Note: This is an expanded version of a short piece of genealogy that I first published in my March, 2024 newsletter.
My 6th great-grandfather, Antonei Farley, was born around 1689 in Galway, Ireland. His father, to the best of my knowledge was John Farely; his mother was Mary Ann Gorry. 
Legend has it that sometime before 1710 he immigrated to Quebec, Canada by way of Paris, where he worked as a valet to the Chevalier d’Ussy. Supposedly, he travelled to Quebec with d’Ussy, but when the Chevalier returned to France, Antoine, as he was called in French, stayed.
On February 17, 1710, Antoine married Marie Anne Bastien (b. 1 June 1693). The couple moved to Montreal where they had one child, Jacques-Philippe Farley. Antoine disappeared from the record and apparently from Marie Anne’s life around 1710. Marie Anne went on to marry twice more, but she and her third husband, Jean Favre, met a tragic end on 13 May 1752, when they were bludgeoned to death by neighbor intending to rob them.
Jacques-Philippe Farley (b. 9 Dec 1710) became a voyageur—a fur trader—and canoed regularly between Montreal and Fort Michilimackinac in what would become Michigan.
Jacques-Philippe and his wife, Josette Dumouchel had a half dozen or more children, one of whom, Albert, was born at Fort Michilimackinac.
Albert Farley married Josette Dezery Latour, and they had a slew of children including François who married Elizabeth Sicard.
The last of François and Elizabeth’s seventeen children was David, born in Berthierville, a tiny village in Quebec Province. (Are you seeing a French theme in my Irish Farley ancestry? They are the inspiration for my new work-in-progress, A Tangled Dawn. More on that in future newsletters.)
Well, David Farley ended up moving to Mackinac Island where he married Angelique Beaudoin, whose father was French-Canadian but whose mother was Ojibwe.
Among David and Angeliques’ children were a set of twins born on Mackinac Island in 1855–Joseph and Oliver. Oliver was my great-grandfather.
Oliver Farley married Rebecca Thomson, who brought British, Scottish, and Jewish DNA into the family mix. Their daughter Blanche, the third of their thirteen children, was my dad Walter Percy Joque’s mom.
So, from the bottom of my heart and the 10% of my DNA that is Irish,
I wish you a…
Good Morning, Peggy:
I am always happy to read research on the descendants of Antoneï farely. I have been working on his genealogy for decades. Thank you for posting.
After reading your post I felt compelled to write to clarify the facts of Antoneï’s immigration. Back in November 2011 I made the assertion that he “may have been included” in the entourage that accompanied the Raudot’s and Dussy from France to Québec. This was published on the website of the Farley Family Association. I’m afraid that I was the one who started this “legend.” My claim was republished without attribution by another Farley genealogist, after which it spread. I have even seen it on Wikitree.
My claim was based on solid but circumstantial evidence: 1) The Raudots did, in fact, bring many of their domestics from France; 2) It was common practice for the church, military, and administrative officials to bring their staffs with them to America; 3) There were many Irish Farelys living outside of Paris at St Germain en Laye, the court of exiled King James, immediately after the defeat of James’ forces by King William.
Unfortunately, after 2011 I uncovered compelling evidence that proves that immigration from France is not true. Antoneï was taken as a prisoner of war in January 1709 from Saint Johns, Newfoundland, and deported to Québec in May 1709. He did go on to be the valet to le Chevalier Dussy in the palace, but not in 1705 as I first claimed. Dussy’s valet in 1705 was Nicolas Bailly dit Massin. After 1706 it was François Defarge dit St Germain who was last recorded in January 1709.
I have not yet published my research as I was burned in the past by people lifting whole sections of my work and republishing it as their own. Though I am happy to respond to any questions you may have.
Kevin Farley
New Hampshire
Kevin,
Thank you so much for the updated into on our Farley ancestor! He certainly is a fascinating figure. And I always appreciate having accurate information. I will update my own family tree with your knew info, and I am happy to attribute it to you. I wonder if you have come across any information on his death?
Peggy
Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any record of Antoneï’s death. Remember that the church records documented burials, not deaths. No body means no record.
This is what I know:
On January 17, 1714, Marie Anne Basquin, her siblings, and mother and stepfather were assembled at the Conseil Supérieure in Québec to settle her late father’s estate. Antoneï was recorded as “absent de ce pays” absent from this country. The term “absent” is significant. “Absent” is defined in the French civil code, La Coutume de Paris, as (1) away from the domicile, (2) without contact, for (3) an extended period of time. In the eighteenth century the term was frequently used on proxy agreements that husbands made with their wives when they were planning to be away for extended periods. (I have not found one for Marie Anne, but they were not always registered with a notary.) The implication is that Antoneï’s absence was planned and that Marie Anne knew about it. Otherwise he would have been recorded as “inconnu” or “disparu.”
Marie Anne signed a second marriage contract on September 3, 1720 with Jean Baptiste Gareau dit Lagarde though they never married. La Coutume de Paris codified that only after seven years could an absent person be considered dead, unless he was on a ship. This means that Antoneï had to have left no later than 1713 in order for Marie Anne to be able to legally sign a marriage contract in 1720. And, he probably did not leave on a ship. The church had a different standard, though. In order to remarry, a widow needed a “témoignage de liberté au mariage” from church officials. She had to prove that her husband was dead or wait until he would have turned 100 years old. These témoinages were not universally enforced though until the 1750s, though this may explain why she did not follow through on her 1720 contract with Gareau.
Dominic Martin has suggested that he may have joined the Canadian militia and went off to fight the English and never returned. This is plausible but I have not researched it enough to make my own conclusion.
Martin, Dominic. “Un double-meurtre à la côte Saint-Joseph: espace et societe en milieu périurbain à Montréal au XVIIe-XVIIIe siècle.” M.A. thesis, Université de Sherbrooke, 2023.
I am still working on this one, but not there yet. Hope this helps.
Kevin Farley
New Hampshire
This is awesome information. Thank you! I love genealogy, but I have never researched as deeply as you have. Good to meet you, cousin!
Peggy