M. after 21 Mar 1646 in Paris, France2
Wife: Catherine-Françoise Desnaguets
D. before 10 Sep 1691 in (probably) Paris, France3
When people migrated from Europe to one of the American colonies, most had a one-way journey, never again returning to the place they were born. Pierre Petit, who was from 17th-century France, was an exception to this, and he made trips back to his home country multiple times. His ability to travel suggests that he was of a social standing higher than most New France settlers, and other records support this.
Pierre was born in Paris in about 1621 to Pierre Petit (also spelled LePetit) and Denise Frichot.1 His mother died at some point and his father remarried;2 it isn’t known what the elder Pierre did for a living. On March 21, 1646, Pierre signed a marriage contract with Catherine-Françoise Desnaguets, a young woman living at a Paris orphanage. In the document, Pierre is described as a bourgeois resident living in the heart of the city. In spite of being connected to an orphanage,2 Catherine-Françoise brought a dowry of 300 livres. It isn’t known when and where the wedding took place, but it was very soon after this date, and then the bride and groom sailed across the Atlantic to New France.
Cutaway view of the type of ship Pierre traveled on. Some voyages at this time took over 3 months.
On May 21st, Pierre was granted a seigneury by the Compagnie des Cent-Associes.4 The fief was upriver from Quebec in the newly settled area of Neuville; it was located inland, one of three grants made at the same time to different men. Some have suggested that in order to be awarded a seigneury, Pierre must have been established in New France before 1646, and that he had gone back to France for a visit when he got married. This may be true, but there’s no definitive evidence to verify it. Pierre and his wife didn’t move to the land at Neuville, and may have left it dormant for awhile.4 Catherine-Françoise gave birth to their first child, a son, in July 1647 in Quebec City.5 Then they settled at Beauport, not far outside of Quebec, and a baby girl was born there in January 1650.6
A few months later, tragedy struck the family. On May 13th, Pierre’s Beauport farm was raided by a band of Iroquois. A man working for him was killed, and Pierre’s young son was carried off. The boy was taken far to the south, said to be near Fort Orange (present-day Albany, New York), and there he was murdered.4 It’s easy to imagine that this made Pierre and his wife question their decision to live in New France. At first they considered a much smaller property that was closer to other settlers, and Pierre was granted a concession that was just one-half arpent wide (96 feet).4 But by the fall of 1651, he and Catherine-Françoise returned to France.4 It isn’t known if their daughter was with them, and she had likely died as a baby.
While in France, another girl was born to Pierre and his wife in about 1652;4 it’s believed that they lived in Paris at this time. Whatever their circumstances, and perhaps because Pierre still saw opportunity in the colony, they went back to New France. They must have traveled before the end of the year because a document dated June 1653 showed Pierre living in Quebec, and this was before any of that year’s ships from France had arrived.4
The June 1653 document was another contract for a concession, this time on Île d’Orleans.4 Pierre’s land was at the southwestern tip of the island, and his family become one of the first to settle there. Right next door, was a village of Hurons who had taken refuge after suffering through massacres by the Iroquois on the mainland. Their conflict continued, and in April 1656, an Iroquois raid at the Huron village took the lives of over 70 people.4 While the French settlers weren’t victims this time, the event likely rattled Pierre and his wife, and in 1657, they were back living in Quebec City.4 Pierre did leave behind his name, which was given to the cove where he lived: Anse à Petit. It’s still on maps today.
Pierre had a new house constructed for his family in the Lower Town of Quebec, and the governor officially granted him the property on August 1, 1658.4 Two more children, both boys, were born while the Petits lived there.7,8 During the summer of 1659, a document showed Catherine-Françoise handling an issue with a neighbor, and it says that Pierre would ratify their agreement when he “returned to the country.”4 It’s possible that he had made another trip to France, but since the birth of one of their sons happened just eight months later, it may be more likely that he was in another part of New France. The family actually did sell their house and return to France in about July 1660.
Pierre may have come back to the colony in 1665 or 1666 to deal with the seigneury he still held in Neuville, although it isn’t certain that his family joined him. During the summer of 1667, Catherine-Françoise got involved in the interesting mission of escorting a group of Filles du Roi to the colony.4 It isn’t known whether or not Pierre was with her when she had signed a contract in Dieppe; it said that he was living in New France at the time, and he was “seigneur of Neuville.”4 This detail is confusing because he was missing from both the 1666 and 1667 censuses. Where their children were during this time is also a mystery.
By the spring of 1669, the family together was in New France again. Daughter Anne-Charlotte had reached the age for getting married, and everyone gathered in Beauport for a contract signing, an event held at the home of Paul Chalifour on May 27th.4 The wedding took place a few weeks later on June 16th,9 and Pierre and Catherine-Françoise were not listed as being present. This would indicate that they had sailed back to France in early June; in fact the marriage record gave their parish as Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, in Paris. It’s likely that this is where they made their home during the many times they had lived in France.
Pierre did return to New France again, but it isn’t known if his wife was with him; she may have died in France. On October 22, 1670, he was living in Quebec City again, and visited Jean Talon to make a contract having his son René work for him.4 Talon was one of the most important figures in the colony, in charge of all aspects of life for the settlers. Son René’s arrangement was for a period of four years, and suggests that Pierre was looking for a way to give him a start in life at age 13. Pierre was mentioned just one more time in records, and this was on October 26, 1672 when he signed his youngest son, Louis-Alexandre, to be an apprentice for a carpenter.4 The boy was just 11-years-old and the contract would bind him for the next seven years.
After that date, nothing more is known of Pierre. It’s likely that he left the colony for good and spent the rest of his life in France. Of his family, only Anne-Charlotte and Louis-Alexandre went on to produce bloodlines in Canada. Pierre was the ancestor of Ricky Gervais and Matt LeBlanc.
Children:
1. Joseph Petit — B. 12 Jul 1647, Quebec City, New France;5 D. (probably) May 1650, Fort Orange, New Netherland4
2. Marie-Petit — B. 30 Jan 1650, (probably) Beauport, New France6
3. Anne-Charlotte Petit — B. about 1652, (probably) Paris, France;4 D. 2 Mar 1736, St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, New France;10 M. (1) Joachim Martin (~1636-1690), 16 Jun 1669, Quebec City New France;9 (2) Antoine Juchereau (1640-1699), 10 Sep 1691, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;3 (3) Jean-Paul Maheu (1649-1708), 11 Jun 1703, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France11
4. René-Jacques Petit — B. 16 Jan 1657, Quebec City, New France7
5. Louis-Alexandre Petit — B. 6 Apr 1660, Quebec City, New France;8 D. before 20 Nov 1738, Varennes, New France;12 M. Marie-Anne Messier (1665-1751), 8 Jan 1721, Varennes, New France13
Sources:
1 Estimated age based on known ages of siblings and likely age at marriage, Fichier origine
2 Marriage contract of Pierre Petit and Catherine-Françoise Desnaguets, Fichier origine
3 Marriage record of Antoine Juchereau and Anne-Charlotte Petit, Q.C.P.R.
4 Un Martin en Amérique: Joachim Martin, né à Aytré, 1636-1690, Marcel Martin, 1997
5 Baptismal record of Joseph Petit, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
6 Baptismal record of Marie Petit, Q.C.P.R.
7 Baptismal record of René-Jacques Petit, Q.C.P.R.
8 Baptismal record of Louis-Alexandre Petit, Q.C.P.R.
9 Marriage record of Joachim Martin and Anne-Charlotte Petit, Q.C.P.R.
10 Burial record of Anne-Charlotte Petit, Q.C.P.R.
11 Marriage record of Jean-Paul Maheu and Anne-Charlotte Petit, Q.C.P.R.
12 Burial record of Louis-Alexandre Petit, Q.C.P.R.
13 Marriage record of Louis-Alexandre Petit and Marie-Anne Messier, Q.C.P.R.
Pierre may have come back to the colony in 1665 or 1666 to deal with the seigneury he still held in Neuville, although it isn’t certain that his family joined him. During the summer of 1667, Catherine-Françoise got involved in the interesting mission of escorting a group of Filles du Roi to the colony.4 It isn’t known whether or not Pierre was with her when she had signed a contract in Dieppe; it said that he was living in New France at the time, and he was “seigneur of Neuville.”4 This detail is confusing because he was missing from both the 1666 and 1667 censuses. Where their children were during this time is also a mystery.
By the spring of 1669, the family together was in New France again. Daughter Anne-Charlotte had reached the age for getting married, and everyone gathered in Beauport for a contract signing, an event held at the home of Paul Chalifour on May 27th.4 The wedding took place a few weeks later on June 16th,9 and Pierre and Catherine-Françoise were not listed as being present. This would indicate that they had sailed back to France in early June; in fact the marriage record gave their parish as Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, in Paris. It’s likely that this is where they made their home during the many times they had lived in France.
Pierre did return to New France again, but it isn’t known if his wife was with him; she may have died in France. On October 22, 1670, he was living in Quebec City again, and visited Jean Talon to make a contract having his son René work for him.4 Talon was one of the most important figures in the colony, in charge of all aspects of life for the settlers. Son René’s arrangement was for a period of four years, and suggests that Pierre was looking for a way to give him a start in life at age 13. Pierre was mentioned just one more time in records, and this was on October 26, 1672 when he signed his youngest son, Louis-Alexandre, to be an apprentice for a carpenter.4 The boy was just 11-years-old and the contract would bind him for the next seven years.
After that date, nothing more is known of Pierre. It’s likely that he left the colony for good and spent the rest of his life in France. Of his family, only Anne-Charlotte and Louis-Alexandre went on to produce bloodlines in Canada. Pierre was the ancestor of Ricky Gervais and Matt LeBlanc.
Children:
1. Joseph Petit — B. 12 Jul 1647, Quebec City, New France;5 D. (probably) May 1650, Fort Orange, New Netherland4
2. Marie-Petit — B. 30 Jan 1650, (probably) Beauport, New France6
3. Anne-Charlotte Petit — B. about 1652, (probably) Paris, France;4 D. 2 Mar 1736, St-Augustin-de-Desmaures, New France;10 M. (1) Joachim Martin (~1636-1690), 16 Jun 1669, Quebec City New France;9 (2) Antoine Juchereau (1640-1699), 10 Sep 1691, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;3 (3) Jean-Paul Maheu (1649-1708), 11 Jun 1703, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France11
4. René-Jacques Petit — B. 16 Jan 1657, Quebec City, New France7
5. Louis-Alexandre Petit — B. 6 Apr 1660, Quebec City, New France;8 D. before 20 Nov 1738, Varennes, New France;12 M. Marie-Anne Messier (1665-1751), 8 Jan 1721, Varennes, New France13
Sources:
1 Estimated age based on known ages of siblings and likely age at marriage, Fichier origine
2 Marriage contract of Pierre Petit and Catherine-Françoise Desnaguets, Fichier origine
3 Marriage record of Antoine Juchereau and Anne-Charlotte Petit, Q.C.P.R.
4 Un Martin en Amérique: Joachim Martin, né à Aytré, 1636-1690, Marcel Martin, 1997
5 Baptismal record of Joseph Petit, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
6 Baptismal record of Marie Petit, Q.C.P.R.
7 Baptismal record of René-Jacques Petit, Q.C.P.R.
8 Baptismal record of Louis-Alexandre Petit, Q.C.P.R.
9 Marriage record of Joachim Martin and Anne-Charlotte Petit, Q.C.P.R.
10 Burial record of Anne-Charlotte Petit, Q.C.P.R.
11 Marriage record of Jean-Paul Maheu and Anne-Charlotte Petit, Q.C.P.R.
12 Burial record of Louis-Alexandre Petit, Q.C.P.R.
13 Marriage record of Louis-Alexandre Petit and Marie-Anne Messier, Q.C.P.R.
