Léo Therrien – Founding President of the Association

Founding a family association is not an easy task. In 1982, however, supported by a team of fourteen devoted individuals, Léo fulfills his dream of founding: Ralliement des familles Jean et Pierre Therrien.

Léo, the eldest of a family of sixteen, is born on March 20, 1939, in Sainte-Monique de Nicolet, of the union of his father, Ovide Therrien, a farmer, and Adélina Pinard, daughter of Napoléon Pinard and Alvina Saint-Louis, married at Sainte-Monique de Nicolet on June 15, 1938

Léo completes his primary education at the 9th concession road school in Sainte-Perpétue de Nicolet, and in 1953, at the age of 14, he enters the Seminary of Nicolet. After his classical college graduation he undertakes a teaching career in psychology at the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières.

With a passion for history and genealogy, he devotes his spare time to research in these fields. In 1998 he becomes as Master Genealogist, a title simply not bestowed on just anyone. The accreditation criteria are demanding: one must belong to a history and genealogy association, have served on different committees and have written a book on the subject. He is more than qualified having contributed to the production of histories of several municipalities such as: Sainte-Perpétue de Nicolet where he attended elementary school, Saint-Thomas de Caxton, the area his wife Denise comes from as well as Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Conseil. He has published three volumes containing some 15,000 marriages of the descendants of Jean and Pierre Terrien. He sits on the board of directors of the Société de généalogie de Drummondville, was recently elected a director of La Fédération des sociétés de généalogie du Québec and for several years served on the board of directors of La Fédération des familles souches du Québec.

It is very natural for him to be interested in his own family, the descendants of Jean and Pierre Terrien, who, since their arrival in New France have reproduced in great numbers. Research undertaken over the years has lead to some astonishing discoveries.

While one finds among these descendants some Terrien, Thérien and Therrien, in the United States there are such names as Taylor (he adopts his wife’s name), Farmer, Pharmer, Lander and Terriah. Since retiring from teaching in 1997, Léo spends a great portion of his time researching “Therrien” descendants. He has compiled some 213,000 names and 93,500 marriages for the association’s database. In the summer he re-enacts the role of a notary for the Village Québecois d’Antan in Drummondville.

Léo Therrien died on March 10 2008.

Here is his relationship with Jean Terrien, his first ancestor. Jean Terrien is the 8th great-grandfather of Leo Therrien.

Relationship between Jean Terrien and Léo Therrien