B. 29 Sep 1649 in Rouen, France
M. 2 Oct 1673 in Quebec City, New France
Wife: Marie Chansy
D. (probably) 5 Aug 1689, Lachine, New France
Michel Prezeau was one of the many victims of the 1689 Lachine Massacre whose exact fate isn’t known, but it’s very likely that he was killed there. Michel was from the city of Rouen, France, born on September 29, 1649 to Marin Prezeau (also spelled Prezot) and Étiennette Langlois. He had at least four older sisters and one older brother, and all were baptized at St-Maclou church.
Michel first appeared in records of New France at age 22 as a witness to a marriage in Montreal. The groom was Jean Groulx, a young man from Michel’s parish in Rouen, so they were likely friends. Two years later, on October 2, 1673, Michel was in Quebec celebrating his own marriage. His new wife was a Fille du Roi named Marie Chansy, who had just arrived from France. There were two other marriages performed the same day; one of the weddings included a groom who was also from Rouen, and Michel was one of the witnesses.
Within a couple of years, Michel and Marie had settled on a farm in the Montreal area. First, they lived in Varennes, then by 1677, they moved to Lachine on the island of Montreal. Between 1676 and 1688, the couple had six children. Michel’s only son died at about age 5, and two of his daughters died as a young infants.
There’s only sketchy information about Michel’s life as a farmer. On April 10, 1677, he signed a farm lease from a man described as his neighbor in Lachine, Jacques Morin. The property included a house, and the agreement was for three years. Another record dated January 19, 1683 showed that Michel sued a Montreal butcher named Michel Lecourt for non-payment for some melons he sold to him, suggesting that melons were one of his crops.
All records of Michel and his wife Marie abruptly ended in the summer of 1689. Early in the morning of August 5th, the village of Lachine suffered a brutal surprise attack from over 1,000 Iroquois warriors. As the settlers lay in their beds, Indians entered their houses, roused them from their sleep, and proceeded to slaughter them with hatchets. The adult males in each family were killed first, and this was likely Michel’s fate, as his defenseless wife and children watched. His two older daughters somehow escaped, but his wife and 4-year-old daughter appeared to have been either killed on the spot, or dragged away and killed later.
As with many Lachine massacre victims, Michel never had his death confirmed. This was because after families were murdered, the Iroquois burned their houses. Over 100 French settlers are believed to have died in the massacre.
Children:
1. Pierre Prezeau — B. 1 Jul 1676, New France; D. 1681, (probably) Lachine, New France
2. Marie-Catherine Prezeau — B. 1 Apr 1679, Lachine, New France; D. 1 Sep 1763, Montreal, New France; M. Pierre Clement (~1670-1725), 19 Apr 1702, Montreal, New France
3. Marie-Marguerite Prezeau — B. 5 Sep 1681, Lachine, New France; D. 6 Mar 1757, Ste-Genevieve, Pierrefonds, New France; M. Jean-Baptiste Gauthier (1674-1743)
4. Marie-Madeleine Prezeau — B. 12 Dec 1683, Lachine, New France; D. 28 Dec 1683, Lachine, New France
5. Madeleine Prezeau — B. 3 Mar 1685, Lachine, New France; D. (probably) 5 Aug 1689, Lachine, New France
6. Françoise Prezeau — B. 28 Jan 1688, Lachine, New France; D. 9 Feb 1688, Lachine, New France
Sources:
Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours, Cyprien Tanguay, 1890
Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997
Le vieux Lachine et le massacre du 5 août 1689, Désiré Girouard, 1889
L’autre Marie Morin: une femme abandonnée en Nouvelle-France, 1667-1748, Marcel Myre, 2004
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