A Farmer and an Eel Fisherman — Jacques LeMarié

B. about 1630 in Angouleme, Charente, France^1,2
M. 1652 in Angouleme, Charente, France²
Wife: Marie Morin
D. 7 May 1708 in St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, Portneuf, New France¹

Like many men who came to New France, Jacques LeMarié used more than one resource to make a living. He was born in about 1630 in the town of Angouleme, France,^1,2 located a little south and inland from La Rochelle. His parents' names are unknown. In about 1652, he married a woman named Marie Morin,² and they had a son born in about 1654.³

Nothing else is known of Jacques until he appeared on the baptism record of another son in Quebec City on May 3, 1661.⁴ The record stated that the child was born a week earlier on April 25th. There’s no indication of when Jacques arrived in America. The fact there were seven years between the births of his two boys suggests that Jacques may have come over by himself for a few years, then returned for his family. This is only speculation, though, and they may have all migrated on the same ship.

By 1662, Jacques settled just downriver from Quebec City in Beauport,⁵ where he and his wife Marie had seven more children; at least one died as an infant. The 1667 census showed that he operated a farm that had 80 arpents of land and 19 head of cattle;⁶ the family also had a house in the village of Fargy on 10 arpents of land. Jacques was able to have a 24-year-old man working for him, probably doing farm labor.

The location of his property allowed him to engage in fishing. Records showed that in September of 1672, he sold 6,000 green eels to Philippe Gaultier de Comporté,⁷ a government official who bought products from colonists to ship back to France. It isn’t known if Jacques made any other money selling eels, but it’s likely that he did.

Eel fishing involved setting traps, then harvesting the catch.

Jacques turned up as a defendant in several court cases between 1670 and 1700, and it suggests that he encountered disagreements in several business dealings. The first litigation concerned money he owed to Paul Chalifour, who sued Jacques for non-payment. The ruling made on February 10, 1670 stated that he was to pay Chalifour “the sum of 18 livres, or 6 bushels of green peas.”⁸ In a similar matter brought to court in 1678, Jacques was ordered to pay Jean Picard, a bourgeois merchant, 12 livres.⁹ A third case in 1682 involved both Jacques and his oldest son, Michel, who seemed to renege on an agreement with a settler to supply a large quantity of wood.¹⁰ And in 1700, Jacques was described as the man who ran the grist mill in St-Augustin-de-Desmaure, and this time, a Quebec City baker sued him.¹¹

Presumably Jacques paid his debts, although that detail isn’t part of the records. He lived at St-Augustin-de-Desmaure for the rest of his life. His wife Marie died in 1702,¹² and Jacques passed away on May 7, 1708.¹

Children:

1. Michel LeMarié — B. about 1654, Charente, France;³ D. 25 Oct 1727, St-Nicolas, New France;¹³ M. Françoise Briere (1661-1739), 27 Feb 1680, Neuville, New France¹⁴

2. Thomas LeMarié — B. 25 Apr 1661, Quebec City, New France;⁴ D. 7 Dec 1722, Montreal, New France;¹⁵ M. (1) Louise Sedilot (1669-1700), 27 Mar 1685, Sillery, New France;¹⁶ (2) Jeanne Labadie (1674-1746), 6 Jul 1700, Ste-Foy, New France¹⁷

3. Charles LeMarié — B. 3 Dec 1662, Beauport, New France;⁵ D. 2 Jun 1711, Ste-Foy, New France;¹⁸ M. Françoise Sedilot (1667-1743), 27 Mar 1685, Sillery, New France¹⁹

4. Jacques LeMarié — B. 29 Sep 1664, Beauport, New France;²⁰ D. 10 Dec 1687, Neuville, New France²¹

5. Marie-Madeleine LeMarié — B. 4 Sep 1667, Quebec City, New France;²² D. 12 Feb 1668, Quebec City, New France²³

6. Jean LeMarié — B. 16 Mar 1669, Quebec City, New France;²⁴ D. 18 Nov 1687, Neuville, New France²⁵

7. Marie-Elisabeth LeMarié — B. 30 Mar 1671, Quebec City, New France;²⁶ D. 12 Mar 1751, Quebec City, New France;²⁷ M. (1) Denis Briere (~1659-1718), 23 Nov 1688, Neuville, New France;²⁸ (2) Jacques Amelot (~1667-1729), 27 Nov 1719, Quebec City, New France²⁹

8. Robert LeMarié — B. 13 Apr 1672, Quebec City, New France;³⁰ D. before 1681³¹

9. Antoine LeMarié — B. 1674, New France;³² D. 10 Apr 1742, Quebec City, New France;³² M. (1) Jeanne Dore (1676-1700), 12 Oct 1699, St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, New France;³³ (2) Therese-Elisabeth Tinon (1680-1712), 1701, St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, New France³⁴

Sources:
1    Burial record of Jacques LeMarie, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2    Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique française listing of Jacques Marier 
3    Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique française listing of Michel Marier  
4    Baptismal record of Thomas LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
5    Baptismal record of Charles LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
6    Recensement de 1667 en Nouvelle-France
7    Histoire de la seigneurie de Lauzon, Vol. 1, Joseph Emond Roy, 1897
8    Order to hear appeal of case of Paul Chalifour vs. Jacques LeMarie, BAnQ  
9    Court records of case of Jean Picard vs. Jacques LeMarie, BAnQ  
10  Judgment condemning Jacques and Michel Lemarié to pay Pierre Normand Labrière, BAnQ  
11  Court record of appeal of case Louis Prat vs. Jacques LeMarie, BAnQ  
12  Burial record of Marie Morin, Q.C.P.R.
13  Burial record of Michel LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
14  Marriage record of Michel LeMarie and Françoise Briere, Q.C.P.R.
15  Burial record of Thomas LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
16  Marriage record of Thomas LeMarie and Louise Sedilot, Q.C.P.R.
17  Marriage record of Thomas LeMarie and Jeanne Labadie, Q.C.P.R.
18  Burial record of Charles LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
19  Marriage record of Charles LeMarie and Françoise Sedilot, Q.C.P.R.
20  Baptismal record of Jacques LeMarie (younger), Q.C.P.R.
21  Burial record of Jacques LeMarie (younger), Q.C.P.R.
22  Baptismal record of Marie-Madeleine LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
23  Burial record of Marie-Madeleine LeMarie , Q.C.P.R.
24  Baptismal record of Jean LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
25  Burial record of Jean LeMarie , Q.C.P.R.
26  Baptismal record of Marie-Elisabeth LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
27  Burial record of Marie-Elisabeth LeMarie , Q.C.P.R.
28  Marriage record of Denis Briere and Marie-Elisabeth LeMarie , Q.C.P.R.
29  Marriage record of Jacques Amelot and Marie-Elisabeth LeMarie , Q.C.P.R.
30  Baptismal record of Robert LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
31  Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
32  Burial record of Antoine LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
33  Marriage record of Antoine LeMarie and Jeanne Dore, Q.C.P.R.
34  Marriage record of Antoine LeMarie and Therese-Elisabeth Tinon, Q.C.P.R.