M. (1) 6 Feb 1689 in Cap-Santé, New France2
Wife: Marie-Anne Aubert
M. (2) 15 Nov 1713 in Neuville, New France3
Wife: Louise Constantineau
D. 14 May 1715 in Grondines, New France1
In colonial times, women had to defer to their husband’s wishes when it came to matters of property ownership, and this fact played out in the story of Roch Ripault. He came from Poitiers, France, a city that dated back to Roman times. Roch was said to be born there in about 1660 to Pierre Ripault and Marie Duval,1,2 but this is all that is known about his family.
Roch was a late-comer to New France, arriving sometime during the 1680s; perhaps he was a soldier who decided to settle there. He first appeared in records in the parish of Cap-Santé, a community on the north shore of the St. Lawrence between Quebec City and Trois-Rivières. On February 6, 1689, Roch married Marie-Anne Aubert, the daughter of the seigneur of Grondines, Jacques Aubert.2 After their wedding, the couple settled near Marie-Anne’s family. Between 1690 and 1702, they had six children, though there may have been others; the parish register of St-Charles-de-Grondines has pages that are crumbled or missing.
In 1694, Marie-Anne’s father decided to return to France, so he signed over his rights as seigneur to two family members.4 Marie-Anne’s mother, who oddly didn’t move to France with him, was awarded half of the title. The other half was given to Louis Hamelin, who was married to Marie-Anne’s oldest sister. After Marie-Anne’s mother died in February 1697,5 her half of the seigneury (and the land that came with it) went to her three daughters, which meant Roch was now partners with Louis Hamelin and his younger brother, François, who was married to Marie-Anne's other sister. Presumably because Roch needed money, he decided to sell some of the land to Louis Hamelin. It became evident a few years later that Marie-Anne was against the deal; she appeared before the notary of Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade on July 23, 1704, claiming Roch had used “force, beatings, ill-treatment, and excess of speech” presumably to get her signature on the sale.6
Record of Marie-Anne's deposition against Roch. (Source: BAnQ)
The records don’t offer Roch’s side of the story regarding the incident, but for a woman to bring a case against her husband gives credibility to the fact that she wasn’t lying. If it’s true, Roch seems to have had an abusive relationship with his wife, and took advantage of her to make money off of her inheritance. Meanwhile, in 1706, Roch’s father-in-law Aubert returned from France wanting his seigneury back.4 The authorities ruled that he could share the title with Roch and the Hamelin brothers. This meant the small community of Grondines now had four landlords, but Roch was firmly at the bottom of the totem pole.
Things got sorted out as the four men died off. First was father-in-law Aubert, whose life came to an end in June 1710.7 Marie-Anne died on August 29, 1712,8 and Roch remarried to a woman named Louise Constantineau on November 15, 1713.3 Then he himself passed away at Grondines on May 14, 1715.1 The Hamelin brothers Louis and François died in 1718 and 1725.9,10
The seigneury of Grondines passed down through the lines of the Hamelin family. A lasting remembrance of the times when Roch lived there is in a building that survives today. It’s Moulin à vent de Grondines, the oldest windmill in Quebec,11 which stands on the property once owned jointly by Roch and his wife’s family.
Children (all by Marie-Anne Aubert):
1. Jacques Ripault — B. 2 Oct 1690, (probably) Grondines, New France;12 D. 7 May 1772, Grondines, Quebec;13 M. Marie-Françoise Delome (~1695-1760), 27 Apr 1716, Deschambault, New France14
2. Marie Ripault — B. 10 Nov 1693, Grondines, New France;15 D. 25 Mar 1759, Grondines, New France;16 M. Charles Dubord dit Clermond (1681-1749), Jan 1712, Grondines, New France17
3. François-Xavier Ripault — B. 30 Nov 1695, Grondines, New France18
4. Marie-Antoinette Ripault — B. 27 Apr 1697, Grondines, New France;19 D. 30 Mar 1754, Neuville, New France;20 M. François Vandal (1682-1742), 10 Feb 1716, Grondines, New France21
5. Marie-Josephe Ripault — B. 4 Feb 1699, Grondines, New France;22 M. Balthazar Dubord (1694-1765), 30 Jan 1720, Grondines, New France23
6. Madeleine Ripault — B. 31 Oct 1702, Grondines, New France;24 D. 17 Oct 1707, Grondines, New France25
Sources:
1 Burial record of Roch Ripault, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2 Marriage record of Roch Ripault and Marie-Anne Aubert, Q.C.P.R.
3 Marriage record of Roch Ripault and Louise Constantineau, Q.C.P.R.
4 Hamelins of the Grondines (website)
5 Burial record of Antoinette Meunier, Q.C.P.R.
6 Testimony of Marie-Anne Aubert against Roch Ripault, 23 Jul 1704, BAnQ
7 Burial record of Jacques Aubert, Q.C.P.R.
8 Burial record of Marie-Anne Aubert, Q.C.P.R.
9 Burial record of Louis Hamelin, Q.C.P.R.
10 Burial record of François Hamelin, Q.C.P.R.
11 Moulin à vent de Grondines (Wikipedia article)
12 Baptismal record of Jacques Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
13 Burial record of Jacques Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
14 Marriage record of Jacques Ripault and Marie-Françoise Delome, Q.C.P.R.
15 Baptismal record of Marie Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
16 Burial record of Marie Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
17 Marriage record of Charles Dubord and Marie Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
18 Baptismal record of François-Xavier Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
19 Baptismal record of Marie-Antoinette Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
20 Burial record of Marie-Antoinette Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
21 Marriage record of François Vandal and Marie-Antoinette Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
22 Baptismal record of Marie-Josephe Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
23 Marriage record of Balthazar Dubord and Marie-Josephe Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
24 Baptismal record of Madeleine Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
25 Burial record of Madeleine Ripault, Q.C.P.R.
