Antoine Ephrem Cartier


Antoine Ephrem Cartier was a businessman famous for helping develop the beginnings of Ludington, Michigan, in the nineteenth century.

Biography

Antoine was born in the Trois-Rivières regional county municipality, Canada, of Quebec area on May 16, 1836. He was baptized in Maskinongé village on May 17. As a boy he was a laborer on the family farm in Canada, however had no interest in agriculture. Since much of his time was needed on the family farm, he received little schooling.
In 1852, when Antoine was 16, his father died. He moved away from the family farm in Canada and went to Chicago in the fall of 1854. There he became a laborer involved with lumber. He stayed there just a few months and then moved to Manistee, Michigan. At first he was a logger driving and directing logs down the Manistee River. Later he did this also on the Pere Marquette River at Ludington.
Antoine became a United States citizen, according to his Naturalization papers, on February 27, 1870. He is the first in this Cartier line to become a United States citizen.

Marriage and family

Antoine married Eliza N. Ayers in Manistee on December 3, 1859. They moved from Manistee to Ludington in 1877 with their family of 8 children. There was a ninth child, a daughter who died in infancy.



Ludington House

Antoine built a Victorian style home at the northeast corner of Ludington Avenue and Lavinia Street near downtown Ludington in 1878. Presently it is a Bed and Breakfast called "Ludington House".



Genealogy and family line

Antoine's father is Jean-Baptiste Cartier Jr. Jean Jr. was a farmer born at his parents farm estate in the Maskinongé area of Quebec by the river of the same name. Antoine's grandfather was born at Saint-François-du-Lac, Quebec. Antoine's mother's name was Rosalie Cartier. Antoine's siblings were six brothers and two sisters. Of as 1895 there were only 4 siblings living besides himself.
Antoine is related to and can trace his family line back 400 years to Jacques Cartier, the famous French explorer who claimed what is now Canada for France. There is an extensive detailed family history genealogy self-published by Morgan E. Cartier on display at the "Ludington House" that shows his family line going back to Jacques Cartier.

"Cartier Genealogy"

According to a 1957 genealogy book written by Morgan Cartier Antoine Ephrem Cartier's father is Jean Baptiste Cartier Jr ; whose father is Jean Baptiste Cartier ; whose father is Francois de Salles Cartier ; whose father is Guillaume Cartier II ; whose father is Guillaume Cartier being the first in the family line to be born a Canadian; whose father is Julian Cartier being the first in the family line to be a Canadian immigrant ; whose father is Claude Cartier ; whose father is Jean Cartier ; whose father is Francois Cartier ; whose father is Allaine Cartier ; whose father is Raoulette Cartier ; whose father is Etienne Cartier ; whose father is Jean Cartier. Jacques Cartier, the famous French explorer who claimed Canada for France, is a son of Jacques Jamet Cartier ; whose father also is Jean Cartier since Jacques Jamet was Etienne's older brother by 9 years.

"La Famille Cartier de Sorel"

French Canadian historian Albert Ovila Cartier in 1936 shows in his history book "La Famille Cartier de Sorel" the following:
According to genealogist Michel Potier in 2013 and his Association called Les Cousins de la Marquise
Antoine became a partner in the Dempsey-Cartier firm of Manistee in 1873 with Jim Dempsey. The Dempsey-Cartier firm purchased and renovated the Green & Millmore sawmill of Manistee and made lumber from northern Michigan white pine. They changed the name of the company to Cartier & Dempsey.
Sometime around 1877 Antoine purchased the Stanchfield mill and considerable timerland and property around Ludington. In 1882 the mill was sold to Butter's Company. Antoine then purchased the shares of the Cartier mill owned by William Allen and George Goodsell and developed the Cartier Lumber Company by 1892.
Approximately 1878 Antoine was a partner with D. L. Filer in the large lumbering firm Cartier & Filer. It operated a sawmill and store. As of 1882 Antoine was half owner of Danaher & Cartier and a member of Dempsey, Cartier & Company at Manistee.
Antoine became a large stockholder in the Northern Michigan Transportation Company from 1904 to 1910.
His business axioms were simple.

Politics

Antoine was a mayor for Ludington in 1880 and 1881. He was also a member of the city council for 4 years in Manistee. Antoine supported the Democratic party.

Religion

The Cartier family line has been of the Catholic faith for hundreds of years. Antoine's faith was also Catholic and he supported the local Ludington parish St. Simon church of which he was a member.

Cartier family original proverbs

Antoine died March 1, 1910, and was buried in the Pere Marquette cemetery at Ludington on March 4.

Footnotes