An Unusual Lease for his Farm — Charles Boyer

B. about 1631 in Vançais, Deux-Sevres, Poitou-Charentes, France
M. (1) 23 Nov 1666 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Marguerite Tenard
M. (2) 29 Oct 1678 in La Prairie, New France
Wife: Louise Therese Dubreuil
D. after 24 Jul 1703 in (probably) La Prairie, New France

In New France, tenant farmers usually paid rent in a percentage of their crops, but for a time, Charles Boyer had a contract that required him to more or less be a servant of his landlords. He was born in in about 1631 in Vançais, France, a village in Poitou-Charentes. His parents were named Pierre Boyer and Denise Refence. There is no evidence that Charles was educated or had any special skills. He first turned up in records on May 5, 1663, when he signed an indentured servant contract to work in New France.

St-Martin church in village where Charles was born.

Five days after agreeing to go to America, Charles boarded a merchant ship at La Rochelle, the Taureau, along with 25 other passengers. They arrived at Quebec on July 24th. Charles ended up in Montreal, where he became a servant at Hotel-Dieu, a hospital run by nuns. As a servant, he likely did physical labor and any other chores needed by the sisters who took care of the patients.

On November 30, 1666, Charles married Marguerite Tenard, one of the Filles du Roi who had just arrived in Montreal. He continued to work at Hotel-Dieu at least into the following year; his name appeared on the 1667 census along with the nuns and other servants. During the summer of that year, Marguerite gave birth to their first child. They had five more children, with the youngest born in January 1678.

By the summer of 1671, Charles got a concession of land in La Prairie, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. His name was on several transactions of property over the next few years, but the contract he signed on June 29, 1675 was the most noteworthy. New France operated in a system of seigneurs (lords) who would oversee sections of land, collecting rent from the farmers in return for taking care of community needs. The farm in this transaction was part of a seigneury run by a Jesuit mission, and they demanded more for their rent than just money or crops. In return for the concession, Charles and his wife were to do the following:

— Deliver 500 pounds of wheat each year to the Jesuits in Montreal
— Bake 12 pounds of bread per week for the Jesuit mission
— Provide food for the priests each year amounting to 180 pounds per person
— Give food each day for visitors to the mission
— Chop 15 cords of wood each year for the priests
— Maintain all of the bridges and fences on the property

It’s not known how Charles and his wife managed to do this, as well as raise their family and support themselves on the farm. It may have put a physical strain on Marguerite, who died in early 1678. Charles remarried on October 29th of that year to a widow, Louise Therese Dubreuil. They didn’t have any children, but they were in their late 40s when they married.

Mark made by Charles on a 1679 document.

Charles continued to live on various farms in the La Prairie area for the rest of his life. It isn’t known exactly when he died; he last appeared on a record on July 24, 1703, and likely passed away not long after that date. His wife Louise survived him by many years and died at the age of 95 in 1727.

Children (all by Marguerite Tenard):
1. Marie Boyer — B. 24 Aug 1667, Montreal, New France; D. 10 Oct 1749, Yamaska, New France; M. André Forand (1643-1721), 30 Dec 1684, La Prairie, New France

2. Joseph Boyer — B. 7 Jan 1669, Montreal, New France; D. about 1670, New France

3. Antoine Boyer — B. 10 Apr 1671, La Prairie, New France; D. 27 Mar 1747, La Prairie, New France; M. (1) Marie Perras (1673-1736), 4 Feb 1692, La Prairie, New France; (2) Catherine Surprenant (1686-1762), 9 Sep 1737, La Prairie, New France

4. Jean-Baptiste Boyer — B. 17 Aug 1673, La Prairie, New France; D. 1734; M. Anne Caillé (1675-1717), 10 Feb 1698, La Prairie, New France

5. Marguerite Boyer — B. 5 Jul 1675, La Prairie, New France; D. 17 Nov 1708, Montreal, New France; M. (1) Claude Guichard (~1664-?), 7 Nov 1689, La Prairie, New France; (2) Jean Bonnet (~1669-?), 4 Oct 1694, Montreal, New France

6. Louise Boyer — B. 16 Jan 1678, La Prairie, New France; D. before 1681, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org

Prairie en Nouvelle-France, 1647-1760, Louis Lavallée, 1992
Navires venus en Nouvelle-France: Gens de mer et passagers des origines a la Conquete
A Drifting Cowboy (blog)
WikiTree