M. about 1649 in France
Wife: Pasquiére Lefebvre
D. between 1699 and 1704 in (probably) Mortagne, Perche, France
During the 17th century, many Europeans traveled across the Atlantic to become colonists in America. They did so for a variety of reasons, and most of them either stayed permanently or moved back within a couple of years. But a few lived in the colonies for most of their lives, only going back in old age. This was true for Charles Turgeon.
Charles was born in Mortagne, France, and baptized on September 3, 1627. His parents were Jean Turgeon and Sebastienne Liger, and he had two brothers and three sisters. In about 1649, Charles married Pasquiére Lefebvre, and they settled in Mortagne, having 6 children born there between 1650 and 1662.
Baptism of Charles Turgeon.
It’s believed that Charles found work on a ship and made at least one trip to New France, showing up in a police report Quebec City in 1657. His crime was presumably emptying a chamber pot out of the window of a house, and having the contents hit someone who was walking by. It's not known if the act was intentional.
Charles returned to his family in Mortagne, but in the summer of 1662, they all boarded the ship the Golden Eagle and sailed to New France. They settled in Beauport just outside of Quebec City, where his son was born in 1664; three more sons were born there, of which one died young. The 1667 census showed that Charles had 10 arpents of land under cultivation on his farm.
On December 9, 1669, Charles purchased 40 arpents of land with a house and a shed, paying 200 livres in cash and 25 “in pots of wine.” In 1670, he was involved in a transaction for land in France belonging to Toussaint Giroux. In 1683, Charles arranged to lease some farmland from Joseph Vandandaigue. He used the land to grow wheat, paying some of his crop to Vandandaigue for renting his land.
There are several incidents showing Charles may have had trouble getting along with people. In 1677, he was convicted for offenses against his neighbor, a man named Jacques Marie; he had taken wood from his land, removed the boundary line stake and “removed the cap from the head of the said Marie and then gave the offended party a number of blows with a stick.” For this Charles was fined 20 livres and jailed for 8 days.
Charles had another run-in with a man named Jean de Rainville in 1681. They came to blows and Charles caused some injury to the man, although in turn de Rainville broke Charles’ gun. They settled their differences out of court. Several years later, in 1689, the two were at odds again when Charles was ordered by the court to “use the large path to go from the village of Saint-Joseph to the meadowlands of Fargy or Beauport.” Apparently, he had been trespassing on de Rainville’s property.
In another case, Charles had an argument with a man named Jean Lemarie over the boundary of his land. When Lemarie’s wife got involved in the argument, Charles got mad and tore off her bonnet, trampling it on the ground. The woman brought the trampled bonnet to court as evidence when Charles was tried; he was found guilty of the assault and fined.
Charles and Pasquiére returned to France in November 1691; she died on September 4, 1696 in Mortagne and was buried the next day at the church there. The last record of Charles was on November 12, 1698 when he attended a wedding in Mortagne. He was deceased on the record of his son Jacques’ marriage on November 4, 1704. The exact date and location of Charles’ death are unknown, but it’s believed that he died in France.
Plaque in Mortagne, France listing people who migrated to New France.
Children:
1. Jeanne Turgeon — B. Jul 1650, Mortagne, Perche, France; D. 18 Jul 1650, Mortagne, Perche, France
2. Marie-Claire Turgeon — B. 29 Sep 1651, Mortagne, Perche, France; D. 20 Aug 1711, Quebec City, New France; M. Abel Sagot dit Laforge (~1639-1714), 15 Oct 1665, Quebec City, New France
3. Jacques Turgeon — B. 29 Sep 1653, Mortagne, Perche, France; D. 12 Dec 1728, Beaumont, New France; M. Marie-Jean Vien (1669-1742), 26 Nov 1704, Beaumont, New France
4. Françoise Turgeon — B. about Nov 1656, Mortagne, Perche, France; D. Apr 1657, Mortagne, Perche, France
5. Anne Turgeon — B. 28 Aug 1658, Mortagne, Perche, France; D. 15 Apr 1725, Quebec City, New France
6. Michel Turgeon — B. about Sep 1661, Perche, France; D. probably young
7. Zacharie Turgeon — B. 7 May 1664, Quebec City, New France; D. 13 Jul 1743, Beaumont, New France; M. Elisabeth Roy (1671-?), 24 Oct 1691, Beauport, New France
8. Pierre Turgeon — B. 19 Oct 1666, Quebec City, New France; D. 10 Feb 1667, Quebec City, New France
9. Pierre Turgeon — B. about 1669; D. 9 Nov 1699, Quebec City, New France; M. Marie-Anne Carrier (1674-?), 16 Nov 1695, Lauzon, Levis, New France
10. Jean Turgeon — B. 17 May 1670, Quebec City, New France; D. 3 Oct 1749, Beauport, New France; M. Anne-Therese Vachon (1674-1721), 8 Nov 1691, Beauport, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
The Turgeons: Spanning Five Centuries and Three Nations, 1627-2007, Walter W. and Alexine M. Turgeon, 2007
WikiTree
