HOMEPAGE MATHURIN MY FAMILY TREE VILLENEUVE

History of Mathurin Villeneuve

Here is my own translation of a French document that can be found in Annie Villeneuve's website

Mathurin arrived in Quebec around 1666. Before being given land of his own. He had to show proof of his good conduct and ability to work the land by being trained at a Colonist, older than he was. At the farm, located near Quebec, on the Notre-Dame des Anges Hill, in the part which later on would be called Charlesbourg, he did his apprenticeship of the forest and the Canadian soil, he handled the ax to cut trees and burrowed the virgin soil. The owner of this land was Sieur de la Trinité and the most important of the new France in that period because it consisted of more than 100 acres. Saint-Denis, Sieur de la Trinité, Squire counsellor at the supreme council of Quebec, was owned by the French Nobility from Tours and established in 1650 at Beauport. Widowed by Jeanne Du Breuil, he married, Francoise Dutartre, in a second marriage. Many children were born from these two marriages. In the 1666 Census, we find Mathurin Villeneuve attached to the family of Simon Denys de la Trinité. His profession is mentioned as being that of a barrel maker that he had probably acquired from his Rhétaise childhood, paired with that of farming. In the 1667 Census we find him still working on this land. Three other young men lived in Simon Denys' house to get initiated, like him to the clearing of land for tillage. They were, 25 year old Francois Meunier of Bourgogne, Robert Laporte 30 years old and Jean Rasset, 22 years old from Rouen. In the surroundings of Sieur de la Trinité and consequently Mathurin Villeneuve, arrived Lille who also bore the title of Sieur Descormier who married Rénée Desportes in 1664, a fellow-countrywoman of the young Villeneuve who came like him from Ile-du-Ré, in the parish of St-Etienne D'Ars. Let us mention also the Lemarché family, Sieurs des Roches, with three children, the oldest being Marguerite aged 10 years old in 1667 who will become the future wife of Mathurin Villeneuve. Consequently, Mathurin will not stay forever at le Sieur de la Trinité. The farmer, Jean Lemarché, being the next door neighbor, made Mathurin an offer that pleased him on August 18, 1668. In front of the notary Gilles Rajeot, in Quebec, where he pledges to work for a year at Jean Lemarché. The Lemarché family, must have thought that Mathurin was a brave man, because less than two years after working for the Lemarché family, he was offered Marguerite Lemarché in marriage, who at the time, was not twelve years old. Marguerite's mother, Catherine Hurault had also married young, only 14 years old, with Jean Lemarché on the 18th of October 1654. Consequently, on July 30, 1670, there was a big reunion of parents and friends in Jean Lemarché's home. The subject was serious because Maitre le Vachon would write a marriage contract. At this reunion, we find Jean Lemarché and his wife Catherine Hurault, Pierre Chalat, who was the butcher in Quebec, his wife Marie Bonin, also, Jean LeNormand from Quebec and Jean Tiberge from Charlesbourg. They are Marguerite and Mathurin's witnesses. The Vachon notary also lists the names of the known Maitre Arrivé de Lille, Robert Laporte and Jean Rasset. Here is an interesting clause of this marriage contract "In favor of the said marriage, the father and mother of the said wife will give her a dowry of furnitures, buildings of the amount of one thousand treasure pounds that consist in farm land, house, barn, animals and other furniture". We can also read "that the said parties have convened that the said Mathurin Villeneuve and his future bride Marguerite Lemarché will live with her parents (Jean and Catherine) for three consecutive years". The little bride was so young, she had to approve this arrangement that permitted her to initiate herself to her tasks under the guidance of her mother. It must have went well, because a mention was added in the contract. Mathurin acknowledged before two witnesses on January 3, 1672 to have received from his father-in-law the amount of 500 tournois. The marriage ceremony was celebrated four months later, on November 26, 1670. They probably waited for the young bride to reach her 12th birthday. It is M. Henri de Berniere who gave them the nuptial benediction in the Notre-Dame Parish in Quebec. Having lived three years with his in-laws, we find Mathurin again at the Notary (Paul Vachon) on June 23, 1672 but this time for land that he bought from the Pere Jesuites. On the notarised contract, we read "3 front acres on the road from Quebec to Charlesbourg, bound on one side by the concession of Nicolas Denis and other sides of the land of the village of St-Hierosine said la Petite Auvergne on one side of the large road of Charlesbourg and the other end to the land conceded, said Gros-Pin". It seemed customary in that period that neighbors and friends helped with the construction of buildings and houses as was the case for Mathurin on the construction of his house before the winter of 1672/73. A very solid house build with strong Canadian wood who will house the couple with their future children.

HOMEPAGE MATHURIN MY FAMILY TREE VILLENEUVE