The following is from "Généalogie Descendante (en lignée directe) de Jean Riou & Catherine Leblond, 1678-1987, Premier Seigneur sédentaire de la Seigneurie Riviére Trois-Pistoles", © J.-François Beaulieu, Les Éditions Razades Enr., C. P. 969, Trois-Pistoles, Québec, Canada, G0L 4K0, July 1987, ISBN 2-920829-01-7, pages 3-5.

FOREWORD

        One can wonder, with reason besides, why a Beaulieu dit Hudon, is interested in the genealogy of RIOU-X?  The answer is easy because, going up the generations until J.-Baptiste Rioux & Madeleine Côté, their daughter, Rosalie is married to Henri Hudon dit Beaulieu, my ancestor in direct line.  This is the case of Joseph Rioux & Thérèse Rioux, by the marriage of their daughter Véronique to J.-Baptiste Ouellet.  Do I still have some Breton blood in my veins?  After all "who says Trois-Pistoles dit Rioux" or vice-versa.

        You will not find in this book the history of the Riou-x, but quite simply the descendants, in direct line, of Jean Riou & Catherine Leblond, thus a reference book with regard to the Riou-x.  We did not make the general index of the affiliates, nor the descendants whose wife is Riou-x.  This was not the primary objective of this volume, which is primarily a popular book, although we have known for a long time that a genealogist does not live with the fruit of his work.

        The family does not die, it continues through the centuries.  The genealogist simply reconstituting the links, linking them to one another, while creating openings to a more applied, lively, diversified, and accessible genealogy.

        Work of this kind is not done alone.  Hundreds of people have contributed to their ways to further supplement the information contained in this book.

        I can not pass over in silence the generous gift of the family of the late Jos.-Ernest Rioux (Germaine Desroches) of Charlebourg Qc., who bequeathed by notarized contract, to the Society Historical & Genealogy of Trois-Pistoles Inc., the work of their father who had devoted several years of his life to the genealogy Riou-x.

        The Augustin Dufresne fonds of Beauport Qc .; the dedication of several members of the Society Historical & Genealogy of Trois-Pistoles Inc and the Association of Families Riou-x of America Inc. for voluntary help apporthi to the registers of Trois-Pistoles, Riviire-Trois-Pistoles, Sainte-Frangoise, Saint-Jean-de-Dieu, Sainte-Rita; the giaganic contribution of MM. Curis Lucien Rioux of Saint-Climent and J. Frangois Flag of Notre-Dame-du-Lac; Abbi Grigoire Riou, a retired and imitated genealogist from the Canadian-French National Society of Montréal; of the Eastern Québec Geographic Society of Rimouski; Pierre Rioux of Rimouski for his research at the National Archives of Quibec 'Rimouski; of Mrs. Jeanne Rioux Rentmeester, by her wonderful family book 'Memories of Old Duck Creek'; of several other family books; by granting a fiduciary grant, Difi-86, in the amount of $1,791.00, a subsidy sponsored by the S.H.G.T.P. Inc., which permitted the hiring of a young student for the manual indexation of the cards then available, this book would not have been possible, the author being invalid.

        Of the Riou-x genealogy, two important facts are digested.  At first, 'the Riou-x have remained faithful' ancestral land.  The two seigneuries, that of Jean Riou (1696) and that of Vincent (1712), never changed hands, generation after generation, they remain of the family domain.

        The other important fact is that the parish of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges of Trois-Pistoles is situated on the two seigneuries mentioned above, that Trois-Pistoles is a PARISH MOTHER who gave birth to several other parishes, there are always Riou-x.

        Unfortunately, our archives are missing, 'all hands an important part.  They are "The" or Elsewhere ".  Are they recoverable?  The history of Trois-Pistoles, local and regional, will never be written without these important, useful, and obligatory documents for a parish monograph; the history of a family; the burrowing ground documents that sleep elsewhere will be alive with us.  "May the gods look complacent on these last lines."

J.-François Beaulieu