B. between 1637 and 1644 in Castet-Arrouy, France
M. after 28 Oct 1671 in (probably) Sillery, New France
Wife: Marie Chapacou
D. between 1715 and 1722 in (probably) Deschallions, New France
René Maillot dit Laviolette went to New France as a soldier, deciding to make his life there, but he struggled to accumulate any wealth. He was born in Castet-Aurroy, located in the southern part of France. His parents were René Maillot and Catherine Berger; everything else about his origins is sketchy, including his birth year which was sometime between 1637 and 1644.
During the 1660s, René joined the military, and found himself among the Carignan-Saliéres Regiment that was sent to the French colony in America. He was a member of the company led by Captain Duprat, which boarded the St-Sebastien at La Rochelle on May 24, 1665. The ship was crowded with soldiers, and the trip took several months, arriving at Quebec on September 12th. One week later, René received the Scapular of Mount Carmel in a ceremony at Quebec City (a scapular is a pair of small squares of cloth worn around the neck under a shirt). On October 2nd, the soldiers traveled west to the Richelieu River on a mission to build several forts; René’s company helped construct Fort Ste-Thérèse, then were assigned to stay there. Captain Duprat died over the winter and was replaced by a Captain de Portes.
René likely served three years in the region around the Richelieu River, then in 1668, became one of many soldiers who not decided to return to France when the regiment disbanded. He seems to have moved as far west as Varennes in 1669 where he appeared on a record of a land sale. René next showed up back in Quebec, signing a marriage contract on October 28, 1671. His bride was a 13-year-old girl named Marie Chapacou, whose family had a farm at Côte Saint-Michel de Sillery. The record of their wedding is lost, but it likely took place within a few months of the contract.
René and Marie settled in Grondines, located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River between Quebec City and Trois-Rivières. They had 11 children born between about 1673 and 1695, with only one who seems to have died young. The 1681 census showed that they had only 5 arpents of cleared land and two cattle. In 1698, René sold his property in Grondines and moved to the newer settlement of Deschallions, which was near Grondines on the south shore of the St. Lawrence. The land he acquired in 1701 had 4 arpents of river frontage.
It isn’t known exactly when René died. He was known to be living at the time of his son François’ marriage on December 30, 1715, and he was deceased by his daughter Genevieve’s marriage on October 26, 1722. His wife Marie passed away in 1733. The knowledge that he died in debt came from a report several years later; on February 27, 1742, his nine surviving children gave up “all the rights coming to them by [their father’s] legacy” in order to pay the money that he owed others at the time of his death. It was declared that the church in Deschallions would receive title to René’s estate in return for unpaid rent.
Children:
1. Marie-Rose Maillot — B. about 1673, Grondines, New France; D. before 1700, New France; M. Raymond Chaine (1658-?)
2. Pierre-René Maillot — B. about 1675, Grondines, New France; M. Françoise-Marguerite Gauron (1683-?), 2 Feb 1702, Deschallions, New France
3. Marie-Simone Maillot — B. 1677, Grondines, New France; D. 25 Jan 1746, Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade, New France; François Guibault
4. Jean Maillot — B. abt 1679, Grondines, New France
5. Guillaume Maillot — B. 31 Dec 1680, Grondines, New France; D. 20 Apr 1718, Montreal, New France; M. Marie-Anne Masse (1684-1721), 16 Jan 1704, Montreal, New France
6. Marie-Louise Maillot — B. about 1684, Grondines, New France; D. 19 Feb 1713, Château-Richer, New France; M. Pierre Matteau (1677-1741), 10 May 1706, Château-Richer, New France
7. Louis Maillot — B. 4 Jan 1689, Grondines, New France; D. 30 Nov 1760, Deschaillons, New France; M. Madeleine Houy (~1698-1763)
8. Jacques Maillot — B. about 1691, (probably) Grondines, New France; D. 24 Oct 1753, Lotbinière, New France; M. Angelique Houy (1696-1753)
9. Geneviève Maillot — B. 12 Jun 1692, Grondines, New France; D. before 26 Nov 1733, New France; M. Antoine Godard (1698-1754), 26 Oct 1722, Château-Richer, New France
10. François Maillot — B. 15 Jan 1695, Grondines, New France; D. 8 Dec 1758, St-Pierre-les-Becquets, New France; M. Marie-Charlotte Gauron (1689-1769), 30 Dec 1715, New France
11. Marie-Anne Maillot — B. 15 Jan 1695, Grondines, New France; D. 10 Feb 1747, Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade, New France; M. Antoine Thibault (1690-?)
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
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