B. about 18 Aug 1632 in Faye-la-Vineuze, France
M. (1) before 1661 in France
Wife: Marie Lefebvre
M. (2) 25 Nov 1665 in Quebec City, New France
Wife: Catherine Durand
D. 31 Oct 1713 in St-Sulpice, New France
For several years of his life, Pierre Piché had more than one wife, and he was unaware of it. Pierre came from the small village of Faye-la-Vineuze, France, born there about August 18, 1632 to Pierre Piché and Anne Pinot. After he became an adult, he married a woman named Marie Lefebvre, although the date and place of the wedding are unknown. It's also unknown whether or not they had any children together.
In about 1662, Pierre decided to make a new life in America, migrating alone with the intention of bringing his wife over once he was established. But just three months after he landed in Quebec, a letter arrived from his brother Louis in France saying that Marie had died. For the next three years, Pierre remained unmarried as he worked as a hat maker. Then in 1665, he decided to find a bride among the Filles du Roi who arrived in Quebec that September. His effort was a success, and on November 25th, Pierre married Catherine Durand, a 16-year-old girl from Paris.
The couple started their family with the birth of a son in October 1666. The following year, Pierre acquired land in St-Michel, where they added two more children by the end of 1670. But the following year, Pierre received the upsetting news that his first wife was still alive back in France. Not knowing what to do, he turned to the leader of the Church in Quebec, Bishop François de Laval. The bishop was soon leaving for France on business and told Pierre he would try to find the truth about Marie. Later that year, word arrived from Bishop Laval that she was indeed living.
On the advice of the bishop, Pierre did the only thing he could do: he left Catherine and the three children, and boarded a ship for France. He reunited with Marie, and together they made plans to return to Quebec, but during the passage, she died. This left him free to resume his marriage with Catherine, which the Church formally validated on September 9, 1673. Two days later, the legitimacy of their three children was recognized as well. Everyone must have breathed a sigh of relief.
After the awkward situation of Pierre’s unintentional bigamy, he and Catherine moved away from Quebec City to the settlement of Neuville. Over the next few years, they had five more children, with the youngest born in 1691 when Pierre was 59-years-old. The family moved to Boucherville in 1701, and to St-Sulpice in 1708, both places being in the Montreal area. Pierre died at St-Sulpice on October 31, 1713. Catherine outlived him by many years, passing away in 1732. Pierre was the ancestor of Emeril Lagasse.
Children (all by Catherine Durand):
1. Jean-Baptiste Piché — B. 24 Oct 1666, Quebec City, New France; M. Marie-Anne Dolbec (1682-1732), 30 Aug 1700, Saint-Augustin, New France
2. Adrien Piché — B. 4 Nov 1668, Quebec City, New France; D. 2 Jul 1739, Cap Santé, Portneuf, New France; M. Élisabeth Léveillé (1676-1738), 22 Nov 1694, Neuville, New France
3. Marie-Madeleine Piché — B. 15 Nov 1670, Quebec City, New France
4. Pierre Pichét — B. 11 Jun 1674, Neuville, New France; D. 12 Aug 1712, Portneuf, New France; M. Marie-Anne Sylvestre (1678-1729), 14 Nov 1697, Neuville, New France
5. Catherine Piché — B. 21 Dec 1677, Neuville, New France; M. Antoine Bordeleau (1673-1758), 5 Mar 1696, Neuville, New France
6. François Piché — B. 1 Oct 1681, Neuville, New France; D. 1 Jul 1706, Boucherville, New France
7. Ignace-Joseph Piché — B. 19 Oct 1685, Neuville, New France; D. 11 Feb 1771, Sainte-Sulpice, Quebec; M. Marie-Anne Émery dite Coderre (1692-1737), 16 Jun 1717, Contrecoeur, New France
8. Louis Piché — B. 12 Sep 1691, Neuville, New France; M. Françoise Gélineau, 11 Jan 1712, Saint-Sulpice, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers—1663-1673, Peter Gagne, 2000
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