The writing of history is a work in progress made up of the daily activities of people everywhere. However, looking back over the actions that fashioned our world, certain people stand out because their presence influenced the lives of so many others. A case in point is that of Charles-Alfred Roy, known as Desjardins, whose life is an integral part of the history of Saint-André de Kamouraska, a village in which he was deeply involved in the years around the time of Confederation.