M. (1) 20 Oct 1665 in Quebec City, New France2
Wife: Perrette Vallée
M. (2) 4 Nov 1676 in Quebec City, New France3
Wife: Catherine Poitevin
D. 21 Jan 1718 in Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, New France4
Jean Bourassa migrated to Canada in a roundabout way because his ship broke down shortly after it left France. Such were the hazards of ocean travel in the middle of the 17th century.
Jean was born on April 1, 1634 in the village of Bazoges-en-Pallers, France, located north of La Rochelle.1 His parents were Jacques Bourasseau and Françoise Fouchande. Jean had at least one older brother and four younger sisters, but nothing else is known of his family or early life. When Jean was 23, he was recruited out of La Rochelle for a work opportunity in New France; the offer was to earn 90 livres per year in return for his labor over a term of three years. He agreed to the arrangement in a contract dated April 5, 1657,5 and five days later, he joined 43 other men who boarded a ship called Les Armes d'Amsterdam. The 250 ton vessel also carried the newly appointed governor of the colony, Pierre Voyer d’Argenson, along with a cargo that included fine cloth, lace, and articles of apparel for the people of Quebec.6
Pierre Voyer d'Argenson
Not long after the voyage began, major storms damaged the ship. They were close enough to Ireland to land at Limerick so that repairs could be made.6 The governor and a few other passengers decided not to continue on, and they went back to France,6 but Jean and the other engaged men stayed on the ship when it resumed the journey a month later. They didn’t get very far, and within a day, the ship started taking on water. So the captain went back to Ireland, this time landing on the Kenmore River. It took another few weeks before they could launch again on June 28th.6 They finally arrived in Quebec City on August 20th.6
The detour of Jean's ship to Ireland.
When the three years of his contract were up, Jean decided to stay in New France. Perhaps the challenges of his trip to get there were a factor in this decision — who would want to get on another ship after that experience? Instead, he became a colonist, and on November 5, 1662, he acquired a concession in Lauzon, just across the water from Quebec City.5 Three years later, Jean went back to Quebec right after the harvest to find a wife among the Filles du Roi who had just arrived from France. It didn’t take long and he agreed to a marriage contract with a woman named Perrette Vallée, and their wedding took place at Notre-Dame church in Quebec City on October 20, 1665.2
Jean and Perette were missing from both the 1666 and 1667 censuses, but they presumably settled in Lauzon. They started their family with the birth of a son in April 1667.7 A couple of weeks later, Jean bought a farm near his original one in Lauzon; the annual rent was 30 livres, payable in silver, wheat or eels.8 Six more children were born by about 1675, but on May 5th of the following year, Perette died while trying to deliver another child.9 The baby was stillborn, and with seven young children, Jean needed a new wife as soon as possible. So on November 4th, he married Catherine Poitevin,3 a widow who lost her husband the very same day that Perette had died. Catherine had also been a Fille du Roi, and she brought a young son into Jean’s household.
Together, Jean and Catherine had four more children, born between 1678 and 1687. The 1681 census showed that their farm had 15 arpents under cultivation.10 The two spent the rest of their lives on their farm on the shore of the St. Lawrence in Lauzon. On June 15, 1711, they turned over the property, which included a small house and barn, to Jean’s oldest son François; in return he would take care of them in their old age.11 By then, Catherine was said to be blind and disabled. Jean passed away on January 21, 1718;4 it isn’t known when Catherine died.
Children by Perrette Vallée:
1. François Bourassa — B. 13 Apr 1667, (probably) Lauzon, New France;7 D. after 11 Jun 1711, (probably) Lauzon, New France11
2. Pierre Bourassa — B. 11 Feb 1669, (probably) Lauzon, New France;12 D. after 168110
3. Jeanne Bourassa — B. about 1670, (probably) Lauzon, New France;10 D. about 1682, (probably) Lauzon, New France10,13
4. Jean Bourassa — B. 24 May 1671, (probably) Lauzon, New France;14 D. 5 Jun 1746, Lauzon, New France;15 M. Marie-Françoise Méthot (1675-1754), 10 Jan 1698, St-Nicolas, Lévis, New France16
5. Marie Bourassa — B. about 1672, (probably) Lauzon, New France;10 D. after 168110
6. Marie-Madeleine Bourassa — B. 13 Sep 1673, (probably) Lauzon, New France;17 D. 9 Mar 1742, St-Antonie-de-Tilly, New France;18 M. (1) Jean-François Dussault (1688-1719), 8 Jan 1692, St-Jospeh de la Pointe-de-Lévy, Lauzon, New France;19 (2) Jean-Baptiste Bergeron (1676-1753), 18 May 1719, Lauzon, New France20
7. Catherine Bourassa — B. about 1675, (probably) Lauzon, New France;10 D. after 168110
Children by Catherine Poitevin:
1. René Bourassa — B. 27 Apr 1678, Lauzon, New France;21 D. 29 Sep 1678, Lauzon, New France22
2. Marie-Anne Bourassa — B. about 1680, (probably) Lauzon, New France;23 D. 4 Nov 1733, Berthier-sur-mer, New France;24 M. (1) Pierre Bouchard (1672-1717), 29 Oct 1699, Quebec City, New France;25 (2) Louis Bosse (~1650-1736), about 1726, St-Roch des Auinaies, New France26
3. Jeanne Bourassa — B. 1 Jul 1682, Lauzon, New France;14 M. Louis Marchand (1678-1749), 5 Oct 1701, Lauzon, New France27
4. François Bourassa — B. 2 May 1687, New France;28 D. 26 Feb 1777, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-de-Lévy, Quebec;29 M. Marguerite Jourdain (1691-1746), 12 Jun 1714, New France30
Sources:
1 Fichier-Origine listing for Jean Bourassa
2 Marriage record of Jean Bourassa and Perrette Vallée, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3 Marriage record of Jean Bourassa and Catherine Poitevin, Q.C.P.R.
4 Burial record of Jean Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
5 Navires venus en Nouvelle-France (website)
6 “L’expédition du navire Les Armes d’Amsterdam pour le Canada en 1657,” Guy Perron, 2015 (blog)
7 Baptismal record of François Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
8 Histoire de la seigneurie de Lauzon, Vol. 1, page 433, J. Edmond Roy, 1897
9 Burial record of Perrette Vallée, Q.C.P.R.
10 Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
11 Donation of land record involving Jean Bourassa of Lauzon, June 15, 1711, BAnQ
12 Baptismal record of Pierre Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
13 Baptismal record of Jeanne Bourassa (younger), Q.C.P.R.
14 Baptismal record of Jean Bourassa (younger), Q.C.P.R.
15 Burial record of Jean Bourassa (younger), Q.C.P.R.
16 Marriage record of Jean Bourassa (younger) and Marie-Françoise Méthot, Q.C.P.R.
17 Baptismal record of Marie-Madeleine Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
18 Burial record of Marie-Madeleine Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
19 Marriage record of Jean-François Dussault and Marie-Madeleine Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
20 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Bergeron and Marie-Madeleine Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
21 Baptismal record of René Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
22 Burial record of René Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
23 Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
24 Burial record of Marie-Anne Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
25 Marriage record of Pierre Bouchard and Marie-Anne Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
26 Marriage record of Louis Bosse and Marie-Anne Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
27 Marriage record of Louis Marchand and Jeanne Bourassa (younger), Q.C.P.R.
28 Baptismal record of François Bourassa (younger), Q.C.P.R.
29 Burial record of François Bourassa (younger), Q.C.P.R.
30 Marriage record of François Bourassa (younger) and Marguerite Jourdain, Q.C.P.R.
