M. 26 Oct 1671 in Quebec City, New France2
Wife: Marie-Therese Viel
D. 3 Oct 1700 in Quebec City, New France3
When men in New France made matches with the Filles du Roi, not every bride turned out to be virtuous, and such was the case for Étienne Boyer dit Lafontaine. He was born in about 1636 in Lafontaine-Milon, a village in Angers, France.1 Étienne’s parents were Claude Boyer and Sébastienne Raveneau, and he was one of at least six children. His father was a butcher, but died when Étienne was a baby;1 then his mother, a brother and a sister all died in 1639.
After Étienne came of age, he enlisted in the military, and was part of the Carignan-Salières Regiment that was sent to protect New France in 1665.1 On May 24th of that year, he boarded the ship Saint-Sebastien, and after a crossing that took months, he landed at Quebec City on September 12th.4 Soon after, his company led by La Fouille made their way to the mouth of the Rivière-du-Loup on Lac Saint-Pierre, where they spent the winter.4 Étienne helped build a fort, and presumably he was stationed there for some of his service. At the end of three years, Étienne’s term was up, and he became one of about 400 soldiers who decided to make their civilian life in the colony.
After being released from service, Étienne seems to have lived in the Quebec City area. In the fall of 1671, he decided to seek a wife from the Filles du Roi who had just arrived from France. A 20-year-old woman named Marie-Therese Viel must have caught his eye, and on October 20th, a contract of marriage was signed.5 The wedding took place at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec on the 26th,2 and Therese was soon pregnant. Three sons were born between 1672 and 1675, but sadly only the third one survived.
Etienne and Marie-Therese's marriage contract. (Source: BAnQ)
By this time, Étienne had acquired a concession in a place located north and west of Quebec City. (His land was on a bend in the Charles River, which was said to be the site of Maison O'Neill, a landmark house that was built in about 1860.6) In early 1676, a matter came up that had Therese making a trip back to France;4 such journeys were rare among colonists, and more unusual for a woman to travel alone. Étienne stayed behind with their very young son and waited for her return.
When Therese came home months later, she was quite pregnant.4 Étienne was said to have refused to take her back,4 and it’s easy to imagine he was angry and embarrassed over it. Her claim was that she got seduced by a powerful man, Médard Chouart des Groseilliers, a French-Canadian fur trader who was also visiting France when he came into contact with her in La Rochelle.4 By the time Therese gave birth to her illegitimate baby on January 14, 1677,7 Étienne chose to believe her story and they got back together.4 Later that year, he tried to sue Chouart des Groseilliers, who denied being the baby’s father, but the court decided in Étienne’s favor. The plaintiff had to pay him 200 livres; the only stipulation on Étienne’s part was that he was ordered to raise the child.4
After that, Étienne resumed normal relations with Therese. Together, they had ten more children, with the youngest born in 1691.8 The following year, Étienne was said to have sold his concession.6 The family seems to have moved to the Charlesbourg area because Therese was involved in an incident there with another woman in 1699.9
Étienne died on October 3, 1700 at Hôtel-Dieu in Quebec City.3 His widow Therese seems to have been left with a number of underaged children of which only one showed up in later records of New France. She herself was thought to have moved back to France; it’s very possible that many, or all, of the younger children went with her.
Children:
1. Réne-Louis Boyer — B. 9 Sep 1672, New France;10 D. 11 Sep 1672, New France11
2. Hugues Boyer — B. 7 Sep 1673, New France12
3. Charles Boyer — B. about 1675, New France;13 D. 18 Mar 1727, Chambly, New France;13 M. (1) Marie-Marguerite Vanier (1684-1715), 9 Feb 1699, Charlesbourg, New France;14 (2) Marie-Madeleine Vivier (1688-1729), 19 Aug 1715, Charlesbourg, New France15
4. Jean-Louis Boyer — B. 31 Dec 1678, New France;16 M. Marie-Renée Chrétien, 9 Feb 1699, New France17
5. Jean-Étienne Boyer — B. 10 Aug 1680, Quebec City, New France;18 D. 21 Apr 1750, Lachine, New France;19 M. Barbe Lemoureux (1685-1770), about 1707, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France20
6. François Boyer — B. Mar 1681, L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France21
7. Jacques Boyer — B. 18 Apr 1683, L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France22
8. Louis Boyer — B. 7 Jun 1684, L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France;23 D. Jun 1684, L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France24
9. Élisabeth Boyer — B. 10 Jul 1685, (probably) L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France25
10. Pierre-Augustin Boyer — B. 28 Aug 1686, (probably) L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France26
11. Jean-Baptiste Boyer — B. about 1688, (probably) L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France;27 D. 23 Oct 1750, Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, New France;27 M. Marie-Madeleine Bonnier Lapierre (1693-1785), 28 Jul 1710, New France28
12. Jean-François Boyer — B. 12 Jun 1690, (probably) L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France29
13. Pierre Boyer — B. 24 May 1691, L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France8
Sources:
1 Fichier Origine listing for Étienne Boyer dit Lafontaine
2 Marriage record of Étienne Boyer dit Lafontaine and Marie-Therese Viel, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3 Burial record of Étienne Boyer dit Lafontaine, Q.C.P.R.
4 Compagnie La Fouille, Migrations.fr (website)
5 Marriage contract of Étienne Boyer dit Lafontaine and Marie-Therese Viel, BAnQ
6 Ville de Québec l’accent d’Amerique (website)
7 Baptismal record of Jeanne-Élisabeth Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
8 Baptismal record of Pierre Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
9 Court record of incident between Mare-Therese Viel and Madeleine Bailly, BAnQ
10 Baptismal record of René-Louis Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
11 Burial record of René-Louis Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
12 Baptismal record of Hugues Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
13 Burial record of Charles Boyer dit LaFontaine, Q.C.P.R.
14 Marriage record of Charles Boyer dit LaFontaine and Marie-Marguerite Vanier, Q.C.P.R.
15 Marriage record of Charles Boyer dit LaFontaine and Marie-Madeleine Vivier, Q.C.P.R.
16 Baptismal record of Jean-Louis Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
17 Marriage record of Jean-Louis Boyer and Marie-Renée Chrétien, Q.C.P.R.
18 Baptismal record of Jean-Étienne Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
19 Burial record of Jean-Étienne Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
20 Marriage record of Jean-Étienne Boyer and Barbe Lemoureux, Q.C.P.R.
21 Baptismal record of François Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
22 Baptismal record of Jacques Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
23 Baptismal record of Louis Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
24 Burial record of Louis Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
25 Baptismal record of Élisabeth Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
26 Baptismal record of Pierre Augustin Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
27 Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
28 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Boyer and Marie-Madeleine Bonnier Lapierre, Q.C.P.R.
29 Baptismal record of Jean-François Boyer, Q.C.P.R.
