M. 30 Jun 1660 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Anne-Antoinette De Liercourt
D. 22 Dec 1707 in Montreal, New France
People who came to New France during the 17th century sometimes went back to Europe after they saw how rough life was. But Hugues Picard dit Lafortune weighed his options after returning home, and opted to give Canada another chance.
Hugues was born in St-Colomban, a village in Nantes, France in 1627 to Gabriel Picard and Michelle Clavier. Nothing is known of Hugues’ early years except that he must have acquired the skill of sawing logs into planks; it’s likely he did this as an apprenticeship.
17th-century sawyers.
In 1653, Hugues was among 100 men recruited to help populate the New France settlement of Ville Marie, later known as Montreal. The governor of Ville Marie, Paul Chomeday de Maisonneuve, came to western France looking to hire skilled artisans who were also rugged enough to live on the frontier. Hugues was enlisted as a sawyer, and was paid 75 livres per year; it was an important job because buildings were needed to expand the settlement and make it safer from the Iroquois, who were trying to drive the French away. After a difficult voyage, Hugues arrived at Ville Marie with the other recruits on November 16, 1653.
When three years were up, Hugues had satisfied his contract, and like many other men, he sailed home to France. But something in America must have appealed to him because in 1659, he agreed to a new contract and returned. This time he worked as a carpenter for the Sulpicians, an order of the Catholic Church which had recently established a mission in Montreal.
Hugues decided to put down roots there. On June 30, 1660, he got married in Montreal to Anne-Antoinette De Leircourt, the widow of a man who had drowned while fighting the Iroquois. The marriage contract was signed by Governor Maisonneuve among others. Anne-Antoinette had four children from her first marriage that joined his household. The following year, they had their first child together, and another four children were born by 1672.
Hugues spent the rest of his life in Montreal. In 1663, he served in the militia, and between 1668 and 1677, he was involved in several land transactions. By the 1690s, Montreal had become a launching point for fur trading in the Great Lakes area, and his sons Jacques and Gabriel signed up for expeditions as they came of age.
On December 22, 1707, Hugues died in Montreal; his wife Anne-Antoinette had passed away in September. He is remembered today on the Le Grande Recrue plaque in Montreal that honors all of the pioneers who made the trip in 1653. Hugues was the ancestor of Jim Carrey.
Children:
1. Michelle-Anne Picard — B. 6 Jul 1661, Montreal, New France; D. 15 Apr 1710, Montreal, New France; M. Mathieu Gervais (1646-1728), 31 Aug 1676, Montreal, New France
2. Marie-Anne Picard — B. 3 Nov 1663, Montreal, New France; D. 4 Feb 1697, Laprairie, New France; M. Charles Diel (1652-1725), 31 Aug 1676, Montreal, New France
3. Marie-Marguerite Picard — B. Feb 1666, Montreal, New France; D. 18 Jan 1727, Lachine, New France; M. Jean Paré (1653-1734), 20 Oct 1681, Montreal, New France
4. Jean-Gabriel Picard — B. 17 Jun 1669, Montreal, New France; D. 26 Mar 1723, Lachine, New France; M. Marie-Madeleine Rapin, 9 Jan 1696, Lachine, New France
5. Jacques Picard — B. 27 Feb 1672, Montreal, New France; D. 22 Jan 1735, Longue-Pointe, New France; M. Marie-Anne Lefebvre, 28 Oct 1697, Montreal, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
WikiTree
Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve (Wikipedia article)
De l’esclavage en Canada, Jacques Viger, Sir Louis Hyppolyte LaFontaine, 1859
“17th Century Fur-Trade and Military-Expedition Families,” Diane Wolfe Sheppard, Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 35, 2014
Paul de Chomedey, Sieur de Maisonneuve (Wikipedia article)
De l’esclavage en Canada, Jacques Viger, Sir Louis Hyppolyte LaFontaine, 1859
“17th Century Fur-Trade and Military-Expedition Families,” Diane Wolfe Sheppard, Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 35, 2014
