M. 27 Feb 1696 in Lachine, New France
Wife: Marie-Renée Michel
D. 4 May 1737 in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
Pierre Sauvé dit LaPlante was one of hundreds of men sent to New France in the 1680s to protect the fur trading industry from Iroquois attack. Pierre was born in the town of Libourne (near Bordeaux) in about 1652. His parents were François Sauvé and Marie Malleret. Other than his birthplace, and the fact his father was a tailor, nothing is known of Pierre’s origins.
In about 1684, Pierre was shipped to New France as part of the Compagnies Franches de la Marine, one of the branches of the military in France. He was past 30 years of age and it isn’t known how long he had been in the service. Men who served in New France had to give their permission for the assignment, and many turned it down. The military force was needed to protect the fur trade around Montreal, and this was the area where Pierre was stationed. It was a dangerous time because the Iroquois tribes to the south often attacked and raided French settlements.
Soldiers in the Companies Branches de la Marine, circa 1695. (Source: BAnQ)
While the navy men were trained to fight on ships, they were also stationed at forts that they built in towns along the St. Lawrence River. Most soldiers like Pierre didn’t live in barracks, but found housing amongst the towns where they were serving. In this way, they became friendly with the settlers, and many men got married to local women. This is likely how Pierre met his wife, Marie-Renée Michel; they were married in Renée’s hometown of Lachine on February 27, 1696. It was less than seven years after the Lachine massacre, a tragedy that took the lives of most of Renée’s family, including two brothers and both of her parents. Attending the wedding were her sister, and an officer from Pierre’s company, Captain Dumesni.
After Pierre got married, he left the service to become a farmer. He and his wife settled in Lachine, and started their family with the birth of a son in 1697. They had eleven more children by 1717; only the youngest of the children died young. In 1698, Pierre was granted 60 arpents of land in Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue and this is where he lived for the rest of his life. He died on May 4, 1737 at the age of about 85. His wife Renée passed away in 1750.
Children:
1. Pierre-Jacques Sauvé — B. 17 Feb 1697, Lachine, New France; D. 21 Dec 1751, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; M. Marie Merlot (1707-1781), 10 Jan 1736, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
2. François-Marie Sauvé — B. 27 Aug 1698, Lachine, New France; D. 14 Oct 1768, Ile-Perrot, Quebec; M. Elizabeth Lamadeleine (1707-1788), 4 Apr 1731, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
3. Pierre Sauvé — B. 7 May 1700, Lachine, New France; D. after 5 Jan 1750, (probably) New France; M. Louise-Angelique Ranger Laviolette (1706-1751), 21 Oct 1726, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
4. Angelique Sauvé — B. 19 Feb 1702, Lachine, New France; D. 19 Jul 1772, Les Cédres, Quebec; M. Charles D’Aoust, 2 Dec 1723, New France
5. Louis Sauvé Laplante — B. 11 Mar 1704, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; D. 8 Jan 1773, Montreal, Quebec; M. Elizabeth Magdeleine (1709-1770), 3 Nov 1729, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
6. Suzanne Sauvé — B. 20 Jun 1705, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; D. 23 Apr 1784, Vaudreuil, Quebec; M. Joseph Ranger (1704-1782), 20 Oct 1726, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
7. Marie-Josephe Sauvé — B. 1 Oct 1707, Montreal, New France; D. 7 Feb 1759, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; Joseph Tabault (~1710-1795), 4 Apr 1731, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
8. Madeleine Sauvé — B. 6 Apr 1709, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; D. 3 Sep 1773, Montreal, Quebec; M. Pierre-Antoine Robillard, 3 Nov 1745, Ste-Anne-du-Bout-de-I’lle, New France
9. Marie-Felicité Sauvé — B. 28 Nov 1710, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; D. 13 Jun 1788, Vaudreuil, Quebec; M. Antoine Lalonde (1713-1786), 26 Apr 1735, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
10. Charles Sauvé LaPlante — B. abt 1712, Montreal, New France; D. 2 Jan 1778, Pointe-Claire, Quebec; M. Marie-Josephte Parisien, 10 Feb 1738, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
11. Antoine Sauvé — B. 11 Apr 1714, Pointe-Claire, New France; D. 18 May 1760, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; M. (1) Marie-Jospehe Ducharme, 25 Feb 1743, Lachine, New France; (2) Marie-Charlotte Charlebois, 17 Jan 1757, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
12. Jeanne-Anne Sauvé — B. May 1717, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; D. 4 Jan 1724, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
“Compagnies Franches de la Marine," Wikipedia article
Find A Grave
WikiTree
