M. 7 Jan 1654 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Jeanne Soldé
D. Mar 1691 in Montreal, New France
When Jacques Beauvais settled in New France, he saw an opportunity in making mortar for building construction, and selling it to other settlers by the barrel. He was born on November 22, 1623 in the village of Igé, located in Perche, France. Jacques’ parents were Gabriel Beauvais and Marie Crosnier; nothing else is known about his family.
Jacques was almost 30-years-old when he first appeared in the records of New France, owing an “obligation” to a man in Quebec City on September 16, 1652. It’s believed that he was a recent immigrant because he didn’t show up in any earlier records. In September of the following year, a ship arrived from France carrying about 100 people who were on their way to help populate the struggling outpost of Montreal. This was known as La Grande Recrue—the Great Recruitment. It’s likely that Jacques joined the group as they transferred to smaller boats for the journey up the St. Lawrence River; the immigrants landed at Montreal on November 14th to begin their new lives.
A woman among the La Grande Recrue settlers would become Jacques’ bride. Her name was Jeanne Soldé, one of a handful of females who had come over on the boat from France. The couple signed a marriage contract just one month after they arrived in Montreal, and were married there on January 7, 1654. She soon became pregnant and gave birth to their first child in October. This was followed by eight more, with the last child born in 1673.
While many men in Montreal became involved in the fur trade, Jacques found a different occupation. Montreal was a town destined to be a ship port, and materials were needed to construct its buildings. So Jacques set up a business making lime, a process involving a kiln that heated up crushed limestone to great temperatures, producing a powder that could be turned into mortar or plaster. Given his age when he migrated to New France, Jacques must have learned the skill in France.
Besides making lime, Jacques also served on the Montreal militia that was organized in 1663 to defend the settlement from Iroquois attack. The militia was divided up into 20 squads of 7 men each, and included most of the able-bodied men in Montreal. Two years later, the militia was disbanded with the arrival of regular soldiers from France.
In 1675, Jacques partnered with another man, Jean Gasteau, to build a large lime kiln on Gasteau’s property. They commissioned two men to build the kiln paying them 40 livres for their work; when it was finished, it could produce 80 barrels at a time. Jacques again worked with Gasteau in 1680 to have two more kilns built.
Jacques was 67 when he died in March, 1691. He was survived by his wife Jeanne, who passed away in 1697.
Children:
1. Raphael Beauvais — B. 15 Oct 1654, Montreal, New France; D. 19 Oct 1734, Montreal, New France; M. Élisabeth Turpin (1667-1747), 24 May 1683, Montreal, New France
2. Barbe Beauvais — B. 28 Aug 1656, Montreal, New France; D. 25 Jan 1746, Lachine, New France; M. François Brunet dit Bourbonnais (1644-1702), 11 Jul 1672, Montreal, New France
3. Marguerite Beauvais — B. 30 Aug 1658, Montreal, New France; D. 12 Jul 1715, La Prairie, New France; M. Jacques Tetu dit Lariviére (1641-1712), 9 Oct 1675, Montreal, New France
4. Jean-Baptiste Beauvais — B. 26 Sep 1660, Montreal, New France; D. before 1662, (probably) Montreal, New France
5. Jean-Baptiste Beauvais — B. 7 Oct 1662, Montreal, New France; D. 17 Apr 1705, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; M. Marie-Madeleine LeMoine (1675-1727), 12 Nov 1697, Batiscan, New France
6. Jacques Beauvais — B. 13 Dec 1664, Montreal, New France; D. 14 Aug 1671, Montreal, New France
7. Charlotte-Marie Beauvais — B. 26 Jun 1667, Montreal, New France; D. 25 Dec 1700, Montreal, New France; M. Alexandre-Pierre Turpin (1641-1709), 30 Oct 1684, Montreal, New France
8. Marie-Étiennette Beauvais — B. 21 Sep 1669, Montreal, New France; D. 14 Sep 1753, Trois-Rivières, New France; M. Jean Pottier (1653-1711), 14 Jun 1688, Montreal, New France
9. Jeanne Beauvais — B. 8 Jan 1673, Montreal, New France; D. 6 Feb 1703, Montreal, New France; M. Guillaume Boucher (1665-?), 19 Dec 1695, Montreal, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Montreal, 1653: La Grande Recrue, Michel Langlois, 2003
Lime mortar (Wikipedia article)
