M. 8 Jan 1692 in St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-de-Lévy, New France2
Wife: Marie-Madeleine Bourassa
D. before 22 Apr 1719 in New France3
At a time when many New France settlers were farmers, Jean-François Dussault made a living operating a small boat along the St. Lawrence River. Jean-François was born in Quebec City on January 4, 1668.1 Perhaps sailing was in his blood because his father was Elie Dussault, a sailor from La Rochelle, and his mother, Madeleine-Euphrosine Nicolet, was the daughter of early Canada explorer, Jean Nicolet. The other quarter of his heritage was from his Native American grandmother, who was of the Nippissing tribe.
Jean-François grew up in the Lower Town of Quebec City, in a house on a small lot that bordered an alley on one side and the river on the other. His father had become a boat master,4 and it’s easy to imagine that Jean-François got a taste of that life early on. Sadly, though, his father died by the time he was 12-years-old; without a burial record, it’s likely he drowned while working on the river. His mother seems to have sold the house in July of 1681,4 and since the property was part of her first marriage, half of the profit went to Jean-François’ older half-sister. It isn’t known how his mother supported the family from that point, and she herself passed away in 1689.5
Without having grown up on a farm, taking up his father’s profession must have been a natural choice for Jean-François. During the 1690s, Quebec City was a lively port that thrived on the transport of goods up and down the St. Lawrence. One document dated August 27, 1692 suggests that he may have been in business with his younger brother Charles, although they seemed to have been in trouble with the law.6 The record is of a legal action against the two brothers, along with three other men also known to be boat masters. One man was found not guilty of the charges, but the rest were heavily fined, including Jean-François and Charles. The record is unclear as to what law they violated; it likely had to do with their work on the river.
Quebec City in about 1700.
By this time, Jean-François had moved to the other side of the river, and he had taken a wife. On January 4, 1692, he married Marie-Madeleine Bourassa at St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-de-Lévy,2 and they settled there near her family. Jean-François continued to work on his boat, a fact noted in a record of a survey of his farm in July 1708.7 Living at Pointe-de-Lévy must have been a good location since it was directly across the water from Quebec City. Jean-François’ first child was born in 1693,8 and by 1715, the family grew to have twelve children, with five who are believed to have died young.
Jean-François was about 51-years-old when he died, but his date of death is unknown. He probably met the same fate as his father, and drowned while working on the river. His wife was described as a widow in a document on April 22, 1719;3 it was concerning the inheritance of their children, and suggests that he died not long before that date. Marie-Madeleine, having been left with several young children, quickly remarried about a month later. She and her second husband moved upriver to St-Antoine-de-Tilly where she passed away in 1742.9
Children:
1. Marie-Anne Dussault — B. 5 Jan 1693, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;8 D. before 2 Sep 1696, (probably) Pointe-de-Lévy, New France10
2. Pierre Dussault — B. 17 Oct 1694, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;11 D. 5 Mar 1783, Pointe-de-Lévy, Quebec;12 M. Genevieve Huard (~1694-1776), 7 Jun 1720, New France13
3. Marie-Anne Dussault — B. before 2 Sep 1696, (probably) Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;10 M. Pierre Thiboutot (1687-1749), 11 Oct 1717, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France14
4. Marguerite Dussault — B. 15 Jan 1699, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;15 D. 26 Feb 1744, Quebec City, New France;16 M. Joseph Bergeron (1699-1772), 6 Sep 1722, St-Antoine-de-Tilly, New France17
5. Jean-Baptiste Dussault — B. 5 Nov 1700, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;18 D. 23 Nov 1700, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France19
6. Madeleine Dussault — B. 24 Nov 1701, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France20
7. Jean Dussault — B. about 5 Nov 1704, (probably) Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;21 D. 13 Oct 1750, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;22 M. Angelique Huard (~1705-1757), 30 Dec 1728, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France23
8. François Dussault — B. about 1706, (probably) Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;24 D. 6 Sep 1741, St-Antoine-de-Tilly, New France;25 M. Marie-Louise Bergeron (1704-1785), 2 May 1729, St-Antoine-de-Tilly, New France26
9. Ignace Dussault — B. 12 Apr 1709, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;27 D. 29 Aug 1711, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France28
10. Jean-Joseph Dussault — B. 27 Oct 1711, (probably) Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;29 D. 15 Mar 1781, Pointe-de-Lévy, Quebec;30 M. Françoise-Charlotte Boucher (1715-1787), 18 Jun 1736, St-Nicolas, New France31
11. Marie-Josephe Dussault — B. 22 Oct 1714, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;32 D. 29 Oct 1714, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France33
12. André Dussault — B. 1715, (probably) Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;34 D. 24 Jul 1733, St-Antoine-De-Tilly, New France34
Sources:
1 Baptismal record of Jean-François Dussault, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2 Marriage record of Jean-François Dussault and Marie-Madeleine Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
3 Guardianship of the minors of the late Jean Dussault, April 19, 1722, BAnQ
4 Property sale contract of Madeleine Nicolet, July 27, 1681, BAnQ
5 Burial record of Madeleine-Euphrosine Nicolet, Q.C.P.R.
6 Court record of Jean Thierry and Jacques Batreau vs. Jean Dussault and others, August 27, 1692, BAnQ
7 Land survey Jean Dussault and others, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France, July 27-28, 1708, BAnQ
8 Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Dussault (older), Q.C.P.R.
9 Burial record of Marie-Madeleine Bourassa, Q.C.P.R.
10 Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Dussault (younger), Q.C.P.R.
11 Baptismal record of Pierre Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
12 Burial record of Pierre Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
13 Marriage record of Pierre Dussault and Genevieve Huard, Q.C.P.R.
14 Marriage record of Pierre Thiboutot and Marie-Anne Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
15 Baptismal record of Marguerite Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
16 Burial record of Marguerite Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
17 Marriage record of Joseph Bergeron and Marguerite Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
18 Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
19 Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
20 Baptismal record of Madeleine Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
21 Estimated birth of Jean Dussault, Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
22 Burial record of Jean Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
23 Marriage record of Jean Dussault and Angelique Huard, Q.C.P.R.
24 Estimated birth of François Dussault, Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
25 Burial record of François Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
26 Marriage record of François Dussault and Marie-Louise Bergeron, Q.C.P.R.
27 Baptismal record of Ignace Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
28 Burial record of Ignace Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
29 Baptismal record of Joseph-Marie Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
30 Burial record of Joseph-Marie Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
31 Marriage record of Joseph-Marie Dussault and Françoise-Charlotte Boucher, Q.C.P.R.
32 Baptismal record of Marie-Josephe Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
33 Burial record of Marie-Josephe Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
34 Burial record of André Dussault, Q.C.P.R.
