M. 16 October 1670 in Quebec City, New France2
Wife: Marie Briere
D. before 20 Aug 1679 in (probably) Lauzon, New France3
Jean Guay was in the prime of his life when he seemed to have met with some sort of tragedy. He was born in Caen, France, a city in Normandy, on August 10, 1643.1 Jean’s parents were André Guay (sometimes spelled Le Guay) and Anne Lamy. At five-days-old, Jean was baptized at St-Gilles, a 12th-century church that was destroyed in World War II.
The church where Jean was baptized.
The first time Jean appeared in New France records was in the 1667 census, living on the south coast at Lauzon.4 He was one of three men working on the farm of François Bissot, an early pioneer who lived in Quebec City. Bissot was said to have a preference for hiring migrants from his home province of Normandy, and Jean fits this narrative. This suggests that he entered the colony as an “engaged servant,” a laborer who signed a contract before getting on a ship. Typically a term of service lasted three years, and after Jean’s contract was up, he decided to stay in New France.
In the fall of 1670, Jean went to Quebec City to find a wife among that year’s Filles du Roi, and on September 14th, he signed a contract with Marie Briere, who was also a Normandy native.5 Their wedding ceremony was at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec on October 16th.2 The two settled in Lauzon, where they started a family with the birth of a son about a year later. Then followed five more children, the youngest one born on August 6, 1679. Parish records show that Jean was in attendance at the baby’s baptism held the next day at Quebec City.6
Shockingly, just two weeks later on August 20th, Marie signed a contract to marry another man, Martin Guedon,3 so Jean passed away before that date. The timing seems to indicate his death occurred a day or two after his child’s baptism. With the lack of a burial record, it’s likely that he drowned; perhaps he fell into the river on their return from Quebec City, although this is speculation. Marie couldn’t survive very easily on a farm with six young children, and her quick remarriage seems to have been a necessity. She spent many years with her second husband, and died some time before November 26, 1709.7
Both of Jean’s sons went on to become involved in the fur trade, and each spent time in the Great Lakes area. Oldest son Alexis was hired for an expedition out of Montreal in 1702 that took him all the way to the Mississippi River.8 And Jean’s other son, Jean-Baptiste, signed up for a 1701 mission that was credited with the founding of Detroit.9 His name is one of 52 men is on the Cadillac Convoy Plaque in downtown Detroit, which was dedicated in 2002.
Jean's son is listed at the top of the second column on the Cadillac Convoy Plaque.
Children:
1. Alexis Guay — B. 4 Sep 1671, Lauzon, New France;10 D. before 22 Jul 1728, New France;11 M. Elisabeth Dizy (~1672-1703), 26 Jan 1698, Champlain, New France1
2. Rosalie Guay — B. 26 Mar 1673, Lauzon, New France;13 D. 22 Jan 1749, Baie-du-Febvre, New France;14 M. (1) Silvain Duplais (1670-?), 28 Jun 1694, Quebec City, New France;15 (2) Julien Laniel (~1663-1726), 28 Aug 1703, Quebec City, Quebec16
3. Marie Guay — B. 19 Dec 1674, Lauzon, New France;17 D. 19 Sep 1747, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, New France;18 M. François Dubois (1668-1714), 18 Jan 1695, Quebec City, New France19
4. Catherine Guay — B. 24 May 1676, Lauzon, New France;20 after 26 Nov 1709, (probably) New France7
5. Jean-Baptiste Guay — B. 23 Jun 1678, Lauzon, New France;21 D. 5 Aug 1705, Montreal, New France22
6. Marie-Angelique Guay — B. 6 Aug 1679, Lauzon, New France;6 D. 8 Oct 1704, Quebec City, New France;23 M. Jean Boucher (1671-?), 16 Oct 1696, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, New France24
Sources:
1 Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique français listing for Jean Guay
2 Marriage record of Jean Guay and Marie Biere, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3 Marriage contract of Martin Guedon and Marie Briere
4 Recensement de 1667 en Nouvelle-France
5 King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers—1663-1673, Peter Gagne, 2000
6 Baptismal record of Marie-Angelique Guay, Q.C.P.R.
7 Mutual donation record of Catherine Guay, BAnQ
8 Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique français listing for Alexis Guay
9 Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique français listing for Jean-Baptiste Guay
10 Baptismal record of Alexis Guay, Q.C.P.R.
11 Marriage record of René Guay (son of Alexis) and Therese Mouet, Q.C.P.R.
12 Marriage record of Alexis Guay and Elisabeth Dizy, Q.C.P.R.
13 Baptismal record of Rosalie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
14 Burial record of Rosalie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
15 Marriage record of Silvain Duplais and Rosalie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
16 Marriage record of Julian Laniel and Rosalie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
17 Baptismal record of Marie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
18 Burial record of Marie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
19 Marriage record of François Dubois and Marie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
20 Baptismal record of Catherine Guay, Q.C.P.R.
21 Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Guay, Q.C.P.R.
22 Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Guay, Q.C.P.R.
23 Burial record of Marie-Angelique Guay, Q.C.P.R.
24 Marriage record of Jean Boucher and Marie-Angelique Guay, Q.C.P.R.
