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SUMMARY
Nicolas Bellanger reportedly originated from the parish of Saint Thomas in the town
of Touques in Normandy. Touques is a small port at the bottom of the
Touques estuary in the Calvados region, District of Lisieux. From his
reported age for the census of 1666, 1667 and 1681 he must have been born
between 1632 and 1637 and, as a young man, became accomplished in the salt
trade. He is found in New France around 1658 employed by the merchant
Francois Perron. He soon found that the salt trade was not going to earn
him a living in New France, as it might have in Europe, so he became a
fisherman and farmer. On 12 November 1659 he contracted to marry Marie de
Rainville, daughter of Paul and Rolline Poete, who was also born in Saint
Thomas of Touques. The marriage was celebrated on the following January
11th. They settled at Beauport, perhaps to live with the Rainville
family from whom he acquired some farm land on 10 February 1661. This farm
had been given to Paul de Rainville as a concession from Robert Giffard in
1655. They increased their land holdings by adding another farm acquired
from Joseph Giffard in 1668 and later another in the parish of Saint
Michel. In 1681, Nicolas and Marie settled in Beauport with 10 children.
They had lost two sons from the original 12 children. Theirs was a
successful farm with 41 arpents in value and ten head of cattle. Nicolas
was buried in Beauport on 20 October 1682 and Marie deRainville followed him in November 1711.
BEAUPORT
The village of Beauport received its name from Samuel de Champlain.
Champlain was a sea going explorer and had found a port in Massachusetts
which he dearly loved and named Beauport about 1606. This port was renamed
as Gloucester by the English in 1620. In 1613 Champlain had been to Quebec
to what is now called Beauport. The bay with its mountains had reminded
him of the province of Biscaye which he had seen in Spain when he served
with the army of Henry the 4th, King of France. He named our Beauport
"Nouvelle Biscaye". When the Company of 100 Associates was given this land
in 1634, they were not pleased that one of their possessions was named
after a Spanish province since France was at war with Spain. The name was
again changed from Nouvelle Biscaye to Beauport which must have pleased
Champlain since there were many similarities between Beauport and
Gloucester, Massachusetts. Beauport was split up and renamed several times
before it finally was again named Beauport, which means beautiful port.
Having this name would lead one to believe that the center of activity
might have been associated with the sea but this was certainly not the
case with Beauport. Although the river was extensively
used for transportation, the region was mostly settled by merchants and
farmers. The area was quickly growing in population and it soon became
obvious that a doctor was needed to serve the people. Robert Giffard left
France and came to New France to become Beauport's first doctor in 1621.
By all accounts, it appears Robert Giffard was born around 1587 so he
would have been 34 years of age when he made the crossing. Since the Indian chiefs
of the region refused to allow him to marry one of the Indian girls,
Robert decided to return to France, in 1627, and seek a mate. He met and
married Marie Renouard in February 1628 at Mortagne. He was 41 and she was
28. A few months later he left, by himself, to return to New France with
the first group sent over by the Company of 100 Associates.
Robert Giffard conveyed title to a lot of land in his Seigneurie, most of
which had to be cleared of trees. The area was mostly forest land and
clearing was done by oxen as the first horse was not to arrive in New
France until 1665. The seigneural Manor was built next to the Beauport
river and close to the St Lawrence river. His manor had rooms which could
serve as a chapel, a court room and even a cell for prisoners. Since the
neighboring Seigneurie of Notre Dame des Anges was owned by the Jesuits,
who were not obliged to build a manor, a mill nor clear the forest, Robert
Giffard took on that task as part of his labors. As a result, Robert
really had two Seigneuries. Because he spent his time being a surgeon, and
not a farmer, he quickly conceded many farms to censitaires so that they
could get on with the job of clearing land, growing crops and inviting
others to settle there.
The territory which today is named Beauport was split up into several
other communities by religious parishes and municipal boundaries. Finally,
on 1 January 1976 the townships of Courville, Giffard, Montmorency, Sainte
Therese de Lisieux, Saint Michel Archange and Villeneuve were joined under
one municipal government and became Beauport, once again. After almost
three hundred years, the city of Beauport was once again comprised of
almost all the original land that had been named Beauport before. During
this period, Beauport had seen many battles as it was a good place for
troops to land who were attempting to capture Quebec. The guardians of the
river bank at Beauport (farmers and merchants) never allowed their lines
to be penetrated and several battles with the English ended in utter
defeat to those who tried to access Quebec through the shores of Beauport.
SOVEREIGN COUNCIL
The system of Royal Government lasted for ninety-seven years and was
administered by a "Sovereign Council". Almost every aspect of a citizen's
life was regulated by the council. It controlled how much profit one could
make on sales, what price was placed on goods and it made rules
controlling agriculture and industry. The council even acted as a high
court by hearing cases and punishing offenders. The council was composed
of three very important members, the Governor, the Intendant and the
Bishop. It met every Monday morning at seven to deal with the work at
hand. The Governor had the responsibility of defense and negotiating with
the Indians. The Intendant dealt with trade, industry and the daily living
issues for the Colony. The Bishop was responsible for the religious life,
the missions, the schools and the hospitals. New France's first and
greatest Bishop was Francois de Laval, a son of one of France's oldest
families. His biggest goal was to make the church the most powerful
influence in the life of the colony. He devoted his every effort at this,
often traveling great distances by canoe and on snowshoes. He was greatly
responsible for the termination of the sale of brandy to the Indians and
was severely criticized by the fur traders for this. They felt that,
without brandy, their trade for furs was nearly impossible. The church
felt that brandy caused "great mind disruptions in the Indians" and vowed
to stop this evil. The Royal Government brought stability to the region
and was responsible for bringing in six hundred seasoned troops, the
Carignan-Salieres Regiment. This Regiment, led by the Marquis de Tracy,
were all experienced fighters from France. In 1666, these troops and other
citizens, totaling about thirteen hundred men, turned the tide against the
Mohawk tribe of the Iroquois nation. The Sovereign Council worked much in
the same way as the courts of today. It was very slow in rendering some
judgments and then, when it did, it often did not enforce them. This
seemed especially true when it dealt with debts. Many judgments were
granted but few ever collected on them. Crimes such as adultery,
prostitution, incest, sodomy, attempted suicide and rape were punished by
banishment from a village. Those banished from the community were
sometimes publicly flogged if they failed to stay away from the village.
Perhaps because the residents of New France remembered the horrible
punishments handed out in France for crimes, they tempered their
punishment standards considerably. In New France, punishment was rather
lenient for the same crimes that would have brought about cutting off
one's hand, hanging, beheading and life imprisonment in France. In France,
some crimes demanded a person's hand be cut off before he or she was put
to death. In New France, this crime was punished by cutting off the hand
after the individual offender had been put to death. Tongue piercing was a
form of punishment dealt out to the robber for a first offense. These
offenders might be surprised if they could see the teens of today with
rings in their tongues! It seems that the most popular punishment for
crimes was branding. Branding was done by burning an offender's flesh in
different manners to indicate to all that this person had committed a
crime. The most widely used brand was the 'fleur de lys' and was generally
done on the shoulder. Although this was the most popular brand, there were
variations. A robber might be branded with a "V" to indicate 'Voleur', an
"M" (maquerelle) was branded on pimps, "F" for forgery, "D" for deserters,
"T" for limited hard labor crimes (travail defini) and "TP" for life
sentences at hard labor (travail perpetuel). A second letter was added for
second offenders. Although that practice was popular, the custom of
branding in the open palm was also widely used. This method of branding,
in the case of women, was quickly discontinued in favor of the 'fleur de
lys' on the shoulder, however. There is a theory that, raising one's hand
with an open palm to take an oath may have had much to do with the
practice of branding an open palm for all to see.
1650 - 1660 More Iroquois
During the period 1650 to 1660, the Iroquois menace threatened the very
existence of the Quebec settlement. Nicolas and his family lived under
this constant threat. The Iroquois were obviously becoming too powerful
for the French as well as for the other Indian nations. In the early
Spring of 1660 a huge force of Iroquois set out to destroy Montreal, Three
Rivers and Quebec. They had one hundred canoes loaded with men and arms
and set out down the river north of Montreal. Word of this large attack
reached Montreal and Adam Dollard, with a mere sixteen companions, set up
a "pallisade" (a fence made of boards) on the Ottawa River at the Long
Sault Rapids. Dollard and his companions enlisted the help of forty
friendly Indians and this small band held the advancing Iroquois back for
a week. Hand to hand combat resulted in which all of Dollard's party died.
This small party inflicted such a physical and psychological blow to the
advancing party that they didn't have the will to continue their original
plans. My uncle Dollard Belanger may have been named after this Quebec
hero, Adam Dollard.
OUR ROOTS IN BEAUPORT 1655
The exact date of Nicolas' arrival in New France is not known. His name
appears in the records of the Seigneurie of Beauport on 15 October 1655 as
owner of a piece of land consisting of one arpent and 61 rods. It is here,
in the actual research of genealogists, that the first mention is found of
our ancestor on an official document of the colony. The second mention was
found on a paper dated 28 September 1658 before the notary Audouart where
Nicolas made a claim against Michel Desorcys.
1659
On 12 November 1659, we find Nicolas Bellanger and his future wife, Marie
de Rainville, before Paul Vachon, Royal Notary in the Seigneurie and
Jurisdiction of Beauport and Prevoste of Notre Dame des Anges, to draw up
their marriage contract in the presence of witnesses, relatives and
friends, which was the custom. This contract reveals that the intended
couple were natives of the Parish of St Thomas de Touques, in Normandy. It
states that Nicolas was master of his trade and that the parents of his
fiancée were Paul de Rainville and Rolline Poette. The parents of Nicolas
are not mentioned and the spelling of his family name is Bellanger, which
corresponds to the most widespread pronunciation of the times.
1660
Nicolas and Marie were married on Sunday 11 January 1660 in the presence
of father Paul Ragueneaux of the Company of Jesus in the chapel of the
high manor. This is where religious services were performed by visiting
priests performing parish functions since Beauport was not yet a parish.
The contract of marriage, which was written in the records of the mother
parish (Notre Dame de Quebec), also does not mention the names of the
parents of Nicolas. The custom of the times was that one always gave the
names of his or her parents whenever legal documents were prepared. This
was especially true of marriage contracts and it is not known why Nicolas
never seemed to give the name of his parents in all of these transactions.
These omissions continually keep us from linking Nicolas to his parents
and reinforces a theory that he may have been the illegitimate son of
Francois and Marie Guyon. Nicolas and Marie settled in Beauport and raised
12 children. Father Archange Godbout, O.F.M. (noted genealogist),
has researched several names of Bellanger in the records of St Thomas de
Touques between the period of 1628-1657.
Here are some: Jacques, Jean,
Hector, Louis, Robert, Marguerite, Francoise, Marie and Catherine. Note
here, the name Catherine which was a dit name for Nicolas. Although this
is a clue, it is impossible to establish any certain lineage with Nicolas.
Catherine may have been the mother or grandmother of Nicolas. It was the
custom of the day to name boys after their godfather and girls after their
godmother. It was the priest who added Joseph or Marie to their names at
baptism.
Professional Activities 1664
In the marriage contract, Nicolas is said to be a master salt maker.
During that time, in New France, that title designated a dealer in salt.
Salt was used in the curing of fish and meat and someone who supplied that
commodity was in demand in France but, not so much so in New France. In
the deliberations of the Sovereign Council on 9 February 1664, a man named
Desorcys testified that "Bellanger had caught and furnished Codfish" on 20
October 1659 and that he had been known as a Cod Fisherman since then.
This paragraph certainly confirms that Nicolas was a fisherman by trade.
Now, five years later, (8 November 1664) Nicolas Bellanger, Pierre
Lefebvre and Leonard Leblanc were summoned before the Sovereign Council in
a matter of rights to fish. The defendants were ordered to pay, to the
clerk of the court, taxes which they owed for fishing rights on the coast
of Lauzon. From this information we conclude that Nicolas was into fishing
for a living and that he must have come to that occupation from his past
experience reclaiming salt from the ocean waters. It seems only natural
that someone who came from France with knowledge of the salt trade would
turn to fishing even in a predominantly farming community. The two trades
would have been complimentary businesses at this time. On 1 February 1664
Nicolas again appeared before the sovereign council. This time he was
appealing a judgment which ordered him to pay some past debts of his own
and to pay some outstanding debts for a friend of his. It seems that
Nicolas had co-signed a note for a friend who had since passed away.
Daniel Suyre had attached the goods of Nicolas for payment of this debt
since Nicolas had obligated himself, by co-signing, before the notary
Audouart on 28 September 1658. So Nicolas was faced with two debts to pay.
The first, his own, was for 302 livres, 6 sols and the one for his friend
was for 221 livres. Nicolas claimed that some of this debt had previously
been paid and that his should now be reduced to 70 livres and the second
to 48 livres, 7 sols, 6 deniers. Nicolas said he had paid on his debt with
money from an inheritance he received from Roger Dorre. Nicolas asked to
be dismissed as a debtor on the debt of his friend since he was merely a
co-signer and the principal party had passed away. On 9 February 1664,
Nicolas returned to the sovereign council with documents to prove that his
own previous debts had been paid in November 1659 and
the entire matter was dismissed.
1665
By 1665, the Iroquois were raiding French villages and slaughtering the
villagers. France's best troops (what our Green Beret's are to us today)
of the time were the Carignan-Salieres Regiment. King Louis XIV sent 1200
of these French troops to quell the Indians. They accomplished their task
within 2 years and the countryside became peaceful for a time. About 800
of these men returned to France but the remaining 400 stayed in New
France. The officers were enticed to stay by being offered concessions of
seigneuries (fiefs of many square miles) and the enlisted troops received
concessions of rotures under the very officers they had served for. Many
of these soldiers married the "Daughters of the King".
1667
At the time of the census of 1667 Nicolas (at age 29) was recorded as
owning 2 cattle and 12 arpents of land as his net worth. Fourteen years
later, at the census of 1681, Nicolas owned one gun, 10 cattle and his
farm at Beauport was worth 41 arpents of cultivated and pasture land. He
may have had additional un-cleared land but, as you may remember, un-cleared
land was "worthless". This increase of 30 arpents in area signified an
average of 2 arpents per year which represented an enormous accomplishment
considering the means at their disposal for clearing land in the 17th
century. It seems Nicolas may have turned to farming around 1670 in order
to provide his family with a more dependable income than fishing. Nicolas
may have owned, for a few years, a farm designated "number 16" in the land
survey register number 46 of the parish of St Pierre de L'Isle d'Orleans.
It is important, later, to remember that Nicolas owned property on the
Island of Orleans. In a contract from Charles de Lauzon of Charny to
Antoine Poulet presented before notary Paul Vachon on 4 November 1662
Nicolas Bellanger was mentioned as neighbor. In the census of 1666 he is
still neighbor to Poulet but in 1667 his farm was owned by Laurent Benoist.
DON'T FENCE ME IN ! 1669 - 1673
On 23 July 1669, Marie Regnouard, the widow of Robert Giffard, and Joseph
Giffard of Beauport, filed an action before the sovereign council against
Nicholas (sic) Bellanger, Paul deRainville and all farmers of the village
of Fargy. She claimed that fences along common property lines between the
farms had been removed. The complainant wanted the fences rebuilt to
prevent future problems with subsequent owners.
On 16 January 1673, Nicolas and other farmers appeared before the
sovereign council as witnesses for Jean Galloup who was appealing his case
with regard to fences. This case had been heard and ruled on by the
Seigneur of Beauport on 16 May 1672 in which the farmers were made to
erect fences, at their own expense. They had also been ordered to pay 5
livres to the church of Beauport building fund, 3 livres for bail fee, 4
livres for witness fees and 5 livres for the judge's vacation. The
sovereign council upheld the order and demanded that all property in the
village of Fargy would be fenced in by the owners.
A WITNESS TO NICOLAS - 1673
A little white house with a high pitched roof, located at 600 Avenue
Royale in Beauport, was built by or for Nicolas Bellanger on land granted
to him by the Lord Joseph Giffard on 24 January 1673. This land grant had
been recorded before the notary Paul Vachon when Nicolas was 35 and had 7
living children. The original house was built of stone and measured 22 by
20 feet with a stone foundation. This house was passed on to Pierre, a son
of Nicolas, around 1700. Pierre lived there for about 20 years and then
sold it to a family named Marcou. The house is now known by the name of
its first and last resident (Mr. Girardin) as the Bellanger/Girardin
house. After Mr. Girardin, the house was eventually sold to the Sisters of
the Congregation by the last owner, Mr. Michel Dufresne. It was Mr.
Dufresne who was later successful in saving this historic site from being
demolished. The house is completely restored, today, and is operated by
the Canadian government for exhibits. It is open to visitors and, should
you go visit the home, ask the employees to show you the video tape of the
restoration. This tape is not always in the player but is available for
viewing upon request.
THE CHURCH IN BEAUPORT - 1676
Nicolas is one of the censitaires who relinquished their rights to 6 acres
of their land so it could be used to build a church. The land was given to
the "Church Council of Beauport" (Fabrique de Beauport) and this was
recorded in a notarized document presented before Paul Vachon on 14 June
1676. In gratitude, the deacons promised to have said, in perpetuity, an
annual mass on the day after the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary
for the intention of these generous and devout parishioners. At the
writing of this document, this expression of recognition had long been
forgotten. In 1676, Nicolas got into trouble with Therese Leblanc, the
wife of Doctor Piere Lavallee, his neighbor. The exact nature of the
trouble is not known. Judge Bailly, in Beauport, rendered two judgments in
the case against Nicolas. One judgment was imposed on 8 August and the
other on 12 August. He was to deliver a pastry or bread to Jeanne Langlois,
wife of Rene Chevalier. This pastry was to be distributed among the poor
families of the parish and, if it was not done, Nicolas was to pay a fine
of ten livres. In addition, Nicolas had to pay the court costs or suffer
the loss of one of his cows. Nicolas fought these judgments and, on 17
August 1676, appealed to the Sovereign Council. The Council combined the
judgments and came up with one which was more fitting of the crime. They
ordered Nicolas to pay Therese Leblanc the sum of three livres for damages
and
interest for half the value of the porcupine in question and expenses were
reduced to six livres. (JDCS, 1676 T.p.24-25) It is hard to imagine a
problem arising over a porcupine or the value of one. However, if one does
not interpret the wording too literally, the word porcupine might have
been used as a slang expression meaning "a sticky situation". It is so sad
that the original legal documents of the Seigneurie of Beauport cannot be
found because they deny us the background on these actions.
THE DEATH OF NICOLAS - 1682
Nicolas died on 19 October 1682 at the age of 50. His oldest son, Bertrand
Pierre, was 19 and his youngest daughter had just turned 1. One son had
died very young (just days old), another had died before 1681 and one
daughter, Marthe, was married. This left 9 children still living at home.
THE DEATH CERTIFICATE
Nicolas Bellanger was buried the 20th day of October 1682 in the cemetery
at Beauport. He was 50 years of age and had died the day before. Assisting
at the burial were Rene Remy, notary Paul Vachon and Jean de Rainville
(brother-in-law of the deceased) who all signed the record except for Jean
de Rainville. Rene Remy, notary Paul Vachon and Charles A. Martin, priest,
signed with initials.
MARIE de RAINVILLE
The birth of Nicolas' wife, Marie de Rainville, has not been traced. She
was probably born at Touques around 1645 because at her death on 6
November 1711, she was said to be 66 years old. If this birth year is
correct, she would have been 14 or 15 years old when she married and was a
young widow of 37 with 9 children still at home. At the celebration of the
first baptism in the church of Beauport on 12 March 1673, she was
godmother to Pierre, the son of Pierre Rondeau and Jeanne Perusseau.
Marie must have been a feisty young woman who didn't allow her neighbors
the upper edge. She was not afraid to fight for her rights, as she saw
them, even if it involved litigation, as shown by the following account.
On 9 July 1695 a neighbor complained to the Lieutenant General of Quebec,
Pierre Morel. He stated that Marie de Rainville killed and kept his
chickens that had strayed onto her property. The complaint was recorded
and a royal bailiff ordered the widow Bellanger to appear within 8 weeks
before the Lieutenant General. The judgment rendered is not known and it
leads one to wonder if she was guilty or not? This was not a strange
incident as, at the beginning of the Colony, the courts heard many
complaints resulting from damage by stray domestic animals. They also had
strict rules about property rights and it is thought that, had Marie
received a judgment against her, it would have been recorded. From this we
can assume that nothing became of the complaint. She must have played on
the sympathy of the Lieutenant General. No account of the matter appears
in the records of the Sovereign Council.
RECORD OF BURIAL OF MARIE de RAINVILLE
Marie de Rainville, widow of Nicolas Bellanger of Beauport, was buried in
the cemetery of the area on 7 November 1711. She was said to have died
suddenly, the preceding day, at the approximate age of 66. Paul Bellanger,
Jean Parent and several others of the area, as well as the Priest Boullard,
were present at the burial.
CONTRACT OF MARRIAGE
NICOLAS BELLANGER & MARIE de RAINVILLE
[Note: This is long and probably boring but is presented simply to
show you an example of the documents of that era]
Paul Vachon, Royal Notary,
12 November 1659
Before us, Paul Vachon, Notary in the Seigneurie and jurisdiction of
Beauport and Provost of Notre Dame des Anges and undersigned witnesses
present in person, appeared Paul de Rainville and Rolline Poette,
presently living on the coast of Beauport in the parish of Quebec. Those
present were informed that Rolline Poette, as the wife of Paul de
Rainville, was authorized to speak for her husband and for their daughter,
Marie de Rainville, with her consent and also on behalf of Nicolas
Bellanger, of the parish of St Thomas of Touques in the Province of
Normandy. These parties, of their own free will, acknowledge and confess
having made an agreement and promise of marriage by which the following is
known that the said Paul de Rainville and his said wife promise to give
the hand of their said daughter in marriage to Nicolas Bellanger who
promises to take her as his wife. The said girl promises to take him for
her husband and spouse and the said marriage is to be performed and
solemnized in the Roman Catholic & Apostolic Church as soon as it is
possible to do so and that this will be announced and discussed among
their relatives and friends so that no legitimate hindrance between them
can intervene and God and our Mother the Church consents and agrees for
them to be one in common in all goods, tangible and intangible, acquired
following the custom of Paris in favor of the future marriage and so that
it may succeed, the future bride will bring the sum of three hundred
livres at which amount her goods, tangible and intangible, have been
estimated between the said parties. The future bride will be dowried of
three hundred livres, which dowry was determined in
advance in order to one time pay back the survivor who will be
reciprocated in the amount of three hundred livres should the future bride
bring about the dissolution of the said marriage, renounce to the
community and in so doing take back that which she will have attained with
her said future husband these dowries and survivorship that which above
beyond and all that which during and unchanging the said marriage will
have come about and expired by inheritance or gift and otherwise the whole
sincerely and abandoned without paying any debts of the said community yet
to which she is still obligated and sentenced. And again in favor of the
present marriage the future spouses for the good cordial and sincere love
which they have for one another and in which they hope to continue by the
grace of God they make themselves by these presents irrevocable gifts
between the living and the survivor of the two of each and all goods,
furniture and real estate whatever in general belongs to them presently of
their own and acquired even of all these which thereafter could fall due
and appertain while their acquired property which otherwise in some kinds
of places and situations in which they will find themselves situated to
enjoy by the survivor in field property and to use like things that belong
to him, provided that on the day of the dissolution of the said marriage
there are not any living children of the two. Therefore these are the
points and conditions agreed upon in the presence of Master Michel de
Soises, merchant living in Quebec and of Rene Chevalier, mason, living in
the village of Fargy at said Beauport, namely on the part of the said
future groom, relatives and friends of the said future groom and also on
the part of the said future bride as witnessed by her father and her
mother and her brothers and her sister, by Jean de Rainville oldest
brother of the said bride and by Charles de Rainville her brother and by
Marthe de Rainville sister of the said future bride and also by Jean
Lehoux and by Elizabeth Dragon and all relatives and friends of the said
future bride.
Because the above was accomplished between the promising parties and each
waived their rights and this was done and witnessed in the house of Jean
Juchereau, seigneur of the village where the said Paul de Rainville and
his said wife presently reside and also the said future bride, this 12th
day of November 1659 in the presence of the above named witnesses who have
signed with us, except for the said wife of the said de Rainville and
their said daughter and of Jean de Rainville and of Charles de Rainville
and of Marthe de Rainville and of Elizabeth Dragon, all of these have
declared not knowing how to sign when asked by the Notary following the
ordinance.
ACT OF MARRIAGE
The year of grace 1660 finds, the 11th day of January, after betrothal and
publication of the banns for three continuous days before the Masses of
the parish and not having discovered any legitimate hindrances and having
been questioned by father Paul Raguenau of the Companie-de-Jesus by
Permission of Jean Torpacel, Pastor, Nicolas Bellanger and Marie de
Rainville presently living in this parish. And their mutual consent taken
by their solemn words presently joins in marriage and gives the nuptial
benediction in the presence of the witnesses Jean de Louson Seneschal and
Jean Guyon dit du Buisson esquire.
Descendants
Nicolas and Marie de Rainville had 12 children.
Jean was born 31 December 1660 and died 22 January 1661.
Marthe was born 23 November 1661, married Etienne Souet on 07 April 1682
and died 18 March 1741.
Pierre Bertrand was born 13 September 1663, married Madeleine Chevaudiere
13 August 1703. Pierre had also married M Catherine Gignard on 23 February
1694. He died 19 April 1736.
Suzanne was born 01 March 1665, married Jean Giroux 12 February 1686 and
died 27 February 1707.
Martin was born 24 November 1666 and died between 1667/1681.
Marie was born 19 October 1668, married Jacques Parant 09 November 1705
and died 07 January 1719.
Pierre was born 12 March 1670, married Marguerite DeLaunay 08 February
1700 and died 02 March 1703.
Nicolas (our ancestor) was born 12 January 1672, married Marie Magnan 02
November 1699 and died 12 April 1742.
Paul was born 24 March 1674, married Jeanne Maheu 07 April 1704 and died
01 May 1717.
Marie Therese was born 1675, married Jean Premont 28 June 1709 and died 12
June 1710.
Marie was born in 1678 and married Joseph Parent in February 1696.
Marie Francoise was born 13 October 1680, married Jean Parant February
1696 and died 20 June 1746.
Because of the uncertainty of the parents and origins of Nicolas Belanger,
our earliest ancestor, we must recognize that his wife, Marie de Rainville
is as much a part of our ancestry as Nicolas was. This makes Marie's
father, Paul de Rainville the ancestral grandfather of the descendants of
Nicolas Belanger and is our link to France. Because Paul de Rainville is
the grandfather of all Belangers descended from Nicolas, it is fitting
that a portion of this work be dedicated to him. Paul de Rainville was
born in 1619 at St Thomas de Touques, in Normandy, north of Lisieux near
Manche in France. His father was Jean de Rainville (born in France about
1595) and his mother was Jeanne Brechet (born in France about 1597).
Although the prenuptial contract with his first wife, Rolline Poette, was
never found, it is believed that they were married between 1633 and 1638
in France.
Their oldest son, Jean, appears to have been born around 1639. This fact
is derived from information gathered during the census of the seigneurie
of Beauport in 1667 and again in 1681. Although baptismal records have not
been found, it is known that their first daughter was named Marie. The
baptismal records, that were found, indicate a daughter named Marthe and a
son named Charles. Neither of these two children survived but we know that
Marthe was baptized on 20 February 1646 and Charles was baptized on 21
September 1649. When Jean and Rolline Poete had their fifth child on 1
March 1647, they named her Marthe. Their sixth child, and the fourth to
survive, was also named Charles and he was baptized 21 January 1652. When
Paul de Rainville left for Canada with four children born at Touques, he
already had quite a small family.
We don't know exactly when or what influenced Paul to come to New France.
We only know that he must have come during the summer of 1655 because,
after that summer, we find the name of Paul de Rainville showing up
regularly in the civil and religious acts of New France. One official
document, which was executed before notary Francois Badeau, dated 11
November 1655, tells us that Robert Giffard, seigneur of Beauport,
conveyed to Paul de Rainville, a concession (farm) of one arpent of
frontage by ten in depth situated on the edge of the village (bourg) of
Fargy. This concession did not have a house on it for his family but
it is believed that his first home was actually the seigneural manor
itself. This, by the way, was the custom of the day. It was several years
later that Paul built his first house. The exact location was on land now
occupied by Beauport town hall. Within a few years, Paul's children grew
up and the records started indicating weddings in the family. The
documents of notary Paul Vachon, indicate Marie de Rainville and Nicolas
Belanger prepared their marriage contract on 12 November 1659. They
received a nuptial blessing by the priest Paul Ragueneau on 11 January
1660 at the Beauport seigneural manor. By February 1661 Paul de Rainville
had transferred his land concession to his son in law. On 8 January 1662
Paul's second daughter, Marthe de Rainville, married at age 14 years. This
wedding was also held at the Beauport seigneural manor where Marthe wed
Pierre Marcoux, son of Claude and Marie Juneau. These two are the
ancestors of all the Marcoux families in Canada. On 26 July 1665, Jean,
the oldest of Paul de Rainville's sons, married Suzanne Badeau in the
first chapel of Beauport. It seems that Paul de Rainville was well known
in high circles. Seigneur Robert Giffard, granted him another piece of
land on 10 February 1662 with an arpent of frontage by twenty arpents deep
on the border of the town of Fargy. By then Paul de Rainville's land
holdings were more
than even the sovereign council of the region had. Some documents dated 16
February 1664 show that Paul de Rainville was the Sergeant of the Militia
in Beauport. This was a very honorable post to hold in any village. The
Rainville family felt tragedy when, on 16 February 1666, Paul's wife
Rolline Poet died. Although the funeral ceremony was held in Beauport, the
burial was on the side of a mountain at Quebec. Before the end of the
year, however, Paul de Rainville remarried to Marie Michel, the widow of
Louis Gasnier. Paul de Rainville was appointed the bailiff of the
Seigneuries of Beauport and of Notre Dame des Anges. He signed many
documents for those pioneers, and their young offspring, who were credited
with the exploration of New France; as most of them could not write nor
sign their names. On 26 August 1667,
Jean and Charles (the two sons of Paul) each received a concession of land
from Joseph Giffard. This land was two arpents of frontage and twenty
arpents of depth at the village of St Joseph. During the following year,
Jean de Rainville built a house of stone which has always been considered
the ancestral home of the Rainvilles. It should be noted that, as of the
date of this writing, the home of Adelard Jobin (41 Avenue St Joseph,
Beauport-West) is constructed on the same foundation as this ancestral
home of the Rainvilles. All was going well for Jean de Rainville until, in
1669, he lost his wife Suzanne Gadeau. Two years later (26 October 1671),
at Beauport, he married Elisabeth de la Gueripiere who was from St Sulpice
of Paris, France. During the following January (1672) Paul de Rainville
conveyed to his son, Jean, the farm (concession) which he had received ten
years earlier. In 1674, Paul acquired the property of Michel Lecourt with
a house on the road between the village of Fargy to the stream of fish
scales (Ruisseau des Ecailles).
Paul de Rainville's life, as a farmer on the coast of Beaupre, did not
bring much historical attention except for some notable events experienced
by some of his close relatives. On 4 September 1681, his youngest son
Charles, who was not yet 30, decided to wed Jeanne Masse. At that time,
his father, Paul lived on the Riviere Sud (South shore of the river) at
Bellechasse but we don't know why. We do know that he lived there for five
years, from 1680 to 1685. We know very little about his life during those
years but, at the end of that period, he had a successful farming
business. He obviously gathered enough wealth to have owned and sold a
sailboat, as shown in a document signed on 30 July 1683 before Pierre
Duquet, a notary of Quebec. Paul exchanged homes with a nephew, Pierre
Bazin, and returned to live in Beauport in 1685. He established himself on
the road from St Michel in a house which is today owned by the family of
Joseph Mailloux. Paul de Rainville had accomplished much in a short time.
He died at Beauport on 10 December 1686 at 67 years of age. He was buried
on the 12th at the cemetery on the side of the mountain in Quebec. The
record of his death shows us that he had received the last sacraments and
that he
had lived a good Christian. The Rainville family celebrated, in September
1955, the tri-centennial of the arrival, in Canada, of the first Rainville
ancestor. Banquets, parades, dances and folk songs accompanied the grand
reunion of the Rainvilles in Beauport, the place marking the arrival of
the ancestor Paul. The above information was extracted from the souvenir
program booklet they produced. Although the author is unknown, it was
undoubtedly compiled by the committee who researched the Rainville family.
Marie de Rainville's Brothers and Sisters
Jean de Rainville was born about 1638 or 1639. He was listed as being 28
years of age at the 1667 census and 43 at the 1681 census. In 1704 there
is documentation that he is 65 years old. He married Suzanne Badeau,
daughter of Jacques and Anne Ardouin, on 26 July 1665 at Quebec. Jean and
Suzanne had two boys, one in 1666 and one in 1668 before Suzanne died in
December 1669. Jean remarried to Elisabeth de LaGueripiere, daughter of
Jean and Gabrielle Bouteiller of Paris, France. Jean and Elisabeth had 5
girls and 4 boys between 1672 and 1687. Marthe was born on 1 March 1647 at
St Thomas de Touques in France. She married Pierre Marcoux on 8 January
1662 in Quebec, at the age of 14. They had five boys and six girls between
1664 and 1686.
Charles was born 21 January 1652 at St Thomas of Touques in France. He
married Jeanne Masse, widow of Gilles Jean and daughter of Pierre and
Marie Pinet. Jeanne Masse was widowed twice before she married Charles.
Her first marriage lasted from 1661 to 1674 and she had five children. Her
second marriage went from 1674 to 1681 and she had at least three more
children before that husband died. So, when she married Charles on 4
September 1681 she had about 8 children but the oldest was 18 and already
married. Jeanne's first marriage was at age 12 and she was 32 when she
married Charles. Her other children were ages 16, 14, 11, 9, 7, 5 and 4.
Charles and Jeanne had three more children, 4 boys and one girl. Anne was
born about 1653 as she was listed as being 14 at the census of 1667. She
had died by the census of 1681.
Nicolas Belanger's house was said
to be located at 600 Avenue Royale, Beauport. Quebec but deeper research
indicates only the land belonged to Nicolas and he donated it to the
church. |
