M. after 26 Jul 1683 in (probably) Neuville, New France2
Wife: Catherine Pluchon
D. before 26 Aug 1715 in (probably) Quebec City, New France3
François Savari was a settler in New France who left behind little documentation of his life, but one court record tells an interesting story. He was from Cognac-la-Foret, which is a few miles west of Limoges, France, born to François Savari (also spelled Savary) and Helene Bourdier in about 1641.1,2 It’s believed that François arrived in the colony in about 1680.
On July 26, 1683, François agreed to a contract to marry Catherine Pluchon,2 a 15-year-old girl living in Neuville; the record of the wedding doesn’t seem to have survived. Their first child was born in 1685, and seven more followed, with the youngest born in 1707. François moved the family to Quebec City by 17014 (and maybe a few years before).
François was treated at Hôtel-Dieu for unknown ailments in February and March 1706, October 1710, and again in September 1711.1 The following year, he somehow got involved in helping a young woman who gave birth to an out-of-wedlock infant, and at 12-days-old, François and Catherine adopted the baby.5 The child was named Genevieve, but no further record of her seems to exist.
It was in May 1714 that François was involved in a criminal case in court.6 He was the plaintiff accusing a widow named Marie Breval of causing him injury. François was described as a chimney sweep hired by the woman, and he had gotten into an argument with her while he was working on her house. She got so mad that she started a fire (presumably in the fireplace), and François had to get down from the roof in a hurry. But one of her daughters removed his ladder, so he jumped or fell to the ground, landing in the mud.
The document that tells of this was a deposition of three witnesses who either saw the incident or were friends of François, and the rest of the details about the trial aren’t attached, so we don’t know the outcome. The curious thing about the case is the idea that François could be a chimney sweep, a job usually done by young boys. One of François sons was named Jean-François, but he was only age 7, and the circumstances just don’t seem to fit a child that young. Perhaps Quebec City chimneys were large enough to accommodate a full-grown man, but this is speculation.
Record that describes François as being a chimney sweep.
François died sometime before August 26, 1715, the date Catherine married a second husband,3 and there is no record for his burial. Catherine was widowed a second time in 1728,7 and she lived until 1743.8 Curiously, her death record described her as the widow of François instead of naming the second husband.
Children:
1. Pierre Savari — B. 22 Nov 1685, Neuville, New France;9 D. 2 Jan 1750, Neuville, New France;10 M. Marie-Madeleine Mingou (1691-1764), 2 May 1707, Quebec City, New France11
2. Marie Savari — B. 16 Dec 1687, Neuville, New France;12 D. 18 Jan 1703, Quebec City, New France13
3. Marie-Catherine Savari — B. 6 Apr 1690, Neuville, New France;14 M. (1) Louis Arnaud (1682-1717), 3 Sep 1708, Quebec City, New France;15 (2) Paul Laporte (1695-?), 3 Feb 1718, Boucherville, New France16
4. Marie-Jeanne Savari — B. about 1693, New France;17 D. 7 May 1775, Quebec City, Quebec;18 M. Charles Devis (1688-1736), 3 Oct 1713, Ste-Foy, New France19
5. Marie-Anne Savari — B. about 1696, New France;20 D. 22 Sep 1758, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;21 M. Joseph Bisson (~1693-1781), 18 Aug 1719, Quebec City, New France22
6. Flavienne Savari — B. 16 Aug 1701, Quebec City, New France;4 D. 30 Nov 1749, Quebec City, New France;23 M. Jean Labonne, 30 Apr 1732, Quebec City, New France24
7. Jean-Baptiste Savari — B. 12 Apr 1704, Quebec City, New France25
8. Jean-François Savari — B. 9 Feb 1707, Quebec City, New France;26 D. 30 Jun 1720, Quebec City, New France27
Sources:
1 Registre Journalier des Malades de L’Hôtel-Dieu de Quebec, Marcel and Gisèle Monarque, 2005
2 Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française llisting for François Savary
3 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Marchet and Catherine Pluchon, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
4 Baptismal record of Flavienne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
5 Inventaire des greffes des notaires du Régime français, Vol. XIX, p.399
6 Record of court case of François Savari vs. Marie Breval, BAnQ
7 Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Marchet, Q.C.P.R.
8 Burial record of Catherine Pluchon, Q.C.P.R.
9 Baptismal record of Pierre Savary, Q.C.P.R.
10 Burial record of Pierre Savary, Q.C.P.R.
11 Marriage record of Pierre Savary and Marie-Madeleine Mingou, Q.C.P.R.
12 Baptismal record of Marie Savary, Q.C.P.R.
13 Burial record of Marie Savary, Q.C.P.R.
14 Baptismal record of Marie-Catherine Savary, Q.C.P.R.
15 Marriage record of Louis Arnaud and Marie-Catherine Savary, Q.C.P.R.
16 Marriage record of Paul Laporte and Marie-Catherine Savary, Q.C.P.R.
17 Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing for Jeanne Savary
18 Burial record of Marie-Jeanne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
19 Marriage record of Charles Devis and Marie-Jeanne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
20 Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing for Marie-Anne Savary
21 Burial record of Marie-Anne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
22 Marriage record of Joseph Bisson and Marie-Anne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
23 Burial record of Flavienne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
24 Marriage record of Jean Labonne and Flavienne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
25 Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Savary, Q.C.P.R.
26 Baptismal record of Jean-François Savary, Q.C.P.R.
27 Burial record of Jean-François Savary, Q.C.P.R.
