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FRANCOIS
BELLENGER 1612 - 1687
The First Plow In New France - 1627
In 1605, Louis Hebert had sown the first wheat at Port Royale. The next
year, Richelieu, organized a company of 100 merchants. This company was
named the Company of the Hundred Associates. Madame Robert Giffard (Marie
Regnouard) is given credit as having named this company. The "Company"
obtained, from the King, all the land in the new territory from the new
country (Terre Neuve) to Lake Huron and all the land called Ungava in
Florida, with a monopoly on all trading. As you may recall from previous
chapters, the Company was to transport and establish 4,000 colonists on
these new lands, now populated by 55 inhabitants, over the next fifteen
years. The first plow arrived in New France in 1627. In that year, settler
Louis Hebert lay dying on his 5 acre farm which is now the site of the
Basilica of Quebec. At the end of May 1633, the first contingent, made up
of 230 colonists, arrived with Champlain.
The Ocean Voyage - 1634
Robert Giffard, a Navy Surgeon, had been granted a large land grant (Fief)
and had been named the Seigneur de Beauport. He was looking for settlers
to leave France with him, and develop the Fief on the shores of the St.
Lawrence, that the Company of the Hundred Associates had granted him. At
Mortagne in Perche, he met Jean Guyon at his home on the Rue Neuve and
hired him as censitaire along with his wife Mathurine Robin and their
children. He also convinced Zacharie Cloutier, his wife Xaincte Dupont,
and their children to come with them to the New World. The contract of
departure was signed the 14th of March 1634 at a M. Roussel's, the notary
of the region.
The word of promise and adventure quickly
spread throughout Mortagne. Others wanted to follow Giffard, Guyon and
Cloutier to New France. In all, 35 people from Mortagne decided to
rendezvous at Dieppe in the Diocese of Rouen, the port of embarkation.
Among these was our ancestor, Francois Bellenger, a bachelor of 22 years
who was a mason by trade. Because it took two months to cross the ocean,
when the winds were favorable, the departure of ships for New France was
always in the spring. Travelers had to leave Mortagne at the beginning of
April in order to arrive in time to have enough warm weather to clear
land, construct homes and grow a crop to carry them through the winter.
Should they arrive too late, they were hard pressed to survive the harsh
winter weather. That day, in the church of Notre Dame de Mortagne,
the band of future farmers knelt to pray to the Virgin to protect them on
the ocean. Good byes were exchanged at the front door of the church while
the bells rang out loudly. Powerful Percheron horses pulled the caravan of
carts filled with furniture, provisions and tools. Soon the place
d'Armes5, the Clarisse monastery, the church of St. Jean, parents and
friends from Mortagne were all far behind. The caravan traveled to the
diocese of Rouen, in the direction of Dieppe, about 40 leagues (1 league =
3 miles) from there, through the roads of Perche and Normandy. At Rouen,
Robert Giffard went to visit Jean Bourdon, future Attorney General on the
Sovereign Council of New France. Jean later followed this group to New
France on Captain Deville's ship. Robert Giffard also hired Francois Bougy,
Jean Juchereau of Beauce, a 52 year old M. Maure with his wife Marie
Langlois and their children, Jean, Nicolas, Noel and Genevieve, as well as
Noel Langlois, a 31 year old pilot from Saint Leonard des Parcs (Orne).
This newly formed colony of emigrants, now numbering 43 members, continued
on the road to Dieppe.
In the port, at Dieppe, there were 4 ships
which made up the flotilla commanded by M. Duplessis-Bochard. M. Bochard
was the general of the fleet with the other three ships commanded by
Captains Nesle, Bontemps and Lormel. The group wasted no time in loading
provisions, furniture and passengers to begin the long and uneventful
crossing. The ships were at Tadoussac by the end of May and on 4 June
1634, Robert Giffard and his colony regrouped on Captain Nesle's ship.
They arrived at "Kebec" where they were greeted by a welcoming party like
they had never imagined. Canoes filled with Hurons and Algonquins had come
to trade their furs with the newly arrived French. The Indians were loud
and defiant in their diverse attire. The reddish skin on their heads was
accentuated by various arrangements of feathers in their long hair. The
new colonists had never seen anything like this colorful and jubilant
display. Lord and Master (seigneur) of the expedition, Robert Giffard,
hurried with his men to go to Beauport and choose a site for his manor.
With primitive hand tools, he and his censitaires fervently attacked the
forest to build log cabins for their families. They then tilled the soil
with plows pulled by oxen. This new crop of wheat would feed 20 people
over the next 2 years and provide seed for the future.
1636
On 27 July 1636, we find mention of our ancestor, Francois Bellanger, for
the first time in New France. He was a witness at the signing of the
marriage contract between Robert Drouyn and ten year old Anne Cloutier.
Because of Anne's young age, Robert went out West to trap furs6 (engagé
ouest), as was the custom, between the time of the contract's signing and
the wedding date. Francois' bold signature showed that he could write and
was more educated than the average settler.
FIRST DOUBLE MARRIAGE IN CANADA - 1637
On 12 July 1637, Francois married Marie Guyon, the daughter of Jean
Guyon. That same morning, at the same place, Robert Drouyn, master brick
maker, married Anne Cloutier in a church wedding, which had been delayed
because of her age. Anne Cloutier was a close friend to Marie Guyon, from
their days in Mortagne, and the two must have planned this double wedding.
This was alleged to be the first double marriage ceremony celebrated in Canada and
also the first signed contract of marriage. Others had not been signed by
the participants as most could not write. Francois Bellanger countersigned
this contract as witness and friend of Robert Drouyn. Jean Guyon was
employed by Robert Giffard and had married Mathurine Robin in 1616 at
Saint Jean de Mortagne. Jean's daughter, Marie, born 18 March 1624,
was 10 years old at her arrival in New France. The records indicate that
Francois Bellanger was baptized on 7 October 1612, the son of Francois
Bellanger and Francoise Horlays in the diocese of Lisieux, County of
Touque in Normandy. Marie Guyon, who was also from the County of Touque in
Normandy, married Francois on 12 July 1637 in Quebec. Francois and Marie
were married 3 years after their arrival, in the chapel of Notre Dame de
Recouvrance (which burned in 1640). His union with the thirteen year old
Marie Guyon, was blessed by Father Charles Lallemant, acting as the curate
of Notre-Dame-des-Anges.
1639
In 1639, a small group of seven inspired women wanted to serve the needs
of the colonies and went to Quebec. There were three sisters of the
Ursuline Order, accompanied by a Madame de la Peltrie (she had offered to
found a school for Indian girls) and three nuns sent to establish the
first hospital. The arrival of this group, especially women not
accompanied by men, did not go without notice in this small colony.
Villagers ran down to meet their ship as it approached the shore. Their
arrival was announced by firing the guns of the fortress which was
followed by a great celebration. These seven women did not know it but
they were to battle an outbreak of small pox and to endure more sickness
and hardship than they ever could have guessed. One of the nuns,
Marie de l'Incarnation, was the Superior of the Ursuline Order, in Quebec,
for thirty years. This put her in the record book of Canadian history. She
was often found appealing to France for help and she advised the King on
the customs, dangers and problems of life in 17th century Quebec. Many of
her letters have been preserved and printed.
FIRST BORN ? - 1640
The 19th of August 1640, Marie Guyon was 16 (or 22) years old. She gave
Francois his first son, Charles, (unless you believe there already was a
Nicolas). When Charles was born, it was thought that he might not live so
he was immediately baptized at the house of his grandfather, Jean Guyon.
This fact indicates that Francois and Marie were living with the Guyons at
the time. Francois is said to have come to New France under a signed
contract witnessed by one of the brothers Juchereau. His commitment to
serve, under this contract, appears to have ended in the summer of 1637.
We find that he immediately set out on his own and he, along with his new
bride Marie Guyon, appear to have spent the next few years in Quebec as
this is where their first children are baptized. Around 1641 (from
information on a card from Jean Bourdon) the Bellengers are owners of a
farm of six arpents (1152 feet) in length and one and a half leagues (3.6
miles) in depth on the Beaupre side of the river next to that of Zacharie
Cloutier's son.
A MORTGAGE - 1647/1655
From 1644 to 1647 Francois Bellanger and Masse Gravel worked a concession
(land given by the Governor) together on the Beaupre coast. In 1647 Masse
Gravel leaves the farm. On 24 May 1655 the two settled up and Francois
bought Masse's half for the sum of one hundred livres per arpent,10
payable in three installments of 116 livres 6 sols 8 deniers (for a total
of 350 livres), each due on Saint-Jean's day. Francois secured this debt
by pledging all of his property as well as the present and future
inheritance of his children. On 23 March 1660, Gravel declared that his
former partner had paid up and owed him nothing more. In this same year,
both of them became church wardens in the parish of Chateau-Richer, as
indicated in a document mentioning the gift of a small building made to
the fabrique11 by Julien Fortin. The first notarized act found which
includes Francois was drawn up on 8 September 1647 by Claude Lecoustre.
Francois was required to pay Pierre Legardeur of Repentigny the sum of one
hundred livres for the purchase of some wheat. To guarantee the loan, he
put up all of his property as security. With this, and the fact that
Francois purchased some farm land, we know that he has given up the mason
trade and started farming. We then find Francois purchasing a concession
of land containing 6 arpents and 8 rods with a mile and a half of frontage
at Chateau Richer. On 2 June 1650, he buys this land from Olivier
LeTardif12 who was the agent for The Company at Beaupre.13 The title of
this land purchase has not been found but we find the fact mentioned in a
land inventory done in 1680 at the request of Monseigneur de Laval,
Seigneur of Beaupre as recorded by the Notary Becquet. It is also
mentioned in the inventory of Charles Bellanger on 6 April 1746. On 24
October 1671, Francois adds one rod and five feet in width to the farm.
L'ANGE GUARDIEN - 1650
No documentation has been found which would indicate exactly when Francois
Bellanger established himself at L'Ange Gardien. The custom of the time
was for the censitaires to receive their land grants after they had
cleared their land and built houses and outbuildings on it. As stated
earlier, we do know that on 2 June 1650, Francois Bellanger purchased, in
the Seigneurie of Beaupre from the elder Olivier LeTardif (lord of the
region) a farm of 6 arpents and 8 rods wide and one league and a half
deep. This was 16 years after he landed and 13 years after his marriage.
MAYOR AND CHURCH WARDEN - 1653
From the time of his arrival in New France, Francois Bellanger must have
worked for Robert Giffard. Robert Giffard was one of original seigneurs
appointed by the Company of One Hundred Associates and he was responsible
for bringing many settlers to New France. On 9 August 1653, the Journal of
the Jesuits reported that Francois was chosen for the important office of
mayor of the citizens of the Quebec region who lived at the Longue Pointe,
which would become the future parish of St-Anne-de-Beaupre. Also elected
to the town council at the same time were: Thomas Hayot, Charles
Legardeur de Tilly, Christophe Crevier, Guillaume Peltier, Pierre Picard
and Francois Bissot. Francois Bellanger must have been well thought
of at Chateau Richer as he became the captain of the local militia. This
was not a position given out to any but the most respectable and
deserving. He appeared to have had, as well as demanded, great respect for
the law. This did not stop him from running up against the system several
times in various dealings with his friends and relatives. He was known to
be stubborn and determined but a very honest man. Many sought him out for
advice mainly due to these well known traits.
1654
Four years later, on the 18th of Feb. 1654, Jean Guyon, Sieur du Buisson,
granted a wedding gift to his only daughter, Marie. This wedding gift was
a little late, coming 17 years after her marriage to Francois. He gave her
a piece of land with 20 rods frontage on the St. Lawrence and one league
and a half deep, including all buildings and animals, at L'Ange Gardien.
It consisted of a portion of 5 arpents frontage, bordered on one side by
the farms of Guillaume Couillard and on the other by Louis Couillard. We
find that the lord of Lauzon, as attorney of Messieurs de Beaupre,
had deeded this land to Jean Guyon, through a notary, only three days
earlier. This land appears to have been a part of Marie's dowry. We
have already learned that, in 1640, Charles had been baptized at the home
of his grandfather, Jean Guyon. Everything leads us to believe that, at
this date, Marie still lived with her parents and 5 brothers and that
Francois Bellanger, her husband, lived under the same roof and helped his
father-in-law to till the land, part of which he had been promised in
dowry as soon as the grant would be reconciled. This appears to be the
land which Francois and Marie now received, 17 years later. So Marie and
Francois received 2 arpents of land from Jean Guyon. In 1654,
Francois' son, Charles, was 14 years old. He accompanied his father to the
fields and helped him with the work of the farm. Like the 30 or so
settlers established by this date in the region, they had to work the
land, always watching for the prowling Iroquois who burned the homes and
destroyed the animals and crops. They worked, armed with a plow, axes and
guns, in a constant state of alertness. Life was not very joyful, and the
work was not easy. As the family grew, the harvest had to increase. This
meant they had to clear the forest by hand, pull stumps, hoe, dig and beat
the wheat. They lived in log cabins or in houses of rock with narrow
windows with panes of oiled paper. Francois built his own furniture;
tables and benches, and he must have added a bed at every birth.
1662
In 1662, Francois Bellanger was named trustee of the affairs and guardian
of the children of the late Olivier Le Tardif, co-seigneur and Justice of
the Peace at Beaupre. That same year, Francois sold two oxen to Romain de
Trepagny, for the sum of 300 livres, payable in silver, in beaver pelts,
or in valid currency. In 1663, the year of the founding of the Sovereign
Council, this Quebecois pioneer became, according to Msgr. David Gosselin,
"one of the principal inhabitants of the region and he had the confidence
of the authorities and the colonists." That same year also marked the
departure from the household of two of the children, Marguerite and
Charles, in order to marry. It also marked the beginning of the end for
Jean Guyon, Marie's father. His death led to a family quarrel over the
settling of his estate, which lasted five years. The Sovereign Council
finally had to step in to decide this affair and to resolve the details.
The river was the only practical way to get to Quebec, or from one village
to another. Travel was by canoe in summer (sometimes even in winter) or a
sled pulled by oxen through the forest. In 1661, the Agniers (an Indian
tribe more feared than the Iroquois) killed 8 people on the Cote de
Beaupre and 7 at L'Isle d'Orleans (an island within the St. Lawrence sea
way). The family of our forefather, Francois Bellanger, was spared but
death from other causes continued to take its toll. In the space of 13
months, Marie Guyon lost her mother, saw her son marry Barbe Cloutier and
lost her father, Jean Guyon. Jean Guyon died on the 13th of May 1663 in
the middle of a series of earth quakes that shook the Cote de Beaupre all
the way to Quebec. Jean had been in New France 26 years and the experience
of these earth shakings, while he was on his death bed, must have served
to hasten his final hour. Francois Bellanger became, according to the
census of 1667, one of the most prosperous farmers of the Cote de Beaupre
with 50 arpents of land and 13 cattle in his stable.
THE ROYAL GOVERNMENT
In 1663 King Louis XIV was dissatisfied with the progress being made by
The Company in colonizing New France. King Louis was the most ambitious in
a long line of French kings and was just beginning his rule which lasted
over fifty years. He took away The Company's monopoly rights and sent an
administrator (Intendant) to establish a Royal Government. The first and
most notable of these administrators was Jean Talon. At his own cost, to
encourage trade and ship building, he had a ship of one hundred and twenty
tons built and, with it, he had horses and sheep brought from France.
Before this, only one horse had been brought to the colony. Talon started
the first census in 1666 which showed soldiers and 3215 inhabitants
including three notaries, five surgeons, thirty tailors and three
locksmiths. Talon started a model farm, began the growing of hemp,
encouraged cod fishing in the St. Lawrence, sent men to hunt minerals,
began the making of potash from wood ashes, started a tannery and
distributed looms for the encouragement of weaving.15 He accelerated the
pace of seigneural grants. Seigneuries granted from 1627 to 1663 were
granted by The Company while those granted between 1663 and 1763 were
granted by the King's agents.
On 24 June 1665, Francois Belanger gave up his domestic servant, Jean Hue,
to Jean Maheu for the remainder of his obligated time. Jean Maheu was to
give Francois Bellanger, within two months, the sum of 30 livres for wages
and other things which Francois had advanced his servant. Jean Maheu wed
Mathurine Belanger, daughter of Francois and Marie Guyon, on 18 September
1673. He was, therefore, a citizen of Quebec but did not live long. His
widow disclaimed any inheritance on 21 August 1674. On 24 August
1665, Charlotte Francoise Belanger, daughter of Francois and Marie Guyon,
finalized her marriage contract (pre-nuptial agreement)16 with Jean
Langlois, son of Noel and Francoise Garnier of Beauport, whom she wed at
Chateau Richer on 19 October 1665. On 19 March 1669, Francois
Bellanger and his neighbor, Simon Guyon (farm 59), finalized their
accounts which had to do with a mutual undertaking they had taken with
respect to developing a farm. Since they owed 363 livres, 8 sols, 3
deniers to Jacques de La Mothe, merchant, they contracted to each pay
half, that is 181 livres, 14 sols, 1 denier. In September of 1669
Francois and his wife again indebted themselves for 1000 livres they
borrowed from Charles Aubert de La Chenaye. They were to pay him an annual
rente of 55 livres 11 sols 2 deniers. In 1677 Francois gives up the sub
seigneurie of Bonsecours and on 18 April 1678 Intendant Duchesneau
proclaims that Francois Bellanger never was a seigneur of any part of
Beaupre because he had never paid for his land. The reason for this
statement hasn't been found since, seigneuries were granted and not sold,
unless Duchesneau meant that Francois had not fulfilled the obligation of
settling the land with other farmers.
CAPTAIN OF THE MILITIA - 1665
In 1665, Talon had established a position of 'Captain of Militia' in each
parish to direct the military organization. Francois Bellanger was chosen
for this position in the domain of Beaupre. Charles, who shared the house
with his mother, his wife and their sons Francois and Charles, continued
to cultivate the farm while his father dedicated himself to his military
functions. A document of the time has been preserved by Georges Bélanger.
It shows that, on 24 October 1674, the farm was increased by one yard and
five feet. The document indicates that this land was granted, freely, to
Francois Bellanger by Msgr. Lucien, first bishop of Quebec whose title was
'Monseigneur de Laval', in return for 5 sols de rentes pension.
1677
In 1667 the general census of the inhabitants of New France notes that
Francois Bellanger had fifty arpents under cultivation and thirteen
animals, which made him one of the richest property owners of that time.
In 1669, the year the militia was established in the colony, Francois was
named captain of the militia for the Beaupre coast. According to J. Edmond
Roy, the captains "were, so to speak, the heads of the municipal
organization in each village. They had to carry out the governor's
ordinances, as well as supervise the construction and maintenance of the
roads." Francois was active and resourceful. The notaries of the
time, in their contracts, show us that he was a businessman; informed,
upright and honest. He is also shown as a man much sought after as an
expert appraiser. In order to be fair, it is necessary to add that
Francois Bellanger was authoritative, forceful, and tenacious in his
demands. He wanted, above all, that his ideas become those of others,
which made him a few enemies. He learned that he was not infallible
however, as shown by some appeals to the Bishop and to the Governor of New
France. He did not always prevail in his legal ordeals.
A HARD, BUT HONEST, BUSINESSMAN
Francois Bellanger earned a reputation as an honest but a hard man with
whom to do business. He had an argument with his brother-in-law, Simon
Guyon, and had to resort to the Sovereign Council for recourse. This
litigation lasted until 21 April 1670, at which time Francois was forced
to loosen his purse strings. A little earlier he had lost another lawsuit
to his former partner Masse17 Gravel. The councilors, undoubtedly
exasperated by his tendency to file suits, begged him to make his
apologies to the Intendant. "As we have seen," writes Leonidas
Bélanger, "our man did not have any luck with his suit and it was
certainly not willingly that he must have made his apology. This also
proves to us that he was stubbornly set in his own ideas a little too
much. Better educated perhaps than the majority of his fellow citizens, he
sought to impose his will on them in a thousand and one ways."
Francois was also controversial within his own family. He did not get
along with his son-in-law, Bertrand Chesnay de la Garenne, (husband of
Marie Madeleine) on the subject of their accounts. He interfered in the
affairs of his daughter Mathurine, widow of Jean Maheu, concerning a house
situated in the Lower Town of Quebec, and bordering the one belonging to
defendants Etienne Blanchon and his wife Anne Convent. In 1674, Francois
again had trouble with his neighbor Masse Gravel concerning a boundary
between their properties established by the surveyor Jean Guyon du
Buisson. Quite simply put, Masse wanted Francois to stop bothering him
about the exact placement of the line and Francois wanted the line exactly
established. Again, the matter ended up on the agenda of the Sovereign
Council and he lost this lawsuit, his last on record.
SEIGNEUR OF BONSECOURS
In 1677 Marie and Francois had 12 children. Ten of them were either on
their own or in the process of leaving the home. Marie and Francois
accepted a concession of land and a position as seigneur of Bonsecours
which would later become known as L'Islet. Taking such a step is
often expected of a young man but for a man of over 60 years, it shows his
determination and a strong desire to provide for the stable establishment
of his sons. Francois had been involved in protests and the demands of an
active lifestyle. One would have expected him to be looking for a more
tranquil life, not starting new careers. To reward the former
officers of the military, Talon had granted them large land tracts which
they established as lordships. Talon's successors followed the same
practice and Francois asked for and obtained a new grant. With this new
grant, Francois and Marie gave up their farm and buildings at L'Ange
Gardien to their son Charles. His new grant was located on the south side
of the River St. Lawrence, where it seemed there was a better future. This
grant included title to the domain and a Seigneurie, was granted to him by
Louis de Buade, Count of Frontenac (the Governor) and his aide Duchesneau,
on the 1st of July 1677. This grant, called Bonsecours, consisted of a
league (3 miles) in frontage by two leagues (6 miles) in depth on the
south bank of the river which, today, is part of the parish of L'Islet.
Francois became the Lord of the Domain of Bonsecours. Two of his sons, who
had come with him to the south shore, left soon after to set up their own
farms nearby. After forty years of struggle and constant work, Francois
had suddenly become the Seigneur of Bonsecours (L'Islet). This concession
was placed on record by the Sovereign Council on 24 October 1680. In 1709,
Gedeon de Catalogne (an engineer), after reading the description on the
plans of seigneuries and lands of the governments of Quebec, Trois
Rivieres & Montreal, spoke of it as follows: "The land there is
rather level, sprinkled with plowed up stones, and marginally produces all
sorts of grains, vegetables and pasturage. The fruit trees produce
abundantly, and the natural woods are a mixture of all species."
This grant was described in the act signed by Frontenac himself. Francois
received the farms along the gulf of St. Lawrence on the south coast
between that which belonged to Genevieve Couillard all the way up the gulf
to those of the widow Amiot. This comprised, in all, one and a half
leagues, more or less, of frontage with 2 leagues of depth and included
all the hunting and fishing rights throughout the area. This grant
relieved him from the customary dues and taxes that he and his heirs would
have normally been required to pay to the Chateau St. Louis de Quebec.
They had some stipulations to abide by, however. They had to farm the land
and live there as well. They had to develop the land, conserve and see to
the conservation of the oak trees, which were used for boat construction,
in order to have full rights and possession of these grants. They also had
to notify the higher authorities if they found mines. They had to keep and
maintain all the necessary roads and trails according to the pleasure of
his majesty. It was certainly not easy for Francois to change his
domicile at his age. Although full of courage and great resolution, he
depended on help from his sons for the labors of clearing ground which was
very hard and tiring work. Francois did not immediately move onto his new
land. He waited until the farms were better organized. This fact is shown
in a document dated 8 Feb 1679 which shows him still living on the Cote of
Beaupre. On 14 November 1679, Francois' daughter Louise, was married to
Jean Cloutier at Chateau-Richer. A marriage contract was presented before
Aubert 30 November 1679.
1680
The King, through his agent Colbert, published a decree the 29th of May
1680, confirming the grants made by the Governor his Steward from 12
October 1676 to 5 September 1679. In the census of the grants for this
period, we find the grant of Francois Bellanger. In 1681, the census
revealed that the Lord of Bonsecours had 4 servants and, by this, it is
known that he must have been living comfortably. The same day, Louis
XIV, King of France, passed a mandate mentioning the decree of the State
Council and confirmed the grants made by his Steward in New France, the
Sieur Duchesneau and his Lieutenant General in Canada, the Sieur de
Frontenac. There again, the name of Francois Bellanger appears as the
proprietor and lord of this land which was named Bonsecours. The King
ended his decree by recommending to the Sovereign Council that it record
the present decree and command the soldiers to take whatever actions were
necessary to enforce these mandates. The recording of the grants by the
Sovereign Council of New France was made in Quebec on 24 October 1680
under the signature of Peubret. When he received his grant, Francois still
had two of his daughters with him; Louise and Genevieve and two of his
sons; Louis and Jacques. Francois was around 68 years old. Louis soon left
for his own farm on the land grant of Bonsecours. His brother Jean
Francois owned a farm on one side of his while his brother Olivier Michel
owned the one on the other side. Louis' farm is easy enough to locate
today as he was the one who gave the land where the church of L'Islet is
built and he is considered as one of the distinguished benefactors.
Jacques occupied a farm situated more towards the west. In the
parchments preserved by Georges Bélanger, and which Marcel Bélanger later
received when he inherited the farm, the history of the inheritance
continues in dowries, in legacies, in contestations by rights of
lineage, in mortgages, and in debtors sales. The struggle for possession
of the land by the fathers and the sons who had returned to it and upon
which they had cleared ground with their sweat is told in old French
writings.
CENSUS of 1681
The census of 1681 places the Bellanger Family in the Seigneurie of
Bellechasse, of which the Fief of Bonsecours was a part. Four servants
worked for the new seigneur; Jean de la Voye, Barthelemy Gobeil, Pierre
Lafaye and Pierre Mataule. The move had only been recently made because
Francois had only cleared five arpents. The census lists Francois
Bellanger as follows: Francois Bellanger, 60 years, Marie Guyon his
wife, 55 years; (this is certainly a mistake on the age of Francois and
Marie who should have been 69 and 57 respectively) Genevieve his daughter
21 years; Jacques his son of 18 years; servants: Jean de la Voye, 17
years; Barthelemy Gobeil 14 years, Pierre Lafaye 56 years and Pierre
Mataule 41 years. Francois had only 4 acres in value, 5 guns and 3 cattle.
His son Louis married Marguerite LeFrancois at Chateau Richer on 3
November 1682 (contrat Vachon, 2 November 1682). Genevieve married
Guillaume Ferte at Cap St. Ignace on 23 November 1682. In 1683 only one of
their children, Jacques, was still living with the couple. It is with
Jacques that Marie and Francois spent their last years.
1685 - 1687
On 25 October 1685 Francois Bellanger must have felt old and knew his end
was coming because he bequeathed, witnessed by the notary Duquet, all his
possessions to his last son, Jacques, in return for good and loyal service
and then Francois disappeared from the written records. Two years later,
his widow ratified the bequeath of her husband of all his possessions
including the seigneurie of Bonsecours. This account follows: This
gift was accepted by Louis on behalf of his brother Jacques. It
encompassed all the lands on the domain of Bonsecours with the house where
he lived, the barn, the mill and other buildings situated on said lands,
with one horse, 3 cattle (probably oxen), 3 cows and all the harness,
carriages and other plowing equipment, all the furniture they owned and
would own on the day of their death. These lands comprised 15 acres of
frontage on two leagues (2 1/2 miles for each league) of depth, the
benefit of the said furniture and real estate, animals and belongings
reserved to each of them and the last to die among the two by the
precarious farm constituted, these benefits would remain fully to the last
survivor. Marie Guyon ratified this act on 25 April 1687, in a document
which indicated that she had become a widow. Francois had probably died
the preceding winter but Marie lived for about another ten years. The
registry of Cap-Saint-Ignace mentions her burial act, on 1 September 1696.
She was then 78 years old.
In an affidavit, on 25 April 1687 before the Notary Duquet, Marie states
that she ratifies this bequest, made to her son Jacques, because he took
care of all things for the last 8 or 9 years. She states that she is happy
and satisfied with the care this marvelous model of a son has given her
and her deceased husband. She says she hopes that he will keep her things
for her and that he will not leave her to go establish himself elsewhere.
She hopes that his brothers and sisters will not cause him any trouble in
his inheritance, which is nothing more than the pure and simple reward of
his labors and the good care that he - - - (here the document is torn).
After the death of Francois, life continued its normal course at the
Bellengers. Mathurine wed Francois Gregoire (her 3rd husband) on 26 April
1688, at Pointe Au Trembles,18 Quebec (today Neuville). Marie hopes that
her son Jacques will continue to treat her well until her death. She
leaves him free, meanwhile, to do as he wishes, or else to share the
inheritance with his brothers and sisters and take for himself the sum of
620 livres for each of the said 8 or 9 years and hopes that he will
continue to help and serve her without the help of his brothers and
sisters. The farm of Francois eventually gets divided into 9 pieces which
are left to the children. Some of the poorer pieces of land were left with
60 livres with them while those who got better pieces had to pay the
others 57 livres when they accepted the legacy.
LAST YEARS
We know very little about Francois Béllenger and Marie Guyon's last years
except that Francois had become Lord of the Domain Béllanger at L'Islet,
that he died between 1687 and 1691 and is probably buried in the cemetery
at Cap St. Ignace, where his wife Marie Guyon was buried 1 September 1696.
According to the Genealogy of the French Families of the Detroit Region,
he died during the winter of 1690-1691 at approximately 78 years of age
and after having been in New France about 56 years. His burial papers have
remained lost to this day. Marie Guyon died at age 72 and had been in New
France 62 years. Francois and Marie left no deed of inheritance so their
estate was consequently divided between their relatives to the detriment
of their own children.
1690 - 1691
Admiral Phipps and his 34 ships of war attacked Quebec in 1690, thousands
of bullets left the city bloody and burning. Several leagues from there,
at L'Ange Gardien, two generations of Bellangers struggled against their
own sisters, brothers, sisters and brothers in law, uncles, aunts and
cousins to reclaim the land they felt was theirs. Through unceasing
pilgrimages to the notaries of Quebec and to the bailiffs of Chateau
Richer, they fought to retake the portions of their inheritance which had
already been subdivided among their other relatives. The law of the day
permitted this (retrait lignager) if they could prove their rights of
lineage, or that they had rights to it from the grandfather. On 1
December 1691, Charles of the second generation, reclaimed "a farm in
L'Ange Gardien containing 5 arpents of land in width on the gulf and a
league and a half in depth adjoining, on one side, to Guillaume Hebert and
on the other side to Nicolas Quentin with one house, one barn, plowable
land near a forest of tall trees - - -". The document from which this
quote was taken is unreadable beyond this. This land had been acquired by
Nicolas Trudel, the cousin of Joseph Guyon du Buisson (his uncle on his
mother's side) and it was finally returned to Charles Bellanger, who
reimbursed the price of two thousand fifty five livres in "good money". It
is thought that the term "good money" meant cash instead of work or goods
in lieu of cash. On 2 June 1691, Charlotte, another of Francois'
daughters, filed before the notary Genaple, a contract of marriage with
Thomas Rousseau. The marriage must have followed sometime after but the
document of this marriage has not been found. Finally Jacques, the model
son and inheritor of the paternal goods, married Elisabeth Thibault on the
22nd of November 1691 at Cap Saint Ignace19. On 15 December 1692, Charles,
the oldest of Francois' children20, died at Chateau Richer.
1696 - 1721
Marie Guyon died on 31 29 August 1696. She was buried the next day ( on 1
September 1696) at Cap Saint Ignace. The descendants of this couple are
noted by the numbers of children they bore. It seems they loved the
married life, as well, since many of them married more than once. The
Seigneurie of Bonsecours was finally divided among the sons of Francois in
1721. At his death, our ancestor left his wife and 9 of his children to
mourn his loss. Anne and Guillaume had died at a young age and Marie
Madeleine had died in childbirth on 6 January 1670. This is supported by
the fact that her husband, wed his second wife (Elisabeth Aubert) the
following year. She was the daughter of Claude Aubert, royal notary.
OUR ROOTS ON THE COAST OF BEAUPRE
In the region that takes in the Cote de Beaupre, the Isle of Orleans, and
the southern shore of the St. Lawrence between Levis and Montmagny, we
find about 100 families who continue to cultivate ancestral lands. These
lands have been used for 200 years, or more, and their acquisition dates
back to the French Regime. The oldest grant belongs to Marcel Bélanger at
number 6117 Avenue Royale in L'Ange Gardien. From Charles Bellanger
(Francois' son) to Marcel, this farm was passed down from father to son.
OFFSPRING
Today the Belangers are spread throughout North America. This
proliferation began with our ancestor himself. It matters little if you
subscribe to the notion that Nicolas was the first born of Francois. Since
the ancestry of the writers of this document is definitely from Nicolas,
you can follow that line from this point regardless of whether Francois
was his father or not. Knowing the history of the frequency of births in
the early 1600s, one must note with wonder that there were no children
from the union between Francois and Marie after their marriage in 1637
until the birth of Charles in 1640. It is the opinion of the writer,
however, that Francois and Nicolas were not closely related. The reason
for this opinion is that, in all the documents researched, the wedding
information found, the census records and all other information gathered,
no mention was ever made that either of these gentlemen, or their
immediate family, being present at any function of the other. Living so
close to each other as they did, if there had been any close relation at
all, they would have gotten together for something at one time or another.
Francois and
Marie Guyon had 12 children.
Since it is doubtful that our ancestor, Nicolas, is related to Francois,
the descendants of Francois are listed here starting with Charles. Nicolas
is covered on another page.
Charles was born and baptized on 19 August
1640 at L'Ange Gardien, Montmorency, Quebec. On 19 December 1662 he
received a concession of land from Charles Le Gardeur de Villiers. This
land was a subdivision of the larger tract 'Le Gardeur' in the Seigneurie
of Beaupre. On 21 November 1663 he married Barbe Delphine Cloutier, the
daughter of Zacharie Cloutier, Jr. and Madeleine Emard, at Chateau Richer.
In the census of 1666 and 1667 the couple was shown as residing at Beaupre
but they later moved to Chateau Richer. In 1667 he owned 5 beasts and 6
arpents in value. Charles received another farm from Charles Le Gardeur de
Villiers on 15 June 1669. In 1681, Charles was doing rather well; he had a
maid, 2 guns, 15 horned animals and 30 arpents in value. Unlike his
brothers, who moved to the Seigneurie of Bonsecours at L'Islet, Charles
lived on the north bank of the St Lawrence river. As the oldest son, he
inherited half of the Seigneurie of Bonsecours at his father's death with
the other half divided among his brothers and sisters. He died and was
buried on 14 Dec 1692 in Chateau Richer. His goods were inventoried and
disposed of on 22 June 1699. Charles and Barbe had 4 boys and 5 girls
before his widow became engaged to wed Noel Gagnon on 12 January 1705 at
Chateau Richer.
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