Seeking a Cure From an Indian Woman — Claude Caron

B. about 1641 in St-Jean d’Aubrigoux, Auvergne, France¹
M. about 1670 in St-Jean d’Aubrigoux, Auvergne, France¹
Wife: Madeleine Varennes
D. 18 Sep 1708 in Montreal, New France¹

When Claude Caron was 40-years-old, he was a very sick man. After he prayed to a recently deceased Indian woman, he was said to be miraculously cured, which in part sparked others to seek the woman’s “healing powers.”

Claude was born in St-Jean d’Aubrigoux, France in about 1641, and his parents are unknown.¹ He may have gone to New France for a few years when he was in his 20s; there was a Claude Caron, age 24, living in Montreal as a servant to the Jesuits in 1666.³ If this was him, he must have returned to France because he married Madeleine Varennes there in about 1670.¹ They had a daughter Louise born in about 1671,⁴ then moved to the Montreal area, settling in La Prairie,⁵ where they would have eight more children. Five of their children died before reaching adulthood.

It was in January 1681 that Claude was stricken with a serious illness. He was struggling to breathe and he felt pressure on his chest that caused him pain. A doctor came to his house and told his family there was no hope — that they should send for a priest to give him the last rites.⁶ The man who arrived was Father Claude Chauchetiére, a Jesuit priest who lived amongst the Indians just outside of Montreal.⁷

Instead of giving the last rites, Father Chauchetiére had a different plan for Claude: he wanted to test the healing powers of a devout woman who had died a few months earlier.⁶ The woman was Keteri Tekakwitha, an Algonquin-Mohawk, who as a teen, had been converted to Catholicism. She threw herself into her religion, taking extreme vows of chastity and devotion, and this caught the attention of everyone around her. After she died of smallpox at the age of 24, several people claimed she appeared to them in visions. Father Chauchetiére was one of those who was “visited.”⁷

Painting of Kateri Tekakwitha done by Father Chauchetiére (1690)

When Father Chauchetiére got the call to come to Claude Caron, he went first to Keteri’s grave and prayed. At Claude’s bedside, he asked him to do the same. Claude was given Keteri’s crucifix to hold, the one she had when she died, and they prayed together. After the priest left, Claude was helped up so his bed could be adjusted, and he collapsed to the floor. His family managed to lift him back into bed and he fell into a “deep sleep that lasted half an hour.” Then he awoke feeling completely well again. It was said that a doctor came by the next day to administer pain-relieving medicine, and found to his surprise that Claude was recovered and was “seated next to the fireplace, eating and drinking.”⁶

Word spread of what had happened to Claude and everyone gave credit to the healing Indian, Keteri Tekakwitha. People in La Prairie and the surrounding area began praying to her seeking cures for their own ailments. In 1695, Father Chauchetiére wrote a biography of her that helped spread her fame.⁷ Keteri would go on to become a revered figure; a campaign was started so that she would be declared a saint, and on October 21, 2012, she was canonized by Pope Benedict XVI.⁷

After his recovery from illness in 1681, Claude went on to live another 27 years, dying in Montreal on September 18, 1708.² His wife, Madeleine, outlived him, and passed away on March 18, 1727 in Montreal.⁸

Children:
1. Louise Caron — B. about 1671, St-Jean d’Aubrigoux, Auvergne, France;⁴ D. 13 Apr 1703, Montreal, New France;⁴ M. Jean-Baptiste Tessier (1663-1734), 21 Apr 1688, La Prairie, New France⁹

2. Claude Caron — B. 1 Aug 1672, La Prairie, New France;⁵ D. 15 Jun 1759, Montreal, New France;¹⁰ M. (1) Élisabeth Perthuis (1677-1703), 20 Jun 1695, Montreal, New France;¹¹ (2) Jeanne Boyer (1682-1762), 12 Nov 1703, Montreal, New France¹²

3. Vital Caron — B. 11 Aug 1673, La Prairie, New France;¹³ D. 20 Apr 1745, Lachine, New France;¹⁴ M. Marie Perthuis (1678-1766), 24 Jan 1698, Montreal, New France¹⁵

4. Madeleine Caron — B. 20 Oct 1674, La Prairie, New France;¹⁶ D. 30 Oct 1674, La Prairie, New France¹⁷

5. Jean Caron — B. 6 Oct 1675, La Prairie, New France;¹⁸ D. 12 Dec 1687, La Prairie, New France¹⁹

6. Jeanne Caron — B. 30 Nov 1677, La Prairie, New France;²⁰ D. 16 Oct 1687, La Prairie, New France²¹

7. Mathieu Caron — B. 12 Jul 1679, La Prairie, New France;²² D. 18 May 1684, La Prairie, New France²³

8. Marie Caron — B. 8 Oct 1680, La Prairie, New France;²⁴ D. 6 Aug 1699, Montreal, New France;²⁵ M. Urbain Gervaise (1673-1713), 1 Oct 1696, Montreal, New France²⁶

9. Catherine Caron — B. 2 Jul 1683, La Prairie, New France;²⁷ D. 18 Jan 1684, La Prairie, New France²⁸

Sources:
1    Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing for Claude Caron
2    Burial record of Claude Caron, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Recensement de 1666 en Nouvelle-France
4    Burial record of Louise Caron, Q.C.P.R.
5    Baptismal record of Claude Caron (younger), Q.C.P.R.
6    “Kateri (Catherine) Tekawitha (Gah-deh-lee Deh-gah-quee-tah),” Suzanne Boivin Sommerville, Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 33, #4, October 2012 
7    Kateri Tekawitha (Wikipedia article)
8    Burial record of Madeleine Varennes, Q.C.P.R.
9    Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Tessier and Louise Caron, Q.C.P.R.
10  Burial record of Claude Caron (younger), Q.C.P.R.
11  Marriage record of Claude Caron and Élisabeth Perthuis, Q.C.P.R.
12  Marriage record of Claude Caron and Jeanne Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
13  Baptismal record of Vital Caron, Q.C.P.R.
14  Burial record of Vital Caron, Q.C.P.R.
15  Marriage record of Vital Caron and Marie Perthuis, Q.C.P.R.
16  Baptismal record of Madeleine Caron, Q.C.P.R.
17  Burial record of Madeleine Caron, Q.C.P.R.
18  Baptismal record of Jean Caron, Q.C.P.R.
19  Burial record of Jean Caron, Q.C.P.R.
20  Baptismal record of Jeanne Caron, Q.C.P.R.
21  Burial record of Jeanne Caron, Q.C.P.R.
22  Baptismal record of Mathieu Caron, Q.C.P.R.
23  Burial record of Mathieu Caron, Q.C.P.R.
24  Baptismal record of Marie Caron, Q.C.P.R.
25  Burial record of Marie Caron, Q.C.P.R.
26  Marriage record of Urbain Gervaise and Marie Caron, Q.C.P.R.
27  Baptismal record of Catherine Caron, Q.C.P.R.
28  Burial record of Catherine Caron, Q.C.P.R.