Français
Welcome Page
Regional History
Laurentian Place Names
What's It Worth
Associations
E-mail us

T

he Ogier family of Chêne-de-Cur, Sarthe, France, are the descendants of Philippe Ogier, secretary to King Charles V (1338-1380) of France. Ogier's role was one of influence and there are many official notations in the Paris Parliament and the administrative records of the realm that confirm the noble status of the family. In respect of their long tenure of office, during his reign, Louis XVI awarded the title of Count to the head of the family. In this way the Ogier family, which had holdings in Ivry, not far from Paris, obtained the title Comte Ogier d'Ivry. The title Viscount was held by the next oldest male member of the family who would become the Count should there be no male heir to the title in his brother's family. The title of Count did eventually devolve to Raoul Ogier d'Ivry in 1940.

In 1891 Émile Ogier d'Ivry passed away leaving behind his wife Angèle and their three children, Raoul, Marie-Hélène and Jean. Angèle's biggest challenge as the dowager of an important family was to make sure the children established themselves appropriately. Raoul, her eldest, had suffered from cerebral meningitis as a teenager and his intellectual ability had remained that of a 14-year-old. He was in his twenties, and with his handicap he was not the ideal head of the family. Thankfully, he was an adorable, charming, active young man and he already had a devoted spouse, Mme Elizabeth (Elza) Herreboudt de Laet. Angèle undertook to relocate this fine young couple to Canada and so travelled across the Atlantic, up the St. Lawrence and to the frontier of French Canada of the time, a town just beyond the reach of the railroad called Ste-Agathe. One imagines that from Ste-Adèle north, she must have travelled with a retinue and made quite an impression upon the small village when she arrived. There she met the writer and journalist B.A.T. de Montigny who had recently, and perhaps reluctantly, acquired his uncle Pierre Casimir Bohémier's farm. This was 600 acres on the shore of Lake Manitou and was one of the best farms in the area. Angèle purchased it for her son and returned to France, where sadly she discovered that her nineteen-year-old son Jean was terminally ill with tuberculosis.

Raoul began his ambitious project of establishing a new Ogier dynasty in this pioneer French outpost in Canada. His initial project was to build a large country house and barns on the lake and he never missed an opportunity to display his family's illustrious emblem and title. He was generally well-received and liked and over time he always managed to pay his bills upon receipt of remittances from his mother in France. With the security of this money he tried his hand at farming, but soon tired of it and sold the property to a group from Montreal who began a cross-country ski lodge, the Manitou Club. Pictures of this house can be seen in Neil McKenty's recent book Skiing Legends of the Laurentian Lodge Club. Unfortunately the main house fell victim to a fire and the club sold it on to CP Rail

which planned to rebuild what they would call the Seigneury Club on this same site, but ultimately they chose a location in Montebello and the Manitou peninsula that had once been the location of the Viscount's house was subdivided and sold as waterfront lots. The only evidence left today is the name Old Club Road (chemin du Vieux Club). The Viscount also built a beautiful two-storey boathouse on the far shore of Lake Manitou and a small auberge on the side of the lake closest to the train station. Both of these structures still stand today. During the prewar period, Ogier ran a tour boat on Lake Manitou and had one of the nicest boats on the lake, although not everyone could appreciate it. Steam-driven, it relied on wood for its fuel and sparks flew from its stack, at one point igniting and burning Oliver's Point (today the Manitou Valley Road). In the years after the arrival of the train, the lake had become a recreational destination and many large Montreal families had established homes on the shores. Motorboats were just coming into fashion and were elaborate, ornate structures that were used as much for show as for pleasure.

The Viscount also attempted to mine titanium and iron in the northern section of the township, but it never produced any viable ore and today is a water-filled cave entry in the woods.

Shortly before the First World War, Ste. Agathe experienced a tax revolt that degraded into a bitter power struggle between the priorities of the local town and those of some of the recreational homeowners. The town's power base consisted of its local member of the legislature in Québec and whatever influence he could muster, while the second residence owners, generally influential businessmen in Montreal, could resort to various and generally more influential members from their urban ridings. On top of that, the rural riding in question was in the process of being divided, a much-needed redistribution but poorly timed for Ste. Agathe. The issue was settled in 1912 when the provincial legislature passed a bill creating the municipality of Ivry-sur le-Lac. At the time, Viscount Raoul Ogier d'Ivry was the region's best-known and most colourful citizen. In the 1912 Album historique de la paroisse de Ste-Agathe a page is set aside to announce the creation of Ivry, with a picture of the Manitou Club, the "ancien château du Vicomte". To one side is a picture of a surprised looking M. A. L'Allier, postmaster for Ivry and disenfranchised councillor, and on the other side, a dashing looking man in a fur hat described as Vicomte R.O. d'Ivry. In the list of new councillors is the new mayor, Robert Starke and at the end of the list, the new secretary, the ubiquitous Dr. Grignon, author of the very same Album historique de la paroisse de Ste-Agathe.

When the Great War began, Gaétan, the Viscount's only son, enlisted and went overseas to fight for the liberation of France. The Viscount put his boat up in dry-dock and declared he would not float it again until his son returned, but after the war, Gaétan discovered his many cousins in Chêne-de- C?ur and ultimately re-established himself in France. Today Raoul's grandson Phillippe, Comte d'Ivry resides in Chêne-de-C?ur.

In 1930, Raoul's mother passed away and his circumstances deteriorated dramatically. He and Elza moved into lesser accommodations and even began to depend upon a small garden with the stoic perspective of the impoverished noble. His daughters married and moved away. Elza died in 1950; the Viscount followed shortly after, in 1952. Today, Comte Ogier d'Ivry's son and grandson are the last of the Ogiers to maintain the name.

The story of the Ogier family is much greater than can be related in this short space and we hope to have a more detailed version up on our website soon. Special thanks to Comte Philippe Ogier d'Ivry for help in preparing the foregoing.

Joseph Graham has written a book that features a select number of stories of Laurentian places and how they got their names. To learn more, click here.

<<  Previous      History Index      Next >>

This material may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the author. © Joseph Graham