The Grassie Family
of
L'Ardoise, Cape Breton
 

The Grassie family of L'Ardoise can trace its roots to Emmanuel Grassie (b.abt 1750 son of Gabriel Grasset and Louise  ?, and Genevieve Chevarie/Detcheverry (b.July 27, 1761) daughter of Antoine Detcheverry and Marie Pinet. Emmanuel first appears on Ile St. Jean (present day Prince Edward Island) where he was granted 100 acres of land. Emmanuel died about 1795, and his widow, Genevieve, then married Benjamin Taylor, who also died before the 1811 census.
 

By 1811, Genevieve Chevarie appears in the L'Ardoise census, listed as a widow. Living in the house were 3 males between the ages of 14 and 60 (Lazare, Alexis and Jean Grassie), 2 females between the ages of 14 and 60 (Genevieve, widow, and daughter Marie Grassie),  3 males under the ages of 14 (Laurent, Joseph, and Charles Taylor -from her second marriage) and 1 female under the age of 14 (Lucie Taylor -also from her second marriage), for a total of 8 unmarried individuals. They possessed a total of 7 sheep and 1 horse, but no cattle. 

Two of Genevieve and Emmanuel Grassie's sons who married and lived in the L'Ardoise area are Alexis and Jean Grassie. Alexis Grassie married Susan Samson and had 1 known child in the L'Ardoise church records, Marie Grassie b. June 16, 1833. Jean Grassie married Mary MacAskill and had 7 children which were born in the L'Ardoise area between 1835 and 1846. He died at Baddeck in 1874. Alexis and Jean appear in the 1813 Military census who could bear arms but had no property at that time:

Emmanuel and Genevieve Grassie's third son, Lazare Grassie, married Archange Mathe and had 8 known children. This is the branch of the Grassie family to which most of the Grassie/Gracie family can trace their roots through. Lazare appears in the 1813 Military Census:
 

The following links will take you to the current research on the Grassie family. This is very much a work in progress and is currently in revision and development. Many thanks go to Jeanne Belford, George Rose, and Maureen McNeil who have been more than generous in sharing their research into this family.

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