Found Dead in the Woods — Jean-Baptiste Hallé

B. about 1607 in Le Coudray, Chartes, France
M. in France
Wife: Mathurine Valet
D. Mar 1672 near Lauzon, New France

When European colonists settled in America during the 17th century, they faced many hazards while living near vast areas of raw wilderness. This was likely why French-Canadian Jean-Baptiste Hallé met his end alone in the forest.

Jean-Baptiste was born about 1607 in a section of Chartes, France called Le Coudray. Nothing is know of his childhood or family. He married Mathurine Valet and they had at least three daughters born in France. Given the ages of Jean-Baptiste and Mathurine, it's likely that they had other children who were married off by the time they migrated to New France, or had died in childhood. 

Jean-Baptiste first turned up in Quebec records on January 23, 1656 as the owner of a plot of land in Beauport and it's estimated he arrived alone in 1655. In 1658, he returned to France to bring over his wife and three daughters. They settled in Lauzon, across the water from Quebec City, where they had a son born in 1659.

View from Lauzon across St. Lawrence River.

In 1660, Jean-Baptiste obtained a rental agreement for land in Lauzon from a widow who said that it was difficult to develop her farm “because of the continual raids by the Iroquois.” The land was across the water from what is today the Customs House in the port of Quebec. Jean-Baptiste was listed in the 1667 census as having 12 arpents of land under cultivation and owning 3 head of cattle. He had a domestic servant named André Patry who was 18 years-old.

Jean-Baptiste passed away in March 1672, and his burial record had the unusual note that he was “found dead in the woods.” There was no further explanation of how he died which only leaves us to speculate. As a man in his mid-60s, he may have dropped dead from a heart attack while chopping wood. Or there may have been foul play at the hands of the Iroquois. Or a third way he may have died is to have frozen to death in a storm. Unfortunately, with a lack of further records, the cause of Jean-Baptiste's death is something we'll never know.

Jean-Baptiste was buried on March 19th in the "cemetery of the Côte de Lauzon." Mathurine died on March 14, 1686 at the age of 77. They were both distant ancestors of Celine Dion. 

Children:
1. Marie Hallé — B. about 1641, (probably) Le Coudray, Chartes, France; D. before 1 Jun 1676, Charlesbourg, New France; M. Joachim Gerard (~1641-?), 27 Sep 1660, Quebec City, New France

2. Barbe Hallé — B. about 1646, (probably) Le Coudray, Chartes, France; D. 18 Jun 1696, New France; M. Jean Carrier (1638-1711), 4 Nov 1670, Quebec City, New France

3. Elisabeth Hallé — B. about 1647, (probably) Le Coudray, Chartes, France; D. 9 Aug 1726, Quebec City, New France; M. Guillaume Albert dit LaFontaine (1635-1708), 25 Aug 1664, New France

4. Jean-Baptiste Hallé — B. 10 Sep 1659, Lauzon, Levis, New France; D. 28 Feb 1726, Lauzon, Levis, New France; M. (1) Marie Maranda (1664-~1694), 16 Nov 1682, St-Pierre, Île d'Orleans, New France; (2) Marie Drapeau (1674-1754), 18 Jul 1695, Lauzon, Levis, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990