B. about 1649 in Paris, France
M. 25 Nov 1665 in Quebec City, New France
Husband: Pierre Piché dit Lamusette
D. 18 Jan 1732 in Saint-Sulpice, New France
Catherine Durand suffered an unusual hardship as a wife to a New France settler when she learned her husband was legally married to someone else. It wasn’t his fault, though, because he was misinformed that his first wife had died.
Catherine was born in about 1649 in the heart of Paris to Pierre Durand and Jacquette Courtois. Nothing else is known of her family, and at age 16, she was recruited to migrate to America as a Fille du Roi. She boarded a crowded ship, the St-Jean-Baptiste, which left from Dieppe. After stopping at La Rochelle to pick up more passengers, the ship headed out across the Atlantic, arriving at Quebec City on October 2, 1665.
Catherine was among about 90 young women competing for husbands, and it took almost two months before she became a bride. On November 25th, she married Pierre Piché dit Lamusette, a man who had come to France three years earlier. He had been married before he left, and intended to bring his wife over when he got settled, but a letter arrived from back home saying that she had passed away.
Newlyweds Catherine and Pierre made their home in Quebec City, where he worked as a hat maker. She gave birth to her first child within a year, and by the end of 1670, had two more. But early the following year, Pierre received shocking news from an immigrant who had just arrived: his first wife hadn’t died after all, and was still alive. This voided the marriage he had with Catherine, and meant he needed to return to his first wife.
Catherine was suddenly the mother of three young, illegitimate children, and had no man to support her. It’s unknown how she felt, but it couldn’t have been easy now that she was alone in the colony. Her circumstances changed again, though, because when Pierre tried to return to Quebec with his wife, she died at sea. Catherine and Pierre reunited, and the church officially restored their marriage on September 9, 1673. In addition, it was ruled that their children could be considered legitimate, saving them from problems of inheritance later in life.
The family now settled just west of Quebec City in the seigneury of Neuville. Catherine had five more children between 1674 and 1691. In 1701, they relocated to the Montreal area, first in Boucherville, then seven years later in Saint-Sulpice. Pierre died in October of 1713, and Catherine passed away on January 18, 1732.
Children:
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
Navires venus en Nouvelle-France (website)
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