B. about 1626 in Saintes, Charente-Maritime, France
M. about 1651 in Néré, Charente-Maritime, France
Wife: Marie-Vincente Pacaud
D. 3 Jun 1690 in Longueuil, New France
Simon Chapacou had a disability that was unusual for a 17th century immigrant to America: he was deaf. His date of birth and the identity of his parents are unknown, but he was said to be from the city of Saintes in western France. Later documents giving his age showed that he was likely born in about 1626. He may have been hearing impaired from birth, based on the reported fact that he couldn't speak.
In about 1651, Simon married a woman named Marie-Vincente Pacaud at the village of Néré. They had at least two children before making the decision to migrate to New France in about 1663. After settling in the colony, they had four more children by 1670, with one dying as an infant. The family lived in an area outside of Quebec City called Côte Saint-Michel de Sillery.
Besides being deaf and unable to talk, Simon was also illiterate, so his wife handled his legal transactions, such as acquiring property. In 1666 and 1667, they lived on what was described as 8 arpents of land. Later, on February 11, 1675, they sold a tract that was 2 arpents by 40 arpents for 350 livres; it’s not known whether this was the same land where they lived during the mid-1660s.
Shortly after Simon sold his land, he and his wife were involved in a scheme that got them in trouble with the law. A young man named Simon Raymond dit Deslauriers raided and robbed the Hôtel-Dieu in Quebec City, and some of the items he stole ended up in the possession of Simon and his wife. The three were arrested along with at least one other accomplice.
In a trial which was held in July and August of 1675, it was shown that both Simon and Marie-Vincente had participated to some extent in the Hôtel-Dieu robbery and others. Raymond dit Deslauriers was clearly the ringleader of the crimes, and after he escaped from jail and was recaptured, the man was condemned to death. The court ruled that Marie-Vincente was to be fined and publicly whipped, but regarding Simon, they said he was “a dumb man, incapable of stipulating and doing any act of justice,” and he was let off the hook.
Sometime after this, Simon and his family left the Quebec City area, moving to Berthier, a town between Trois-Riviéres and Montreal, where he was said to live with his oldest son, Louis. He died in Longueuil on June 3, 1690; Marie-Vincente survived him and was last known to be living in 1697.
Simon was an ancestor of Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau and Justin Bieber.
Children:
1. Louis Chapacou — B. 23 Nov 1653, Néré, Saintonge, France; M. Marie-Madeleine Poudret (1670-1696), 24 Nov 1681, Sorel, New France
2. Marie Chapacou — B. 29 Dec 1658, Néré, Saintonge, France; D. 24 Dec 1733, Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade, New France; M. René Maillot, 28 Oct 1671, New France
3. Laurent Chapacou — B. 9 Feb 1665, New France; D. 13 Feb 1665, New France
4. Marie-Agathe Chapacou — B. 7 Feb 1666, Côte St-Michel, New France; D. 28 Sep 1687, Montreal, New France
5. Marie-Angelique Chapacou — B. 22 Mar 1668, (probably) Côte St-Michel, New France; D. 11 Nov 1746, Longueuil, New France; M. (1) André Bouteiller (1650-1699), 1 Sep 1686, Boucherville, New France; (2) André Lemarre (~1670-1756), 8 Jun 1700, Longueuil, New France
6. Jean-Joseph Chapacou — B. 16 Apr 1670, Côte St-Michel, New France; D. 23 Mar 1693, Longueuil, New France; M. Marie Poutre (1672-1759), 28 Apr 1688, Sorel, 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
WikiTree
FamousKin.com
