B. about 1640 in St-Martin, Île-de-Ré, La Rochelle, France
M. 22 Oct 1663 in Quebec City, New France
Wife: Marie LaFaye
D. before Aug 1705 in Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France
Like many parents of today, New France settler René Émond faced the challenge of parenting a misbehaving teenager. But methods of discipline seem to have been quite different during the 17th century.
René was born to Jean Émond and Jeanne Charrie in about 1640 on the Île-de-Ré, an island in the harbor of La Rochelle, France. The proximity of René’s childhood home to a major French port may have been a factor in why he migrated to America. He first appeared in a confirmation record at Château-Richer on April 11, 1662. On that day, 52 people received the sacrament administered by Father François de Laval; It can be presumed that René was working there as an indentured servant.
The following year, René courted and married a young woman who was among the very first shipload of Filles du Roi. Her name was Marie LaFaye; the marriage contract was signed at the house of Sieur Jean Bourdon on October 19, 1663, and the wedding took place three days later at Notre Dame church in Quebec City. Within a year, the couple saw the birth of their first child, and by early 1686, they had nine more. It’s believed that four of the children died young.
René moved his family from Château-Richer to Île d’Orleans after he acquired a farm at St-François on February 10, 1665. The family was listed in the 1666 census having 3 arpents under cultivation and three head of cattle. They stayed there several years, and when they sold their property on April 4, 1673, the buyers paid with wheat and “10 pounds of pot de vin for Marie LaFaye.” René’s next concession of land was bigger at 6 arpents of river frontage, although the amount under cultivation in 1681 was only a little more than the earlier farm.
By the mid-1690s, René’s older children were married off, and only one son and two daughters remained at home. It was the middle of these three children, 16-year-old Anne, who showed a wild streak, likely motivated by an interest in a boy. In early 1696, there were rumors that young men were going to be conscripted soon to fight against the Iroquois, and Anne was said to have been afraid the guy she liked was in danger of getting killed in battle by Indians.
So Anne disguised herself as a male and got a ferryman to take her across the river to Quebec City. She told everyone she met that she had just escaped from capture by New Englanders who were planning to attack New France. When Anne arrived in Quebec City, she demanded to see the governor. Her twisted logic was that the authorities would scrap plans to fight Iroquois and take military action against the English instead, which to her didn’t seem as ominous. But it was quickly realized that she wasn’t male, and that her story was a complete fabrication. Anne was arrested, and her father René was called in for questioning.
At this point, Anne claimed that her love interest had proposed to her, and had put her up to the deception along with two other boys that included her older brother. They were brought in, too, and denied involvement. René said that he knew nothing of his daughter’s activities. He confronted Anne in court, demanding evidence that she was engaged, and she went silent. The court ruled that she was guilty of lying, ordering René to take her back home and keep a better eye on her. But first she would be paraded through the streets of Quebec City, and at intervals, she would be publicly whipped. Presumably this punishment was carried out.
It isn’t known when René died, but it was before August 11, 1705, when his wife Marie was identified in a land transaction as a widow. She passed away in December 1708.
Children:
1. Marie-Madeleine Émond — B. 31 Aug 1664, Château-Richer, New France; D. about 1699, Île d’Orleans, New France; M. Nicolas Dupuis dit Montauban (~1642-1698), 15 Nov 1681, Quebec City, New France
2. François Émond — B. 28 Feb 1666, Château-Richer, New France; D. after 1681, (probably) New France
3. Suzanne Émond — B. 1 Jan 1668, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France; D. 1715; M. Jean Pruneau (1668-?), 25 May 1691, St-François, Île d’Orleans, New France
4. Joseph Émond — B. 30 Dec 1669, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France; D. before 1681, New France
5. Robert Émond — B. 20 Aug 1671, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France; D. 2 May 1740, St-François, Île d’Orleans, New France; M. Catherine Dompierre (1673-1736), 22 Feb 1694, St-François, Île d’Orleans, New France
6. Anne Émond — B. 28 Dec 1673, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France; D. 25 Oct 1677, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France
7. René Émond — B. 26 Feb 1677, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France; D. 1727, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France; M. Louise Senele (~1678-1703), about 1697, St-François, Île d’Orleans, New France
8. Anne Émond — B. 27 Jul 1679, St-François, Île d’Orleans, New France; M. François Bretonnet (1668-?), 20 Apr 1706, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France
9. Jeanne Émond — B. 24 Apr 1684, St-François, Île d’Orleans; D. after Nov 1750; M. Charles Bélanger (1677-1750), 22 Apr 1713, Cap-St-Ignace, New France
10. Joseph Émond — B. 31 Mar 1686, St-François, Île d’Orleans
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
WikiTree
