Broken Fences and Hitting a Servant Girl — Henry Kimball

B. about Aug 1615 in Rattlesden, England
M. (1) 1640 in Massachusetts
Wife: Mary Riddlesdale
M. (2) before 1675
Wife: Elizabeth Black
D. 3 May 1676 in Wenham, Massachusetts

Henry Kimball survives in the records of a couple of court cases in colonial New England. He was born in 1615 in the village of Rattlesden, England to Richard Kimball and Ursula Scott, the oldest of their 13 children. His father was a wheelwright; many men in the family worked as craftsmen, but Henry isn’t known to have been one of them.

When Henry was 18-years-old, he joined his family as part of the Puritan migration to America, landing at Boston in June 1634 on the ship Elizabeth. The Kimballs first settled in Watertown, but within a couple of years, Henry’s parents and siblings moved up the coast to Ipswich, leaving him on his own. In about 1640, he married a woman named Mary Riddlesdale, probably in Watertown. They had three children before relocating to Ipswich in about 1646; the family eventually grew to have 13 children.

Kimball family on passenger list for ship Elizabeth.

In about 1655, Henry moved to Wenham, a small settlement established a decade earlier. Along with operating a farm, he ran a tavern from his home for at least a couple of years; his license issued in 1656 allowed him to serve “wine and strong water.” In 1669, Henry was appointed to be a constable; typically that office meant he kept order in the town, and sometimes arrested those who broke the law.

Henry was involved in a court dispute in March 1656 when one of his neighbors’ cows got into his cornfield and trampled his crop. The trouble was caused by some broken fences, but it wasn’t explained in the court transcripts how they had been damaged; another man named Nathaniel Stow also lost 25 bushels of his corn due to the same problem. 

Cows in the cornfield. (AI-generated image)

Later that year in September, Henry was sued by a man named Richard Shatswell for “striking his maid.” The servant, Mary Parker, was about 14 or 15 when Henry supposedly hit her; it isn’t mentioned what prompted the act, or even if he was actually guilty.

Henry’s wife Mary died at an unknown date between 1668 and 1675, and he remarried to a widow named Elizabeth Raynor, who helped care for his younger children. In 1675, King Philip’s War affected most of Massachusetts, and son Caleb served in the militia; sadly, he was killed in a battle the western part of the colony.

On May 3, 1676, Henry died at Wenham and was survived by his wife Elizabeth. Henry was the ancestor of John and Charles Pillsbury, founders of Pillsbury Co.

Children:
1. Mary Kimball — B. 29 Nov 1641, Watertown, Massachusetts

2. Richard Kimball — B. 13 Oct 1643, Watertown, Massachusetts; D. 30 Jul 1715, Wenham, Massachusetts; M. Rebecca Abbe (~1647-1704), 13 May 1667, Wenham, Massachusetts

3. John Kimball — B. 25 Dec 1645, Watertown, Massachusetts; D. about May 1726, Amesbury, Massachusetts

4. Caleb Kimball — B. about 1647, Ipswich, Massachusetts; D. 18 Sep 1675, South Deerfield, Massachusetts

5. Dorcas Kimball — B. about 1649, Ipswich, Massachusetts; M. Thomas Dow (1640-1676), 17 Dec 1668, Haverhill, Massachusetts

6. Abigail Kimball — B. about 1652, Ipswich, Massachusetts; D. 14 May 1693, Rowley, Massachusetts; M. John Wicom (~1647-1715), 17 May 1673, Rowley, Massachusetts

7. Sarah Kimball — B. about 1654, Ipswich, Massachusetts; D. 16 Sep 1692, Bradford, Massachusetts; M. Daniel Gage (1639-1705), 3 May 1675, Bradford, Massachusetts

8. Henry Kimball — B. about 1655, Ipswich, Massachusetts; D. 14 Dec 1697, Haverhill, Massachusetts; M. Hannah Marsh (1657-1697), 14 Dec 1677, Haverhill, Massachusetts

9. Mehitable Kimball — B. about 1658, Wenham, Massachusetts; D. 7 Dec 1689, Bradford, Massachusetts; M. Thomas Stickney (1646-1714)

10. Benjamin Kimball — B. 12 Dec 1659, Wenham, Massachusetts

11. Joseph Kimball — B. 20 Jan 1661, Wenham, Massachusetts; D. about Apr 1713, Boston, Massachusetts

12. Martha Kimball — B. 18 Aug 1664, Wenham, Massachusetts; D. 27 Dec 1728, Salisbury, Massachusetts; M. (1) Daniel Chase (1661-1707), 25 Aug 1683, Newbury, Massachusetts; (2) Josiah Heath (1651-?), 1713, Essex County, Massachusetts

13. Deborah Kimball — B. about 1668, Wenham, Massachusetts

Sources:
History of the Kimball Family in America From 1634 to 1897, Leonard Allison Morrison and Stephen Paschall Sharples, 1897
Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Volume II, edited by George Francis Drew, 1913
Great Migration: Passengers of the Elizabeth, 1634 & 1635 (website)
Essex County (Massachusetts) Registry of Probate
WikiTree

From Backwoods Virginia to Boone Country — John Bryan

B. about 1730 in (probably) Frederick County, Virginia
M. about 1749 in Rowan County, North Carolina
Wife: Sarah ________
D. before Nov 1800 in Rowan County, North Carolina

John Bryan was a member of a family who had origins in high places in Europe, yet ended up populating the American frontier during the 18th-century. John and his brothers were part of the first group of settlers to venture into Kentucky under the guidance of Daniel Boone, although he didn’t stay permanently.

John’s parents, Morgan and Martha (Strode) Bryan,  had unusual stories of how they ended up in America. Morgan’s heritage was English, Irish, Welsh and Dutch, and may have descended from nobility who served in the court of Henry VIII, although there is no hard evidence of this lineage. Morgan’s mother was definitely of highborn English stock, and her male line followed a course of needing to leave England because they weren't firmly loyal to the crown. Eventually, Morgan and Martha met and married in Chester County, Pennsylvania.

Among Morgan and Martha’s nine children, John was the fourth son and sixth child. Although they had started their family in Pennsylvania, it’s believed that John was the first child born after the move to the Opequon Creek region of Frederick County, Virginia. This was in about 1730, and he would spend the first 18 years of his life in Virginia. When Morgan prepared to move his family to North Carolina, he sent out some of his sons to scout the territory, and it’s likely that John was part of this group. It was a journey of over 300 miles over backwoods trails.

John’s father was very old by this time, and it was his plan to provide plots of land for all of his adult children. The number of Bryan family members involved in this migration gave the area the name Bryan Settlement. The land that was to be John’s was surveyed “on the bank of the Yadkin River below Mill Creek/Mulberry Field.” This was a tract of 313 acres where he probably built a cabin, and soon after, he got married. His new wife is assumed by researchers to be the same person mentioned in his will, and she was only known by the name Sarah. If this is correct, John and Sarah had a family of nine children born between about 1752 and 1768; each married and had families, giving John a wealth of descendants. 

John’s note of consent for his oldest daughter’s marriage.

During the late 1750s, the Cherokee War took place in the Carolinas and Tennessee. It doesn’t appear that John took refuge by leaving the area with his family like others did, but they may have gone to a fort when the action got too close to home. After things quieted down in 1760, John added to his farmland by purchasing 449 acres from his brother-in-law William Linville, although it isn’t thought that John ever lived on this property. In 1762, he sold his original 313 acres so he could move his family to another tract of land. John then purchased 646 acres of land, and later another 560 acres. This second tract he sold in two parts in 1763, and again, he never made use of it himself.

John’s niece was the wife of Daniel Boone, and many of the Bryans, including John, were part of his early ventures into Kentucky. The first of Boone’s treks was in the fall of 1773 when he led 40 extended family members through the Cumberland Gap. Unfortunately, the group was forced to turn back after Indians attacked them, killing six. Two years later, when Boone led a group on another trip to Kentucky, it’s less certain that John was among them, but he likely was. This effort also didn’t end well because after they built some cabins, there was more violence from local tribes, and most of the settlers returned to Rowan County for a couple more years. 

Daniel Boone leading group through the Cumberland Gap.

The planned migration of the Bryans into Kentucky finally took place in 1779, but instead of joining his siblings, it’s believed that John took on the task of filing their land claim at the office in Williamsburg, Virginia. He may have afterwards delivered the paperwork to the Kentucky settlement, but more likely that was handled by a nephew named William. Sadly, William was killed by Indians a few months later while out hunting. The experience of the Bryans trying to settle in Kentucky wasn’t a good one, and most of them came back to North Carolina the following year.

The Boone expeditions happened at the same time as the beginning of the American Revolution. The Bryan family were said to have had Tory sympathies, although to what degree, it isn’t known. Speculation is that Bryan Tories were against the local colonial leadership (as opposed to being in support of the English crown), and they saw escape to Kentucky as a way to avoid being conscripted to fight. It appears that John never served in the military on either side in the revolution, or at any other time. One thing that did affect him was that American leaders didn’t recognize land claims awarded under British rule, so John had to file for new land, which he did on February 16, 1778. This tract of 400 acres moved him well south of the Rowan County Bryan Settlement.

As the theater of war moved into the Carolinas, John seems to have remained neutral, but at least one of his nephews, James Bryan, joined Cornwallis’ army, and was killed in a rebel ambush. Also around this time, John’s own son John died, but it isn’t certain if he was also fighting for the British or not. John appeared in support of his son’s widow, Rebecca, and they both were administrators of John Jr.’s estate. He later became guardian for his son’s three children.

By 1787, tax lists show that John’s household consisted only he and his wife Sarah. In his old age, John made out a will dated November 18, 1797, and he died about two years later in early 1800. The will revealed that he owned at least four slaves. Two of them were left to his wife and a son, and two young women were ordered to be sold so that the money could pay off his debts — a cruel fate all too common in the South at that time. John made his mark on the will showing that was illiterate in spite of his relative wealth. Sarah survived him, but it isn’t known when she died.

Children:
1. Jane Bryan — B. about 1752, Rowan County, North Carolina; D. after Nov 1800; M. John Orton (~1748-~1825), 26 May 1770, Rowan County, North Carolina

2. John Bryan — B. about 1754, Rowan County, North Carolina; D. before 7 Aug 1781, (probably) Kentucky; M. Rebecca Orton (~1755-?), 26 Aug 1774, Rowan County, North Carolina

3. Samuel Bryan — B. about 1756, Rowan County, North Carolina; D. 1832, Davidson County, Tennessee; M. Margaret Morrow (~1760-1841), after 11 Aug 1784, Orange County, North Carolina

4. Jannet Bryan — B. about 1759, Rowan County, North Carolina; D. before 2 May 1808, Rowan County, North Carolina; M. Joseph Orton (~1758-1807), after 28 Sep 1780, Rowan County, North Carolina

5. Sarah Bryan — B. about 1760, Rowan County, North Carolina; D. after 1797; M. Zechariah Allen (1760-1838), about 1780, Rowan County North Carolina

6. Elizabeth Bryan — B. about 1762, Rowan County, North Carolina; D. after 1821, (probably) Rowan County, North Carolina; M. John Davis (?-1821), 22 Feb 1787, Rowan County, North Carolina

7. Mary Bryan — B. about 1764, Rowan County, North Carolina; D. about 1817, Tennessee; M. Thomas Huey (~1763-~1825), after 7 Feb 1787, Rowan County, North Carolina

8. Margery Bryan — B. about 1768, Rowan County, North Carolina; D. Dec 1846, Greene County, Illinois; M. Thomas Allen (~1766-1832), after 26 May 1789, Rowan County, North Carolina

9. James Bryan — B. about 1768, Rowan County, North Carolina; 1797, Rowan County, North Carolina; M. Margaret Johnston (~1770-?), before 8 Dec 1790, Rowan County, North Carolina

Sources:
Morgan Bryan (1671-1763) A Danish Born “Irish Immigrant” and Some of His Antecedents and Descendants, V. 2, David Cornelius McMurtry, David Randall Bryan, Kathryn Horton Weiss, 2007

Probate records of John Bryan, 1800, Rowan County, North Carolina

Fille du Roi Married to a Fur Trader — Marie Blanchard

B. 15 Jan 1647 in Rouen, France
M. (1) 10 Nov 1667 in Quebec City, New France
Husband: Mathieu Brunet dit LeTang
M. (2) about 1713 in New France
Husband: Yves Lucas dit St-Renaud
D. 29 Jul 1722 in Lachine, New France

The story of Marie Blanchard tells of the adventure that some French women got when signing up to be a bride in New France. While many ended up raising families on farms near Quebec City, her fate played out rather differently.

Marie was born in Rouen, France on January 15, 1647. Her parents were Jean Blanchard and Martine Lebas, but everything else about her origins is unknown. At age 20, whatever her circumstances were, Marie agreed to marry a man in New France, becoming one of the Filles du Roi. On June 10, 1667, she boarded the ship Le St-Louis in Dieppe along with around 80 other women, and a number of men who were also emigrating. The women later reported that those running the ship didn't provide enough food, with only a small ration in the morning, and dinner being “a little biscuit.” The ship arrived over three months later in Quebec, and 16 of the women had become sick. 

On board the ship to New France. (AI-generated image)

Once in Canada, Marie and the other Filles du Roi were courted by prospective husbands, and she soon found one who would marry her. His name was Mathieu Brunet dit LeTang, a young man who had arrived within the year, possibly on the same ship as Marie. Their marriage took place on November 10, 1667 in Quebec City. There was reportedly no marriage contract (for some reason, Mathieu and Marie had one drawn up 12 years later). Married couples in New France were encouraged to have large families, and Marie gave birth to ten children between about 1668 and 1688.

Instead of staying near the more-established settlement of Quebec City, Marie and her husband moved to Champlain, and later, Cap-de-la-Madeleine. These were places upriver, far from the heart of the colony. In 1673, Mathieu was sued in a dispute involving hitting a woman and injuring her, but it’s not clear if Marie was actually the one to blame; the matter was settled with the payment of a fine. Mathieu and Marie lived in a somewhat rugged place, and when she had a child on January 3, 1674, the baptism took place six days later “by a visiting priest from Trois-Rivières.” The lack of permanent clergyman was a hardship many settlers had to face. 

Cap-de-la-Madeleine.

Around this time, Mathieu became involved in fur trading, and by 1683, was organizing expeditions to the west. Not long after that, the family relocated further west to the Montreal area. For a time they lived in Lachine, but moved away before the terrible massacre of 1689.

Being married to a fur trader meant having your husband away on expeditions for long periods of time, sometimes for more than a year. This left Marie to manage the farm and see to it that her children were fed, without having a man around. For the first of Mathieu’s journeys in the spring of 1683, he put it in his contract that Marie be provided with 600 livres while he was away. He was gone for more than a year, but within a short time he planned another more extensive trip, one that took him all the way into what is now Minnesota. On May 17, 1685, a document signed in Montreal formally provided for Marie during Mathieu’s expected long absence; he didn’t come home until 1687, but it was his final journey out west.

On November 4, 1687, Mathieu and Marie signed a farm lease for five years on the Saint-Pierre River in the town of Hautmesnil. Five years later, they bought property in Montreal, on “Place d’Armes” which was “near the western edge of the walled community.” The lot was very small — only 12-1/2 feet wide along the back — and they paid just 450 livres for it. It had no house on it and he promised to build one. The property was then turned over to their oldest son Michel. In early 1700, a document gave Mathieu and Marie’s residence as Côte-St-Paul, which was part of Lachine, and this may have been where they lived out their last few years together.

Mathieu died at age 60 in December 1708, and in about 1713, Marie married Yves Lucas dit St-Renaud, a man who was about 18 years younger than she was. By now the fur trade frontier had moved far to the west; Yves made a living as a barrel maker. Marie and her young husband continued to live in Lachine, and that’s where she passed away on July 29, 1722. Yves survived her by just a few years, dying in 1726. By virtue of being a 17th-century settler of New France, Marie had several famous descendants, including Dan Aykroyd, Liza Minelli and Rudy Vallée.

Children:
1. Michel Brunet — B. about 1668

2. Jeanne Brunet — B. about 1670; D. 1704; M. François Huart, 12 Apr 1684, Champlain, New France

3. Marie-Anne Brunet — B. about 1672; D. 6 Nov 1747, Pointe Claire, New France; M. (1) Antoine Pilon (~1664-1715), 10 Jan 1689, Montreal, New France; (2) Laurent Godin, 26 Jun 1719, Pointe Claire, New France

4. Jean Brunet — B. 3 Jan 1674, Cap-de-Madeleine, New France; D. Mar 1723, Pointe Claire, New France, M. Marie Perrier, 19 Oct 1694, Lachine, New France

5. Pierre Brunet — B. 13 Feb 1676, Cap-de-Madeleine, New France

6. Marie Brunet — B. 25 Oct 1677, Cap-de-Madeleine, New France; D. Jan 1756, Ste-Genevieve, Pierrefonds, New France; M. François Bigras dit Fauvel (1665-1731), 31 Aug 1693, Montreal, New France

7. Jacques Brunet — 30 Jul 1680, Champlain, New France; D. about Nov 1708, Montreal, New France; M. Jeanne Verray, 14 Nov 1701, Lachine, New France

8. Catherine Brunet — B. 5 Nov 1681, Champlain, New France; M. Honoré Danis (1669-1722), 15 Nov 1694, Lachine, New France

9. Marguerite Brunet — B. 19 Aug 1683, Champlain, New France; D. 3 Aug 1699, Lachine, New France

10. Mathieu Brunet — B. Sep 1688, Montreal, New France; D. Nov 1706, Montreal, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Navires venus en Nouvelle-France (website)
King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers—1663-1673, Peter Gagne, 2000
WikiTree

Phantoms of the French Fur Trade: Twenty Men Who Worked in the Trade Between 1618 and 1758, Vol. 2, Timothy J. Kent, 2015

Building First Church in Brooklyn — Auke Janse Van Nuys

B. about 1621 in (probably) Nuis, Groningen, Netherlands
M. (1) 23 Apr 1645 in Amsterdam, Netherlands
Wife: Magdalena Pieters
M. (2) about 16 Dec 1666
Wife: Lysabet Janse
M. (3) 17 Jul 1681 in New York
Wife: Geertje Gysbrechts
D. 1698 in (probably) New Utrecht, New York

When men came from Europe to populate America during the 17th century, it helped to have a valuable skill. For Auke Janse Van Nuys, that was being a carpenter, and he used his trade to help build early New Amsterdam and Brooklyn.

Auke was born in about 1621 in the village of Nuis, which was where he got the name “Van Nuys.” His parents’ identity is unproven, but it’s believed that his ancestors escaped from France in the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre of 1572. Auke had at least one brother, whose name was Goosen.

The village of Nuis.

By the time Auke was in his 20s, he had moved to Amsterdam, becoming an apprentice in the trade of building construction. On April 23, 1645, he married a woman named Magdalena Pieters, and they began a family, which included four children by 1651. Auke became a poorter on April 24, 1647, which meant he was a citizen of Amsterdam, enjoying rights and privileges above other residents of the city. This was a necessary step for someone seeking to join a professional guild, and likely meant that Auke started working as a carpenter around that time.

Marriage record of Auke Janse Van Nuys and Magdalena Pieters.

In about 1651, Auke made the decision to migrate to the Dutch colony in America, and he, his wife and four young children sailed to New Amsterdam. Auke soon hired out for construction projects, working on houses and other buildings that were beginning to crowd the tip of Manhattan — some of the earliest structures in what is now New York City.

According to New Amsterdam records from the 1650s, Auke’s work sometimes received complaints, and a few people refused to pay him. In one project from early 1653, a woman claimed that Auke damaged her house, and the repairs would cost more than the fee he wanted for his work. Later that year, Auke tried to collect payment from a man who said the work he had done was poor and “spoiled the timber” of his house. Auke’s skills as a carpenter were again called into question with a wall that he and another carpenter built along the town’s canal. In the summer of 1654, heavy rains caused the structure to cave in, and Auke had to help rebuild it at no cost.

Building houses in New Amsterdam. (AI-generated image)

In October 1655, all of the men in the colony were asked for money to pay for the expense of improving the fortification of New Amsterdam. A handful of men volunteered to work on it instead of paying money, and Aucke was one of them, offering one to two days of labor. It’s not known if this arrangement was carried out.

Auke and his family only remained in New Amsterdam for a couple of years, and on May 6, 1653, he sold his property and relocated to the site of what would become Flatbush. The settlers there formed a new church in 1654, and Auke was one of the carpenters hired to build it, the first house of worship in what is now Brooklyn. Governor Stuyvesant ordered that the church be at least 60 feet long, and 28 feet wide, with a ceiling height of 12 to 14 feet. The project took six years and the church stood until 1699, replaced with a more solid one that lasted another 100 years. The current church was built in the 1790s, but still occupies the site of where Auke helped build the original one.

Auke and his wife Magdalena had five children born in New Netherland, with the youngest in about 1662. Magdalena died that year, and Auke remarried in about December of 1666 to a widow named Lysbet Jans. The couple had no children and she passed away in April 1681. In July of that year, he married a third time to another widow, Geertje Gysbrechts. Auke lived in various towns during this part of his life, including Flatbush, Brooklyn Ferry and New Utrecht. He made out his will on May 15, 1694 and passed away in 1698. He was buried in the graveyard at the church that he had helped build.

The name Van Nuys, that Auke brought to America, was spread throughout the country among his many descendants. One of them, Isaac Newton Van Nuys (1836-1912), gave his name to the town of Van Nuys, California, part of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles.

Children (all by Magdalena Pieters):
1. Annetje Auckes Van Nuys — B. about Jan 1646, Amsterdam, Netherlands; M. (1) Wijnant Pieterse Van Eck (1640-1695), 4 Dec 1661, Brooklyn, New Netherland; (2) Dirck Janse Woertman (1630-1694), about 4 Dec 1691, Brooklyn, New York

2. Geertruyd Auckes Van Nuys — B. about Jun 1647, Amsterdam, Netherlands; D. about 1691, Flatbush, New York; M. Joost Franz (1640-~1696)

3. Jannetje Auckes Van Nuys — B. about Nov 1648, Amsterdam, Netherlands; D. 17 Sep 1721, New York; M. Reynier Arentsen (~1641-?), 28 Apr 1666

4. Jan Auckes Van Nuys — B. about Dec 1650, Amsterdam, Netherlands; D. 1710, Brooklyn, New York; M. (1) Barbara Provoost (1653-1679), 29 Jul 1673, New York, New York; (2) Eva Janse (1660-?), 4 Apr 1680, Midwout, New York

5. Abigail Auckes Van Nuys — B. about 1651, New Netherland; D. 19 Jul 1748, Flatbush, New York; M. Leffert Pietersen (1645-1704),1675, Flatbush, New York

6. Pieter Auckes Van Nuys — B. about Oct 1652, New Netherland; D. (probably) young

7. Jacobus Auckes Van Nuys — B. about 1654, Flatbush, New Netherland; D. about 6 Dec 1710, Flatbush, New York; M. Maria Cornell (~1664-?), 26 Apr 1685, Flatbush, New York

8. Ida Auckes Van Nuys — B. about 1656, Flatbush, New Netherland

9. Femmetje Auckes Van Nuys — B. about Jan 1662, New Netherland; D. 20 Nov 1735, Flatlands, New York; M. Jan Van Voorhees (1652-1735), 8 Oct 1680, Flatbush, New York

Sources:
The Father and Brother of Aucke Jans Van Nuys, Elizabeth A. Johnson, 2012 
Flatbush Reformed Church (website)
The records of New Amsterdam from 1653 to 1674, Berthold Fernow and Edmund Bailey, 1897
WikiTree

Shoemaker from Picardie — Philippe Destroismaisons

B. 15 Oct 1637 in Montreuil-sur-Mer, Picardie, France
M. 18 Nov 1669 in Château-Richer, New France
Wife: Martine Crosnier
D. after 20 Aug 1716 in St-Pierre-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France

Philippe Destroismaisons was one of the many young men who was attracted to populate New France in the 1660s, making a life as a shoemaker and raising a large family. He had his beginnings in the village of Montreuil-sur-Mer, located in Picardie, France, born there on October 15, 1637. His parents were Adam Destroismaisons and Antoinette Leroux, and he was one of at least five children. Philippe’s curious surname “Destroismaisons” translates into “the three houses,” which was the name of a village in Picardie where Philippe’s grandfather had been born in the late 16th century. At one time, the village was known for its three houses, but the dwellings and the village are long gone.

Of Philippe’s early life, little is known. His father was a gunsmith who died before Philippe was 12-years-old. His mother had passed away as well, and it’s likely that Philippe was apprenticed at this time to learn the trade of cordonnier, or shoemaker. The job of shoemaker was that of a craftsman who made his product by hand, stitching pieces of leather over a form sized to the individual’s foot. Fashion in the 17th century meant that Philippe would have learned to make tall boots as well as shoes for his customers.

Cordonniers at work.

At some point as a young man, Phillipe saw the opportunity to migrate to New France. It isn’t known exactly when he arrived. By 1666, he was living in Beaupré, downriver from Quebec City, making shoes for the settlers. The following year, he had become a servant of Bertrand Chesnay de la Garenne in Château-Richer. Besides Chesnay and his family, his household had eight servants, and all were young men like Philippe. There were also 14 head of cattle, a substantial amount, and likely the hired men did farm labor for Chesnay.

In 1669, Philippe sought to start a family, and he arranged to marry one of the Filles du Roi who had arrived that year. His bride was Martine Crosnier, who brought a dowry of 200 livres plus an additional 50 livres as “the king’s gift.” The wedding took place in Château-Richer on November 18th. Their first child was born a year later, followed by 11 more, with the last born in 1691. Remarkably, only one of the children died young.

Philippe and his family lived in Château-Richer on a tract of land with 2 arpents of river frontage which he had purchased in 1670. He sold this land in 1679 and moved to Montmagny, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence. The 1681 census showed him living there with his family, still working as a shoemaker as well as farming his land.

It isn’t known exactly when Philippe died, but he likely lived past the age of 80. He last appeared alive on a document dated August 20, 1716. Philippe was the ancestor of Madonna, Alex Trebek and Chloë Sevigny.

Children:
1. Angelique Destroismaisons — B. 26 Oct 1670, Château-Richer, New France; D. 26 Feb 1744, Montmagny, New France; M. (1) Alphonse Morin (1650-1711), 24 Nov 1692, Montmagny, New France; (2) Jean-François Langlois (1667-1715), 30 Apr 1714, Montmagny, New France

2. Marie Destroismaisons — B. 2 Jun 1672, Château-Richer, New France; D. 11 Feb 1757, Montmagny, New France; M. Jean Rousseau (~1662-1713), 22 Jun 1699, Montmagny, New France

3. Françoise Destroismaisons — B. 1 Jan 1674, Château-Richer, New France; D. 22 Jan 1715, Montmagny, New France; M. Charles Langelier (1670-1717), 2 Jun 1692, Château-Richer, New France

4. Marguerite Destroismaisons — B. 14 May 1675, Château-Richer, New France; D. 2 Apr 1703, Château-Richer, New France; M. Jean-Baptiste Malboeuf (~1665-1733), 18 Feb 1692, Montmagny, New France

5. Philippe Destroismaisons — B. 9 May 1677, Château-Richer, New France; D. 6 Jan 1688, Montmagny, New France

6. François Destroismaisons — B. 22 Nov 1678, Château-Richer, New France; D. 29 May 1749, St-Pierre-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France; M. Marie-Françoise Daniau dite Laprise (1676-1759), 3 Nov 1700, Montmagny, New France

7. Louise Destroismaisons — B. 3 Apr 1680, Montmagny, New France; D. 30 Jun 1755, St-François-du-Sud, New France; M. Jacques Daniau dit Laprise (1672-1751), 31 Aug 1702, Montmagny, New France

8. Genevieve Destroismaisons — B. 8 Jun 1682, Montmagny, New France; D. before Jan 1711, Montmagny, New France; M. Robert Vaillancourt (1678-1749), 28 Sep 1704, Montmagny, New France

9. Charles Destroismaisons — B. 22 May 1684, Montmagny, New France; D. 13 Apr 1750, Montmagny, New France; M. (1) Marie-Madeleine Blanchet (1676-?), 27 May 1709, Montmagny, New France; (2) Marie-Madeleine Boulay (1699-?), 30 Sep 1721, Montmagny, New France; (3) Marie-Anne Fontaine (1707-1783), before 1733, New France

10. Anne Destroismaisons — B. 20 Apr 1686, Montmagny, New France; D. 4 Apr 1721, Berthier-en-Bas, New France; M. Michel Chartier (1667-1750), 7 Jan 1704, Montmagny, New France

11. Jacques Destroismaisons — B. 2 Sep 1688, Montmagny, New France; D. 17 Apr 1756, St-Pierre-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France; M. Marie-Madeleine Pelletier (1694-1776), 30 Oct 1710, St-Pierre de Île d’Orleans, New France

12. Agathe Destroismaisons — B. 16 Jan 1691, Montmagny, New France; D. 14 Sep 1730, New France; M. Pierre Proulx (1681-1757), 8 Jun 1711, Montmagny, New France

Sources:
Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours, Cyprien Tanguay, 1890
Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997
WikiTree

Deaf Immigrant to New France — Simon Chapacou

B. about 1626 in Saintes, Charente-Maritime, France
M. about 1651 in Néré, Charente-Maritime, France
Wife: Marie-Vincente Pacaud
D. 3 Jun 1690 in Longueuil, New France

Simon Chapacou had a disability that was unusual for a 17th century immigrant to America: he was deaf. His date of birth and the identity of his parents are unknown, but he was said to be from the city of Saintes in western France. Later documents giving his age showed that he was likely born in about 1626. He may have been hearing impaired from birth, based on the reported fact that he couldn't speak.

The place Simon was said to be born.

In about 1651, Simon married a woman named Marie-Vincente Pacaud at the village of Néré. They had at least two children before making the decision to migrate to New France in about 1663. After settling in the colony, they had four more children by 1670, with one dying as an infant. The family lived in an area outside of Quebec City called Côte Saint-Michel de Sillery.

Besides being deaf and unable to talk, Simon was also illiterate, so his wife handled his legal transactions, such as acquiring property. In 1666 and 1667, they lived on what was described as 8 arpents of land. Later, on February 11, 1675, they sold a tract that was 2 arpents by 40 arpents for 350 livres; it’s not known whether this was the same land where they lived during the mid-1660s.

Shortly after Simon sold his land, he and his wife were involved in a scheme that got them in trouble with the law. A young man named Simon Raymond dit Deslauriers raided and robbed the Hôtel-Dieu in Quebec City, and some of the items he stole ended up in the possession of Simon and his wife. The three were arrested along with at least one other accomplice.

In a trial which was held in July and August of 1675, it was shown that both Simon and Marie-Vincente had participated to some extent in the Hôtel-Dieu robbery and others. Raymond dit Deslauriers was clearly the ringleader of the crimes, and after he escaped from jail and was recaptured, the man was condemned to death. The court ruled that Marie-Vincente was to be fined and publicly whipped, but regarding Simon, they said he was “a dumb man, incapable of stipulating and doing any act of justice,” and he was let off the hook.

Sometime after this, Simon and his family left the Quebec City area, moving to Berthier, a town between Trois-Riviéres and Montreal, where he was said to live with his oldest son, Louis. He died in Longueuil on June 3, 1690; Marie-Vincente survived him and was last known to be living in 1697. Both of them were ancestors of Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau and Justin Bieber.

Burial record of Simon Chapacou.

Children:
1. Louis Chapacou — B. 23 Nov 1653, Néré, Saintonge, France; M. Marie-Madeleine Poudret (1670-1696), 24 Nov 1681, Sorel, New France

2. Marie Chapacou — B. 29 Dec 1658, Néré, Saintonge, France; D. 24 Dec 1733, Ste-Anne-de-la-Pérade, New France; M. René Maillot dit Laviolette, 28 Oct 1671, New France

3. Laurent Chapacou — B. 9 Feb 1665, New France; D. 13 Feb 1665, New France

4. Marie-Agathe Chapacou — B. 7 Feb 1666, Côte St-Michel, New France; D. 28 Sep 1687, Montreal, New France

5. Marie-Angelique Chapacou — B. 22 Mar 1668, (probably) Côte St-Michel, New France; D. 11 Nov 1746, Longueuil, New France; M. (1) André Bouteiller (1650-1699), 1 Sep 1686, Boucherville, New France; (2) André Lemarre (~1670-1756), 8 Jun 1700, Longueuil, New France

6. Jean-Joseph Chapacou — B. 16 Apr 1670, Côte St-Michel, New France; D. 23 Mar 1693, Longueuil, New France; M. Marie Poutre (1672-1759), 28 Apr 1688, Sorel, New France

Sources:
Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours, Cyprien Tanguay, 1890
Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997
WikiTree
FamousKin.com

17th Century Coureur de Bois — Antoine Boyer

B. 10 Apr 1671 in La Prairie, New France
M. (1) 4 Feb 1690 in La Prairie, New France
Wife: Marie Perras dite LaFontaine
M. (2) 9 Sep 1737 in La Prairie, New France
Wife: Catherine Surprenant
D. 27 Mar 1747 in (probably) St-Lambert, New France

Like many young men where he lived in New France, Antoine Boyer made money trading in furs. He was born on April 10, 1671 on the south coast of the St. Lawrence River, across from Montreal. Antoine’s parents were Charles Boyer and Marguerite Tenard, and he was one of six children, two of whom died young. The family lived in a place called St-Lambert, but it had no church of its own, and the children were baptized in neighboring La Prairie. Antoine’s mother died when he was about 7-years-old and his father remarried soon after.

Antoine wasn’t yet age 19 when he got married. His bride was Marie Perras, the youngest daughter of a barrel maker and farmer who lived nearby. The wedding took place on February 4, 1690 at the church in La Prairie. Their first child was born that year in December; they would have 13 total, with the youngest born in 1716.

In 1690, Antoine used 600 livres he made from trading furs to purchase some land with his brother-in-law, Pierre Perras, so it's known that he was a coureur de bois by that date. The coureurs de bois were men who worked in the fur trade without a license, a common practice in the Montreal area. Laws had been passed by the authorities that put a limit on the number of licensed fur traders, but the appeal of making easy money was too great for many men on the frontier. Coureurs de bois were so numerous around Montreal that they were rarely prosecuted, so the risk was worth taking. 

Typical coureur de bois of the 17th-century.

The life of a fur trader like Antoine involved hiring himself out to companies for expeditions out west. During the 1690s, the bartering with Indians took place in camps or outposts in present-day Ontario and the Great Lakes area; traders were also pushing into the Illinois country as well. Antoine agreed to a contract on August 17, 1694 working for Sieur Charles Legardeur; his charge was to “make a voyage to the Ottawa Indians.” It isn’t known how many other trips Antoine made during this time.

Later in his life, Antoine took on another role as a military man, and he became the captain of the St-Lambert militia in 1729. Captains were chosen by the governor, and were tasked with training local men who could take up arms when needed. When there wasn’t a military need for their service, captains also took on a leadership role, conveying requests and complaints about civic matters to the central authorities. The captains also sometimes acted as police officers in their communities. The period when Antoine led his town’s militia was relatively peaceful, and it isn’t known if he participated in any military action.

Antoine’s wife Marie passed away on May 9, 1736, and Pierre married a second wife, Catherine Surprenant, on September 9th of the following year. Catherine had been widowed twice; she was the aunt of one of his sons-in-law, and her niece would marry Antoine’s son in 1742. Intermarriage between the small number of families in St-Lambert and La Prairie was common.

Antoine died on March 27, 1747 at the age of 76. His wife Catherine survived him, dying in 1762. The tradition of fur trading was carried on by his son and grandson, both named Charles Boyer. In 1788, grandson Charles built a trading outpost far in the north of present-day Alberta, Canada.

Children:
1. Marie Boyer — B. 19 Dec 1692, Montreal, New France; D. 5 Nov 1766, St-Philippe, Quebec; M. (1) Jean-François Baptiste Patenaude (1689-1720), 21 Nov 1712, La Prairie, New France; (2) Maurice Demers, 9 Feb 1722, La Prairie, New France

2. Marie-Jeanne Boyer — B. 16 Aug 1694, St-Lambert, New France; D. 23 Dec 1730, Longueuil, New France; M. Charles Diel (1688-1734), 17 Feb 1716

3. Marie-Anne Jeanne Boyer — B. 1 Feb 1696, St-Lambert, New France; D. 18 Jun 1731, Longueuil, New France; M. Pierre Betourne (1698-1750), 8 Nov 1723, La Prairie, New France

4.Jean-Antoine Boyer — B. 11 Jun 1697, St-Lambert, New France; D. 12 Aug 1768, La Prairie, Quebec; M. (1) Marguerite Demers (1694-1732), 14 Jul 1722, La Prairie, New France; (2) Marie-Anne Haguenier (1714-1746), 7 Jan 1736, La Prairie, New France

5. Marie-Josephe Boyer — B. 5 Oct 1701, St-Lambert, New France; D. 23 Dec 1708, St-Lambert, New France

6. Pierre Boyer — B. 30 Mar 1703, St-Lambert, New France; D. 1 Apr 1703, St-Lambert, New France

7. Pierre Boyer — B. 23 May 1704, St-Lambert, New France; D. 6 Apr 1747, La Prairie, New France; M. Marie-Anne Gervais (1710-1737), 10 Jan 1729, Longueuil, New France

8.Jacques Boyer — B. 21 Mar 1706, St-Lambert, New France; D. 4 May 1795, St-Constant, Quebec; M. Marie-Anne Surprenant (~1713-?), 3 Feb 1733, La Prairie, New France

9. Marie-Jospehe Boyer — B. 3 Sep 1709, St-Lambert, New France; D. 25 Jul 1777, La Prairie, New France; M. Pierre Surprenant (1705-1779), 20 Nov 1730, La Prairie, New France

10. Antoine Boyer — B. 2 Mar 1711, St-Lambert, New France; D. 18 Feb 1717, St-Lambert, New France

11. Charles Boyer — B. 21 Jan 1713, St-Lambert, New France; D. 14 Jan 1801, La Prairie, Quebec; M. Marie-Jeanne Surprenant (1718-1770), 8 Oct 1742, La Prairie, New France

12. Joseph-Marie Boyer — B. 21 Sep 1714, St-Lambert, New France; D. 13 Jun 1797, La Prairie, New France; M. (1) Marie-Angelique Roy (1717-1738), 4 Feb 1737, La Prairie, New France; (2) Michelle Lamarque (1712-1792), 21 Oct 1743, La Prairie, New France

13. Louis Boyer — B. 21 Jun 1716, St-Lambert, New France; D. 1 Jul 1716, La Prairie, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)

A Drifting Cowboy (blog)Minnesota Eh? A Foley/Perras Family History, Gerald Foley
WikiTree