M. 7 Feb 1690 in St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France2
Wife: Élisabeth-Isabelle Rondeau
D. 25 Jan 1736 in St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France3
Pierre Leclerc spent his life raising crops and a family on the picturesque island of Île d’Orleans. He was born in France, likely near Dieppe or Rouen, on January 27, 1659.1 Pierre was the oldest of eight children of Jean Leclerc and Marie Blanquet, who moved to New France when he was still a baby.4 His grandfather, Adrien Blanquet, was already settled there, and his parents acquired a farm near him on Île d’Orleans.5 Like almost all other plots of land in New France, the Leclerc family’s land was a ribbon farm — long and narrow with a piece of river frontage. It was located on the island’s northern shore near the western end.
It’s likely that Pierre’s youth was spent helping his father with the farm. About the time he came of age, his father seems to have gone away from home, and by 1681, his mother was declared to be a widow.6 It isn’t known what caused his father’s death, but he was missing from parish burial records, suggesting that perhaps he died while away on a trip. At age 23, Pierre lived under his mother’s roof, probably helping to support her since she never remarried. It wasn’t until almost ten years later that he finally established his own home.
On February 7, 1690, Pierre took as his bride Élisabeth-Isabelle Rondeau,2 who was from a large family living nearby. By the following year, they lived on land located on the south shore of the island, in the seigneury of St-Laurent.7 It was here that Pierre spent the rest of his life. A 1709 map showed that his property was located close to a rocky cove called Trou Saint-Patrice;8 it was a place where small boats could harbor, and it later gained a reputation for a treasure that English pirates supposedly buried there.9
Location of Pierre's farm in 1709. (Source: BAnQ)
Between 1691 and 1713, Pierre fathered 14 children with his wife Élisabeth-Isabelle. All but one lived to maturity, and they provided Pierre with a large number of grandchildren. On January 25, 1736, Pierre died in St-Laurent two days short of his 77th birthday.3 Élisabeth-Isabelle outlived him and passed away in 1746.10
Children:
1. Anne Leclerc — B. 9 Aug 1691, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;7 D. 24 Oct 1727, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;11 M. Pierre-Noël Fortier (1686-1731), 13 Oct 1710, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France12
2. Marguerite Leclerc — B. 17 Mar 1693, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;13 D. 25 Jul 1750, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;14 M. Nicolas Baillargeon (1684-1749), 16 Nov 1711, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France15
3. Jean Leclerc — B. 12 Apr 1694, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;16 D. 9 Jun 1772, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, Quebec;17 M. Marie-Madeleine Gosselin (1700-1750), 11 Nov 1720, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France18
4. Marie-Madeleine Leclerc — B. 10 Sep 1695, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;19 M. Alexis Roy (1693-1746), 20 Jul 1716, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France20
5. Pierre Leclerc — B. 2 Nov 1696, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;21 D. 3 Apr 1751, St-Vallier, New France;22 M. (1) Marie-Josephe Mimaux (1702-1738), 4 Mar 1726, St-Vallier, New France;23 (2) Marie-Claire Cellier ~1694-1752), 2 Feb 1739, St-Vallier, New France24
6. Élisabeth Leclerc — B. 3 Jul 1698, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;25 D. 22 Feb 1736, St-Vallier, New France;26 M. Jacques Fradet (1700-1783), 28 Nov 1725, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France27
7. Joseph Leclerc — B. 24 Sep 1699, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;28 D. 19 Dec 1699, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France29
8. Agnes-Madeleine Leclerc — B. 9 Oct 1700, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;30 D. 28 Jul 1759, Charlesbourg, New France;31 M. Augustin Dufresne (1711-1759), 20 Jan 1749, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France32
9. Jacques Leclerc — B. 14 Jan 1702, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;33 D. 15 May 1778, St-Vallier, Quebec;34 M. Élisabeth Turgeon (1712-1784), 20 Nov 1730, Beaumont, New France35
10. Ignace Leclerc — B. 17 Jun 1704, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;36 D. 22 Mar 1776, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, Quebec;37 M. Marie-Madeleine Côte (1722-1783), 15 Jul 1748, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France38
11. Madeleine Leclerc — B. 22 Jul 1706, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;39 D. 8 Nov 1743, Berthier, New France;40 M. Joseph Beaudoin (~1707-1783), 23 Oct 1730, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France41
12. Joseph Leclerc — B. 8 Oct 1707, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;42 D. 11 Nov 1781, Quebec City, Quebec;43 M. Ursule Noël (1712-1798), 8 Jun 1734, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France44
13. Genevieve Leclerc — B. 24 Jan 1709, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;45 D. 20 Feb 1748, St-Vallier, New France;46 M. Augustin Fradet (1706-?), 23 Oct 1730, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France47
14. Marie-Anne Leclerc — B. 8 Feb 1713, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;48 D. 6 Aug 1774, St-Charles, Bellechase, Quebec;49 M. (1) Antoine Gosselin (1716-1751), 25 Nov 1743, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;50 (2) Jean Vallieres (1704-1768), 6 Nov 1760, St-Charles, Bellechasse, New France51
Sources:
1 FichierOrgine listing for Pierre Leclerc
2 Marriage record of Pierre Leclerc and Élisabeth-Isabelle Rondeau, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3 Burial record of Pierre Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
4 Baptismal record of Marguerite Leclerc (Pierre’s sister), Q.C.P.R.
5 Recensement de 1666 en Nouvelle-France
6 Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
7 Baptismal record of Anne Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
8 1709 map of New France, BAnQ
9 “Des trésors cachés au Québec” (blog), David Nathan, 23 Sep 2015
10 Burial record of Élisabeth-Isabelle Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
11 Burial record of Anne Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
12 Marriage record of Pierre Noël Fortier and Anne Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
13 Baptismal record of Marguerite Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
14 Burial record of Marguerite Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
15 Marriage record of Nicolas Bailargeon and Marguerite Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
16 Baptismal record of Jean Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
17 Burial record of Jean Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
18 Marriage record of Jean Leclerc and Marie-Madeleine Gosselin, Q.C.P.R.
19 Baptismal record of Marie-Madeleine Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
20 Marriage record of Alexis Roy and Marie-Madeleine Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
21 Baptismal record of Pierre Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
22 Burial record of Pierre Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
23 Marriage record of Pierre Leclerc and Marie-Josephe Mimaux, Q.C.P.R.
24 Marriage record of Pierre Leclerc and Marie-Claire Cellier, Q.C.P.R.
25 Baptismal record of Élisabeth Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
26 Burial record of Élisabeth Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
27 Marriage record of Jaques Fradet and Élisabeth Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
28 Baptismal record of Joseph Leclerc (older), Q.C.P.R.
29 Burial record of Joseph Leclerc (older), Q.C.P.R.
30 Baptismal record of Agnes-Madeleine Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
31 Burial record of Agnes-Madeleine Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
32 Marriage record of Augustin Dufresne and Agnes-Madeleine Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
33 Baptismal record of Jacques Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
34 Burial record of Jacques Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
35 Marriage record of Jacques Leclerc and Élisabeth Turgeon, Q.C.P.R.
36 Baptismal record of Ignace Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
37 Burial record of Ignace Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
38 Marriage record of Ignace Leclerc and Marie-Madeleine Côte, Q.C.P.R.
39 Baptismal record of Madeleine Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
40 Burial record of Madeleine Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
41 Marriage record of Joseph Beaudoin and Madeleine Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
42 Baptismal record of Joseph Leclerc (younger), Q.C.P.R.
43 Burial record of Joseph Leclerc (younger), Q.C.P.R.
44 Marriage record of Joseph Leclerc and Ursule Noël, Q.C.P.R.
45 Baptismal record of Genevieve Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
46 Burial record of Genevieve Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
47 Marriage record of Augustin Fradet and Genevieve Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
48 Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
49 Burial record of Marie-Anne Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
50 Marriage record of Antoine Gosselin and Marie-Anne Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
51 Marriage record of Jean Vallieres and Marie-Anne Leclerc, Q.C.P.R.
