Angoumois.

The Charente River flows through the province located in the Aquitaine Basin in southwestern France. Its capital city Angoulême strategically sat on a plateau encircled by ancient ramparts built by the Romans during their occupation. Since medieval times the city was famous for its printers and for making paper. La Rochefoucauld was named for the chateau above the village. Saint-Claud is to the northeast of the province.

The many rivers running through the land made travel easy, facilitating the trade in salt.

During the reign of Louis XIV soft warm shoes were made from virgin wool and the felt from the capes of his Royal Marines. Once useful to quietly step through castle rooms, the Charentaise slipper is fashioned to this day for its warmth and comfort. Music from the chabrette, a type of bagpipe, may be heard in rural areas.

Our ancestors who emigrated from Angoumois are listed below. The dates reflect the year they arrived in Canada if known, otherwise it is the date of their earliest appearances in the records there:

• Marie Denot (1648) of Angoulême.
• Clément Lériger dit LaPlante (1685) of Angoulême.