Québec Origins.
In Trois-Rivières, back in time to Québec City and then France .
The Collins Families of Trois-Rivières.
Jacob Collins and Suzanne Boisvert.
Jacob Collins; born 8 March 1804 at Cap-de-Magdelene, Trois-Rivières, Quebec, Canada and baptized 23 March 1804 at the Protestant Congregation, Trois-Rivières, son of William Collins and Margaret Shankle. He married 18 October 1824 at the Protestant Congregation, Trois-Rivières Suzanne Boisvert; born 14 September 1806 at Yamachiche, Québec, Canada and baptized there the next day, the daughter of Joseph Boisvert and Marguerite Rivard Laglanderie. The family is found in the 1851 Canada Census living in Saint Maurice but by 1861 they are living in Saint Etienne de Grès, Québec. Jacob worked as a laborer at the forges in Saint Maurice. Jacob died 5 March 1866 at St. Maurice and was buried 7 March 1866 at Trois-Rivières. Suzanne died 24 February 1869 at St. Maurice and was buried there on 27 February 1869. Jacob and Suzanne had eleven children; three died as infants.
The children of Jacob Collins and Suzanne Boisvert:
1. Margaret Ann; born 31 October 1824 at Trois-Rivières; died 10 July 1907 at Trois-Rivières. She married 24 October 1842 at Saint Maurice, Trois-Rivières, Patrick Young, born 1 May 1818 at Cap-de-Madeleine, Trois-Rivières, son of Patrick Young and Ann Nash.
2. Antoine; born 24 February 1826 at Trois-Rivières; died 13 March 1826 at Trois-Rivières.
3. Natalie; born 11 March 1827 at Trois-Rivières; died 29 January 1828 at Trois-Rivières.
4. Jacques Alfred; born 20 October 1828 at Trois-Rivières; died 20 December 1828 at Trois-Rivières.
5. Isaac Israel; born 29 December 1829 at Trois-Rivières; died 19 December 1912 at Trois-Rivières. He married 5 February 1849 at Trois-Rivières, Hermine Pellerin, born 3 October 1832 at Trois-Rivières, daughter of François Pellerin and Isabelle Amable.
6. Henriette; born 4 March 1832 at Trois-Rivières; died 19 September 1904 at Saint Ètienne de Grès, Trois-Rivières. She married first 8 November 1847 at Trois-Rivières Antoine Lisatre. She married second 15 December 1879 at Trois-Rivières, Victor Ratier.
7. Alexandre Guillaume; born 20 December 1834 at Trois-Rivières; died 14 March 1903 at Saint Joseph Hospital, Trois-Rivières. He married 31 October 1853 at Trois-Rivières Marie Ayotte.
8. Pierre Toussain; born 3 September 1837 at Trois-Rivières; died 4 February 1925 at Chicopee, Massachusetts. He married 8 October 1860 at Trois-Rivières, Marie Odile Samson, born 18 March 1842 at Yamachiche, Quebec, daughter of Antoine Samson and Julie Cyr Vincent.
9. Emilie Philomene; born 6 March 1840 at Trois-Rivières; died 26 April 1899 at Holyoke, Massachusetts. She married 19 February 1833 at Saint Maurice, Trois-Rivières Hilaire Samson, son of Antoine Samson and Julie Cyr Vincent.
10. Jacob Thomas; born 4 January 1843 at Saint Maurice, Trois-Rivières. He married 1 July 1861 at Saint Maurice, Trois-Rivières Françoise Caroline Comeau.
11. Mary Suzanne; born 9 May 1845 at Trois-Rivières. She married 21 April 1861 at Saint Maurice, Trois-Rivières Alexandre Grondin.
The First Known Collins Family.
William Collins and Margaret Shankle.
William Collins married 21 April 1788 at the Québec Metropolitan Church (Anglican) Margaret Shankle, born 27 March 1770 at Granville Township, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, daughter of Henry Shankle and Anna Catherine Baltzer. The couple settled in Trois-Rivières, Québec, where William Collins was a farmer and an Innkeeper. He died 30 December 1821 at Trois-Rivières. Margaret Shankle died 24 May 1851 at Trois-Rivières.
William Collins and Margaret Shankle had eight children:
1. Catherine; baptized 8 July 1790 at Saint Joseph Parish, Maskinonge, Mauricie, Québec; married 5 Jun 1809 at Trois-Rivières Joseph Marchard, born 28 July 1780, son of Jean Baptiste Joseph Marchard and Marie Victoire Leblanc; died 21 July 1855 at Cap de Magdalene, Trois-Rivières, Québec.
2. William; baptized 6 July 1795 at Protestant Congregation, Trois-Rivières; married 18 February 1822 at Trois-Rivières Louise Elisabeth Lessard, daughter of François Lessard and Josephte Bourgon Saint Maurice. He was a farmer and an Innkeeper.
3. Margaret; born 17 October 1797 at Trois-Rivières, Québec; married 11 February 1822 at the Protestant Congregation, Trois Rivières Patrick Young.
4. Lydia; born 3 October 1800 at Trois-Rivières; died 10 October 1800 at Trois-Rivières.
5. John (Johnny); born 8 October 1801 at Trois-Rivières; married 5 December 1822 at the Protestant Congregation, Trois-Rivières Maguerite Sawyer.
6. Jacob; baptized 23 March 1804 at the Protestant Congregation, Trois-Rivières; married 18 October 1824 at the Protestant Congregation, Trois-Rivières Suzanne Boisvert; daughter of Joseph Boisvert and Marguerite Rivard Laglanderie; died 5 March 1866 at Trois-Rivières.
7. Sophie; born 29 July 1806 at Trois-Rivières; married 19 March 1827 at Trois-Rivières Jean Baptiste Boisvert, son of Joseph Boisvert and Charlotte Isabelle.
8. Benjamin; baptized 15 October 1811 at Cathedral of the Assumption, Trois-Rivières; married 10 June 1833 at Protestant Congregation, Trois-Rivières Hannah Young.
French-Québecois Settlers.
Québec City.
Québec’s first inhabitants were the native Amerindians of the region, primarily the Haudenosaunee people, also known as Iroquois. The arrival of French explorers in the sixteenth century led to the introduction of European culture and language to the area and the eventual establishment of Québec City.
In 1535 Jacques Cartier, a French explorer, was the first European to travel the St. Lawrence Gulf, claiming the Québec area and L’Acadie (Acadia or present-day Nova Scotia) as New France. He returned in 1541 with about 400 people to establish Fort Charlesbourg-Royal, the earliest known French settlement in North America. The fort was abandoned a year later in large part due to hostilities between the French and the Iroquois, combined with the harshness of the winter weather.
Founding Families.
Not until 60 years later, on 3 July 1608, was Québec City established. One of the strategic advantages of its site was its location on a promontory from which any vessel traveling further upstream could be observed. The word “Kebec” is an Algonquin word meaning “where the river narrows.” In 1620, Samuel de Champlain built Fort Saint Louis on the top of Cape Diamond, near the present location of Chateau Frontenac. Among the early settlers were Marie Rolet and her husband Louis Hébert. The first white child born in Québec was Hélène Desportes, in 1620 to Pierre Desportes and Françoise Langlois. Marie Rolet and Louis Desportes’ son Guillaume married Hélène Desportes. They were all ancestors of Willy Collins. By 1627, the population of Québec City had reached 100.
Life in Québec was challenging. French colonists struggled with the region’s harsh winters and uncleared land. Québec was dependent on agriculture and fur trade, which brought colonists into conflict with the native people whose land they had claimed for France. The Indigenous people were expert trappers who traded their pelts for European goods such as guns, cloth, and metals. They also taught the French how to navigate the waterways and forests. But eventually the French demands for animal skins became too great for the indigenous people, who previously had hunted only out of necessity. Overhunting depleted beaver and deer populations. This eventually led to a fracturing of relations between the French and the Iroquois as well as within the five Iroquois nations. Deadly disease brought to the indigenous people by the Europeans, also devastated their population. Beginning in the 1640s through the 1660s, the relationship between the French and Iroquois nations deteriorated. What had started as a comfortable co-existence became anything but.
The differences between the settlement of New France and New England are profound. The English colonies, though much smaller in area, dwarfed the French colonization in population. Over the course of the seventeenth century, just 15,000 people sailed from France to Canada, and two-thirds either stayed only for a short period, either returning to France or dying in Canada not long after arriving. This was a small number when compared to the 380,000 British immigrants who arrived in the New World during the same period of time. Because land was less of an issue in France than England, French peasants had less incentive to leave France. The French government did little to sponsor emigration to North America. The result was the French-Canadian population grew from a small number of people with only about 4,500 family names. This is evident in examining the family histories of Willy Collins and his wife Amanda Gagnon. They have many ancestors in common.
The first purposeful settlement program in New France began about 1632, spearheaded by surgeon and apothecary Robert Gifford who had previously sailed with Samuel Champlain, and had been granted the Beauport Seigneurie along the Saint Charles River, down river from Québec, on condition that he bring in settlers to help develop the colony. Giffard collaborated closely with the two Juchereau brothers Noël and Jean to recruit settlers from Perche, France. The Giffard-Juchereau-sponsored emigration movement was remarkably successful in attracting families and individuals from locations all over Perche but especially from locations centered on Tourouvre, Mortagne, Saint Cosme de Vair and Igé.
Arrival of the Filles du Roi.
Given the slow growth of the promising colony in New France, French King Louis XIV intervened in 1663 to invest in its future, taking oversight away from French trading companies. The French crown began to pay its citizens for their passage to New France, increasing its population, and dividing what would become Canada into three districts: Québec, Trois-Rivières, and Montréal. The 3,000-person population had a large gender imbalance with six men to every woman. To induce the men to stay, the king paid about 711 women to travel to New France as state-sponsored brides. These were the Filles du Roi, or daughters of the king, who came to New France between 1663 and 1673. Most were poor, between the ages of 16 and 40, and largely from urban areas of France. In addition to their passage, they were given dowries and trousseaus. Most of these women married very shortly after arriving. They were also encouraged to have as many children as possible, with a financial bonus awarded by the crown to any woman who bore more than ten children.
There are several resources that identify and tell the story of the Filles du Roi, each using their own identification criteria and sources. One notable source is the PRDH that defines the Filles du Roi as immigrants, single or widowed, who came to Canada between 1663 and 1673 and were presumed to have received royal support for their transportation or settlement. That current list contains 711 names. In reviewing the list, we can identify at least nine Filles du Roi who are ancestors of Willy Collins. They include Françoise Bourgeois, Françoise Brunet, Marie Coignard, Marie Martine Cronier, Catherine Durand, Marie Marguerite Gaillard Duplessis, Marie Grandin, Marie Louise Lecouteur, and Françoise LeFrançois.
French Soldiers Protect the Settlement.
In 1665 the French crown also sent a group of 1,200 soldiers to the colony to protect its settlements from recurring attacks by the five Iroquois nations. The French had been trading peacefully with the Algonquin and Huron tribes. This alliance had provoked the hostility of the Iroquois tribes, who wanted those relationships to fail, so they could control the fur trade. In September 1666, the newly arrived soldiers led a campaign against the Iroquois who fled as the army approached. The troops torched four villages and destroyed the food supply of the Iroquois nation. The campaign had proven to be little more than an arduous march, but it served its purpose. A peace treaty was signed in July of 1667 that would last for 20 years. With the security of the colony now assured, the regiment was disbanded in 1668.
Rather than have the regiment return to France, King Louis XIV and his ministers in Paris had another plan in mind, to encourage the soldiers to become colonizers. Instead of returning to France, the soldiers could own land with state assistance. Each man would receive a discharge grant of 100 livres (pounds sterling) or 50 livres and a year’s rations. This was likely more money than most ever had at one time. Although the majority of the soldiers returned to France, about 450 decided to stay in New France. They were also encouraged to marry and were given land as incentive.
Among these soldiers was Paul Vigneau Laverdure, a sixth great-grandfather of Willy Collins. Paul not only chose to stay in Québec, but he also married Fille du Roi Françoise Bourgeois.
The Filles à Marier.
Prior to the arrival of the Filles du Roi, there were the Filles à Marier, who came to New France between 1634 and 1663. They came seeking better lives, many of them following or accompanying family members. These women were not recruited by the king, nor did they receive dowries. Although approximately 262 women fall under this description, just a trickle of women came to New France during the early years (1634-1645), averaging fewer than two per year. By the 1650s the immigration of women picked up significantly with the peak year being 1659 when 34 marriage-eligible women arrived. Given the imbalance in the marriage market, most of the women who arrived were married within a year.
At least seven of the Filles à Marier are amongst Willy Collins’ ancestors. These women include Jeanne Auneau, Marie Fayet, Marie Jacqueline Frelon, Marie Marguerite Gaulin, Anne Ledet, Marie Marguerie, and Marie Judith Rigaud.
Founding Families of Québec.
The Mothers and Fathers of New France.
The founding families of Québec are those settlers who remained there following several attempts at colonization. During the initial voyages, the settlers had been systematically repatriated due to problems such as illness or a lack of preparation for the winter. It was not until around 1608 that families came to settle permanently in Québec.
The most famous of these families is that of Louis Hébert, who settled with his wife and children in 1617. They decided to settle in Québec City only a few years after the city was founded by Samuel de Champlain. Louis Hébert and his family became firmly rooted in the region, seriously taking their crucial role among the first permanent inhabitants of New France. In 1626, they were even entrusted with the Saint-Joseph seigneurie.
Other families followed, thanks to the efforts of Robert Giffard and the Company of One Hundred Associates, among others. Giffard, himself the founder of the city of Beauport, returned to France several times to convince families to follow him to the new colony. Only a few agreed, but those who settled in New France contributed to the growing population.
As the number of families increased, the exploration of the land continued, along with the creation of new seigneuries. Other parishes emerged and were populated and organized by the founding families. Québec City and its surroundings developed and other sectors, such as Trois-Rivières and Montréal, also welcomed new families and were officially founded in 1634 and 1642, respectively.
Founding Families.
Willy Collins’ Ancestors in Québec.
Louis Hebért and Marie Rolet.
The first settler of New France was Louis Hébert, a young Parisian apothecary whose father, Nicolas, was the apothecary to Queen Marie de’ Medici. When he was thirty, Louis traveled to the colony of Acadia (today the provinces of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island) in 1605, when he helped de Monts and Samuel de Champlain build New France's first settlement, the Habitation, at Port Royal (Nova Scotia, Canada). Hébert looked after the health of the pioneers, cultivated native drug plants, and supervised the gardens. At the waterfront, he examined specimens of drug plants offered by Mi’kmaq Indians. These included Arum, (Jack-in-the-Pulpit), Eupatorium (Boneset), Verbascum (Mullein), and Hydrastis (Golden Seal). When the Habitation was destroyed by the English in 1613, he returned to his Parisian apothecary shop. Samuel de Champlain then easily persuaded Louis to bring his family to his fledgling settlement. Louis returned to France, sold his belongings, and, together with his wife Marie Rolet, three children, and brother-in-law, set out for Québec, arriving in August 1617. Hébert's "green thumb" gained him lasting fame as the first successful farmer in what is now Canada. There is a 1918 monument to Québec first settler Louis Hébert, located at the Place de L’Hutel de Ville in Québec City.
Louis Hébert was born about 1576 in Paris France, son of Nicolas Hébert and Jacqueline Pageot. He married 19 February 1601 in Paris, Marie Rolet, born about 1585 in Paris, the daughter of Jean Rolet and Anne Cogu. The couple had three children, two daughters and one son. Louis Hébert died 23 January 1627 in Québec City from injuries sustained from a fall on the ice. Marie Rolet died 27 May 1649 in Québec City.
Louis Hébert and Marie Rolet are the seventh great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their son Guillaume Hébert and his wife Hélène Desportes.
Pierre Desportes and Françoise Langlois, and their daughter Hélène Desportes.
Pierre Desportes was born about 1595 in Lisieux, Normandy, France. He married before 1620 in Lisieux, Françoise Langlois who was the sister of Marguerite Langlois who was married to Abraham Martin, for whom the “Plains of Abraham” in Québec City are named. Françoise Langlois was born 13 Jun 1599 in Lisieux and her parentage is not known. These four individuals are among the earliest pioneers to Québec, having arrived there about 1614.
Pierre Desportes was in charge of the warehouse in Québec City and he was also the village baker. Pierre Desportes and Françoise Langlois were the parents of Hélène Desportes, the first white child born in New France.
After the fall of Québec City in 1620, the Desportes family, along with Champlain were transported to London, and then back to France. Shortly after peace was restored in 1632, Hélène returned to Québec, on 16 May 1633.
On 1 October 1634 in Québec City, Hélène Desportes married Guillaume Hébert, son of Louis Hébert and Marie Rolet. Joseph’s family had remained in Québec during the occupation and had the first settler’s farm there. After Guillaume Hébert died 23 September 1639, Hélène, at age nineteen, was left with three living children. Hélène then married Noel Morin, a wheelwright, a native of Saint Étienne, a village near Paris, on 9 January 1640 in Québec City. They had twelve children. Hélène Desportes died 24 Jun 1675 in Québec City.
Hélène Desportes and Guillaume Hébert are the sixth great-grandparents of Willy Collins.
Zachary Cloutier
Master Carpenter
Zacharie Cloutier and Sainte Dupont.
Zacharie Cloutier was born about 1590 in Mortagne, Perche, France. On 18 July 1616 he married Sainte Dupont who was born about 1595 in the same area. They would eventually have five children.
Zacharie and Sainte’s immigration to New France was linked to the larger movement spearheaded by Robert Giffard who came to Mortagne in 1632 to recruit settlers for his Seigneurie in New France. Intrigued by the opportunity, Zacharie Cloutier, a master carpenter, entered into an agreement with Giffard on 14 March 1634 and sailed with his fellow countryman Jean Guyon Du Buisson to New France in exchange for a land grant of an arriere-fief at Giffard’s Beauport Seigneurie. After a period of working for Giffard, Zacharie took possession of the fief granted to him by Giffard on 3 February 1637 and named it "La Clouterie." Sometime in the interim period the wives and children of Zacharie Cloutier and Jean Guyon joined them in New France.
Cloutier’s land holding brought him into a conflict with his neighbor Guyon and with Giffard, his seigneur. He sold his land to Nicolas Dupont on 20 December 1670 so that he could settle in Château-Richer, where he had already received a land grant on 14 July 1652 from Governor Jean de Lauson.
Zacharie Cloutier died 17 September 1677 at Château-Richer and was buried there the following day. Sainte Dupont died 14 July 1680 in Château-Richer and was buried there the next day. Zacharie Cloutier and Sainte Dupont are the seventh great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their daughter Marie Louise Cloutier and her husband Jean Mignault Chatillon.
Marin Boucher and Perinne Mallet.
Marin Boucher was a pioneer of early New France and one of the most prolific ancestors of French Canada, being the ancestor of most of the Bouchers of North America. He was born about 1587 in Mortagne, Perche, France. His parents are not known. On 7 February 1611, he married Julienne Baril, daughter of Jean Baril and Raouline Creste. Marin Boucher and Julienne Baril had seven children together. Julienne Baril died 15 December 1627. Around 1629, Marin Boucher married a second time. This marriage was toPerinne Mallet, born about 1604, the daughter of Pierre Mallet and Jacqueline Leger from Courgeoût in Perche. Marin Boucher and Perrine Mallet would also have seven children together.
Also recruited by the efforts of Robert Giffard and amongst the initial 30 Percheron settlers to go to Canada in 1634 were Marin Boucher and his second wife, Perrine Mallet, and their two eldest children. The Bouchers were stonemasons and carpenters, skills which were valuable in the early colony. Marin first worked a piece of land that another family, the Récollets, had abandoned in 1629. After working the land on three different sites, including Beauport, Marin Boucher and Perrine Mallet finally settled their family in 1650 at Château-Richer, opposite L’Île d’Orléans, between Beauport and Sainte Anne de Beaupré. The Boucher-Mallet home became the local religious gathering place, before a church was built in the area.
Marin Boucher died on 25 March 1671 in Château-Richer on the fleuve Saint-Laurent's north shore east of Québec. Perrine Mallet died 24 August 1687. Both Marin Boucher and Perrine Mallet were buried at Château-Richer.
Marin Boucher and Perrine Mallet are the two-times seventh great-grandparents of Willy Collins through both their daughter Marie Madeleine Boucher and her husband Louis Houde, and through through their son Pierre Boucher and his wife Marie Saint Denis.
Marin Boucher’s sister Jeanne Boucher was married to Thomas Ayotte and they were founders of another large family line in Québec.
Gaspard Boucher, another close relation to Marin Boucher, likely a cousin, also emigrated to New France. He was the father of Pierre Boucher, Seigneur of Boucherville, and founder of Boucherville, Québec. Gaspard Boucher was one of the early settlers of Trois-Rivières.
Louis Hébert.
Thomas Ayotte and Jeanne Boucher.
Thomas Ayotte (Hayot) was born in France around 1609, probably in Perche. He married Jeanne Boucher, sister of Marin Boucher 15 July 1620 at Mortagne, Perche, France. Thomas Ayotte and Jeanne Boucher migrated to New France around 1638 with their three children. They came to New France to join Jeanne Boucher’s brother who had migrated in 1634. Together Thomas Ayotte and Jeanne Boucher had five children.
Thomas Ayotte died after 3 May 1675. Jeanne Boucher died in 1670. Thomas Ayotte and Jeanne Boucher are the sixth great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their daughter Anne Ayotte and her husband Étienne Denevers Brantigny.
Louis Houde and Marie Madeleine Boucher.
Louis Houde was born 1 July 1617 in Manou, Perche, France, the son of Noel Houde and Anne Lefebvre. He married 12 January 1655 at Château-Richer, Madeleine Boucher, born 4 August 1641 in Beaupre, Québec, Canada. She was a daughter of Marin Boucher and Perrine Mallet.
Louis Houde left for New France in 1647. He was given four arpents of land in Château-Richer on 8 October 1655 where he and his family established themselves for the next twenty-five years. Louis was a servant, a clog maker, and a mason. He died in Saint Croix after 23 March 1710, when his will was written, and before 22 November 1712. It is not known when Madeleine Boucher died.
Louis Houde and Madeleine Boucher are the sixth great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their daughter Marie Houde and her husband Isaac Joseph Grenier.
Noel Langlois and Françoise Grenier.
Noel Langlois was born about 1606 in Saint Leonard des Parcs, Normandy France, son of Guillaume Langlois and Jeanne Millet. He was a ship’s pilot, arriving in New France with the first quota of colonists recruited by Robert Giffard. He arrived in Québec City on 24 June 1634 aboard the ship Saint Jehan. This would be the ship that Marin Boucher traveled on.
Noel Langlois was recruited in France on a three-year contract as a tenant farmer in the service of Robert Gifford, seigneur of Beauport. He married at the start of construction of the Beauport seigneurie manor on 25 July 1634 to Françoise Grenier, who had traveled to New France with her future spouse. On 29 June 1637, upon the completion of his contract, the Seigneur of Beauport conceded him 300 arpents of land, which extended from the Saint-Lawrence River to the Montmorency River.
Noel Langlois and Françoise Grenier had ten children. Françoise died 11 January 1665. On 27 July 1666 Noel Langlois married for a second time at Château-Richer, Marie Crevet, the widow of Robert Caron. Noel Langlois died 14 July 1684 in Beauport.
Noel Langlois and Françoise Grenier are the seventh great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their fourth child Marguerite Langlois, born 3 September 1639, and her husband Paul Vachon.
Pierre Miville and Charlotte Mauger.
Pierre Miville, a master carpenter, also known as Le Suisse, was born about 1602 in Canton de Fribourg, Switzerland. He married 13 December 1632 in Brouage, Rocherfort, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France, Charlotte Mauger, born about 1607 in Saint Germain, Saintonge, France. Pierre Miville and Charlotte Mauger had six children together, all born in France.
The Miville family came to Canada via La Rochelle sometime prior to 28 October 1649, when Pierre, along with his eldest son François, received from the governor, Louis d’Ailleboust, a grant of land in the seigneury of Lauzon, which was later raised to the status of an arriere-fief.
On 16 July 1665, M. de Prouville de Tracy granted Pierre and his two his sons and four other persons, land measuring 21 arpents by 40 at Grande Anse (La Pocatière), naming the locality the Canton of the Fribourg Swiss.
In late June 1664, frustrated by the colonial authorities who had refused to allow him to hire workers for his land, he attempted to kidnap men who had newly arrived from France, while they were still aboard ship in Québec City. Caught in the act, Pierre Miville was banned for life from Québec City, fined 300 livres, imprisoned for a period of time and then forced to restrict movements to within the fief of Lauzon. Any violation of this limitation on his movements would be punishable by hanging. Pierre Miville stayed at Lauzon until his death.
On 14 October 1669, at 10:00 pm, aged about 67 years, Pierre died at his home in Lauzon, and was buried 15 October 1669 in Québec City, where he could never return in his lifetime; the pain of his banishment has never been erased. Charlotte Mauger died 10 October 1676 and was buried the next day in Québec City.
Pierre Miville and Charlotte Mauger were the seventh great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their second daughter Marie Aimee Miville who was born 12 August 1635 and married Robert Giguere 2 July 1652 at Notre Dame de Québec in Québec City.
Establishment of Trois-Rivières.
Founding Families in the Collins Line.
Gaspard Boucher and Nicole Lemaire.
Gaspard Boucher, a furniture maker, was born about 1599 in Mortagne, Perche, France, the son of carpenter JacquesBoucher and Françoise Paigne. He married Nicole Lemaire, born 10 March 1696 in Le Mans, Maine, France, daughter of Nicolas Lemaire and Marie Castrie.
Gaspard Boucher and Nicole Lemaire arrived in New France with their family in about 1635. At that time, some 30-odd Percheron immigrants had crossed the ocean led by colonizing seigneur Robert Giffard. Gaspard may have been among the first group. Soon after they established themselves in the Notre-Dame-des-Anges seigneurie in Québec City. where Gaspard was engaged on the Jesuit farm. On 21 March 1646, Gaspard Boucher acquired a twenty-four arpents farm at Trois-Rivières.
Gaspard Boucher died on 20 May 1662 in Trois-Rivières in a house fire that also claimed the life of his wife Nicole Lemaire. Gaspard Boucher and Nicole Lemaire are the seventh great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their daughter Marie Boucher and her husband Étienne Lafond.
Étienne Lafond and Marie Boucher.
Étienne Lafond was born about 1615 in Saint Laurent de la Barrière, diocese of Saintes, Charante-Maritime, France, the son of Pierre Lafond and Françoise Prieur. He was in New France by 1642, participating in an auction following the death of Jean Nicolet, where he bought an old red satin suit. He worked as a carpenter for the Ursulines.
Étienne Lafond married 30 January 1645 in Notre Dame de Québec, Québec City, Marie Boucher, born 22 January 1629 in Perche, France, daughter of Gaspard Boucher and Nicole Lemaire. Marie Boucher, her parents and siblings had immigrated to New France around 1635. Her father, Gaspard Boucher, was a furniture maker. Her elder brother, Pierre Boucher, was the governor of Trois-Rivières in 1652 and the founder of Boucherville.
Around June 1650 Étienne Lafond and Marie Boucher resettled in the Trois-Rivières region where Étienne continued to work as a carpenter. He acquired a lot of land on Rue Notre Dame. He later acquired properties in Cap-de-la-Madeleine and Lac Saint Pierre. Over time, Étienne Lafond becomes a major landowner in the area.
Étienne died at about 50 years of age on 15 September 1665 and is buried in Trois-Rivières cemetery. Marie Boucher lived for forty years after the death of her husband and carried out many land transactions during that time. Marie Boucher died 29 November 1706 and is buried in Batiscan on 30 November. The couple had eight children.
Étienne Lafond and Marie Boucher are the sixth great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their daughter Françoise Lafond, born 8 July 1658, and her husband Charles Lesieur Lapierre.
Louis Pinard and Marie Madeleine Hertel.
Louis Pinard, master surgeon, was baptized 12 July 1634 at Notre Dame de Cogne, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritme, France, son of Jean François Pinard and Marguerite Gaignier.
Louis Pinard came to Canada about 1648 and returned to France 23 August 1650 with the surgeon François Gendron to complete his surgical studies. A master surgeon upon his return in 1656 and established at Trois-Rivières, he immediately began to practice surgery for the benefit of the garrison. In 1666 Jacques Dubois was employed by him as a surgeon’s aid. Louis Pinard is said to have taken part in the expedition to Hudson Bay in 1685 along with the surgeon Jacques Meneux dit Châteauneuf. Around 1690 he became surgeon-major of the town of Trois-Rivières. His son Claude was also to become a surgeon, likely beginning his studies under his father’s direction. In 1692 Louis Pinard was the agent of Claude Deshaies Gendron, and distributed in the region around Trois-Rivières “the remedies which M. Gendron sent to Canada for charity.”
On 11 June 1657 Louis Pinard had signed before the notary Séverin Ameau, a contract of marriage with Marie Madeleine Hertel, born 2 September 1645 in Trois Rivières, daughter of Jacques Hertel and Marie Marguerie, one of the Filles à Marier. Louis Pinard, age 22, and Marie Madeleine, age 13, were married 29 October 1658 at Trois-Rivières. Marie Madeleine grew up in tumultuous times. Her father died when she was age six. The next year Trois-Rivières was attacked by an Iroquois tribe and half the population was killed. Around the same time her mother, Marie Marguerie, married Quentin Moral, an army lieutenant and court officer. At age eight, Marie Madeleine survived another attack by the Iroquois.
Marie Madeleine Hertel died 30 November 1680 in La Rochelle, Aunis, France. Louis Pinard married 30 November 1680 at Champlain, Québec, his second wife Marie Ursule Pépin. Each of his wives bore him six children.
Louis Pinard did have had a very peaceful career. We find him engaged in legal disputes over money matters with a great number of citizens of Trois-Rivières and Cap-de-la-Madeleine. In particular he had quarrels with Michael Leneuf Du Hérisson. He was also in a rivalry with the surgeon Michel Gamelain, whose competition be feared and who later became father-in-law to his son, the surgeon Claude Pinard. None the less, Louis Pinard seems to have been held in esteem, since he was for a long time one of the settlers’ syndics, a churchwarden, and procurator of the church.
In 1670 he settled down on his seigneury of L’Arbre-à-la-Croix at Champlain (seigneury of La Pinardière). There he engaged in agriculture and the fur trade. Later we find him at Batiscan, where he was buried 12 January 1695.
Louis Pinard and Marie Madeleine Hertel were the sixth great-grandparents of Will Collins through their daughter Marie Françoise Pinard and her husband Martin Guiguere Despins.
Pierre Lefebvre and Jeanne Auneau.
Pierre Lefebvre was born about 1618 in Sceaux, Paris, Île de France, son of Pierre Lefebvre and Jeanne Cutiloup. He immigrated to Québec, settling in Trois-Rivières before 1643. About 1646, he married in Québec City, Jeanne Auneau who was born about 1624 in France. She was a Filles à Marier and her parents are unknown. On 16 Apr 1647, Pierre Lefebvre was granted part of the seigneurie of Gentilly. In July 1648, Pierre was captured by the Iroquois at Trois-Rivières, along with a nephew of Monsieur de La Poterie, as reported in the Jesuit Relations. He returned to Trois-Rivières in October, along with an escaped Iroquois captive named Le Berger who had been held at Trois-Rivières.
Pierre Lefebvre ranked among the notables of Trois-Rivières. He was syndic des habitants in 1658 and a church warden in 1663. On 11 July 1668, Pierre gave his grant of the seigneurie of Gentilly to Felix Thunay.
Pierre Lefebvre and Jeanne Auneau had seven children. Pierre died 12 October 1670 in Trois-Rivières. Jeanne Auneau died 11 February 1697 at Trois-Rivières.
Pierre Lefebvre and Jeanne Auneau are the twice seventh great-grandparents of Willy Collins, both times through their daughter Elisabeth Lefebvre and her husband Felix Tune Dufresne.
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Soldiers. Protecting Quebec.
Paul Vigneau Laverdure.
Paul Vigneau Laverdure is the only known ancestor directly in Willy Collins’ family line who was one of the 1,200 French soldiers stationed in Québec between 1665 and 1668 to protect the colony from attacks by Iroquois tribes.
Paul Vigneau Laverdure arrived in New France, in the summer of 1665. He was born about 1641, the son of Jean Vigneau and his wife Renée of the parish of Saint-Cybard, Poitou, France.
In 1665, while still in France, Paul enlisted in the Maximy company of the Carignan-Salières Army Regiment and was sent to Canada. This was the first time French troops were detached from the royal army to serve overseas. The soldiers were outfitted in brown and grey uniforms and issued a musket with a bayonet, and they all carried a sword. Almost all soldiers had a sobriquet (dit or nickname) inspired by their appearance or personality. Paul Vigneau was called Laverdure. They sailed from France, with various ships leaving in April and May 1665, headed to Québec.
Military Colonization.
Enticed by the land incentives offered by King Louis XIV to stay in Québec, Paul Vigneau Laverdure was one of the 450 soldiers who chose to remain. As part of his contract under this program, he served three years on the property of Barthélémy Verreau, in the parish of Sainte-Famille, lle d'Orléans, Québec, before he held this land by lease from 1671 to 1682.
On 3 November 1670, Paul married Françoise Bourgeois one of the Filles du Roi whose own story is far from typical. They had twelve children.
Paul Vigneau Laverdure died between 27 December 1690 and 19 February 1703 at Saint Laurent. He was the sixth great-grandfather of Willy Collins.
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Profiles of Filles du Roi.
Nine Ancestors of Willy Collins.
Of the approximately 711 marriage-eligible women who came to New France between 1663 and 1673, qualifying them to be considered Filles du Roi, nine of them were ancestors of Willy Collins. What follows are brief profiles of these women. Most of them chose to go to New France to seek a better life, escape poverty, and start families of their own. In addition to a trousseau, them women received a “gift” from the king of 50 livres when they married and an additional financial incentive if they had ten or more children. Some of their stories stand out, such as those of the feisty Françoise Bourgeois, the misled Catherine Durand, and the frequently widowed noblewoman Marie Marguerite Gaillard Duplessis. These profiles were developed based largely upon biographies contained in King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers: the Filles du Roi, 1663-1673 by Peter J. Gagne. 2001.
Their Stories.
Françoise Bourgeois.
Françoise Bourgeois was born about 1646 in the parish of Saint-Paul, Paris, France, the daughter of Antoine Bourgeois and Marie Piedmont. After her father’s death, she left for Canada in 1669 at about age 23, bringing with her dowry goods estimated at 100 livres.
Françoise Bourgeois was born about 1646 in the parish of Saint-Paul, Paris, France, the daughter of Antoine Bourgeois and Marie Piedmont. After her father’s death, she left for Canada in 1669 at about age 23, bringing with her dowry goods estimated at 100 livres.
On 22 October 1669, Françoise signed a marriage contract with Paul Vigneau Laverdure, a French soldier who had decided to stay behind in New France. However, before the two were married, Françoise gave birth to daughter Françoise 7 October 1670 at Sainte-Famille, Île d’Orléans, Québec. Françoise and Paul were married 3 November 1670 and Françoise was given the King’s Gift of 50 livres. Paul was born about 1641 in the parish of Saint-Cybard, Poitiers, Pouitou, France, the son of Jean Vigneau and Renee. He arrived in Canada September 1665 as a soldier with the Maximy Company. Françoise and Paul settled at Saint-Laurent, Île d’Orléans’Orléans. They had twelve children but only five or six lived beyond early childhood.
On 3 July 1679, Françoise was brought before the Provote de Québec by Marie Breval, wife of Pierre Louisneaux. Marie was seeking damages to treat wounds that she received when Françoise hit her after Marie called her a whore. The court granted Marie her request, forbade the parties to speak ill of each other in the future and instructed their husbands to not lay a hand on each other.
Paul Vigneau Laverdure died between 27 December 1690 and 19 February 1703 at Saint Laurent. Françoise Bourgeois died at Saint-Laurent after 21 Jul 1704.
Paul Vigneau Laverdure and Françoise Bourgeois are the sixth great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their son Maurice Vigneau Laverdure and his wife Marguerite Comeau.
Françoise Brunet.
Françoise Brunet was born about 1635 in the La Tour-du-Chatel section of Quimper, Brittany, France. About 1654 she married Martin Durand in Quimper, but was widowed after giving birth to two daughters, Jeanne, born about 1655, and Françoise, born 29 June 1656. In 1663, Françoise and her two daughters departed France to move to Canada.
On 8 November 1663, Françoise married Theodore Sureau at Québec City. He and Françoise settled in Lauzon. Their daughter Genevieve was baptized at Québec City 7 October 1664. Genevieve eventually entered a convent but subsequently left.
Françoise died suddenly on 20 July 1668 at Lauzon and was buried the next day at Québec City. On 9 October 1669 Theodore Sureau married another Fille du Roi, Perrine Hutru.
Françoise Brunet and her first husband Martin Durand are Willy Collins’ sixth great-grandparents through their daughter Françoise Durand and her husband Gabriel Samson. Françoise had been born in France and accompanied her mother Françoise Brunet when she came to Canada in 1663 to seek a new life.
Marie Coignard.
Marie Coignard was born about 1643 in the parish of Saint-Sauveur, Rouen, Normandy, France, the daughter of François Coignard and Françoise Petit. She left for Canada in 1669 with goods worth an estimated 350 livres for her dowry.
On 28 October 1669, Marie married Robert Germain in Québec City and was given the King’s Gift of 50 livres. Robert Germain was a cobbler, born about 1639 in the parish of Saint-Sauveur in Lonlay, Le Mans, Maine, France, the son of Julien Germain and Julienne Bevais. He and Marie settled at Neuville, Québec and had seven children. Their youngest child, Alexis went to Detroit, where he was shot and killed 20 May 1712 at Fort Ponchartrain in a fight with Outagami (Fox) Indians.
Marie Coignard died 22 May 1715 at the Hotel-Dieu de Québec hospital. Robert Germain was buried 22 September 1723 at Cap-Sante.
Marie and Robert are the fifth great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their daughter Marie Anne, who was born 14 December 1676, and married Pierre Lemay in 1695.
Marie Martine Cronier.
Martine Cronier was born about 1645 in Fontaine-le-Bourg, Rouen, Normandy, France, the daughter of Pierre Cronier and Jeanne Rotrau. After her mother’s death, Martine left for Canada in 1669, bringing with her goods worth an estimated 200 livres for her dowry.
On 18 November 1669, Martine married Philippe Destroismaisons Picard at Château-Richer, Québec and was given the King’s Gift of 50 livres. Philippe, a cobbler was baptized 15 October 1637 in the parish of Notre-Dame in Montreuil-sur-Mer, Amiens, Picardy, France, the son of master musket smith Adrien (Adam) Destroismaisons and Antoinette Leroux. The surname comes from Philippe’s grandfather Antoine (married to Jeanne Larcherer), who was from the hamlet of Trois Maisons in Bazinghen, Boulogne, Picardy.
Philippe and Martine settled at Château-Richer, then moved to L’Islet in Québec, and finally resettled in Cap-Saint-Ignace. They had twelve children. Both Martine Cronier and Philippe Destroismaisons Picard died at Saint-Pierre-de-la-Riviere-du-Sud after 9 February 1713, when notary Michon drew up an act of donation to their son Jacques.
Philippe Destroismaisons Picard and Marie Martine Cronier are the fifth great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their third child Marie Françoise who was born 1 January 1674 and married Charles Langelier on 2 June 1692 at Château-Richer.
Catherine Durand.
Catherine Durand was born about 1649 in the parish of Saint-Eustache, Parish, France, the daughter of Pierre Durand and Jacquette Courtois. After he father’s death, she came to Canada in 1665, at the age of 16.
On 25 November 1665, Catherine married Pierre Piche Lamusette at Québec City. Pierre was baptized 18 August 1632 in the parish Saint-Georges in Faye-la-Vineuse, Poitiers, Poitou, France, the son of Pierre Piche and Anne Pineau. Married in France to Marie LeFebvre,he came to Canada in 1662 with the intention of bringing his wife to the colony once he was established. Three months after arriving, Pierre received a letter from his brother Louis informing him that his wife Marie had died.
Finding himself a widower Pierre decided to start a new life for himself in Canada as a hat maker and married the young Catherine Durand. They had three children together between 1666 and 1670. In 1671 they received news from a recent immigrant that Pierre’s first wife, Marie, was still alive in France.
Realizing his inadvertent bigamy, Pierre sought the advice of Bishop Laval, himself about to leave for a trip to France. Laval promised Pierre he would look into the matter. The news proved to be true, Marie Lefebvre was still alive. Doing the honorable thing, Pierre returned to France to find Marie. He then decided to heed the bishop’s advice and bring Marie back to Canada with him.
Pierre and Marie set sail for the colony on the ship La Nouvelle-France. Tragedy struck during the voyage and Marie Lefebvre died at sea. Pierre Piche returned to Canada, widowed a second time by the same woman.
Back in Canada, Pierre obtained permission from the Church to continue his marriage to Catherine and their marriage was rehabilitated by the Church on 9 September 1673. However, since their three children were born when Pierre was legally married to Marie Lefebvre, they could not be considered his legitimate heirs in the eyes of the law. Fortunately, two days after the Church validated the marriage, the Conseil Superieur restored the civil rights to the three children so that they had full rights of inheritance.
Pierre and Catherine then had five more children. The family left Québec City to resettle in Neuville before 1681. In early 1701, they resettled at Boucherville and then moved to Saint-Sulpice in 1708. Pierre Piche died 30 October 1713 and was buried the next day at Saint-Sulpice. Catherine Durand died 18 January 1732 at Saint-Sulpice.
Marie Marguerite Gaillard Duplessis.
Marie Marguerite Gaillard Duplessis was one of the noble women sent to Canada as Filles du Roi. She was born about 1637 in Notre-Dame de Calais, Boulogne, Picardy, France, the daughter of Jean-Baptiste Gaillard and Catherine Lomelle. Left a widow by squire Hercule Duperron, she came to Canada in 1664, bringing with her goods worth an estimated 200 livres for her dowry.
On 26 July 1665, Marguerite married François Provost in Québec City. François was baptized 27 August 1637 in the parish of Saint-Aubin in Tourouvre, Chartres, Perche, France, the son of Marin Provost and Catherine Corniere. François came to Canada in 1660. He and Marguerite settled at Sillery where their two children were born. François Provost died 6 April 1670 and was buried the next day at Québec City.
On 12 January 1671, Marguerite married Louis Saucier in Québec City. Louis was the son of Charles Saucier and Charlotte Clairet from the parish of Saint-Eustache in Paris, France. He can be found in the 1666 census as the servant of Étienne Demers at Sillery, where he and Marguerite continued to live after their marriage. They had two children together, including their son Charles, baptized 1 September 1672, who was the fifth great-grandfather of Willy Collins. Louis Saucier died at the Cote Saint-Michel in Sillery between 4 December 1674 and 31 October 1677.
Sometime before 1678, Marguerite married Michel Lardeur Sanssoucy at Sillery, the son of Nicolas Legardeur and Étiennette Simoneau. Michel had previously been married to Fille du Roi Marguerite Gambier, with whom he had two children. Michel and Marguerite Gaillard lived on the Cote Saint-Michel in Sillery and had three children.
Marguerite Gaillard Duplessis died after 18 July 1682. Michel Legardeur Sanssoucy died at Sainte-Foy between 3 February 1686 and 26 November 1691.
Marguerite Gaillard Duplessis and Charles Saucier were the sixth great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their son Charles Saucier and his wife Marie Anne Buisson.
Marie Grandin.
Marie Grandin was born about 1651 in the parish of Saint-Eubert in Orléans, Orleanais, France, the daughter of Michel Grandin and Marie Le Jeune. After her father’s death, she left for Canada in 1670 at about age 19, bringing with her goods worth an estimated 300 livres for her dowry.
On 23 September 1670, Marie married Jean Beaudet at Québec City and was given the King’s Gift of 50 livres. Jean was born about 1650 in Blanzay, Poitiers, Poitou, the son of Sebastian Beaudet and Marie Baudonier. A farmer and eel fisherman, he arrived in Canada 25 May 1664 aboard the Noir and can be found in the 1666 census as the indentured servant of Nicolas Gaudry at the Cote Saint-François et Saint-Jean in Québec City. Jean and Marie would have ten children. They first settled at Sillery where their first two children were born, they then moved to the Cote Champigny in L’ancienne-Lorette, where their next two children were born. By 1681, they had settled in Lotbinèire.
Jean Beaudet died between 21 July 1712 and 28 May 1714. On 13 July 1714, notary Laneuville drew up a post-mortem inventory of his estate. Marie Grandin died 14 July 1713 at the Hotel-Dieu de Québec in Québec City.
Jean Beaudet and Marie Grandin are the fourth great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their ninth child Jacques Beaudet, who was born 20 November 1690, and his wife Marie Angelique LeMay.
Marie Louise Lecoutre.
Louise Lecoutre was born about 1648, though her origins in France are not known. She came to Canada in 1665 at about the age of 17.
Sometime before 1665 Louise married Nicolas Crevier, Sieur de Bellerive at Cap-de-la-Madeleine. Nicolas was born about 1646, the son of Christophe Crevier, Sieur de La Melee and Jeanne Evard. Christophe was a baker at Trois-Rivières in 1639, a merchant at La Rochelle from 1647 to 1651 and again settled in Trois-Rivières, about 1652. He was also a son of a merchant baker in France named Nicolas Crevier, who was a son of a baker name Hugues Crevier. Hugues lived in a home in Rouen, France with a sign bearing the name La Tete Noire (the Black Head).
Nicolas and Louise had twelve children. The couple can be found in the 1666 census in Trois-Rivières. The family settled at Cap-de-la Madeleine about 1676. Two of their daughters, the eldest and youngest became nuns with the Congregation Notre Dame.
Marie Louise Lecoutre died after 2 February 1689. Nicolas Crevier, Sieur de Bellerive, died after her.
Marie Louise Lecoutre and Nicolas Crevier are the sixth great-grandparents of Willy Collins through their third oldest child Marie Madeleine Crevier Bellerive, who was born about 1670, and her husband Charles Auger Lemaitre Auger.
Françoise LeFrançois.
Françoise LeFrançois was born about 1647 in the parish of Notre-Dame in Ouville-la-Bien-Tournee, Lisieux, Normandy, France, the daughter of Antoine LeFrançois and Paquette Renard. After her father’s death she left for Canada in 1671, taking with her goods worth an estimated 300 livres for her dowry.
On 19 October 1671, Françoise married François Lavergne Renaud at Québec City and was given the King’s Gift of 50 livres. A mason, François was born about 1648 in the parish of Saint-Michel-des-Lions in Limoges, Limousin, the son of François Lavergne and Guillemette Peronne. Françoise and François had six children together. Although their first child Arnoult was born in Trois-Rivières, the family resettled in the haute ville of Québec City where their other five children were born.
Françoise LeFrançois died 10 June 1699 at Québec City. François Lavergne Renaud later married Filles du Roi Jeanne Chartier in 1702 and then another Filles du Roi, Renee Birette in 1709.
Françoise LeFrançois and François Lavergne Renaud are the fifth great grandparents of Willy Collins through their fourth child Marie Jeanne, who was born 22 October 1679, and her husband Étienne Talon.
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Filles à Marier.
The Women Who Came to New France Before the Filles du Roi.
There were only about 262 marriage-eligible women who came to New France between 1634 and 1663. They are called the Filles à Marier and seven of them are direct ancestors of Willy Collins. Brief summaries of their stories follow, including the controversial life of Marie Judith Rigaud, the challenges of Marie Fayet in securing matrimony, and the unintentional bigamy of Anne Ledet.
These profiles were developed based largely upon biographies contained in Before the King’s Daughters: the Filles à Marier, 1634-1662 by Peter J. Gagne. 2002.
The Women.
Jeanne Auneau.
Jeanne Auneau was born about 1626, though her origins in France and her parents’ names are not known. She likely came to Canada in 1645. In early 1646, Jeanne married Pierre Lefebvre in Trois-Rivières. Pierre was born about 1616 in Sceaux, Paris, Île de France, the son of Pierre Lefebvre and Jeanne Cutiloup. He is noted at Trois-Rivières as early as 11 April 1643, as a witness to an altercation between the Leneuf family and Guillaume Isabel.
Jeanne and Pierre had seven children. After the birth of their first child, Jacques, on 12 January 1647 at Trois-Rivières, Pierre was granted part of the seigneurie of Gentilly. In July 1648, Pierre was captured by the Iroquois at Trois-Rivières, along with a nephew of Monseiur de La Poterie. He returned to Trois-Rivières in October, along with another escaped Iroquois captive named Le Berger who had been held at Trois-Rivières.
Pierre ranked among the notables of Trois-Rivières. He was syndic des habitants in 1658 and a churchwarden in 1663. On 11 July 1668, he gave his grant of the seigneurie of Gentilly to Felix Thunay. Pierre Lefebvre died at Cap-de-Madeleine between 16 July 1668 and 12 October 1670.
On 20 January 1671, Jeanne Auneau donated all of her belongs to her children, but there was a partage (estate division) drawn up by notary Adhemar 9 October 1684 between Jeanne Auneau and her children. She died 11 February 1697 at Trois-Rivières, where she was buried the next day.
Willy Collins is a seventh great-grandson of Jeanne Auneau and Pierre Lefebvre through their third child Elisabeth (Isabelle) who was baptized 15 May 1651 at Trois-Rivières. Elisabeth Lefebvre married Felix Tune Dufresne, a new immigrant to Québec from France. The family lines of two of their grandchildren, Julien Rivard Lavigne and Marie Elisabeth Lavigne, lead directly to Willy Collins.
Marie Fayet.
Marie Fayet was born about 1644 in the parish of Saint Sauveur in Paris, France, the daughter of bourgeois Étienne Fayet and Anne Lecoze. She came to New France in 1661. On 3 October 1661, notary Audouart drew up a marriage contract between Marie and Jean Durand. However, this contract was annulled on 12 January 1662 and Jean married Catherine Indienne (Catherine Annennontak or Anenontha). Notary Audouart then drew up another contract for Marie, on 23 Jan 1662, but this contract with Charles Pouliot was also annulled. Charles later married Françoise Meunier, daughter of Mathurin Meunier and Fille à Marier Françoise Fafard.
On 25 July 1662 Marie’s luck finally changed and she married Nicolas Huot Saint Laurent in Québec City. Nicolas was a master carpenter, baptized 3 Oct 1631 in the parish of Saint Germain in Auxerre, Burgundy, France, the son of Laurent Huot and Aimee Beauvilain.
Marie and Nicolas settled at Château-Richer and had 11 children. Nicolas died at Riviere Ouelle or Saint Nicolas between 18 October 1689 and 24 October 1694. Marie was noted as a patient at the Hotel-Dieu de Québec on 12 December 1692. She was buried 6 April 1713 at Saint Nicolas.
Willy Collins is a fifth great-grandson of Marie Fayet and Nicolas Huot Saint Laurent’s second child Marguerite Huot Saint Laurent and her husband Jean Nicolas Durand.
Marie Jacqueline Frelon.
Jacqueline Frelon was born about 1637 in the parish of La Trinite in Angers, Anjou, France, the daughter of Rene Frelon and Renee Armange. She came to Canada in 1662. She married François Garnier between the 9th and 18th January 1663. François was baptized 26 February 1638 in Notre-Dame-de-Vair, Le Mans, Perche, France, the son of François Garnier and Antoinette Boulay. François and Jacqueline had eight children.
Jacqueline Frelon was buried 17 April 1712 in Neuville, Québec, Canada. François died 21 January 1719 in Neuville, where he was buried the same day. The lack of the usual 24-hour waiting period before burial suggests that he may have been a victim of the malignant fever epidemic that struck the colony at the end of 1718.
Willy Collins is a sixth great-grandson of Jacqueline Frelon and François Garnier through their eldest child, Isaac Joseph, who was born 27 November 1663, and his wife Marie Houde.
Marie Marguerite Gaulin.
Marguerite Gaulin was baptized 14 May 1627 in Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Belleme, Sees, Perche, France. She was the daughter of Vincent Gaulin and Marie Bonnemer. Marguerite was the twin sister of Pierre Gaulin, who married Fille du Roi Jacqueline Lauvergnat and is the sister of François Gaulin, who married Fille à Marier Marie Rocheron. Marguerite arrived in Canada in 1654.
On 13 September 1654, Marguerite married Jean Crete in the chapel of the seigneurial manor of Beauport, though their marriage is recorded in Notre Dame de Québec in Québec City. Jean was a master carriage maker, baptized between 8 and 23 November 1626 in the parish of Saint-Aubin, Tourouvre, Mortagne, Perche, the third of four children (and only son) of Antoine Crete (or Creste) and Jeanne Legrand. Antoine was the son of Jehan Creste, another carriage maker, and Marguerite Chaudon.
Jean enlisted to go to Canada for three years on 18 March 1649 at Tourouvre, France. He spent three years of indenture at Trois-Rivières before moving to Beauport, where he bought a lot in the Bourg de Fargy section. Jean and Marguerite had ten children.
Marguerite Gaulin died 15 January 1703 and was buried the same day at Beauport. Likely a victim of the smallpox epidemic that killed up to a quarter of the population of Québec City that year. Jean Crete died 4 March 1717 at Beauport, where he was buried the next day.
Willy Collins is the sixth great-grandson of Marguerite Gaulin and Jean Crete through their daughter Marguerite Crete and her husband Pierre Gailloux.
Anne Ledet.
Anne Ledet was born about 1631 in Angoulins, La Rochelle, Aunis, the daughter of Nicolas Ledet and Isabelle Pineau. She arrived in New France in 1652. On 28 January 1653, Anne married Jean Neveau in Québec City. Jean was a mason, and the son of Jacques Neveu from Saint-Georges-de Montaigu, Lucon, Poitou, France. Jean enlisted to go to Canada on 10 June 1645. Anne and Jean had two children, daughter Barbe, baptized 3 December 1653 in Québec City and daughter Suzanne, baptized 11 October 1655 in Sillery. Anne’s marriage to Jean was dissolved when it was discovered that he had a wife who he had left behind in France and was therefore expelled from the colony and forced to return to New France. Jean returned to Canada at some point and died in Québec sometime in September 1673.
After Jean Neveu returned to France, Anne married for a second time on 2 September 1657 Gilles Pinel in Québec City. Gilles was baptized 28 February 1635 in Sainte-Marguerite, La Rochelle, Aunis, the third of five children of carpenter and longsawyer Nicolas Pinel and Madeleine Mauraud. Anne and Gilles had nine children. Gilles Pinel was buried 15 January 1700 at Neuville and Anne Ledet was buried 14 December 1700 at Neuville.
Willy Collins is a sixth great-grandson of Anne Ledet and her first husband Jean Neveau through their eldest daughter Barbe Neveau and her husband Nicolas Sylvestre Champagne.
Marie Marguerie.
Marie Marguerie was baptized 12 September 1620 in the parish of Saint Vincent, Rouen, Normandy, the last of eight children of merchant and paddle maker François Marguerie and Marthe Romain. Marie arrived in Canada in 1639, following her brother François, an explorer and companion of Champlain, who lived in Trois-Rivières and was a clerk and interpreter for the Amerindian languages for the Compagnie de La Nouvelle France.
On 23 August 1641, a marriage contract was drawn up for Marie Marguerie and Jacques Hertel at Trois-Rivières. Marie brought a considerable dowry of 650 livres to the marriage. Jacques was born in Fecamp, Rouen, Normandy, France, the son of Nicolas Hertel and Jeanne Miriot. He came to Canada as a soldier about 1626. During the occupation of Québec by the Kirke brothers, François had lived among the Algonquins. As a result of his loyalty and service, Jacques was awarded 200 arpents of land on 2 December 1633 in Trois-Rivières. He was an Indian interpreter for the Jesuits at Trois-Rivières. Jacques and Marie had three children together. Jacques Hertel died, from what is believed to have been an accident, on 10 August 1651 at Trois-Rivières and he was buried in a chapel adjoining the parish church, which he built at his own expense to thank God for sparing Trois-Rivières from an Iroquois attack.
About 1652, Marie married for a second time to Quentin Moral, a judge of the Prevote of Cap-de-la-Madeleine as well as judge at Trois-Rivières. He and Marie had four daughters. Quentin Moral was buried 9 May 1686 at Trois-Rivières. Marie Marguerie died 24 November 1700 and was buried two days later at Trois-Rivières next to the body of her first husband Jacques Hertel, according to her wishes.
Willy Collins is a seventh great-grandson of Marie Marguerie and Jacques Hertel through their eldest child, Marie Madeleine Hertel, who was born 2 September 1645.
Marie Judith Rigaud.
Marie Judith Rigaud was born about 1633 in Saint-Jean d’Angely, Saintes, Saintogne, France, the daughter of Elisee Rigaud and Suzanne Dugat. After her mother died on 5 Jul 1651, Judith was at La Rochelle, where she enlisted to go to Canada in the service of Marguerite Legardeur, wife of Jacques Le Neuf de La Poterie, at Trois-Rivières. She spent nine months at Montréal, then returned to work at Trois-Rivières.
On 6 May 1654, Judith married François Lemaitre at Trois-Rivières. François was a master tailor, born about 1631 in France. Judith and François had seven children. François turned out to be a drinker and ran up considerable debts. In 1665, Judith returned to France, probably to settle an inheritance. Their son Charles was born 15 April 1666 in the parish of Saint-Jean-du-Perrot in La Rochelle, Aunis, France. While in France, Judith bought goods from merchant Arnault Perre to resell in Canada. However, upon returning to Canada in 1666, Judith learned that her husband François had died and had been buried 14 January 166 at Trois-Rivières. Most of her husband’s possessions were seized by creditors and François’ death left Judith in further debt with Perre, who sought reparations with the Conseil Souverain. Judith asked for six years to payback her creditors, who countered with charges that her bed was worth 500 livres and that she had “sumptuous clothes” and that she had traded merchandise to Indians who gave her furs in exchange that she was hiding from the creditors. The Council gave her three years to pay her debts, during which time she could not sell the house or property that had belonged to François.
On 26 January 1667, Judith married Jean Therrien in Trois-Rivières. Jean was born about 1655 in parish Saint Jacques in Dieppe, Roeun, Normandy, the son of merchant-draper Jean Therrien and Marie Helie. Jean and Judith had three children together. Jean Therrien died at Trois-Rivières before 6 October 1675, which is when Judith married Jean de La Planche at Trois-Rivières. Jean was the son of master surgeon Zacharie de LaPlanche and Perrine Gilberte from the parish of Saint-Thomas in La Fleche, Angers, Anjou. Jean also attained the rank of master surgeon. He and Judith did not have any children. On 21 February 1677, Jean went to Montréal on business and Judith accompanied him. Apparently, they were having marital problems at the time. One story is that Judith had left Jean and was living with Pierre Cavelier at Lachine. Sometime before 14 June 1678, Jean returned to France. It is unclear whether he was leaving Judith at the time or she that had already left him for Pierre Cavelier.
Judith eventually returned to France herself and married Louis Gillet Laplante on 12 February 1686. Louis was the son of Jean Gillet and Anne Gougeon. By 1688 Judith and Louis were back in Montréal. It is not known what eventually happened to Judith and Louis. They may have returned to France. There are no known records of their deaths or burials in Canada.
Willy Collins is a sixth great-grandson of Marie Judith Rigaud and her first husband François Lemaitre through their youngest child, Charles Auger Lemaitre, who was born in France when Judith was there to collect an inheritance. He was born after his father’s death. Charles married
Marie Madeleine Crevier Bellerieve.