B. about 1641 in Bournezeau, France
M. (1) 6 Jan 1668 in Trois-Rivières, New France
Wife: Marguerite Bertault
M. (2) 20 Jan 1689 in Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France
Wife: Catherine Guertin
D. 30 Oct 1730 in Boucherville, New France
Denis Veronneau was among the earliest settlers of Boucherville, New France, and as the father of sixteen, he did his part to populate it. Denis was born in about 1641 in Bournezeau, France to parents Louis Veronneau and Perrine Baril. His village was a short distance north of La Rochelle, the port city where many ships left for America, and at age 20, he agreed to a contract to migrate there.
The story of how Denis was recruited to move to the colonies started with an explorer and early fur trader named Médard Chouart Des Groseilliers. In 1659, Chouart and another explorer, Pierre-Esprit Radisson, traveled to the interior of North America, further than any Europeans had ever been. They wintered among the Sioux tribe in what is now Minnesota, the first white men to visit there. The following summer, the explorers returned to Montreal with 60 canoes full of pelts. But without having a license to trade, they were in trouble with authorities, and Chouart went to France to defend himself.
After handling his affairs regarding the illegal fur trading, Chouart decided to make some money by engaging men to go with him to New France as indentured servants. Over the course of a couple of months, he signed up six workers, one of whom was Denis. On June 17, 1661, Denis agreed to work in New France for three years at a salary of 72 livres per year. It’s believed that he traveled on the ship Le Taureau, which sailed out of La Rochelle, and arrived in Quebec City on August 24th.
Chouart was based in Trois-Rivières and Denis ended up working there, although it’s not clear if he directly served under Chouart. When his term of service was over in 1668, Denis looked to get married, and on December 21st, he made a contract with the 12-year-old daughter of a Trois-Rivières settler, a girl named Marguerite Bertault. The wedding is thought to have taken place a few years later in 1673, the same year that Denis moved to Boucherville, a new settlement near Montreal.
The seigneury of Boucherville was one of the earliest settlements on the south shore of that part of the St. Lawrence. The man who founded it was Pierre Boucher, who was said to have brought some of the town’s first settlers from Trois-Rivières, which must have included Denis. The location of Boucherville was challenging at first because the Iroquois lived nearby and they were enemies of the French. The original settlement was within a stockade, and Denis likely lived in one of the houses there.
Denis and Marguerite had their first child in June 1674, and by October 1687, they had five more. Two boys died young, and a month after the youngest was born, Marguerite passed away at the age of 31. On January 20, 1689, Denis married Catherine Guertin, the widow of a man who had been killed by Iroquois. She brought two young children into the marriage, and had ten more with Denis. The last child was born in 1707 when he was about 66-years-old.
Denis lived a long life in Boucherville. After Catherine died on October 2, 1730, his death followed just four weeks later on October 30th. His memory lives on in the community with a suburban street named after him: Rue Denis Veronneau. There’s a tiny park on the street which also bears his name. It’s a neighborhood green space that mostly holds a 21st century playground—appropriate for a man who fathered 16 children.
Children by Marguerite Bertault:
1. Denise Veronneau — B. 5 Jun 1674, Boucherville, New France; D. 27 Mar 1742, Boucherville, New France; M. Adrien Lamoureux (1671-1734), 6 Apr 1693, Boucherville, New France
2. Marguerite Veronneau — B. 14 Jan 1677, Boucherville, New France; D. 30 Sep 1740, Boucherville, New France; M. Jacques Reguindeau (1673-1750), 29 Oct 1696, Boucherville, New France
3. Joseph Veronneau — B. 10 Jun 1679, Boucherville, New France; D. 22 Nov 1725, Boucherville, New France; M. Françoise Rougeau (1692-1731), 20 Jan 1710, Boucherville, New France
4. Pierre Veronneau — B. 10 Oct 1682, Boucherville, New France; D. 20 Apr 1685, Boucherville, New France
5. Marie-Madeleine Veronneau — B. 27 May 1685, Boucherville, New France; D. 8 Sep 1729, Boucherville, New France; M. Charles Langevin (1688-1771), 22 Nov 1711, Boucherville, New France
6. Jean-Baptiste Veronneau — B. 19 Oct 1687, Boucherville, New France; D. 13 Jun 1688, Boucherville, New France
Children by Catherine Guertin:
1. Pierre Veronneau — B. 17 Jul 1689, Boucherville, New France; D. 27 Aug 1689, Boucherville, New France
2. Jean-Baptiste — B. 11 Jul 1690, Boucherville, New France; D. 26 Aug 1690, Boucherville, New France
3. Élisabeth Veronneau — B. 10 Aug 1691, Boucherville, New France; D. 4 Nov 1692, Boucherville, New France
4. Marie-Marguerite Veronneau — B. 17 Sep 1693, Boucherville, New France; D. 25 Sep 1728, Contrecoeur, New France; M. François Deguire (1684-1735), 6 Nov 1713, Boucherville, New France
5. Jean-Baptiste Veronneau — B. 23 Dec 1695, Boucherville, New France
6. Marie-Angelique Veronneau — B. 28 Sep 1697, Boucherville, New France; D. 27 Nov 1765, Boucherville, Quebec; M. (1) Joseph Thomas Ouilem (~1689-1743), 19 Feb 1715, New France; (2) Pierre Gauthier (1684-1761), 3 Aug 1750, Boucherville, New France
7. Rose Denise Veronneau — B. 17 Jun 1700, Boucherville, New France; D. 28 Jan 1735, New France; M. Joseph Levron dit Metayer (~1700-?), 12 Sep 1722, New France
8. Louis Veronneau — B. 30 Mar 1703, Boucherville, New France; D. 24 Jun 1703, Boucherville, New France
9. Pierre Veronneau — B. 11 Aug 1704, Boucherville, New France; D. 15 Aug 1773, Boucherville, Quebec; M. (1) Marie-Josephe Doyon (1713-?), 2 Oct 1730, Boucherville, New France; (2) Marie-Françoise Chevrefils (1711-1794), 13 Jan 1740, Boucherville, New France
10. François Veronneau — B. 27 Jun 1707, Boucherville, New France; D. about 25 Jul 1763, New France; M. (1) Catherine Robin (1708-1751), 25 Feb 1732, Terrebonne, New France; (2) Charlotte-Marie Legros (1713-1767), 26 Apr 1757, Pointe-Claire, New France
Sources:
Généálogie du Québec et d’Amérique française (website)
Les engagés levés par Médard Chouart Des Groseilliers pour Trois-Rivières en 1661 (blog), Guy Perron, 2017
Boucherville history (website)
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