B. about 1636 in Thiviers, Dordogne, Aquitaine, France
M. after 12 Feb 1670 in Champlain, New France
Wife: Catherine Guerard
D. 12 Apr 1705 in Champlain, New France
As a soldier, Julien Dubord dit LaFontaine built a fort in New France; as an ex-soldier, he built a new life there. He was born in about 1636 in Thiviers, France, a village located in the Aquitaine region. His parents were Louis Du Bord and Catherine de la Brugiere, but nothing else is known of his family. Julien seems to have been somewhat educated in that he could sign his name.
It’s likely that Julien enlisted to be a soldier during the late 1650s or early 1660s. The timing of this meant he was part of the French military when forces were needed to defend New France from Iroquois aggression. The Iroquois were not only threatening the French settlers, but also the tribes to the north who were supplying furs for trading. In 1665, the Carignan-Salières Regiment was formed, and Julien was among the about 1,200 soldiers sent to New France. There were seven ships that carried the Carignan Regiment. Julien’s company was divided between two them, the Saint Sébastien and Le Justice, and it’s believed he was on the second ship. After a crossing that took 112 days, the two ships arrived in Quebec City with many of the men very sick from disease onboard.
Julien was part of the La Fouille company, which was sent upriver to establish a camp at the mouth of Rivière-du-Loup, not far from the settlement of Trois-Rivieres. This was unlike anything the soldiers experienced in France; the men had to chop down trees in raw wilderness and construct a fort. The 4 officers and 32 soldiers somehow managed to do this before winter set in. The structure was known as Fort de la Rivière-du-Loup, and no trace of it remains today.
After serving for three years, Julien’s enlistment was up, but he decided not to return to France. He settled in the new community of Champlain, east of Trois-Riviéres, and on February 12, 1670, he agreed to a contract to marry a Fille du Roi, Catherine Guerard. Between 1671 and 1694, they had ten children. The census of 1681 listed him as a tailor with 10 arpents of land and one cow.
Julien died on April 12, 1705 at Champlain. His wife survived him by many years, passing away in 1727.
Children:
1. Pierre Dubord dit LaFontiane — B. 1671, Champlain, New France; D. 12 Nov 1756, Champlain, New France; M. Marie-Claire Rheault (~1679-1756), 9 Jan 1702, Champlain, New France
2. Maxmin Dubord dit LaFontaine — B. about 1674, Champlain, New France; D. 18 Jun 1683, Champlain, New France
3. Marie-Étiennette Dubord dit LaFontaine — B. about 1676, Champlain, New France; D. 1 Jun 1768, Berthier-en-Haut, Quebec; M. Pierre Houray (~1679-~1762), 3 Nov 1701, Champlain, New France
4. Joseph-Dominique Dubord dit LaFontiane — B. about 1679, Champlain, New France; D. 31 Jan 1759, Champlain, New France; M. Françoise Turcot (1691-1749), 22 Nov 1714, Champlain, New France
5. Charles Dubord dit Clermond — B. 16 Aug 1681, Champlain, New France; D. 30 Oct 1749, Grondines, New France; M. Marie Ripault (1693-1759), Jan 1712, Grondines, New France
6. Jean-Baptiste Dubord dit LaFontiane — B. 2 Nov 1683, Champlain, New France; D. 7 May 1764, Berthier-en-Haut, Quebec; M. Marie Aure (1688-1761), 11 Feb 1709, Champlain, New France
7. Michel-Juelien Dubord dit LaFontaine — B. 12 Jul 1689, Champlain, New France; D. 15 Dec 1687, Champlain, New France
8. Daniel Dubord dit LaFontaine — B. about 27 Oct 1688, Champlain, New France
9. Marie-Madeleine Dubord dit LaFontiane — B. 23 Mar 1692, Champlain, New France; M. Alexis Turcot (1682-1730), 12 Jan 1709, Batiscan, New France
10. Balthasar Dubord dit LaFontiane — B. 18 Dec 1694, Champlain, New France; D. 16 Sep 1765, Lavaltrie, Quebec; M. Marie-Josephe Ripault (1699-?), 30 Jan 1720, Grondines, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Fort de la Rivière-du-Loup (Louiseville) (Wikipedia article)
Navires venus en Nouvelle-France (website)
Carignan-Salières Regiment (Wikipedia article)
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