette Labrie on June 14, 1871. In 1877 he was appointed postmaster at Godbout
Godbout, Quebec
Godbout is a village in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the mouth of the Godbout River on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River.Godbout is accessible via Quebec Route 138 and by ferry from Matane.-History:...
. He became the assistant coroner (even practicing medicine, he attended the births of more than 250 newborns), before becoming, in 1879, Superintendent of Fisheries for the Canadian government.
In 1883, he became a telegraph operator in Godbout
Godbout, Quebec
Godbout is a village in the Côte-Nord region of Quebec, Canada. It is located at the mouth of the Godbout River on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River.Godbout is accessible via Quebec Route 138 and by ferry from Matane.-History:...
. In January 1886, following the rescue of his wife's brothers, Alfred and Francois Labrie on the Saint Lawrence River
Saint Lawrence River
The Saint Lawrence is a large river flowing approximately from southwest to northeast in the middle latitudes of North America, connecting the Great Lakes with the Atlantic Ocean. It is the primary drainage conveyor of the Great Lakes Basin...
, during which he traveled 60 km on the ice, he and his brother Isaiah were decorated by the Canadian government.
In 1888, his wife Antoinette died of cancer. Comeau, who had no children from his first marriage, remarried in 1889, marrying his wife's sister, Victoria Labrie, who gave him 12 children.
He was invited by Dr. Stevenson and Dr. Ahearn to stay at the Jeffrey Hale Hospital
Saint Brigid's – Jeffery Hale Hospital
Saint Brigid's - Jeffery Hale Hospital is a publicly-funded institution located in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.It provides a range of primary health care services to the population of Quebec's Capitale-Nationale region.-History :...
in Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
, to his knowledge.
Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau died on November 17, 1923, in Godbout, where a monument was dedicated to his memory in 1927, with the text: "Humble child of the North, he learned to read with authority in the great book of nature while serving his people and his country." There is a copy of this monument in Charlesbourg
Charlesbourg, Quebec
Founded in 1659, Charlesbourg is a borough of Quebec City, in the northeastern part of the city and West of the city of Beauport. Incorporated in 1976 following the merger of the cities of Orsainville, Notre-Dame-des-Laurentides, the town of Charlesbourg and the municipality of Charlesbourg-Est...
. His house is called "Castle Comeau". In 1998, Canada Post
Canada Post
Canada Post Corporation, known more simply as Canada Post , is the Canadian crown corporation which functions as the country's primary postal operator...
issued a stamp to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth.
Naturalist
From 1882, Napoleon-Alexandre Comeau developed a friendship with naturalists Elliot Coues and Hart Merriam, of the Smithsonian InstitutionSmithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution is an educational and research institute and associated museum complex, administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment, contributions, and profits from its retail operations, concessions, licensing activities, and magazines...
. Comeau gave them a list of birds beyond North Shore, which was published in the Bulletin of the Madison Nutall Ornithology Club in 1882, and in the journal The Auk
The Auk
The Auk is a quarterly journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists' Union, having been continuously published by that body since 1884. The journal contains articles relating scientific studies of the anatomy, behavior, and distribution of birds. The journal is named for the...
, in July 1884 and provided them with bird specimens. He also took many photographs, most of which have been lost.
That same year 1882, he became a member of the American Ornithological Union in New York before going to hunt buffalo in Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
with Baron Ernest de la Grange. On March 6, 1883, he delivered a lecture before the Geographical Society of Quebec, entitled "The physical geography of the northern part of the province of Quebec." The same year he collaborated with the prestigious American magazine Forest and Stream
Forest and Stream
Forest and Stream was a magazine featuring hunting, fishing, and other outdoor activities. Founded in 1873, it was the ninth oldest magazine in the United States....
.
In 1914, he collaborated on a study by the Canadian government on fisheries in the Arctic and the tourism potential of the Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay
Hudson Bay , sometimes called Hudson's Bay, is a large body of saltwater in northeastern Canada. It drains a very large area, about , that includes parts of Ontario, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Alberta, most of Manitoba, southeastern Nunavut, as well as parts of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota,...
. Five years later he helped found the Provancher Society of Natural History.
General references
- Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online
- Réjean Beaudin, « Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau. Le héros légendaire de la Côte-Nord », Editions XYZ, collection Les grandes figures, Montréal, February 16, 2006 ISBN 978-2-89261-459-6
- Victor-Alphonse Huard, Labrador et Anticosti, C.-O. Beauchemin & Fils, Montréal, 1897.
- Revue d’histoire de la Côte-Nord, no 25-26, 1997.
- Pauline L. Boileau, La Côte-Nord contre vents et marées Septentrion.
- Yves Thériault, « Roi de la Côte-Nord (La vie extraordinaire de Napoléon-Alexandre Comeau) », Éditions de l’homme, 1960.