Lost Among a Large Family — Joseph Colburn

B. 13 Mar 1681 in Beverly, Massachusetts¹
M. 26 Jan 1709 in Concord, Massachusetts²
Wife: Hannah Harwood
D. (maybe) 21 Sep 1758 in Dracut, Massachusetts³

There is conflicting information about Joseph Colburn of Dracut, Massachusetts who was the father of Ebenezer Coburn  Two men by that name were born around the same time, both of whom were grandchildren of the family patriarch, Edward Colburn, and each lived in Dracut during the early 18th century. Just to make things even more confusing, a son named Joseph was born to Edward, and he had a son Joseph who was born a little later than the other grandsons named Joseph.

It’s believed that the Joseph Colburn of this biography was born in Beverly, Massachusetts on March 13, 1681 to Robert Colburn and Mary Bishop.¹ He was the sixth of eleven children, and one of ten brothers. At about the time Joseph came of age, his grandfather died, leaving a large amount of land in the town of Dracut to his children.³ Joseph’s father Robert inherited some of it, but became ill and died just a year later in 1701.³

One source claimed that none of Robert’s descendants ended up living in Dracut because he had sold his Dracut property to his brother before he died.³ But Joseph’s marriage record on January 26, 1709 said that he did reside in Dracut.² The woman he married was identified as Hannah Harwood, and the wedding was in Concord, Massachusetts. Hannah Harwood’s origins are a mystery, and no record of her birth or her parents’ names has survived. The couple was only known to have one child, a son named Ebenezer, born within a year or two of their wedding.³

Little else can be proven about Joseph’s life. All references to Joseph Colburn in town records and histories seem to have been his uncle of the same name. The most complete source of information about the Coburn family was written by a descendant in 1913, Genealogy of the descendants of Edward Colburn/Coburn. Unfortunately the author assigned the same death date of September 21, 1758 to both Joseph and one of his first cousins also named Joseph. Without the details of the original source, it’s impossible to know which man died on that date.

Chart showing the two Joseph Colburns of Dracut, Massachusetts.

Children:
1. Ebenezer Coburn — B. about 1710, (maybe) Dracut, Massachusetts;³ D. after 12 Jan 1776, (probably) Dracut, Massachusetts;⁴ M. Sarah Whiting (1731-?), after 23 Nov 1751, Dracut, Massachusetts⁵

Sources:
1    Birth record of Joseph Coburn, Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001, FamilySerach.org
2    Marriage record of Joseph Coburn and Hannah Harwood, M. T. C., V. & T. R.
3    Genealogy of the descendants of Edward Colburn/Coburn, George Augustus Gordon and Silas Roger Coburn, 1913
4    History of Dracut, Massachusetts, Silas Roger Coburn, 1922
5    Vital Records of Dracut, Massachusetts to the Year 1850, Henry Ernest Woods, 1907

Taking on the Role of Farmer — Marie-Madeleine Michel

B. about 1619 in St-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême, Perche, France¹
M. (1) 11 Jun 1638 in St-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême, Perche, France¹
Husband: Louis Gasnier
M. (2) 1 Sep 1666 in Beauport, New France²
Husband: Paul de Rainville
D. 12 Nov 1687 in Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, New France³

Marie-Madeleine Michel was a pioneer woman of early New France, who lost her husband in his prime and continued operating their farm in his absence. She was born in about 1619 in the Perche, France town of St-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême;¹ her parents were Pierre Michel and Louise Gory. Madeleine’s father died before 1638,¹ but nothing else is known of her childhood.

On June 11, 1638, Madeleine married Louis Gasnier who was from the nearby village of Igé.¹ For the first few years of their marriage, they made their home in another village, St-Côsme-en-Vairais, and Madeleine gave birth to two children, one of whom died young. Louis worked as a miller,⁴ a skill that may have attracted one of the men recruiting Perche natives to migrate to New France.

The house in France where Marie-Madeleine and Louis lived still exists today.

And in about 1644, Madeleine, Louis and their young daughter boarded a ship bound for America.⁴ After the family arrived in Quebec City, Madeleine gave birth to a child who was baptized on September 5th.⁵ Then the family moved to Cap-Tourmente, downriver from Quebec on the north shore of the St. Lawrence,⁴ and two more children were born. They moved to Beaupré, and the births of another four children completed the family.

Madeleine's family survived intact until 1661, when Louis was captured in an Iroquois raid along with seven other men.⁴ The group was taken across the river and marched for many miles to the Indians’ camp, where they were tortured, then slaughtered. This must have been very difficult for Madeleine emotionally, but in a practical sense, it was even worse because it left her without a man to run the farm. She was 41-years-old and still had six children ages 2 to 14 living at home. Fortunately, the oldest two were boys who could do enough of the farm work to get by. She probably also received help from her two sons-in-law.

Between 1661 and 1665, Madeleine was shown to have paid an annual tithe to the seigneury for the use of her farm, said to be a quantity of the wheat crop.⁶ She also supplemented the family’s income in 1663 by doing some work for the “fabrique of Petit-Cap.”⁶ A fabrique was a civil organization run by church authorities that saw to the common needs of a community. It’s not known exactly what Madeleine did, but she received four livres for three days of work.⁶

On September 1, 1666, Madeleine finally remarried.² Her new husband was Paul de Rainville of Beauport, who had been widowed in February of that year. He had five children with his first wife, but only the youngest were still unmarried: a 13-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy. Both of them were part of the blended household in the 1667 census, but of Madeleine’s children, only youngest son Joachim was listed.⁷

Madeleine moved to Bellechasse, appearing on the 1681 census with husband Paul.⁸ Then they returned to Beauport where Paul died on December 10, 1686.⁹ Madeleine went to live with her married daughter Anne in Beaupré and died less than a year later on November 12, 1687.³

Marie-Madeleine was the ancestor of Celine Dion, Angelina Jolie, Julianne Hough, Derek Hough, Dan Aykroyd, Adrienne Barbeau, Emeril Lagasse, and Nathan Fillion.¹⁰

Children (all by Louis Gasnier):
1. Louis Gagné — B. Sep 1639, St-Côsme-en-Vairais, Perche, France;¹¹ D. young¹²

2. Louise Gagne — B. Jan 1642, Igé, Perche, France;¹³ D. Apr 1721, St-François-Xavier-de-la-Petite-Riviére, New France;¹⁴ M. Claude Bouchard (~1626-1699), 25 May 1654, Quebec City, New France¹⁵

3. Marie Gagné — B. 5 Sep 1644, Quebec City, New France;⁵ D. 18 Nov 1717, Beaupré, New France;¹⁶ M. (1) Andre Berthelot (1640-1687), 26 Jan 1659, Quebec City, New France;¹⁷ (2) Jacques Abelin (~1644-1704), 30 Jul 1690, Beaupré, New France¹⁸

4. Pierre Gagné — B. 27 Mar 1647, New France;¹⁹ D. 25 May 1714, Cap-Saint-Ignace, New France;²⁰ M. Louise Faure (~1636-1714), 28 Oct 1668, New France²¹

5. Olivier Gagné — B. 7 May 1649, Cap-Tourmente, New France;²² D. before Jul 1738, (probably) Île d’Orleans, New France;²³ M. Elizabeth Pépin (1662-1738), 8 Nov 1679, Île d’Orleans, New France²⁴

6. Louis Gagné — B. 7 Jul 1651, Quebec City, New France;¹² D. 24 Jun 1698, Château-Richer, New France;²⁵ M. Marie Gagnon (1659-1722), 9 Feb 1678, Château-Richer, New France²⁶

7. Anne Gagné — B. 27 Oct 1653, Quebec City, New France;²⁷ M. François Normand Lacroix (1641-1710), 11 Sep 1670, Beaupré, New France²⁸

8. Ignace Gagné — B. 12 Mar 1656, Quebec City, New France;²⁹ D. 20 Jul 1702, Quebec City, New France;³⁰ M. (1) Barbe Dodier (~1665-1689), 5 Nov 1680, Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, New France;³¹ (2) Louise Tremblay (1669-?), 6 Nov 1689, L’Ange-Gardien, New France³²

9. Joachim Gagné — B. about 1659, New France;³³ D. 7 Feb 1688, Beauport, New France;³⁴ M. Therese-Louise Marcoux (1667-1735), 12 Jan 1682, Beauport, New France³⁵

Sources:
1    Généalogie du Québec et d’Amérique française listing for Marie-Madeleine Michel
2    Marriage record of Paul de Rainville and Marie-Madeleine Michel, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Burial record of Marie-Madeleine Michel, Q.C.P.R.
4    Perche-Quebec.com listing for Louis Gagné 
5    Baptismal record of Marie Gasnier, Q.C.P.R.
6    Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
7    Recensement de 1667 en Nouvelle-France
8    Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
9    Burial record of Paul de Rainville, Q.C.P.R.
10  FamousKin listing of Marie-Madeleine Michel
11  Baptismal record of Louis Gasnier (older child), Q.C.P.R.
12  Died young based on birth record of brother Louis Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
13  Baptismal record of Louise Gasnier, Q.C.P.R.
14  Burial record of Louise Gasnier, Q.C.P.R.
15  Marriage record of Claude Bouchard and Louise Gasnier, Q.C.P.R.
16  Burial record of Marie Gasnier, Q.C.P.R.
17  Marriage record of André Berthelot and Marie Gasnier, Q.C.P.R.
18  Marriage record of Jacques Abelin and Marie Gasnier, Q.C.P.R.
19  Baptismal record of Pierre Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
20  Burial record of Pierre Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
21  Marriage record of Pierre Gagné and Louise Faure, Q.C.P.R.
22  Baptismal record of Olivier Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
23  Wikitree listing for Olivier Gagné  
24  Marriage record of Olivier Gagné and Elizabeth Pepin, Q.C.P.R.
25  Burial record of Louis Gagné (younger child, Q.C.P.R.
26  Marriage record of Louis Gagné and Marie Gagnon, Q.C.P.R.
27  Baptismal record of Anne Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
28  Marriage record of François Normand Lacroix and Anne Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
29  Baptismal record of Ignace Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
30  Burial record of Ignace Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
31  Marriage record of Ignace Gagné and Barbé Dodier, Q.C.P.R.
32  Marriage record of Ignace Gagné and Louise Tremblay, Q.C.P.R.
33  Wikitree listing for Joachim Gagné  
34  Burial record of Joachim Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
35  Marriage record of Joachim Gagné and Therese-Louise Marcoux, Q.C.P.R.

Chimney Sweep in Quebec City — François Savari

B. about 1641 in Cognac-la-Foret, Rochechouart, France¹
M. after 26 Jul 1683 in (probably) Neuville, New France²
Wife: Catherine Pluchon
D. before 26 Aug 1715 in (probably) Quebec City, New France³

François Savari was a settler in New France who left behind little documentation of his life, but one court record tells an interesting story. He was from Cognac-la-Foret, which is a few miles west of Limoges, France, born to François Savari (also spelled Savary) and Helene Bourdier in about 1641.^1,2 It’s believed that François arrived in the colony in about 1680.

On July 26, 1683, François agreed to a contract to marry Catherine Pluchon,² a 15-year-old girl living in Neuville; the record of the wedding doesn’t seem to have survived. Their first child was born in 1685, and seven more followed, with the youngest born in 1707. François moved the family to Quebec City by 1701⁴ (and maybe a few years before).

François was treated at Hôtel-Dieu for unknown ailments in February and March 1706, October 1710, and again in September 1711.¹ The following year, he somehow got involved in helping a young woman who gave birth to an out-of-wedlock infant, and at 12-days-old, François and Catherine adopted the baby.⁵ The child was named Genevieve, but no further record of her seems to exist.

It was in May 1714 that François was involved in a criminal case in court.⁶ He was the plaintiff accusing a widow named Marie Breval of causing him injury. François was described as a chimney sweep hired by the woman, and he had gotten into an argument with her while he was working on her house. She got so mad that she started a fire (presumably in the fireplace), and François had to get down from the roof in a hurry. But one of her daughters removed his ladder, so he jumped or fell to the ground, landing in the mud.

The document that tells of this was a deposition of three witnesses who either saw the incident or were friends of François, and the rest of the details about the trial aren’t attached, so we don’t know the outcome. The curious thing about the case is the idea that François could be a chimney sweep, a job usually done by young boys. One of François sons was named Jean-François, but he was only age 7, and the circumstances just don’t seem to fit a child that young. Perhaps Quebec City chimneys were large enough to accommodate a full-grown man, but this is speculation.

Record that describes François as being a chimney sweep.

François died sometime before August 26, 1715, the date Catherine married a second husband,³ and there is no record for his burial. Catherine was widowed a second time in 1728,⁷ and she lived until 1743.⁸ Curiously, her death record described her as the widow of François instead of naming the second husband.

Children:
1. Pierre Savari — B. 22 Nov 1685, Neuville, New France;⁹ D. 2 Jan 1750, Neuville, New France;¹⁰ M. Marie-Madeleine Mingou (1691-1764), 2 May 1707, Quebec City, New France¹¹

2. Marie Savari — B. 16 Dec 1687, Neuville, New France;¹² D. 18 Jan 1703, Quebec City, New France¹³

3. Marie-Catherine Savari — B. 6 Apr 1690, Neuville, New France;¹⁴ M. (1) Louis Arnaud (1682-1717), 3 Sep 1708, Quebec City, New France;¹⁵ (2) Paul Laporte (1695-?), 3 Feb 1718, Boucherville, New France¹⁶

4. Marie-Jeanne Savari — B. about 1693, New France;¹⁷ D. 7 May 1775, Quebec City, Quebec;¹⁸ M. Charles Devis (1688-1736), 3 Oct 1713, Ste-Foy, New France¹⁹

5. Marie-Anne Savari — B. about 1696, New France;²⁰ D. 22 Sep 1758, Pointe-de-Lévy, New France;²¹ M. Joseph Bisson (~1693-1781), 18 Aug 1719, Quebec City, New France²²

6. Flavienne Savari — B. 16 Aug 1701, Quebec City, New France;⁴ D. 30 Nov 1749, Quebec City, New France;²³ M. Jean Labonne, 30 Apr 1732, Quebec City, New France²⁴

7. Jean-Baptiste Savari — B. 12 Apr 1704, Quebec City, New France²⁵

8. Jean-François Savari — B. 9 Feb 1707, Quebec City, New France;²⁶ D. 30 Jun 1720, Quebec City, New France²⁷

Sources:
1    Registre Journalier des Malades de L’Hôtel-Dieu de Quebec, Marcel and Gisèle Monarque, 2005
2    Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française llisting for François Savary 
3    Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Marchet and Catherine Pluchon, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
4    Baptismal record of Flavienne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
5    Inventaire des greffes des notaires du Régime français, Vol. XIX, p.399
6    Record of court case of François Savari vs. Marie Breval, BAnQ  
7    Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Marchet, Q.C.P.R.
8    Burial record of Catherine Pluchon, Q.C.P.R.
9    Baptismal record of Pierre Savary, Q.C.P.R.
10  Burial record of Pierre Savary, Q.C.P.R.
11  Marriage record of Pierre Savary and Marie-Madeleine Mingou, Q.C.P.R.
12  Baptismal record of Marie Savary, Q.C.P.R.
13  Burial record of Marie Savary, Q.C.P.R.
14  Baptismal record of Marie-Catherine Savary, Q.C.P.R.
15  Marriage record of Louis Arnaud and Marie-Catherine Savary, Q.C.P.R.
16  Marriage record of Paul Laporte and Marie-Catherine Savary, Q.C.P.R.
17  Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing for Jeanne Savary  
18  Burial record of Marie-Jeanne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
19  Marriage record of Charles Devis and Marie-Jeanne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
20  Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing for Marie-Anne Savary  
21  Burial record of Marie-Anne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
22  Marriage record of Joseph Bisson and Marie-Anne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
23  Burial record of Flavienne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
24  Marriage record of Jean Labonne and Flavienne Savary, Q.C.P.R.
25  Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Savary, Q.C.P.R.
26  Baptismal record of Jean-François Savary, Q.C.P.R.
27  Burial record of Jean-François Savary, Q.C.P.R.

Safe During the Siege of Quebec — Antoine Morin

B. 16 Oct 1704 in Montmagny, New France¹
M. 25 Oct 1734 in St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France²
Wife: Marguerite Daniau
D. 2 Mar 1776 in St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec³

By virtue of where Antoine Morin lived, he and his family stayed out of harm's way when the English invaded his country in 1759. Considering the place his parents had originated, he seems to have been very lucky.

Antoine was born on October 16, 1704 in Montmagny, New France,¹ located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, and he was baptized at St-Thomas church. His father and mother, Pierre Morin and Françoise Chiasson, had only moved there a couple of years earlier.⁴ Each was born in Acadia and had married there with no intention of leaving, but a crime committed by Antoine’s uncle in 1687 caused the entire extended family to be exiled.⁵ At the time, three children were in the family, and five others were born before they settled in Montmagny for good. Antoine had an older brother born there and two more siblings came after his birth.

After Antoine came of age, his name was on a January 1723 document listing 21 men who had been granted land in the seigneury of Bellechasse, but had not lived on the land nor produced any crops on it.⁶ The men were accused of not paying their rent, not bringing grain into the seigneury mill, and not contributing to the “public works.” While this may have been Antoine’s uncle (who was also named Antoine Morin), the complaint also mentioned his brother Sebastien, so it seems likely it was him.

Two other records during this part of Antoine’s life mentioned issues of property. On January 17, 1725, his parents gathered the entire family to formalize their children’s inheritance, a meeting presided over by a local priest.⁷ Each member of the family was asked to sign the record, but most of them, including Antoine, made a mark instead. After the death of his mother, Antoine along with his brother Charles had some sort of property dispute with the other siblings. A court appeal that was heard on April 13, 1736 upheld a previous ruling which apparently went against Antoine and Charles.⁸

It wasn’t until Antoine was age 30 that he got married. His bride was Marguerite Daniau and the wedding took place on October 25, 1734 in a new settlement called St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud.² The Rivière-du-Sud, or South River, flowed parallel to the St. Lawrence, emptying into the larger river at Montmagny. St-François was about ten miles upriver and several miles inland from the south coast. This became the place Antoine raised his family of sixteen children, born between about 1735 and 1760, five of whom died young.

Antoine was in his 50s when war broke out between England and France, causing hardship to all who lived in Canada, although compared to other towns, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud wasn’t a bad place to be. At the time of the 1759 Quebec siege, settlers all along the the south shore fell victim to British troops landing their ships and making camp in their towns. Many farms were burned and churches damaged, but none of that seems to have happened at St-François because it was safely inland.⁹ Things had been even worse in the place Antoine’s parents were from — 1755 saw the forced removal of all of the French inhabitants in Acadia, and had his family stayed there, they likely would have gone to some faraway place.

Location of St-François-de-la Rivière-du-Sud.

Antoine’s children left the nest one-by-one, but most of them stayed nearby. He lived to see all but the two youngest married off, and died in St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud on March 2, 1776.³ His wife Marguerite lived another dozen years, passing away in 1788.¹⁰

Children:
1. Marie-Marguerite Morin — B. about 1735, (probably) St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;¹¹ D. 18 Sep 1816, Kamouraska, Quebec;¹² M. Jean-François Chouinard (1732-1807), 18 Feb 1754, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France¹³

2. Pierre-Noël Morin — B. about 1737, (probably) St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;¹⁴ M. Anne Bourg (1738-1811), 31 Aug 1767, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec¹⁵

3. Therese Morin — B. about 1738, (probably) St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;¹⁶ D. 16 Mar 1808, St-Vallier, Quebec;¹⁷ M. (1) Jacques Tanguay (1730-1792), 22 Jun 1761, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;¹⁸ (2) Jean-Baptiste Lecompte (1735-1802), 30 Sep 1793, St-Vallier, Quebec¹⁹

4. Marie-Louise Morin — B. 6 Nov 1740, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;²⁰ M. Joseph-Pierre Jean (1736-1810), 10 Oct 1757, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec²¹

5. Theotiste Morin — B. about 1742, (probably) St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;²² D. 5 May 1806, St-Vallier, Quebec;²³ M. Jean-Baptiste Tanguay (1739-1816), 21 Nov 1768, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec²⁴

6. Genevieve Morin — B. 3 Apr 1743, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;²⁵ D. 10 Mar 1767, St-François-du-Sud, Quebec;²⁶ M. Joseph Dumas (1743-1830), 11 Jan 1762, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec²⁷

7. Marie-Clothilde Morin — B. 17 Apr 1744, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;²⁸ D. young

8. Marie-Françoise Morin — B. 28 Jan 1746, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;²⁹ D. 3 Nov 1798, Beauceville, Quebec;³⁰ M. Jean-Baptiste Bourg (~1748-?), 22 Oct 1770, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec³¹

9. Louis Morin — B. 22 Aug 1747, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;³² M. (1) Marguerite Paré (1760-?), 26 Jan 1778, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec;³³ (2) Antoinette Cotnoir (1778-?), 3 May 1819, St-Cuthbert, Berthier, Quebec³⁴

10. Martin Morin — B. 25 Mar 1749, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;³⁵ M. (1) Françoise Pelletier (1756-1796), 18 Jan 1773, Montmagny, Quebec;³⁶ (2) Therese Gaudreau (1769-?), 9 Jan 1798, Montmagny, Quebec³⁷

11. Eustache Morin — B. 6 Mar 1751, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;³⁸ D. 12 Feb 1820, Quebec City, Quebec;³⁹ M. Josephte Boulet (1761-1825), 27 Oct 1777, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec⁴⁰

12. André-Isaac Morin — B. 30 Aug 1752, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;⁴¹ D. young

13. Augustin Morin — B. 24 Feb 1754, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;⁴² D. 30 Apr 1759, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France⁴³

14. Baby Girl Morin — B. Nov 1755, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;⁴⁴ D. Nov 1755, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France⁴⁴

15. Denis-Marie Morin — B. 26 Dec 1756, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;⁴⁵ D. 27 Apr 1761, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France⁴⁶

16. Pierre-Michel Morin — B. 11 Nov 1760, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;⁴⁷ M. (1) Reine McNeill (1768-1801), 27 Nov 1787, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec;⁴⁸ (2) Cecile Duquet (1776-1832), 25 Jul 1803, St-Henri-de-Lévis, Quebec⁴⁹

Sources:
1    Baptismal record of Antoine Morin, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2    Marriage record of Antoine Morin and Marguerite Daniau, Q.C.P.R.
3    Burial record of Antoine Morin, Q.C.P.R.
4    Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Morin (Antoine’s brother), Q.C.P.R.
5    "The Morins of Acadia," French-Canadian and Acadian Genealogical Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1968
6    Petition dated 30 Jan 1723 concerning land grants in Bellechasse
7    Court record of gathering of Morin family to settle inheritance issues, BAnQ  
8    Court case involving Michel, Charles and Antoine Morin, BAnQ
9    "Les églises ont-elles souffert de la conquête?" Revue d'histoire de l'Amérique française, Vol. 8, No. 1, Marcel Trudel, 1954
10  Burial record of Marguerite Daniau, Q.C.P.R.
11  Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing for Marie-Marguerite Morin  
12  Burial record of Marie-Marguerite Morin, Q.C.P.R.
13  Marriage record of Jean-François Chouinard and Marie-Marguerite Morin, Q.C.P.R.
14  Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing for Pierre-Noël Morin  
15  Marriage record of Pierre-Noël Morin and Anne Bourg, Q.C.P.R.
16  Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing for Therese Morin  
17  Burial record of Therese Morin, Q.C.P.R.
18  Marriage record of Jacques Tanguay and Therese Morin, Q.C.P.R.
19  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Lecompte and Therese Morin, Q.C.P.R.
20  Baptismal record of Marie-Louise Morin, Q.C.P.R.
21  Marriage record of Joseph-Pierre Jean and Marie-Louise Morin, Q.C.P.R.
22  Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing for Theotiste Morin  
23  Burial record of Theotiste Morin, Q.C.P.R.
24  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Tanguay and Theotiste Morin, Q.C.P.R.
25  Baptismal record of Genevieve Morin, Q.C.P.R.
26  Burial record of Genevieve Morin, Q.C.P.R.
27  Marriage record of Joseph Dumas and Genevieve Morin, Q.C.P.R.
28  Baptismal record of Marie-Clothilde Morin, Q.C.P.R.
29  Baptismal record of Marie-Françoise Morin, Q.C.P.R.
30  Burial record of Marie-Françoise Morin, Q.C.P.R.
31  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Bourg and Marie-Françoise Morin, Q.C.P.R.
32  Baptismal record of Louis Morin, Q.C.P.R.
33  Marriage record of Louis Morin and Marguerite Paré, Q.C.P.R.
34  Marriage record of Louis Morin and Antoinette Cotnoir, Q.C.P.R.
35  Baptismal record of Martin Morin, Q.C.P.R.
36  Marriage record of Martin Morin and Françoise Pelletier, Q.C.P.R.
37  Marriage record of Martin Morin and Therese Gaudreau, Q.C.P.R.
38  Baptismal record of Eustache Morin, Q.C.P.R.
39  Burial record of Eustache Morin, Q.C.P.R.
40  Marriage record of Eustache Morin and Josephte Boulet, Q.C.P.R.
41  Baptismal record of André-Isaac Morin, Q.C.P.R.
42  Baptismal record of Augustin Morin, Q.C.P.R.
43  Burial record of Augustin Morin, Q.C.P.R.
44  Burial record of Baby Girl Morin, Q.C.P.R.
45  Baptismal record of Denis-Marie Morin, Q.C.P.R.
46  Burial record of Denis-Marie Morin, Q.C.P.R.
47  Baptismal record of Pierre-Michel Morin, Q.C.P.R.
48  Marriage record of Pierre-Michel and Reine McNeill, Q.C.P.R.
49  Marriage record of Pierre-Michel and Cecile Duquet, Q.C.P.R.

In the Percheron Migration to Canada — Françoise Bigot

B. before 17 May 1631 in La Ventrouze, France¹
M. (1) 19 Sep 1647 in Quebec City, New France²
Husband: Charles Guillebourg
M. (2) 8 May 1658 in Quebec City, New France³
Husband: Denis Briere
D. 8 Aug 1706 in St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, New France⁴

During the early years of New France, the province of Perche, France provided many settlers. It was the home of Nöel Juchereau, a man who recruited other Percherons to join the colony along the St. Lawrence River, and Françoise Bigot was one of them.

Françoise was born in La Ventrouze, a village north of Tourouvre, in about May of 1631.¹ Her parents, Jean Bigot and Thomine Chastel, had been married less than a year. Her father made a living as a tailor; unfortunately, he died when she was still a baby.¹ Her mother was pregnant at the time and gave birth to Françoise’s brother after marrying another man.¹ At that wedding, Juchereau was a witness, suggesting he had some connection to Françoise’s mother.¹

Ste-Madeleine-de-La-Ventrouze, where Françoise was baptized. (Source: Unozoe / CC BY-SA) 

Françoise was about 16-years-old when she, her brother and her now-widowed mother boarded a ship bound for Canada in 1647.¹ That was the peak year of Percheron migration with 37 people in total coming over.⁵ Later that year on September 19th, Françoise married a man who was also from Perche, Charles Guillebourg.² There was a large age difference between bride and groom, with Charles being almost 40. The wedding took place at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec, and like with Françoise's mother's second wedding, Juchereau was in attendance. In fact, he was the boss of Charles, who likely worked for him as an indentured servant. When Juchereau died suddenly the following year, Charles received over 583 livres from the estate in back pay, a substantial amount of money.⁶

The newlyweds settled outside of Quebec City in Sillery, and Françoise gave birth to a daughter in March 1651.⁷ Two more children were born, and then Charles passed away in February 1658.⁸ Françoise quickly found a new husband in Denis Briere, an immigrant from Rouen; they got married on May 8th in Quebec City.³ Between 1659 and 1674, they had at least eight children (some sources list two infants named Sebastien born in 1664). Of Françoise’s eleven children, only five lived to adulthood.

Françoise lived her entire married life on the north coast of the St. Lawrence, just upriver from Quebec City. She was listed in 1667 with her husband and children living at Cap-Rouge;⁹ also in the household was her elderly mother. Later, in 1681, the family had moved to St-Augustin-de-Desmaures.¹⁰

Françoise died at St-Augustin-de-Desmaures on August 8, 1706.⁴ Her husband Denis survived her by a few years and passed away in 1711.¹¹ She was the ancestor of Leo Durocher.

Children by Charles Guillebourg:
1. Marie-Genevieve Guillebourg — B. 4 Mar 1651, Sillery, New France;⁷ D. 21 Jan 1709, Ste-Foy, New France;¹² M.(1) Sebastien Gingras (1636-?), 17 Nov 1665, Sillery, New France;¹³ (2) Pierre Robin (1653-1698), 28 Oct 1687, Sillery, New France¹⁴

2. Charles Guillebourg — B. 9 Mar 1654, Sillery, New France;¹⁵ D. about 11 Aug 1690, Quebec City, New France¹⁶

3. Marguerite Guillebourg — B. 11 Jun 1656, Sillery, New France;¹⁷ D. 15 Dec 1729, Sillery, New France;¹⁸ M. (1) Antoine Pouliot (~1650-?), 24 Jun 1670, New France;¹⁹ (2) Jacques Rousseau (1645-1711), 28 Jul 1677, New France²⁰

Children by Denis Briere:
1. Denis Briere — B. about 1659, New France;⁹ D. 20 Jun 1718, Quebec City, New France;²¹ M. Marie-Elisabeth Lemarie (1671-1751), 23 Nov 1688, Neuville, New France²²

2. Françoise Briere — B. about 1661, Quebec City, New France;⁹ D. 8 Aug 1738, St-Nicolas, Lévis, New France;²³ M. Michel LeMarie (~1654-1727), 27 Feb 1680, Neuville, New France²⁴

3. Sebastien Briere — B. 28 Jan 1664, Sillery, New France;²⁵ D. 23 Dec 1664, Sillery, New France²⁶

4. Etienne Briere — B. 19 Apr 1666, Sillery, New France;²⁷ D. 19 Apr 1666, Sillery, New France²⁸

5. Charles Briere — B. 2 Apr 1667, Sillery, New France;²⁹ D. before 25 Apr 1671³⁰

6. Jean-Baptiste Briere — B. 21 May 1668, Sillery, New France;³¹ D. 17 Oct 1745, St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, New France;³² M. Françoise Brassard (1679-1728), 23 Nov 1712, Quebec City, New France³³

7. Charles Briere — B. 25 Apr 1671, Sillery, New France;³⁰ D. 19 Feb 1703, Ste-Foy, New France³⁴

8. Joseph Briere — B. 10 Mar 1674, Sillery, New France;³⁵ D. (probably) young¹⁰

Sources:
1    Perche-Quebec.com biographies of Bigot family  
2    Marriage record of Charles Guillebourg and Françoise Bigot, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage record of Denis Briere and Françoise Bigot, Q.C.P.R.
4    Burial record of Françoise Bigot, Q.C.P.R.
5    Perche-Quebec.com emigrants to New France  
6    The Filles à Marier, 1634-1662: Before the King’s Daughters, Peter J. Gagné, 2002
7    Baptismal record of Marie-Genevieve Guillebourg, Q.C.P.R.
8    Burial record of Charles Guillebourg, Q.C.P.R.
9    Recensement de 1667 en Nouvelle-France
10  Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
11  Burial record of Denis Briere, Q.C.P.R.
12  Burial record of Marie-Genevieve Guillebourg, Q.C.P.R.
13  Marriage record of Sebastien Gingras and Marie-Genevieve Guillebourg, Q.C.P.R.
14  Marriage record of Pierre Robin and Marie-Genevieve Guillebourg, Q.C.P.R.
15  Baptismal record of Charles Guillebourg (younger), Q.C.P.R.
16  Burial record of Charles Guillebourg (younger), Q.C.P.R.
17  Baptismal record of Marguerite Guillebourg, Q.C.P.R.
18  Burial record of Marguerite Guillebourg, Q.C.P.R.
19  Marriage record of Antoine Pouliot and Marguerite Guillebourg, Q.C.P.R.
20  Marriage record of Jacques Rousseau and Marguerite Guillebourg, Q.C.P.R.
21  Burial record of Denis Briere (younger), Q.C.P.R.
22  Marriage record of Denis Briere and Marie-Elisabeth Lemarie, Q.C.P.R.
23  Burial record of Françoise Briere, Q.C.P.R.
24  Marriage record of Michel Lemarie and Françoise Briere, Q.C.P.R.
25  Baptismal record of Sebastien Briere, Q.C.P.R.
26  Burial record of Sebastien Briere, Q.C.P.R.
27  Baptismal record of Etienne Briere, Q.C.P.R.
28  Burial record of Etienne Briere, Q.C.P.R.
29  Baptismal record of Charles Briere (older), Q.C.P.R.
30  Baptismal record of Charles Briere (younger), Q.C.P.R.
31  Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Briere, Q.C.P.R.
32  Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Briere, Q.C.P.R.
33  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Briere and Françoise Brassard, Q.C.P.R.
34  Burial record of Charles Briere (younger), Q.C.P.R.
35  Baptismal record of Joseph Briere, Q.C.P.R.

Scolding His Children in His Will — Thomas Dakin

B. about May 1624 in Derbyshire, England¹
M. (1) before 9 Jan 1657 in (probably) Concord, Massachusetts¹
Wife: Sarah ________
M. (2) 11 Jun 1660 in (probably) Massachusetts¹
Wife: Susanna ________
D. 21 Oct 1708 in Concord, Massachusetts¹

Thomas Dakin was one of many New England Puritan immigrants with a mostly unknown story, but he left a detailed will that revealed a preference for one son. Thomas was said to be born in Derbyshire, England in May 1634,¹ and he first appeared in records as a landowner in Concord, Massachusetts in 1652.¹ He lived in a section near a place called “Flint’s Pond,” an area that later became the town of Sudbury.

Thomas' signature on a 1653 document pledging to pay £5 to support Harvard College.

Before January 9, 1657, Thomas married a woman named Sarah, whose last name was unknown.¹ She gave birth to a child in October 1659, then died 10 days later.¹ On June 11, 1660, he married Susanna, the widow of Richard Stratton,¹ and she brought a young son into the marriage. Together, they had four children, with the youngest born in 1671.

There’s no evidence that Thomas served in the leadership of Concord, although he did take on the job of constable for a time. Mostly he seems to have raised his family and tended his farm. By his old age and with his second wife deceased, he focused on what property to leave to his children. On January 20, 1698, he made out his will,¹ and in doing so, showed a preference for one son over the others. While the oldest daughter was to receive £10 plus a couple of personal items, and the oldest son £15 plus some less valuable land, his youngest son Joseph was named as “full heir” to the rest of the estate. His middle son Simon was left nothing (his other child, a daughter, was no longer living).

What was unusual about Thomas’ will was that he gave explanations for favoring one child over the others. Regarding Joseph, he wrote, “The reason why I give to my son Joseph Dakin so much is for the comfort of my life and my wife's life. Therefore I charge you, all my children, to rest in it, and live in peace that the God of peace may be to you.”

As for Simon, Thomas complained, “He went from me, and would not stay with me. I have given him what I have Intended and no more to be demanded out of my estate.” This odd note was likely in reference to his displeasure with Simon joining a group who tried to start a new Puritan colony miles away in present-day South Carolina.¹ Under the leadership of a minister named Joseph Lord, a small number of settlers including Simon sailed out of Boston on December 5, 1695. They landed a couple weeks later at their destination, but the little colony failed within about five years. Simon returned to Massachusetts and lived out his life there.

Thomas passed away on October 21, 1708 at the age of 84,¹ but his 1698 will was never probated. It's been speculated that this was because his second wife died before he did, and that he distributed his property before his death. Among his descendants are Tennessee Williams, Carole Lombard and Ethan Hawke.²

Children by Sarah:
1. Sarah Dakin — B. 8 Oct 1659, Concord, Massachusetts;³ D. 24 Feb 1748, Sudbury, Massachusetts;⁴ M. Abraham Wood (~1656-1747), before 16 Apr 1684, (probably) Concord, Massachusetts⁵

Children by Susanna:
1. John Dakin — B. 20 Mar 1661, Concord, Massachusetts;⁶ D. before 12 Sep 1711, (probably) Concord, Massachusetts;⁷ M. Sarah Woodhouse (1664-1700), before 17 Sep 1686, (probably) Concord, Massachusetts⁸

2. Simon Dakin — B. about 1663, (probably) Concord, Massachusetts;⁹ D. 11 Jan 1740, Concord, Massachusetts;⁹ M. Elizabeth Brooks (1672-?), before 20 May 1694, (probably) Concord, Massachusetts¹⁰

3. Joseph Dakin — B. about 1669, (probably) Concord, Massachusetts;¹¹ D. 13 Mar 1745, Concord, Massachusetts;¹¹ M. Dorothy Worcester, 16 Jul 1696, Massachusetts¹

4. Mary Dakin — B. 16 May 1671, Concord, Massachusetts¹²

Sources:
1    Descendants of Thomas Dakin of Concord MA, Albert Dakin, 1948
2    FamousKin.com listing for Thomas Dakin  
3    Birth record of Sarah Dakin, Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915, FamilySearch.com
4    Find-a-Grave listing for Sarah Dakin Wood  
5    Birth record of Abraham Wood, M. B. & C.
6    Birth record of John Dakin, M. B. & C.
7    Probate file of John Dakin, Massachusetts Probate Index, 1648-1870, Ancestry.com
8    Birth record of Henry Dakin, M. B. & C.
9    Find-a-Grave listing for Simon Dakin  
10  Birth record of Elizabeth Dakin, M. B. & C.
11  Find-a-Grave listing for Joseph Dakin  
12  Birth record of Mary Dakin, M. B. & C.

On the Last Ship to New Amsterdam — Jentie Jeppes

B. before about 1633 in Friesland, Netherlands¹
M. (1) about 1653 in (probably) Friesland, Netherlands¹
Wife: Tijedtske Gerrits
M. (2) 4 Dec 1666 in New York, New York¹
Wife: Britten Oloff
D. before 18 Apr 1673, (probably) New York, New York¹

Jentie Jeppes migrated to New Netherland shortly before the colony fell to the British. He was born in about 1633, a native of Friesland in the Netherlands,¹ the northernmost region of the country. His father may have been named Jacob, but nothing is known of his family or childhood. Jentie married a woman named Tijedtske Gerrits in about 1653,¹ and for the first decade or so of his marriage, they moved to various towns and villages in Friesland — Dokkum, Wijckel and Leeuwarden — where eight children were born.² Sadly, the oldest three died young.

Map showing towns where Jentie lived in Friesland

On April 17, 1664 Jentie, along with Tijedtske and their four young children, boarded a ship called the Eendracht.¹ Records show that he paid 126 florins in passage money for himself, Tijedtske, and “his three children of 5, 4, and 2 years.” Presumably the youngest child who was about 6-months-old didn’t require payment. The captain of the ship was Jan Bergen, a man born in the colony whose nephew would one-day marry Jentie’s granddaughter.^3,4 The ship also carried at least 31 other migrants, including Tijedtske’s brother and his family.³

The Eendracht docked in Manhattan on July 19th.³ Little more than a month later, another four ships sailed into the harbor with a force from England who demanded the surrender of the colony. Rather than fight, the Dutch leaders gave in, and the following year, New Amsterdam was renamed New York. By this time, Jentie seems to have moved to Flatbush where his name appeared on an August 29, 1665 document accepting a young orphaned child, Tijedtske’s nephew, under his guardianship.¹ But the following spring, Jentie had migrated to Bergen, New Jersey;¹ Tijedtske passed away and was buried at the church there.

Jentie remarried on December 4, 1666 to a woman named Britten Oloff, a widow who was originally from Sweden; the wedding took place at the Dutch church in New York.¹ The couple didn’t have any children together. Jentie didn’t seem to return to New Jersey and likely spent the rest of his life in New York or Brooklyn. The date of his death is unknown, but his second wife was shown to be married to someone else on April 18, 1673.¹

Children (all by Tijedtske Gerrits):
1. Lijckele Jenties — B. 20 May 1655, Dokkum, Friesland, Netherlands;⁵ D. young

2. Grietien Jenties — B. before 1 Jul 1656, Wijckel, Friesland, Netherlands;⁶ D. before 11 Oct 1663, (probably) Wijckel, Friesland, Netherlands⁶

3. Euwe Jenties — B. before 1 Nov 1657, Wijckel, Friesland, Netherlands;⁷ D. before 17 Jun 1660, (probably) Wijckel, Friesland, Netherlands⁸

4. Euwe Jenties — B. before 17 Jun 1660, (probably) Wijckel, Friesland, Netherlands⁸

5. Gerrit Van Wicklen — B. before 1 Jan 1659, Wijckel, Friesland, Netherlands;⁹ D. after 23 Dec 1722, Jamaica, Long Island, New York;¹⁰ M. Tryntje Gerrits (1666-?), 1687, (probably) New York¹⁰

6. Evert Jansz Van Wicklen — B. before 17 Jun 1660, Wijckel, Friesland, Netherlands;¹ D. about 1720, Flatbush, New York;¹ M. Metje Simonse Van Arsdalen (~1670-?), after 27 Feb 1690, Flatbush, New York¹

7. Meinske Jenties — B. before 11 May 1662, Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands;¹¹ D. 1708, Tarrytown, New York;¹² M. Albert Minnelay (1659-?), 18 Oct 1684, Flatbush, New York¹²

8. Grietje Jenties — B. before 11 Oct 1663, Leeuwarden, Friesland, Netherlands;¹³ M. Jan Hercksz (~1657-1730), (probably) New York¹⁴

Sources:

1    "The Van Wicklen/Van Wickle Family: Including Its Frisian Origin and Connections to Minnerly and Kranckheyt,” New York Genealogical and Biographical Record Vol.128, no. 2, Harry Macy Jr., 1997
2    WikiTree listing for Jentie Jeppes   
3    D’ Eendracht (The Unity) passengers list, Immigrant Ships Transcribers Guild (website)  
4    Records of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church of the Town of Flatbush, Kings Co., New York, marriages 1792-1866
5    WikiTree listing for Lijckele Jenties  
6    WikiTree listing for Grieten Jenties  
7    Baptismal record of Euwe Jeppes (older), Netherlands Archival Indexes, Vital Records, 1600-2000, FamilySearch.org
8    Baptismal record of Euwe Jeppes (younger), N. A. I. V. R.
9    Baptismal record of Gerrit Jeppes, N. A. I. V. R.
10  WikiTree listing for Gerrit Jenties  
11  Baptismal record of Meinske Jeppes, baptismal registers for 1662-1663, Frisian Historical and Library Centre
12  WikiTree listing for Meinske Jans  
13  Baptismal record of Grietje Jeppes, baptismal registers for 1662-1663, Frisian Historical and Library Centre
14  Birth record of Jan Krankheyt (Grietje’s son), New York Church Records, 1660-1954, FamilySearch.org