B. about 1653 in Continvoir, Saumurois, Anjou, France1
M. 28 Dec 1676 in Neuville, New France2
Wife: Jeanne Rossignol
D. about 24 Feb 1700 in Neuville, New France3
For Fille du Roi, Jeanne Rossignol, the third time was the charm. After being widowed twice, she married Urbain Fouquereau, and he became father to eight of her children.
Urbain was born in about 1653 in the village of Continvoir, France, which is in the Anjou region east of Angers.1 His parents were Jean Fouquereau (alternate spellings: Foucreau, Fouquereaux, Foucrault) and Renée Bataille. Nothing at all is known of his family and childhood beyond these facts; neither he nor his parents are listed in Continvoir parish records.
The first place Urbain does appear is in a baptism in New France where he was the godfather. The date was February 20, 1676, and it was for a child born in Sillery, just outside of Quebec City.4 The fact he played such a role suggests that he didn’t just step off a boat from France; indeed it was the dead of winter, so the latest he could have arrived was the previous fall. What motivated him to migrate isn’t known. This was well after the period of recruitment of French citizens to populate the colony, and there’s no evidence that Urbain could have been part of the military.
Later that same year, on December 28th, Urbain married a widow named Jeanne Rossignol.2 She had been married twice before, but both husbands died. Jeanne brought three young sons into the marriage, and became pregnant again almost immediately, delivering Urbain’s first son about 8 1/2 months later.5 They would go on to have seven more, with the last child born in 1696.6
While his wife Jeanne appeared in court records, Urbain had no such presence of his own. The case involving Jeanne described her as being a woman “who couldn’t stay out of other people’s business,” and she was forced to make a public apology to others in the community.7 This happened a couple years before Urbain was in the picture, but it suggests that she had a lively personality.
As for Urbain, he was only mentioned in a couple of records. On March 27, 1685, he sold property to Guillaume Cartier, with a receipt was issued on the 29th, and Jeanne “ratified “ the sale on April 4th.8 Then in 1693, the two of them arranged to hire out their oldest daughter, age 14, to a couple in Quebec City.9 This would seem to indicate that the family needed the money.
Urbain’s life came to an end in February 1700,3 and he was buried on the 24th. Jeanne married yet again to her fourth husband.10 She passed away in 1712.11 Urbain was the ancestor of Chloë Sevigny.
Children:
1. Pierre Fouquereau — B. before 10 Aug 1677, Neuville, New France;5 D. before 168112
2. Elisabeth-Ursule Fouquereau — B. 22 Aug 1679, Neuville, New France;13 D. 31 Dec 1758, Rivière-Ouelle, New France;14 M. Pierre Soucy (1673-1760), 13 Jan 1699, Riviere Ouelle, New France15
3. Michel Fouquereau — B. 5 Oct 1681, Neuville, New France16
4. André Fouquereau — B. 20 Dec 1683, Neuville, New France;17 D. before 16 Nov 1722, New France;18 M. Françoise Aupry (1702-1776), 15 Apr 1720, Laprairie, New France19
5. Madeleine Fouquereau — B. 10 Jul 1686, Neuville, New France;20 M. (1) Jacques Richaume (1661-1713), 25 Feb 1710, Repentigny, New France;21 (2) Louis Cailloneau (1685-?), 8 Jan 1714, Repentigny, New France22
6. Guillaume Fouquereau dit Urbain — B. 23 Mar 1690, Neuville, New France;23 D. 22 Apr 1769, Repentigny, Quebec;24 M. Marie Anne Riviere (1699-1785), 20 Mar 1719, Repentigny, New France25
7. Marie-Anne Fouquereau — B. 3 Jul 1693, Neuville, New France;26 D. 7 Feb 1767, Pierrefonds, Quebec;27 M. Antoine Laniel dit Desrosiers (1693-1772), 29 Nov 1719, Repentigny, New France28
8. Marie-Helene Fouquereau — B. 14 Feb 1696, Neuville, New France;6 D. 12 Dec 1736, St-Sulpice, New France;29 M. Michel Rivet (1689-1753), 18 Jan 1718, Repentigny, New France30
Sources:
1 Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Urbain Fouquereau
2 Marriage record of Urbain Fouquereau and Jeanne Rossignol, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3 Burial record of Urbain Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
4 Baptismal record of Marie-Madeleine Petitclerc, Q., C. P. R.
5 Baptismal record of Pierre Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
6 Baptismal record of Marie-Helene Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
7 King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi, 1663-1672, Peter J. Gagné, 2001
8 Inventaire des greffes des notaires du Régime français, V. 4, Pierre-Georges Roy
9 Inventaire des greffes des notaires du Régime français, V. 18, Pierre-Georges Roy, p. 36
10 Marriage record of François Huard dit Laliberteand Jeanne Rossignol, Q., C. P. R.
11 Burial record of Jeanne Rossignol, Q., C. P. R.
12 Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
13 Baptismal record of Elisabeth-Ursule Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
14 Burial record of Elisabeth-Ursule Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
15 Marriage record of Pierre Soucy and Elisabeth-Ursule Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
16 Baptismal record of Michel Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
17 Baptismal record of André Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
18 Burial record of André Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
19 Marriage record of André Fouquereau and Françoise Aupry, Q., C. P. R.
20 Baptismal record of Madeleine Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
21 Marriage record of Jacques Richaume and Madeleine Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
22 Marriage record of Louis Cailloneau and Madeleine Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
23 Baptismal record of Guillaume Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
24 Burial record of Guillaume Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
25 Marriage record of Guillaume Fouquereau and Marie Anne Riviere, Q., C. P. R.
26 Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
27 Burial record of Marie-Anne Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
28 Marriage record of Antoine Laniel dit Desrosiers and Marie-Anne Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
29 Burial record of Marie-Helene Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
30 Marriage record of Michel Rivet and Marie-Helene Fouquereau, Q., C. P. R.
