June's 10th great grandfather.
Guillaume Couillard (1570 - 1621), 10th great grandfather of wife
Elizabeth Couillard (1631 - 1704), daughter of Guillaume Couillard
Joseph Guyon (1649 - 1712), son of Elizabeth Couillard
Angelique Guyon (1677 - 1718), daughter of Joseph Guyon
Marie Angelique Letourneau (1697 - 1765), daughter of Angelique Guyon
Marie Madeleine Leboeuf (1731 - ), daughter of Marie Angelique Letourneau
Jean Baptiste Gervais I (1753 - 1809), son of Marie Madeleine Leboeuf
Jean Baptiste Gervais II (1776 - 1811), son of Jean Baptiste Gervais I
Jean Baptiste Gervais III (1811 - 1887), son of Jean Baptiste Gervais II
Jean Baptiste Gervais IV (1832 - 1916), son of Jean Baptiste Gervais III
Achille Ovila Gervais (1886 - 1980), child of Jean Baptiste Gervais IV
Gladys Gervais (1915 - 1996), daughter of Achille Ovila Gervais
Barbara June Agla (1942 - ), daughter of Gladys Gervais
http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/couillard_de_lespinay_guillaume_1E.html
COUILLARD DE LESPINAY, GUILLAUME, carpenter, seaman, and caulker, son of Guillaume Couillard and Élisabeth de Vesins, son-in-law of Louis Hébert; and native of Saint-Malo or of the parish of Saint-Landry in Paris; b. c. 1591; d. 1663 at Quebec.
Couillard married Guillemette, daughter of Louis Hébert, at Quebec, about 26 Aug. 1621. By her he had 10 children, and because of the numerous descendants of these children Couillard appears in the genealogy of almost all the old French-Canadian families.
He had come to Canada about 1613 according to Champlain, who spoke highly of him in 1628. Couillard was one of the first to settle permanently in the colony. Louis Hébert, the first farmer, arrived at Quebec only in 1617. After his death in 1627, Couillard took over from him the farming of his lands, having inherited, through his wife, half of Hébert’s estate. Moreover, in the same year (1627) Champlain also granted to Couillard, for personal reasons, “a hundred acres of land to clear and seed,” which bordered on the St. Charles River. By 1632 Couillard had nearly 20 acres under cultivation, and in 1639 he owned a flour mill. On 8 July of the same year Huault de Montmagny appointed him a “clerk responsible for inspecting the sown lands and the food of the settlers of Quebec.” He had been the first person to make use of a plough, in the spring of 1628. In 1643 he was making lime for the Compagnie des Cent-Associés.
At the end of June 1628 Champlain, alarmed by the approach of the English and the threat of famine at Quebec, decided to send someone to Tadoussac to repair and bring back a boat, for the purpose of moving unessential people out towards the Gaspé. Couillard, the only man capable of carrying out this operation, stubbornly refused to do it, despite his normal readiness to be of help. In dread of being slaughtered by the Indians, “he feared for his skin, and did not want to leave his wife, for fear of losing her.”
When Quebec was captured in 1629, Guillaume Couillard’s family was the only complete family that agreed to live under the occupation, and Champlain entrusted to it two young Indian girls, Charité and Espérance, whom he had adopted. After the French returned in 1632 Couillard continued to work unsparingly for the colony and to be held in high regard generally: he took part in the defence against the Iroquois, frequently piloted boats between Quebec and Tadoussac, and became churchwarden of the parish, after having given a part of his land for the reconstruction of the church. Since he could not write, he used as his mark a most original little design, which appears on several historical documents that have been preserved.
In December 1654, under Governor Jean de Lauson’s administration, he was ennobled by the king, “on account of services rendered to the country of Canada.” According to family papers, Couillard’s coat of arms was “azure, a dove with wings outspread or, holding in its beak an olive branch proper,” with the device: “Dieu aide au premier colon.”
Guillaume Couillard died in his house on 4 March 1663, and was buried in the chapel of the Hôtel-Dieu in recognition of the gifts made by him to that institution. Three years later his widow sold his house and a good portion of his land to Bishop Laval*, for the establishment of the seminary of Quebec. The site of the house is marked today by a cairn in an inside courtyard of the seminary, and Guillaume Couillard has his statue, the work of the sculptor Alfred Laliberté, near Louis Hébert’s monument beside the city hall of Quebec.
Honorius Provost
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Sunday, March 1, 2015
Germain Doucet, Sieur de La Verdure
Germain Doucet dit Laverdure (1595 - 1654)
9th great grandfather of wife
Pierre Doucet (1621 - 1713), son of Germain Doucet dit Laverdure
Anne Doucet (1661 - 1710), daughter of Pierre Doucet
Augustin Rene Hebert (1688 - ), son of Anne Doucet
Amand Hebert (1731 - 1807), son of Augustin Rene Hebert
Jean Baptiste Hebert (1772 - 1830), son of Amand Hebert
Cecile Hebert (1810 - 1834), daughter of Jean Baptiste Hebert
Olivier Lesperance (1831 - 1901), son of Cecile Hebert
Marie Josephine Lesperance (1868 - 1955), daughter of Olivier Lesperance
Émilie (Millie) Meloche (1892 - 1982), daughter of Marie Josephine Lesperance
Gladys Gervais (1915 - 1996), daughter of Émilie (Millie) Meloche
Barbara June Agla (1942 - ), daughter of Gladys Gervais
Germain Doucet, Sieur de La Verdure (born around 1595 near Couperans en Brye[1] (most likely Coubron northeast of Paris), France) was a French commander in the French colony of Acadia[2].
Doucet's career began when he entered into an association with Charles de Menou d'Aulnay[3], noted seaman, captain, and future governor of Acadia[4]. In 1632, he arrived in Acadia[5] with the governor Isaac de Razilly[6]. He served as master of arms of Fort Pentagouet[7] (now Castine, Maine[8]) as a major. After the death of d'Aulnay[9] in 1650, Doucet became commandant serving at the French fort of Port Royal (now Annapolis Royal[10]). Under Major General[11] Robert Sedgwick[12], the English captured the fort on August 15, 1654. Under the terms of the surrender, Doucet was forced to leave Acadia[13] for good, and returned to France. Both his sons Pierre and Germain and his daughter Marguerite stayed behind, however.[2] Pierre married, in 1660, Henriette Pelletret, by whom he had issue. Germain married Marie Landry, and Marguerite married Abraham Dugas.[3] The name of Germain's wife is uncertain, although some genealogists suggest she may have been Marie Bourgeois.[3]
References[edit[14]]
Germain Doucet, Sieur de La Verdure (born around 1595 near Couperans en Brye[1] (most likely Coubron northeast of Paris), France) was a French commander in the French colony of Acadia[2].
Doucet's career began when he entered into an association with Charles de Menou d'Aulnay[3], noted seaman, captain, and future governor of Acadia[4]. In 1632, he arrived in Acadia[5] with the governor Isaac de Razilly[6]. He served as master of arms of Fort Pentagouet[7] (now Castine, Maine[8]) as a major. After the death of d'Aulnay[9] in 1650, Doucet became commandant serving at the French fort of Port Royal (now Annapolis Royal[10]). Under Major General[11] Robert Sedgwick[12], the English captured the fort on August 15, 1654. Under the terms of the surrender, Doucet was forced to leave Acadia[13] for good, and returned to France. Both his sons Pierre and Germain and his daughter Marguerite stayed behind, however.[2] Pierre married, in 1660, Henriette Pelletret, by whom he had issue. Germain married Marie Landry, and Marguerite married Abraham Dugas.[3] The name of Germain's wife is uncertain, although some genealogists suggest she may have been Marie Bourgeois.[3]
References[edit[14]]
Monday, December 22, 2014
The Guyon, Laforest, Hueglin Connection
Marie Laforest, David Hueglin Connection
Jean Jacques Guyon dit Du Buisson Link was born on Sep 18, 1592,
in Mortagne, France, the child of Jacques Guyon
and Marie Huet.
He married Mathurine Robin in 1615 in Mortagne.
He died on May 30, 1663, in Beauport, Canada, at
the age of 70, and was buried in Quebec City.
Jean Jacques is a common ancestors of Marie Andree Laforest by way of his daughter
Barbe Guyon and David Earle Hueglin by way of his son Jean Guyon Link.
The following is an outline of how Marie Andree
Laforest and David Earl Hueglin share this common ancestor.
When Barbe Guyon was born on Apr 19, 1617, in
Mortagne, France, her father, Jean, was 24. She married Pierre Paradis on Feb
11, 1632, in her hometown. She died on
Nov 27, 1700, in Quebec City, at the age of 83 years.
Madeleine Paradis was born on Jul 3, 1653, in
Quebec City, the child of Pierre Paradis and Barbe Guyon. She married Nicolas
Roussin on Nov 28, 1667, in
Montmorency. She died as a teenager on Nov 29, 1669, in L’Ange-Gardien, and
was buried in Chateau Richer.
Madeline Marie Roussin was born on Nov 25, 1669,
in Chateau Richer, the child of Nicolas
Roussin and Madeleine Paradis. She married Pierre Tremblay on Nov 15, 1685, in Montmorency. She died in 1752 in
Charlevoix, at the age of 82 years, and was buried in Quebec City.
Nicolas Tremblay was born on Jan 22, 1699, in
Baie-St-Paul, the child of Pierre Tremblay
and Madeline Marie Paradis. He married Louise Simard on Jan 18, 1724, in
his hometown. He died on Aug 16, 1748, in St Paul, at the age of 49, and was
buried in Quebec City.
Basile Tremblay was born on Dec 28, 1724, in
Baie-St-Paul, the child of Nicolas Trembley
and Louise Simard. He married Marie-Françoise Terrien on Feb 7, 1752, in
Les Éboulements. He died on Jul 29, 1803, in Les Éboulements, at the age of
78 years, and was buried in Quebec City.
Andre Sauveur Tremblay was born on Oct 31, 1760,
in Les Éboulements, the child of Basile
Tremblay and Marie-Françoise Terrien. He married Marguerite Ursule Gagnon
on Sep 4, 1781, in his hometown. He died in 1823 at the age of 62.
Joseph Marie Tremblay was born on Oct 15, 1786,
in Les Éboulements, the child of Andre
Sauveur Tremblay and Marguerite Ursule Gagnon. He married Marie Christine
Théophilie Martel on Aug 11, 1820, in Quebec City. He died on Oct 13, 1837,
in his hometown, at the age of 50.
Pierre Goliath Tremblay was born on May 10, 1832,
in Les Éboulements, the child of Joseph
Marie Tremblay and Marie Christine Théophilie Martel. He married Marie
Olympe Tremblay in 1852 in Charlevoix. He died in 1870 at the age of 37.
Joseph Tremblay was born in Feb 1853 in Quebec
City, the child of Pierre Goliath Tremblay
and Marie Olympe Tremblay. He married Marie Vitaline Girard on Jun 26,
1876, in Laterrière.
Arthur Adélard Tremblay was born in Apr 1878 in
Quebec City, the child of Joseph Tremblay
and Marie Vitaline.
Alice Tremblay was born in Apr 1902 in Quebec
City, the child of Arthur Adélard Tremblay
and Annabelle Tremblay. She married Télesphore Bouchard
Aline Bouchard, the child of Télesphore Bouchard and Alice Tremblay, married Pierre Laforest.
Marie Andree Laforest, the child of Pierre Laforest and Aline Bouchard,
married David Earle Hueglin.
|
When Jean Guyon was born on 18 Sep 1592, in in Mortagne, France, his father, Jean Jacques, was xx. He married Elizabeth Coulliard on 27 Nov 1645, in Quebec. He died on 13 Jan 1694, in Chateau Richer, at the age of xx.
Joseph Guyon was born on Sep 10, 1649, in Quebec City, the child of Jean Guyon and Elizabeth Coulliard. He married Genevieve Cloutier on Jan 29, 1674, in Chateau Richer. He died on Sep 8, 1712, in Portneuf, at the age of 62.
Angelique Guyon was born in 1677 in Chateau Richer,
the child of Joseph Guyon and Genevieve Cloutier. She married Jacques Letourneau on Feb 8, 1694, in
Mauricie. She died on Mar 13, 1718, in Quebec City, at the age of 41.
Marie Angelique Letourneau was born on Mar 12,
1697, in Champlain, the child of Jacques
Letourneau and Angelique Guyon. She died on Feb 10, 1765, in St Maurice,
at the age of 67.
Marie Madeleine Leboeuf was born on Dec 23, 1731,
in Maskinongé, the child of Jean
Baptiste Leboeuf and Marie Angelique Letoutneau . She married Gabriel
Rochefort dit Gervais on Nov 16, 1750, in Quebec City.
Jean Baptiste Gervais I was born on Oct 13, 1753, in Quebec City,
the child of Gabriel Rochefort dit
Gervais and Marie Madeleine Leboeuf. He married Marie Josephte Arcouet
dit Lajeunesse on Sep 25, 1775, in Châteauguay. He died in 1809 at the age of
55.
Jean Baptiste Gervais II was born on Oct 4, 1776,
in Quebec City, the child of Jean Baptiste
Gervais I and Marie Josephte Arcouet dit Lajeunesse. He married Catherine
Mercier on Nov 6, 1809, in Les Cèdres. He died in 1811 at the age of 34.
Jean Baptiste Gervais III was born on Jul 6,
1811, in Île-Perrot, the child of Jean
Baptiste Gervais II and Catherine Mercier. He married Marie Josephte
Auger. He died on May 2, 1887, in Stoney Point, at the age of 75 years, and
was buried there.
Jean Baptiste Gervais IV was born on Jul 15,
1832, in Beauharnois, the child of Jean
Baptiste Gervais III and Marie Josephte Auger. He died on Dec 23, 1916,
in Stoney Point, at the age of 84, and was buried there.
Achille Ovila Gervais was born on Aug 6, 1886, in
Stoney Point, the child of Jean
Baptiste Gervais IV and Théotiste Desjarlais. He married Émilie (Millie)
Meloche on Oct 19, 1914, in Windsor. He died on Jan 21, 1980, in Windsor, at
the age of 93, and was buried there.
Gladys Gervais was born on Nov 23, 1915, in
Walkerville, the child of Achille
Ovila Gervais and Émilie (Millie) Meloche. She married Ross Earle Agla on
Nov 2, 1935, in her hometown. She died on Sep 29, 1996, in Windsor, at the
age of 80, and was buried in Chatham.
Barbara June Agla, the child of Ross Earle Agla and Gladys Gervais,
married James Eugene Hueglin.
David Earle Hueglin, the child of James Eugene Hueglin and Barbara June
Agla, married Marie Andree Laforest.
|
Tuesday, October 21, 2014
La Grande Recrue de 1653
The year 2003 marked the 350th anniversary of the arrival of the Great Recruitment, the 100 or so men who came to save the fledgling colony, in Montreal. The same ship also carried a few women, including Jeanne Voidy, a fille a marier, and one of June's ancestors.
Much of their story is told here http://www.maisonsaint-gabriel.qc.ca/en/musee/chr-18.php and here
http://louisianalineage.com/recrue1653.htm.
Of the men, the following are June's ancestors: Jean Auger dit le Baron, Isaac-Urbain Brossard, Pierre Chauvin dit Le Grande, Fiacre Ducharme dit Lafontaine, and Gilles Lauzon.
Some detail on the aforementioned is as follows.
http://www.oocities.org/weallcamefromsomewhere/Kebec/jeanne_voidy.html
http://www.nosorigines.qc.ca/GenealogieQuebec.aspx?genealogie=Demers_Jean&pid=21722&lng=fr
Jeanne Voidy (Vedie)
Naissance: 1637 vers, Paroisse/ville: St-Germain-du-Val, Angers, Pays: France
Décès: 01 décembre 1708 - âge: 71, Paroisse/ville: Quebec, Pays: Canada
Information, autres enfants, notes, etc.
Père : MICHEL VEDIE
Mère : CATHERINE DORBELLE
Famille Jean Dumais et Jeanne Vedie au complet (12 enfants) vérifiée avec PRDH
Arrivée à Montréal le 16-11-1653
(CT 04-10 Closse) avec Jean Demers
Elle avait 16 ans lors de son mariage. Elle est arrivée en Nouvelle-France en compagnie de Marguerite Bourgeois, le 16 octobre 1653 à Montréal. Contrat de mariage passé devant Lambert Closse, le 4 octobre 1654. Elle fut inhumé le 3 dec. 1708 dans le cimetière de la paroisse notre-dame de québec,co.québec,sous le nom de jeanne voidi,veuve de feu jean dumets agée d'environ 75 ans,en présence de jean et rené dumets,jean brassard et autres. (Denise Evans)
http://www.nosorigines.qc.ca/GenealogieQuebec.aspx?genealogy=Jean_Auger&pid=35056&lng=en&partID=35057
Jean Auger dit le Baron
Occupation: Tissier, tanneur
Born: about 1621, Parish/City: Chemire-en-Charnie, Le Mans, Maine, Country: France
Death: 17 November 1697 - Age: 76, Parish/City: Montreal, Country: Canada
Information, Other Kids, Notes, etc.
Ancetre
Engagé La Flèche le 30-3-1653
Arrive seul le 16-11-1653, Montréal et sa femme et son fils arrivent plus tard
http://www.nosorigines.qc.ca/GenealogieQuebec.aspx?pid=41890
Isaac-Urbain Brossard
Occupation: Maitre macon
Christening: 04 January 1633, Parish/City: Faubourg St-Germain, La Fleche, Angers, Anjou, Sarthe, Country: France
Burial: 17 April 1710 - Age: 77, Parish/City: Montreal, Country: Canada
Information, Other Kids, Notes, etc.
Engagé le 12-4-1653 La Flèche
Arrivé le 16-11-1653 Montréal
(CT 03 Basset) avec Urbaine Hodiau
Fils de Mathurin et Michelle Bidaut mariés au Faubourg St-Germain, La Fleche, Angers, Anjou
FichierOrigine
Il est né dans le faubourg Saint-Germain-de-Val à La Flèche. Sa sœur Marie a été baptisée à La Flèche (St-Thomas) le 26-09-1635. Une autre soeur Françoise, née en 1646, a épousée Jean Hautreux à la Flèche (St-Thomas) le 25 février 1672.
http://www.nosorigines.qc.ca/GenealogieQuebec.aspx?pid=44115
Pierre Chauvin dit LeGrand
Occupation: Meunier
Born: about 1637, Parish/City: St-Vion, La Fleche, Maine,Country: France
Death: 04 August 1699 - Age: 62, Parish/City: Montreal, Country: Canada
Information, Other Kids, Notes, etc.
Fils de René Chauvin et Catherine Avard
30 ans au recensement 1667
Engagé le 04-04-1653 à La Flèche et arrive à Montréal le 16-11-1653
CT 15 Basset avec Marthe Hautreux
http://www.nosorigines.qc.ca/GenealogieQuebec.aspx?pid=106028
Fiacre Ducharme dit Lafontaine
Occupation: Menuisier
Born: 1625, Parish/City: Paris, St-Benoit, Country: France
Burial: 17 March 1677 - Age: 52, Parish/City: Montreal, Country: Canada
Information, Other Kids, Notes, etc.
Fils de Toussaint et Jacqueline Drouet
http://hoguegirardin.wordpress.com/tag/grande-recrue/
Fiacre Ducharme dit Fontaine was a master woodworker who married fille à marier Marie Pacreau in 1659. He also served as corporal the 18th squadron of Montreal’s Sainte-Famille militia.
http://www.nosorigines.qc.ca/GenealogieQuebec.aspx?pid=2970
Gilles Lauzon
Occupation: Chaudronnier
Born: about 1627, Parish/City: St-Julien, Caen, Calvados, Country: France
Burial: 21 September 1687 - Age: 60, Parish/City: Montréal, Country: Canada
Information, Other Kids, Notes, etc.
Fils de Pierre et Anne Boivin de St-Julien, Caen, Bayeux, Calvados, Normadie
Arrivé le 16-11-1653 Montréal
Sépulture PRDH
Monday, October 20, 2014
Life of Jean Valiquet
Jean Valiquet, June's 8th Great Grandfather
http://www.deloriahurst.com/deloriahurst%20page/3601.html
Ville-Marie was founded in 1642, by the members of the Société Notre-Dame de Montréal. After ten years of effort, the existence of the colony is in danger and reinforcements are necessary in order to ensure its survival. Jeanne Mance persuades Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, founder of Montreal, to go to France and recruit colonists to breathe new life into the colony. With the support of Jerome Royer, de Dauversière, a recruitment campaign takes place in Maine and Anjou, in particular in the area of La Flèche, in order to engage a minimum of 100 men. The objective was achieved.
Between May and March 1653, 117 men sign contracts of service for a period from three to five years towards the Compagnie de Montréal. On July 20, 1653, 102 of these men, accompanied by M. de Maisonneuve, embark from Saint-Nazaire, on the Saint-Nicolas de Nantes. Marguerite Bourgeoys and thirteen young women also form part of the travelers. This group of immigrants will, from now on, be known under the name of the Grande Recrue de 1653 (Great Recruit of 1653) by the Quebec genealogists. After a painful crossing, the ship lands in Quebec on September 22, 1653. On November 16, 1653, the Grande Recrue arrives at Ville-Marie.
The year 2003 marks the 350th birthday of this event which ensured the survival and the development of Ville-Marie. Several of these volunteers married and left descendants bearing today the evocative names of Cadieu, Deschamps, Livernois and several others. Within the rolls of the Grand Recrue de 1653, appear the ancestor of the Valiquette families.
Jean Valiquet, son of Jean Valiquet and Nicole Langevin, was baptized on July 14, 1632 in the parish of Saint-Vincent du Lude, county of La Sarthe, located 20 kilometers to the south-west of La Fleche in Anjou. He signed his contract of service on April 16, 1653, as a clearer and a ploughman for five years, with the expectation of annual wages of 80 livres.
After completing his contract, Jean Valiquet is establishes himself in New-France and practices his trade of metal worker and arms manufacturer, in support of cultivating grounds at Isle de Montreal and within Boucherville. he receives his first land concession, May 17, 1659. We can find in the solicitors records other transactions and contracts of acquisition of land during following years.
September 23, 1658 is celebrated the marriage of Jean Valiquet with Renee Loppé, daughter of Jean Loppé and Marie Desprez, natives of Saint-Jean de La Mothe, another locality of Anjou. From this union were born eight children between 1660 and 1676. Only four of them will live to the age of marriage. Pierre, progenitor of the line, marries Marie-Élisabeth Campeau, August 15, 1701. The three girls marry men bearing the names of Ledoux, Dupre and Martinbault. Renee Loppé dies before March 1679. She is thus saved from the scandal which strikes her husband, and especially his/her children. (did a daughter Helene also marry Jacques Pilet?)
September 7, 1679, Jean Valiquet is arrested for molestation by the bailliage of Montreal and condemned to be hung on the public place until dead. On 27 October, Valiquet appeals this sentence in front of the sovereign Council of Quebec. The reading of the minutes of the lawsuit describes the charges carried against Valiquet. Thus, "Valiquet declared is reached and convinced to have carnal copulation with the older[?] of his daughters, and to have made an attempt to seduce of others two ". November 21, 1679, thanks to the presentation of extenuating circumstances and with the testimony of Jacques Milot, his sentence is commuted to banishment with perpetuity from the island of Montreal. Moreover, all the goods of Valiquet are confiscated.
Valiquet becomes thus a wandering Canadian, living in the area of Quebec, in particular in Lauzon, where he works for other inhabitants. Between 1684 and 1688, in company of Pierre Houdan, he farms the land and fields of the Dauteuil seigniory. In 1692, he rents land from Jean-Baptist Céloron, located at Sainte-Marie. Jean Valiquet dies, penniless, August 20, 1696, in the Hospital of Quebec.
Tuesday, September 9, 2014
Marriageable Women Narrative
Between 1634 and 1663, 262 filles à marier or "marriageable girls" emigrated to New France representing one quarter of all the single girls arriving in New France through 1673. They were recruited and chaperoned by religious groups or individuals who had to assure and account for their good conduct. In general, they were poor, although there were some members of the petty nobility among their ranks.
As opposed to the Filles du Roi who emigrated between 1663 and 1673, the filles à marier came alone or in small groups. They were not recruited by the state and did not receive a dowry from the King. They were promised nothing but the possibility of a better life. If they survived the perils of the crossing, they lived with the daily threat of death at the hands of the Iroquois. If they survived the Iroquois, they had to deal with the hard life of subsistence farming, harsh winters spent in a log cabin that they may have helped build, epidemics of smallpox and "fever" and difficult and often dangerous childbirth.
Crossing the Atlantic was a dangerous undertaking in the 1600s, and it is estimated that 10% of all passengers en route to New France died during the crossing. Sickness and disease were the main factors contributing to deaths at sea. Passengers were forced to share the hull with livestock that was either being shipped to the colony or served as meals during the crossing. While the passengers may have been permitted on deck during good weather and calm seas, storms forced their confinement to the hull where they were shut in not only with the livestock, but also with the odor of latrine buckets, seasickness and the smoky lanterns used for lighting. The climate and close quarters fostered the rapid spread of diseases such as scurvy, fever and dysentery. Under such conditions, very little could be done for those who were suffering. The method for dealing with the dead was to sew them up in their blankets and throw them overboard during the night.
The filles à marier chose to emigrate under perilous conditions to a wilderness colony because the advantages offered by the colony were great enough to make them forget the dangers of the crossing and rude character of colonial life. In France, the girls would have had little or no choice in their marriages because arranged marriages were the norm for the artisan and working classes as well as for the elite. Parental consent was required for men under the age of 30 and women under the age of 25. Young girls were placed in convent schools or pensions only to await a marriage in which they had no choice or to become a nun. In New France, these women could choose whom they wanted to marry and had the freedom to change their minds before the marriage took place.Most of the filles à marier belonged to the rural class and were the daughters of peasants and farmers. A small number were from urban families, the daughters of craftsmen, day laborers and servants, while an even smaller number were the daughters of businessmen, civil servants, military men and the petty nobility. Their average age was 22, and more than one-third had lost at least one parent. About 20% were related to someone who was already a colonist.
Most were married within a year of their arrival in New France. While waiting to find a husband, many of the girls lodged with religious communities --either the Ursulines in Quebec City or the Filles de la Congregation Notre-Dame in Montreal-- although about 100 filles à marier lodged with individuals.Peter J. Gagné has defined the qualifications to be considered a fille à marier as follows:
• Must have arrived before September 1663
• Must have come over at marriageable age (12 thru 45)
• Must have married or signed a marriage contract at least once in New France or have signed an enlistment contract
• Must not have been accompanied by both parents
• Must not have been accompanied by or joining a husband
[Source: Before the King's Daughters: The Filles à Marier, 1634-1662 by Peter J. Gagné. Pawtucket, RI: Quinton Publications, 2002. pp 13-38]
Friday, August 22, 2014
Claude Bouchard and Noelle Toushard
Claude Bouchard dit Le Petit (1626 - 1699)
8th great grandfather of wife
daughter of Claude Bouchard dit Le Petit
son of Genevieve Bouchard
daughter of Antoine Tremblay
daughter of Marie Marguerite Tremblay
daughter of Marguerite Laforest dit Labranche
son of Cecile Arcouet
daughter of Alexandre Desjarlais
child of Théotiste Desjarlais
daughter of Achille Ovila Gervais
daughter of Gladys Gervais
Taken from: http://www.mts.net/~pbouchar/
Claude Bouchard, son of Jacques Bouchard and Noelle Touschard, was born in Saint-Cosme-de-Vair, France, in 1626. Saint-Cosme-de-Vair was a community in the Department of the Sarthe, in Perche, and comprised seven parishes. Claude considered himself to be from the parish of Notre-Dame. He died on November 25, 1699 at the age of 73.
There were actually 6 or 7 different Bouchards who came to Canada (New France) in the seventeenth century. Two of them were named "Claude" Bouchard. One of these was a doctor (a surgeon) who came from Picardy.
In order to differentiate the two the doctor was referred to as "Claude dit d'Orval" and the other as "Le Petit Claude". This latter listed his occupation as tailor (un Taileur d'habits). His surname, which means "The Small Claude", must have been because he was of smaller stature than the other Claude. This nickname, however, certainly was not merited when it came to his progeny, having 12 children of his own (6 boys and 6 girls) as a result of his union with Louise Gagne, whom he married in Beaupre in 1654. Fortunate indeed that he had 12 children, as my ancestor was the twelfth child in the family.
His coming to New France
In order to understand the occasion of Claude's coming to New France (Canada) one needs to have at least a brief understanding of the colony and how the powers in France at the time (Louis XIII and Louis XIV, along with the latter's Minister for the colonies Jean Baptiste Colbert) went about the business of colonizing the new land.
From the beginning of the colony it was intended that the social order in New France should rest upon a seignorial basis. This was a system of land tenure, a method of apportioning land and bringing it into production while avoiding the evils of speculation. Title to all the land in the colony rested in the king, who would grant concessions to seigneurs on the condition that they get their land cleared and made productive. This required, as part of their grant agreement with the crown, that the seigneurs enlist and establish settlers on their lands, as well as build a mill for the settlers' use, and also maintain a court of law to settle minor disputes.
A seigneur was not a landlord as we understand that term today. He had obligations and responsibilities both to the crown and to his settlers, and the authorities saw to it that he fulfilled them. The same applied to the settlers. The seigneur was actually little more than a land settlement agent and his financial rewards were not great. Being a seigneur was still something to be eagerly sought after since it gave one greatly enhanced social status, and this was manifested in a variety of ways.
For their part these settlers, or "censitaires" as they were known (although "habitants" is what they preferred to call themselves), were required to clear the lands granted them by the seigneurs, and were also obligated to pay modest dues (rents) in return. There were other modest requirements imposed on the settlers in return for the land concessions, which could be revoked if one did not fulfill his obligations. A settler could eventually own his concession to the point where he could even sell it, although if he sold it to anyone other than a direct heir he had to pay 1/12 of the sale price to the seigneur, and the latter also then had the right to buy the land at the price offered by the would-be purchaser within forty days of the sale. When land was sold, what the seller received was, in essence, not the worth of the land but compensation for the improvements he had made on it. This acted as a curb on land speculation.
One of the first seigneurs who fulfilled his trust to the letter was a named Robert Giffard. Monsieur Giffard, a doctor who had come to New France in 1627, was able to recruit several settlers beginning in 1632 (30 to 40 persons in 1632, and approximately the same number in 1635). Between 1635 and 1663 he was able to recruit an additional 50 or so persons, and this is where our Claude comes into the picture.
Claude Bouchard, a tailor, born in 1626, was from the Province of the Maine, a native of Saint-Cosme-de-Vair. As I understand it this place was actually in Perche, an area administered by the Province of the Maine at the time. His father was Jacques Bouchard and his mother was named Noelle Touschard. We know nothing of his youth except that he was a member of Notre Dame Parish in his home town. We do know that he made a living as a tailor (un Taileur d'habits).
We find Claude, in March of 1650, present at the White Horse Inn (Hotel du Cheval Blanc), situated on the road leading to Rouperoux, attending a conference being given by Monsieur Giffard who was looking for volunteers to emigrate to New France. Claude, and a friend named Julien Fortin, volunteered to go. They put their affairs in order and sometime after embarked for New France. It is recorded in a certain Jesuit journal that Monsieur Giffard's vessel arrived on the 14th of July, but does not give the year. It may have been 1650, but then some believe it was 1652. In any event, a sizeable group of Bouchards were present at the White Horse Inn, in Saint-Cosme-de-Vair in 1952, to unveil a plaque commemorating the 300th anniversary of the departure of their ancestor Claude Bouchard for New France.
I nonetheless accept as fact that Claude arrived in New France on July 14, 1650, because of other dates one comes accross in the telling of his story.
Upon arriving, Claude and his friend Julien went to the seigneury de Beauport (situated between where Quebec stands today and the Mount Morency Falls to the north) to secure food and lodging. It appears that Claude had come with some funds of his own (being his father's heir as well as an accomplished tailor) and had come to New France not as an indentured servant but rather under the protection of Monsieur Giffard with some freedom to travel, which he did. We next find him, on October 26, 1650, in the office of Oliver Letardif, agent for the seigneurie de Beaupre, for the purpose of buying a tract of land with one fifth of a mile fronting on the river and about five miles deep into the interior. This tract was located about three miles northeast of where the church of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre stands today. Three years later, on October 1, 1653, Claude wanted to sell this tract to a Louis Guimond, but the sale was not approved (as it had to be, by the royal charter company) until October 1, 1657, for which he received 600 livres, a fair sum in its day, which amounted to approximately $1,200 in 1968 Canadian currency.
His Wife, Louise Gasnier, born on January 21, 1642 in S Martin d'Inge, Orne, France, was not yet a teen-ager when, on October 30, 1653, at the home of her parents, a Notary by the name of Aubert read a contract of marriage between Claude Bouchard and Louise, a minor. Louise was born in the region of Perche in France, the eldest daughter of Louis Gasnier and Marie Michel. Perche was a region located in the general area between Chartres and Alencon, some 50 to 75 miles west-southwest of Paris. The church nuptial blessing of Claude and Louise was delayed until May 25, 1654, taking place at the home of her parents who were then living in Quebecville. The blessing was given by Father Paul Ragueneau, a Jesuit priest who had come over from France in 1636 with other missionaries (including Isaac Joques who died a martyr at the hands of the Iroquois on October 18, 1646).Claude and Louise first settled at Sainte-Anne de Beaupre, living near her parents. On July 30, 1657, Claude signed a 6-year lease on some land at Saint-Charles of Cap Tourmente, in the Seigneurie de Beaupre just north-east of Sainte-Anne. Claude and Louise moved there, and it was while they were living there that their first child, a daughter named Marie, was born on October 27, 1659 when Louise was 17.
In October of 1661 Claude and Louise are forced to leave the area in haste and abandon their farm because of Iroquois incursions on their land. The Iroquois (mostly bands of Mohawks and Oneidas) had been terrorizing the region since June of that year. The family takes refuge at Chateau Richer, below Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, and does not return to the farm for several years. Their next four children are born at the Chateau. Louise's father disappears very mysteriously one day, probably abducted by savages.
Claude and Louise eventually returned to the Cap Tourmente area after the Iroquois problems had subsided following the arrival of a regiment of regular soldiers from France. Claude is listed in the census of 1666 as having a wife and four children living at Cap Tourmente, with the widow Gasnier (Louise's mother) and her children living nearby. The following year the census taker noted that Claude Bouchard owned 7 head of livestock and had 8 arpents of land under cultivation (one arpent being approximately equal to five-sixths of an acre).
We next find Claude, in 1675, anxious to again make a move. He sells some land and obtains 12 arpents of frontage land at Petite Riviere. He then obtains additional land in 1676 in the same area. Furthermore, Claude is commissioned by the Lord Bishop to explore an area called Saint-Aubin which was in the domain of Baie Saint-Paul. He then lived in the Baie Saint-Paul area for a while. It appears that he finally settled his family in the area of Petite Riviere at a place called Cap a Maillard.
Claude and Louise had 12 children, six boys and six girls. The baptisms of Rosalie, Claude Junior, and Louis are all recorded at Saint-Anne-de-Beaupre, which attests to the fact that the family, during the period of 1676-1680, lived somewhere in the area of the Seigneurie de Beaupre. One thing for certain is that Antoine, my ancestor, was baptized at Baie Saint-Paul by Father Louis Soumande on October 25, 1682.
Of the six boys which Claude and Louise had, only three survived into adulthood (Jacques died in a drowning accident at age 18, with Gilles and Claude Junior having died in infancy). The three who survived, Francois, Louis and Antoine, are the ones who gave us many descendants, the three having had eighteen, five, and eleven children respectively. Before his death, Claude, wanting to make a distribution to his children, on October 19, 1698, passed to his surviving sons ten arpents each of land fronting on the river. Louise, in March of 1700, deeded some prairie land to each of her sons in law, Rene Lavoye, Michel Tremblay, and Etienne Simard. Louise outlived her husband by some 22 years. She was 79 at the time of her death in April of 1721.
Their Children
1. Marie
Born: October 27, 1659 in Quebec
Died: April 29, 1739
Marie became a nun, entering the Congregation of Notre Dame at Montreal where she took the name of Sister Saint Paul, taking her vows on August 5, 1698.
2. Jacques
Born: September, 1662 in Chateau Richer
Died: December 12, 1680 at Chateau Richer
Jacques died in a drowning accident at Chateau Richer at age 18
3. Gilles
Born: March 8, 1664 in Chateau Richer
Died: March 22, 1664 at Petit Cap
Died in infancy
4. Marguerite
Born: October 15, 1665 at Chateau Richer
Died: April 6, 1731 at Baie S Paul
Marguerite married twice, first to Rene de Lavoye at Saint Anne de Beaupre on November 4, 1683, and then (date unknown) to Jean Gagnon. It is recorded that Marguerite and Rene had ten children
5. Louise
Born: 1668 at Chateau Richer
Died: December 8, 1696 at Petite Riviere
6. Anne
Born: February 20, 1670 at Cap Tourmente
Died: April 8, 1731 at Chateau Richer
Anne married Louis Jobidon at L'Ange Gardien on November 20, 1690
They had five children
7. Genevieve
Born: April 25, 1672 at S Anne de Beaupre
Died: March 23, 1754 at Petite Riviere
Genevieve married Michel Tremblay at Baie S Paul on June 20, 1686
They had fourteen children
8. Francois
Born: April 8, 1674 at Cap Tourmente
Died: October 12, 1756 at Petite Riviere
Francois married Marguerite Simard, sister of Madeleine Simard (married to Antoine) at Baie S Paul on June 15, 1699. It is recorded that Francois and Marguerite had eighteen children of their own.
9. Rosalie
Born: April 6, 1676 at S Anne de Beaupre
Died: June 23, 1733 at Baie S Paul
Rosalie married Etienne Simard at Baie S Paul on November 22, 1695. Etienne was the brother of both Madeleine (married to Antoine) and Marguerite (married to Francois). Rosalie and Etienne had eleven children
10. Claude
Born: October 14, 1678 at S Anne de Beaupre
Died: October 28, 1678 at S Anne de Beaupre
Died in infancy
11. Louis
Born: April12, 1680 at S Anne de Beaupre
Died: November 17, 1727 at Montreal
Louis married twice, first to Suzanne Lefebvre on February 25, 1715 at Laprairie, and next to Francoise Dania-Daigneau on December 2, 1724, also at Laprairie. Louis and Suzanne had five children
12. Antoine----2nd Generation
Born: October 15, 1682 at Petite Riviere
Died: June 24, 1759 at Baie S Paul
Antoine married Madeleine Simard (sister of Marguerite and also of Etienne) on November 20, 1704 at Baie S Paul. Antoine and Madeleine had eleven children. Antoine died while hiding in the woods in the area of Baie Saint-Paul where he and other neighbours had taken refuge to avoid the passage of the troops of the english General Wolfe who was conducting a terror campaign up and down the river in the hope of drawing out the french General Montcalm's troops out of their fortifications in Quebec. The tactic failed, but Wolfe was nonetheless successful the following September in defeating Montcalm on the Plains of Abraham above Quebec, which eventually resulted in the end of the Colony of New France in North America.
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