Thursday, April 11, 2019

A Soldier in Illinois in 1692 — Jacques Boutillet

B. 18 May 1668 in Bordeaux, France
M. 12 Jan 1699 in Château-Richer, New France
Wife: Marguerite Verreau
D. 28 Oct 1749 in L’Ange-Gardien, New France

Jacques Boutillet was a late 17th-century Frenchman sent to America as a soldier, and his service took him deep into the continent. He was born in Bordeaux on May 18, 1668 to Jean Boutillet and Anne Ficton. Nothing is known of Jacques' childhood, or of his years as an adult in France.

Jacques first turned up in records in 1691 as a member of the troupes de la Marine. The troupes de la Marine were a military force sent to New France to help defend against the Iroquois and the English. Beginning in 1683, young men were recruited primarily in port cities like Bordeaux and shipped across the Atlantic. On August 1, 1691, Jacques signed up for a one-year term under Francois de la Forest, to serve at a location in the remote Illinois country. Help was needed to rebuild Fort Saint-Louis, which had recently been destroyed. De la Forest was said to have arrived in the spring of 1692 with laborers and soldiers who would complete what others had started, and Jacques must have been part of this group.

It isn’t known what Jacques did during the years after his service contract was up. It’s likely he continued to serve as a soldier, maybe at the fort he helped construct. Eventually he wound up in the St. Lawrence River area at Château-Richer, and decided to make a new life there. On January 12, 1699, Jacques married Marguerite Verreau, the daughter of a blacksmith. Later that year, they had a son who died as an infant. Between 1702 and 1719, they had ten more children, all of whom lived to adulthood; nine of the ten were girls, so only one son would carry on his name.

In about 1708, Jacques and his family relocated to L’Ange Gardien. In addition to being a farmer, he played an active role in his local militia; it’s likely Jacques' experience when he was younger made him a prime candidate for serving his community in this way. In 1721, he was given the rank of lieutenant, and in 1724, he was appointed as captain. The captain of a militia would organize and train the men in his town on orders from a central authority; they also sometimes served as police officers and did other civic duty, especially during times of peace. Jacques was in his 50s when he took on this leadership position.

Jacques spent the rest of his life in L’Ange Gardien. He died there on October 28, 1749. His wife Marguerite survived hm by only about a month.

Children:
1. Jacques Boutillet — B. 1699, Château-Richer, New France; D. 1699, Château-Richer, New France

2. Marguerite Boutillet — B. about 31 Jul 1702, Château-Richer, New France; D. 8 Apr 1783, Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, Quebec; M. Joseph Turgeon (1696-1765), 12 Feb 1721, L’Ange-Gardien, New France

3. Agnes Boutillet — B. about 14 Jan 1704, Château-Richer, New France; D. before 28 Jan 1727, Château-Richer, New France; M. Claude Gravel (1694-1757), 6 Nov 1724, L’Ange Gardien, New France

4. Jacques Boutillet — B. about 11 Mar 1705, Château-Richer, New France; D. 17 Mar 1754, Quebec City, New France; M. Marie Cordeau dite Deslauriers (1711-1761), 29 Jan 1731, Château-Richer, New France

5. Marie-Madeleine Boutillet — B. 24 Jul 1708, Château-Richer, New France; D. 14 Feb 1786, St-François-de-la-Riviere-du-Sud, Quebec; M. Jean-Baptiste Gagnon (1707-1775), 17 Apr 1739, L’Ange Gardien, New France

6. Marie-Françoise Boutillet — B. 24 Jul 1708, Château-Richer, New France; D. (probably) young

7. Marie-Jeanne Boutillet — B. 20 Jun 1709, L’Ange Gardien, New France; D. 6 Sep 1787, Château-Richer, Quebec; M. Guillaume Gosselin (1696-1765), 27 Jul 1742, L’Ange Gardien, New France

8. Marie-Genevieve Boutillet — B. 19 Jun 1710, L’Ange Gardien, New France; D. 30 Oct 1781, Quebec; M. Antoine Richoux (~1720-?), 11 Nov 1754, L’Ange Gardien, New France

9. Marie-Josephte Boutillet — B. 17 Jan 1712, L’Ange Gardien, New France; D. 21 Aug 1762, New France; M. (1) Pierre-François Paris (1708-1744), 25 Jan 1734, Quebec City, New France; (2) Louis Choret (1713-1767), 22 Feb 1745, Charlesbourg, New France

10. Marie-Therese Boutillet — B. about 6 Jun 1713, L’Ange Gardien, New France; D. 29 Jan 1792, Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Quebec; M. Louis Huot (1715-1792), 29 Oct 1736, L’Ange Gardien, New France

11. Marie-Louise Boutillet — B. about 9 May 1719, L’Ange Gardien, New France; D. 20 Dec 1802, Montmorency, Quebec; M. (1) Louis Turgeon, 20 Oct 1749, Château-Richer, New France; (2) Guillaume Plante, 26 Oct 1750, Château-Richer, New France; (3) Pierre Poulin (?-1759), 21 Jul 1756, Château-Richer, New France; (4) Paul Bolduc (?-1790), 9 Jan 1764, Montmorency, Quebec

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
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