M. 28 Nov 1709 in St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France2
Wife: Marie-Therese LeMarie
D. 23 Oct 1760 in St-Vincent-de-Paul, Laval, New France3
During the 18th century, people living along the St. Lawrence River began looking for new land to farm. Many settlers on the south shore went inland, but François Boucher dit Desroches moved his family up the river, to a place near Montreal.
François was born on March 4, 1684 to Pierre Boucher dit Desroches and Hélène Gaudry,1 the fifth of their eleven children. He had some notable ancestors who were part of New France’s earliest years. One of his great-grandfathers was Marin Boucher, who as a settler of Quebec, knew Samuel de Champlain.4 On his mother’s side, he had Hélène Desportes as a great-grandmother, thought to be the first European child born in what is now Canada.
There must have been a pioneering spirit in the family because François’ father became one of the first few settlers in Lauzon, a rugged place in the 1680s. François’ birth took place before there was a church nearby, so he was baptized by a missionary priest at the house of a neighbor, Antoine Bisson. The event was recorded in the parish register of Neuville; the record is hard to read and it’s unclear how old François was at his baptism.1 The family made their home just west of the Chaudière River, and this was where François grew up.5
François' baptismal record. (Source: FamilySearch.org)
François was married on November 28, 1709 to Marie-Therese LeMarie; their wedding was at St-Nicolas-de-Lévis church.2 His mother was present at the wedding, but his father had passed away 7 years earlier. The young couple settled at Ste-Croix and had their first child there a year later,6 but unfortunately the baby died.7 The ten children who followed between 1713 and 1733 were all healthy, though, and would provide them many grandchildren.
During his later years, François looked to move farther up the river. The location he chose was the village of St-Vincent-de-Paul,8 which was north of Montreal on the island of Laval. He seems to have relocated there around 1753 as one of the town's earliest settlers. Most of his children also migrated to the Laval area; only two daughters who had married men in Lauzon stayed behind.
François died in St-Vincent-de-Paul on October 23, 1760.3 His wife survived him by many years and passed away in 1778 at the age of 90.9
Children:
1. Marie-Joseph Boucher — B. 22 Sep 1710, Ste-Croix, New France;6 D. 26 Sep 1710, New France7
2. Therese Boucher — B. 10 Mar 1713, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France;10 D. 22 Nov 1797, St-Vincent-de-Paul, Laval, Quebec;11 M. Clement-Urbain Bisson (1713-1783), 28 Jul 1734, Quebec City, New France12
3. Françoise-Charlotte Boucher — B. 10 Apr 1715, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France;13 D. 7 Oct 1787, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe de Lévy, Quebec;14 M. Joseph-Marie Dussault (1711-1781), 18 Jun 1736, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France15
4. François Boucher — B. 21 Feb 1717, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France;16 D. 19 Jul 1793, St-Vincent-de-Paul, Laval, Quebec;17 M. Charlotte Lalande (1741-1808), 6 Feb 1758, Montreal, New France18
5. Marguerite-Therese Boucher — B. 12 Apr 1719, St-Antoine-de-Tilly, New France;19 D. 30 May 1772, Sault-au-Récollet, Quebec;20 M. Jean-Baptiste Aubin (1719-1772), 6 Oct 1738, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France21
6. Louise Boucher — B. 21 May 1721, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France;22 D. 12 Oct 1793, Sault-au-Récollet, Quebec;23 M. Pierre Andegrave (1726-1804) 21 Jul 1749, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France24
7. Joseph Boucher — B. 3 May 1723, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France;25 D. 3 Nov 1794, St-Vincent-de-Paul, Laval, Quebec;26 M. Marie-Jeanne Chartrand (1729-1809), 8 May 1746, Rivières-des-Prairies, St-Joseph, Quebec27
8. Nicolas Boucher — B. 23 May 1725, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France;28 D. 31 Oct 1799, St-Martin, Laval, Quebec;29 M. (1) Marie-Louise Parent (1731-1784), 24 Oct 1753, Montreal, New France;8 (2) Catherine Beaumont (1724-1801), 8 Nov 1785, St-Martin, Laval, Quebec30
9. Anne-Madeleine Boucher — B. 13 Jun 1727, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France;31 D. 29 Jul 1818, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, Quebec;32 M. Jean-Baptiste Ducasse (1723-?), 28 Jan 1749, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France33
10. Jean-Baptiste Boucher — B. 24 Aug 1729, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France;34 D. 5 Jun 1800, St-Vincent-de-Paul, Laval, Quebec;35 M. (1) Marie-Elisabeth Leblanc (1738-1795), 12 Jan 1756, St-Vincent-de-Paul, Laval, New France;36 (2) Agathe Clement (1742-1812), 20 Nov 1797, Ste-Therese, Terrebonne, Quebec37
11. Marguerite-Marie Boucher — B. 5 Jul 1733, St-Nicolas-de-Lévis, New France;38 D. 26 Feb 1812, Sault-au-Récollet, Quebec;39 M. (1) François Andegrave (1735-1760), 24 Nov 1755, Laval, New France;40 (2) François Leonard Simon (1738-1774), 24 Nov 1760, St-Vincent-de-Paul, Laval, New France41
Sources:
1 Baptismal record of François Boucher dit Desroches, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2 Marriage record of François Boucher dit Desroches and Marie-Therese LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
3 Burial record of François Boucher dit Desroches, Q.C.P.R.
4 Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
5 Histoire de la seigneurie de Lauzon, Volume 1, Joseph-Edmond Roy, 1897
6 Baptismal record of Marie-Joseph Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
7 Burial record of Marie-Joseph Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
8 Marriage record of Nicolas Boucher and Marie-Louise Parent, Q.C.P.R.
9 Burial record of Marie-Therese LeMarie, Q.C.P.R.
10 Baptismal record of Therese Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
11 Burial record of Therese Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
12 Marriage record of Clement-Urbain Bisson and Therese Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
13 Baptismal record of Françoise-Charlotte Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
14 Burial record of Françoise-Charlotte Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
15 Marriage record of Joseph-Marie-Dussault and Françoise-Charlotte Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
16 Baptismal record of François Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
17 Burial record of François Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
18 Marriage record of François Boucher and Charlotte Lalande, Q.C.P.R.
19 Baptismal record of Marguerite-Therese Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
20 Burial record of Marguerite-Therese Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
21 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Aubin and Marguerite-Therese Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
22 Baptismal record of Louise Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
23 Burial record of Louise Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
24 Marriage record of Pierre Andegrave and Louise Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
25 Baptismal record of Joseph Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
26 Burial record of Joseph Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
27 Marriage record of Joseph Boucher and Marie-Jeanne Chartrand, Q.C.P.R.
28 Baptismal record of Nicolas Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
29 Burial record of Nicolas Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
30 Marriage record of Nicolas Boucher and Catherine Beaumont, Q.C.P.R.
31 Baptismal record of Anne-Madeleine Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
32 Burial record of Anne-Madeleine Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
33 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Ducasse and Anne-Madeleine Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
34 Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
35 Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
36 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Boucher and Marie-Elisabeth Leblanc, Q.C.P.R.
37 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Boucher and Agathe Clement, Q.C.P.R.
38 Baptismal record of Marguerite-Marie Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
39 Burial record of Marguerite-Marie Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
40 Marriage record of François Andegrave and Marguerite-Marie Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
41 Marriage record of François Leonard Simon and Marguerite-Marie Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
