M. (1) 10 Apr 1644 in La Rochelle, France
Wife: Marie Jeannet
M. (2) 28 Sep 1648 in Quebec City, New France
Wife: Jacquette Archambault
D. 13 Oct 1680 in Quebec City, New France
The settling of America by Europeans during the 17th century required people of many skills. One was the ability to construct buildings, and Paul Chalifour made use of his talents to help build a colony.
Paul was born on December 26, 1612 in Périgny, France, which bordered La Rochelle. His parents were Paul-Mathurin Chalifour (also spelled Chalifou) and Marie Gabourit, but nothing else is known of Paul's family except for that his parents had him baptized in the Calvinist church.
Record of Paul's baptism in 1612.
At some point, Paul learned the trade of building construction, and it’s likely that he got well-experienced at it. On April 10, 1644, he married a woman named Marie Jeannet in La Rochelle. In order to get married, he renounced his Protestant religion on the day of the wedding so he could become a Catholic. The young couple had a daughter born the following year, but within a couple of years, both his wife and his child died.
Then something happened to Paul that had him thrown in prison. Exact details of the charges against him have been lost to history, but from the surviving documents the case seems to have had something to do with money because the trial involved the mint. Curiously, soon after Paul was released from prison, he left for New France to begin a new life. The exact dates of his trip, and the name of the ship that brought him are missing from the records. His arrival in New France must have been before September 15th, though, because he and a friend were hired that day to build a house and a barn on the Ile d’Orleans. For their work, the two men were paid 800 livres and 20 pots of brandy to divide between them.
At age 35, Paul decided to find a new bride, and on September 28, 1644, he married, Jacquette Archambault, the 16-year-old daughter of a Quebec City settler. Jacquette’s 12-year-old sister was married to another man on the same day, so it was a double ceremony. Paul and Jacquette had fourteen children together, born between 1649 and 1673, only one of whom died as an infant. In 1652, Paul built a house for his family on a grant of land he received in a section near Quebec City called La Canardiere. The property had 3 arpents of river frontage and was 40 arpents deep.
Paul had many construction contracts that have survived in the records, and they show that he specialized in the framework for buildings. In 1649, he worked on a windmill for Jacques LaNeuf for a payment of 1,000 livres, two barrels of flour and a barrel of lard. A few years later, in 1653, he made the frame for a building that was 20’ x 18’. The following year he did the same for two houses on some settlers’ properties. In another project that year, he constructed a cellar for a house. The success of his work is evident in that he hired an apprentice to work with him.
Example of the type of houses built in New France.
Constructing buildings wasn’t the only occupation Paul had; he dabbled for a time in eel fishing. He also maintained a farm, reporting in the 1666 census that he had 14 arpents under cultivation. He continued into the 1660s and 1670s as a carpenter, and he constructed the framework on at least two more windmills.
Among Paul's fourteen children, the first seven were all daughters, which meant they would each need a husband. In New France, girls often got married in their teens to older men, and the first of the seven girls was barely 13-years-old when she married. The pattern continued with the other six girls each marrying before they were 17. How much of a hand Paul had in finding husbands for his daughters isn’t known, but given the girls’ ages, it’s very likely they were all arranged marriages.
Paul made out his will on December 15, 1678, leaving half of his property to his wife and the other half to be split among his surviving children. He died on October 13, 1680. Jacquette lived another 25 years, passing away in December 1705. Paul was the ancestor of Jack Kerouac, Jim Carrey, Nathan Fillion, Bridget Fonda and Kelsey Grammer.
Children by Marie Jeannet:
1. Marie Chalifour — B. about Jun 1645, La Rochelle, France; D. (probably) young
Children by Jacquette Archambault:
1. Marie Chalifour — B. about Oct 1649, Quebec City, New France; D. 12 Oct 1663, Quebec City, New France; M. Joachim Martin (~1636-1690), 5 Nov 1662, Quebec City, New France
2. Marguerite Chalifour — B. 23 Apr 1652, Quebec City, New France; D. 28 Dec 1705, Quebec City, New France; M. Jean Badeau (1636-1711), 28 Oct 1665, Quebec City, New France
3. Jeanne Chalifour — B. 22 Feb 1654, Quebec City, New France; D. 1682, Trois-Riviéres, New France; M. François Bibaut (1642-1708), 17 Aug 1671, Quebec City, New France
4. Simone Chalifour — B. 18 Oct 1655, Quebec City, New France; D. 26 Oct 1695, Quebec City, New France; M. Julien Brosseau (1640-1713), 28 Oct 1668, Quebec City, New France
5. Françoise Chalifour — B. 4 Dec 1657, Quebec City, New France; D. 5 Jul 1697, St-Pierre, New France; M. Jacques Nolin (1641-1729), 18 Nov 1671, Quebec City, New France
6. Jeanne-Anne Chalifour — B. 25 Sep 1659, Quebec City, New France; D. 18 Jan 1703, Quebec City, New France; M. Germain Langlois (1642-1749), 14 Jul 1675, Quebec City, New France
7. Marie-Louise Chalifour — B. 3 Sep 1661, Quebec City, New France; D. 29 May 1735, Quebec City, New France; M. Joseph Vandendaigue (1653-1725), 18 Apr 1678, Quebec City, New France
8. Paul-François Chalifour — B. 13 May 1663, Quebec City, New France; D. 29 May 1718, Quebec City, New France; (1) Catherine Huppe (1668-1685), 22 Jan 1685, Quebec City, New France; (2) Marie-Jeanne Phileau (1665-1708), 28 Nov 1686, Beauport, New France; (3) Marie-Madeleine Brassard (1676-1752), 4 May 1711, Quebec City, New France
9. Marie-Madeleine Chalifour — B. 24 Mar 1665, Quebec City, New France; D. 2 May 1682, Quebec City, New France
10. Etienne Chalifour — B. 21 Mar 1667, Quebec City, New France; D. 10 Nov 1687, Quebec City, New France; M. Claudine Bourbeau (1671-1688), 29 Oct 1687, Charlesbourg, New France
11. Pierre Chalifour — B. 12 Dec 1668, Quebec City, New France; D. 25 Mar 1715, Charlesbourg, New France; M. Anne Mignier (1672-1743), 17 Oct 1689, Charlesbourg, New France
12. Anne Chalifour — B. 15 Apr 1670, Quebec City, New France; D. 13 Dec 1730, Beauport, New France; M. (1) Jean Normand (1661-1691), 6 Jun 1686, Quebec City, New France; (2) Jean Delage (1667-1724), 7 Feb 1692, Beauport, New France
13. Jean-Baptiste Chalifour — B. 9 Jan 1672, Quebec City, New France; D. 25 May 1672, Quebec City, New France;
14. Claude Chalifour — B. 30 Jan 1673, Quebec City, New France; D. Feb 1723, Quebec City, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
Find-a-Grave.com
