M. 12 Oct 1671 in Quebec City, New France2
Wife: Marie-Charlotte Jolivet
D. before 18 Oct 1688 in (probably) Lachine, New France3
For most of those who came over from France to settle along the St. Lawrence in the 1600s, they produced masses of descendants who populate 21st-century Canada. But in the case of Leonard Girardin, some of his lines traveled down into the bayou country of Louisiana.
Leonard’s beginnings are sketchy. He was born in about 1645 in Poiters, France,1 a place that supplied many colonists along the St. Lawrence River. His parents were Joseph Girardin and Jeanne Boulanger, but nothing else is known of them. Also lost to history is the date he was recruited for New France — we only know that he was established as a farmer in the Quebec City area by October 12, 1671, the date of his marriage.2
The woman who Leonard married was a Fille du Roi named Marie-Charlotte Jolivet, and by the summer of 1675, they had two children. Then the family seems to have moved to the Trois-Rivières area because Charlotte was a witness in a court case in March 1677.4 By the following year, they were in Lachine,5 which was near Montreal. Five more children were added to the family.
Marriage record of Leonard and Charlotte.
By bringing his family to Lachine, Leonard introduced his children to life on the frontier, which in some ways set their futures. At age 13, daughter Anne-Jeanne married a soldier who would take her to the western end of Montreal island.6 Son Hiliare would survive being captured in an Iroquois raid, having witnessed terrible brutality.7 And son Joseph took the adventurous step of moving to the Gulf Coast in 1708; he would later be one of the earliest settlers of New Orleans.8
Between the baptism of his youngest son on May 8, 16879 and the remarriage of his wife on October 18, 1688,3 Leonard passed away. A widow in New France tended to find another husband quickly, so perhaps Leonard died closer to the second date. Leonard’s wife and children seemed to have moved away from Lachine by the time of the August 1689 massacre, but may have been caught up in another Iroquois raid in Lachenaie.10 This was the danger of living around Montreal at that time.
As for the later generations of his family, two daughters would provide numerous lines in Canada, with one that trickled into fur trading outposts in the Illinois country. And son Joseph’s progenitors multiplied in the area around New Orleans, intermarrying with the Cajuns who came later, and leaving Leonard’s descendants scattered all over Louisiana today. Among Leonard’s famous descendants are Dan Aykroyd and Rudy Vallee.
Children:
1. Anne-Jeanne Girardin — B. about 1673, New France;11 D. 28 Apr 1760, Ste-Anne-Bellevue, New France;12 M. Hubert Ranger dit Laviolette (~1681-?), 30 Jul 1686, Lachine, New France6
2. Hillaire Girardin — B. 21 Jul 1675, Quebec City, New France;13 M. (1) Nicole Salois (1681-?), 26 Jan 1699, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;14 (2) Anne-Marguerite Dupuis (1705-1767), 16 Aug 1729, La Prairie, New France15
3. Charles Girardin — B. 9 Mar 1678, Lachine, New France;5 D. before 30 Jan 1682, (probably) Lachine, New France16
4. Catherine Girardin — B. 16 Feb 1680, Lachine, New France;17 D. 24 Feb 1724, Ste-Anne-Bellevue, New France;18 M. Joseph Lamadeleine (1673-1750), 15 Nov 1699, Lachine, New France19
5. Joseph Girardin — B. 30 Jan 1682, Lachine, New France;20 D. about 1756, Louisiana, New France8
6. Michel Girardin — B. 28 Jan 1684, Lachine, New France21
7. Louis Girardin — B. 8 May 1687, Lachine, New France9
Sources:
1 Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Leonard Girardin
2 Marriage record of Leonard Girardin and Charlotte-Catherine Jolivet, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3 Marriage record of Simon Trio and Charlotte-Catherine Jolivet, Q., C. P. R.
4 Court records of case against Michel Gauron and Marguerite Robineau, BAnQ
5 Baptismal record of Charles Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
6 Marriage record of Hubert Ranger and Anne-Jeanne Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
7 The Lachenaie Massacre November 1689 (website)
8 WikiTree listing of Joseph Girardy
9 Baptismal record of Louis Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
10 Because 14-year-old Hillaire Girardin gave an eyewitness report about the massacre, it leads to the conclusion his family was also there.
11 Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Anne-Jeanne Girardin
12 Burial record of Anne-Jeanne Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
13 Baptismal record of Hilliare Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
14 Marriage record of Hilliare Girardin and Nicole Salois, Q., C. P. R.
15 Marriage record of Hilliare Girardin and Anne-Marguerite Dupuis, Q., C. P. R.
16 Burial record of Charles Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
17 Baptismal record of Catherine Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
18 Burial record of Catherine Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
19 Marriage record of Joseph Lemadeleine Catherine Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
20 Baptismal record of Joseph Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
21 Baptismal record of Michel Girardin, Q., C. P. R.
