M. 26 Jan 1660 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Marie-Denise Lemaitre
D. 30 Apr 1684 in La Prairie, New France
During the prime of his life, Pierre Perras took his barrel-making skills from France to America. He was born in La Rochelle in 1616, and baptized there on August 21st. His parents were Pierre Perras and Jeanne L’Asnier, and he had at least two sisters. The details of Pierre’s childhood and early adult years are unknown, but as a man who lived in an active port city, he must have supplied his barrels to town merchants.
Barrel-making in the 17th-century.
Pierre decided to move to New France in the 1650s, likely recruited by someone looking for new settlers with valuable trade skills. He arrived in Montreal, first appearing on his own marriage contract on January 10, 1660. The wedding took place two weeks later on the 26th; his bride was Marie-Denise Lemaitre, a woman trained as a midwife who worked in Montreal’s hospital. There was a 20-year difference in their ages, with Pierre being 43 and Denise about 23. They started a family with a son born in October of that year. The family would grow to a total of ten children, with the youngest born in 1674; only two children died as infants.
After living about 10 years in Montreal, Pierre acquired land in La Prairie, a new settlement on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. He continued making barrels, but also cultivated the land, and by 1681 had a farm of 40 arpents. During the settlement’s earliest years, Pierre and his neighbors had to travel a long ways to get to church, so on September 22, 1675, he donated a building on his land to hold services. The make-shift church was said to be 25’ by 20’ and had a thatched roof. It was said that in 1691, the building was taken apart and reconstructed in a safer location within a palisade.
Pierre died on April 30, 1684 at the age of 67. His wife Denise remarried after his death, and she was brutally killed by Iroquois in 1691. Pierre was an ancestor of Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau and Madonna.
Children:
1. Pierre Perras — B. 31 Oct 1660, Montreal, New France; D. 23 Aug 1687, Montreal, New France
2. Jacques Perras — B. 24 Apr 1663, Montreal, New France; D. 25 Mar 1688, La Prairie, New France
3. Marguerite Perras — B. 27 Dec 1665, Montreal, New France; D. 15 May 1708, Montreal, New France; M. (1) Pierre Poupart (~1650-1699), 11 Aug 1682, La Prairie, New France; (2) Jospeh-Marie Demers (1658-1728), 20 Sep 1699, La Prairie, New France
4. Marie Perras — B. 27 Dec 1665, Montreal, New France; D. 3 Jan 1666, Montreal, New France
5. Catherine Perras — B. 24 Feb 1667, Montreal, New France; D. 16 Mar 1667, Montreal, New France
6. Jean Perras — B. 28 Aug 1668, Montreal, New France; D. 13 Oct 1736, La Prairie, New France; M. (1) Marguerite Tetu (1679-1699), 7 Jun 1698, La Prairie, New France; (2) Marie-Madeleine Roy (1684-1726), 25 Oct 1701, La Prairie, New France
7. Catherine Perras — B. 9 Jun 1670, Montreal, New France; D. 7 Jan 1750, Longueuil, New France; M. Eustache Demers (1661-1707), 21 Apr 1688, La Prairie, New France
8. Marie-Jeanne Perras — B. 10 Jul 1671, La Prairie, New France; D. 30 Oct 1718, La Prairie, New France; M. (1) Claude Faye (~1662-1708), 25 Oct 1688, La Prairie, New France; (2) Pierre Voisin (~1678-1721), 23 Dec 1709, La Prairie, New France
9. Marie Perras — B. 2 Feb 1673, La Prairie, New France; D. 9 May 1736, La Prairie, New France; M. Antoine Boyer (1671-1747), 4 Feb 1690, La Prairie, New France
10. Pierre Perras — B. 24 Jun 1674, La Prairie, New France; D. 1 Aug 1699, La Prairie, New France; M. Marie-Marguerite Diel (1678-1715), 18 Nov 1696, La Prairie, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
WikiTreeMinnesota Eh? A Foley/Perras Family History, Gerald Foley
