05/28/2026
Jean-Baptiste Boyer Jr. was born in 1845 in St. Francois Xavier to Helene (McMillan) and Jean Baptiste Boyer Sr.
In 1864 he married Elizabeth Bousquet and together they had multiple children. Two years into their marriage they moved to St. Laurent where they lived on Lot 6 until 1874.
Boyer was a trader who often moved throughout the prairies moving goods around. In the mid 1870s, he purchased a subdivided lot at Batoche from Xavier Letendre to build a store.
Boyer’s store was in operation from 1883 until the breakout of the Northwest Resistance in 1885. Before this time his family resided in the top floor and his store sold a variety of goods including furs, clothing, foodstuffs, tools, liquor, and so much more. After heavy damage sustained in the battle, Boyer never reopened the store and instead rented it out to the Northwest Mounted Police to use as a barracks. Boyer opened a new store in St. Laurent during this time.
He passed away in 1895 at the age of 49 in Batoche and he is buried in the Saint Antoine de Padoue cemetery.
