Saturday 11 February 2012


In 1704, Antoine (II) Desrosiers dit Lafreniere and his wife Marie Renee Lepelle dite Desmarets moved to Sorel  I’lle Dupas, P.Q., from Trois Rivieres,P.Q. (Tome VI by SuIte, Histoire des Canadians-Francais, page 109). In 1714, Lamothe-Cadillac and the Councils appointed Lafreniere to the rank of Major Surgeon, the first of two men selected to sign his name. After four months, the other man was incompatible.
 
Children of Antoine (II) Desrosiers dit LAFRENIERE and Marie Renee LEPELLE dite DESMARETS

*1.   Antoine III born 21 March 1698; married Angelique PIETTE 9 February 1722 at Sorel, P.Q. Died
         1 May 1760 in Quebec City, QC. 
2.   Marie Josephe, born 31 January 1700, married Adrien NEPVEU 20 June 1719 at Sorel, I’lle Dupas,
      P.Q., died?
3.  Marie Genevieve, born 20 May 1702, married Francois HOURE on 26 November 1731, died?
4.  Marie Madeleine, born 27 May 1704; married Louis LEFEBVRE (1) in 1735; married Joseph Potier
     9 October 1747 - both marriages took place at Trois Rivieres; died?

5.  Marie Agnes, born 22 August 1706, married Joseph Jean-Denis 20 June 1725, died ? at I’lle Dupas.
6.  Marie Anne, born 3 November 1708.
7.  Hyacinthe, born 9 February 1711.
8.  Jean Baptiste Charles, born 26 December 1721.
9.  Joseph, born 27 May 1713.

The next generation of Lafreniere's:
Antoine III Desrosiers dit Lafreniere and his wife Angelique Piette


As stated, Antoine III Desrosiers dit Lafreniere married Angelique PIETTE in 1722.
The history of Angelique PIETTE is as follows (some of the info below has been added by the historybuffblogger aka Deborah Nowak): 

Jean PIETTE dit TREMPE (born in France in 1641;  died 17 February 1730 in Berthier, QC), married Marguerite CHEMEREAU (born in France in 1651; died 15 September 1715 in Sorel, QC).
In 1663, about 2,500 colonists of New France resided mostly on the northern shore of the St. Lawrence River between Quebec and Montreal.  Among the colonists, there were more men of marriageable age than women.  With a constrant threat from the Iroquois and the more populous English colonies on the Atlantic coast, the need to populate New France became a growing concern for Louis XIV and his colonial advisors.

To protect the colonists, Louis XIV sent his French garrison, Carignan-Salieres Regiment, of about 1,200 men in 1665.  Amongst them was Jean PIETTE dit TREMPE.

A Carignan-Salieres soldier

 Four years later, Marguerite CHEMEREAU emigrated to Canada in 1669 on board the ship ”Saint Jean Baptiste”. She was a “Fille du Roi”, or" All the Kings Daughters". (This is not a direct reference to her relationship to the king.  Instead, she had a different mission in mind.)  From 1663 to 1673, these women agreed to travel to New France and marry a settler there in exchange for a 50 pound dowry from the French King, Louis XIV.

Prior to her departure from France, Marguerite CHEMEREAU had endured the “Fille du Roi” screening process, which required each girl to present her birth certificate and a recommendation from her parish priest or local magistrate stating that she was free to marry. It was necessary that the girls be of appropriate age for giving birth and that "they be healthy and strong for country work, or that they at least have some aptitude for household chores." (Source: King's Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi, 1663-1673 by Peter J. Gagné. Pawtucket, RI: Quinton Publications, 2001. pp 15-42).
The cost of sending each Fille du Roi to New France was 100 livres: 10 for the recruitment, 30 for clothing and 60 for the crossing itself - the total being roughly equivalent to $1,425 in the year 2000. In addition to having the costs of her passage paid by the state, each girl received an assortment of practical items in a case: a coiffe (cap), bonnet, taffeta handkerchief, pair of stockings, pair of gloves, ribbon, four shoelaces, white thread, 100 needles, 1000 pins, a comb, pair of scissors, two knives and two livres in cash. Upon arrival, the Filles received suitable clothing and some provisions.
While awaiting marriage, they were lodged in dorm-like houses under the care of a female chaperone or directress where they were taught practical skills and chores to help them in their future household duties.  Suitors would come to the house to make their selection, and the directress would oversee the encounters.
When selecting a Fille du Roi, the suitor looked beyond outward appearances and considered the practical attributes of a bride that would be adapted or disposed to the rigors of the colony. The preference seems to have been for peasant girls because they were healthy and industrious, as opposed to city girls who were often considered lightheaded and lazy.
Every Fille du Roi had the right to refuse any marriage offer that was presented. In order to make an informed decision to accept a would-be husband, the girls asked questions about the suitor's home, finances, land and profession.
When Marguerite caught sight of Jean PIETTE dit TREMPE, she was quickly swayed by the handsome young man in his uniform (in my opinion).  The average time from arrival to marriage for Filles was approximately 5 months.
Upon their marriage in 1669, Jean PIETTE dit TREMPE and Marguerite CHEMEREAU would have received the following from the French monarchy:
  • a pair of chickens
  • a pair of pigs
  • an oxen
  • a cow
  • two barrels of salted meat
The French king also offerend an incentive to have large families:  a yearly pension of 300 livres was granted to families with ten children, rising to 400 livres for 12 children and more for larger families (although Jean and Marguerite would fall short of this goal).

Their children were as follows:
1. Antoine, born 24 March 1673 at Sorel, marriage (1) 30 January 1701 to Therese CHARON (2) 2 May 1711 to Marie Boucher at I'lle Dupas.
2. Pierre born 23 December 1670; married 22 November 1700 to Marie HAREL.
3. Marie, born 23 June 1675; married 1704 to Yves Martin dit Pellant.
4. Jeanne, born 24 May 1677.
5. Marguerite born 1680; married 30 January 1701 to Francois Charon.
6. Jean-Baptiste, born 12 February 1683; married 15 April 1706 to Louise Guignard.
In 1681, they moved to Berthier with their first five children. According to the 1681 census, Jean had one gun, 4 cows and 6 acres of land. His surname "dit Trempe" was given to him during his crossing of the Atlantic. "Tremper" means "to soak" in French. Jean had dental problems and had to "soak" his bread in water in order to eat it. His "dit" name in the Saurel (Sorel) Company was "Trempe La Crouste" (soak the crust). His first son, Pierre, adopted this surname. All other children used the name Piet or Piette.
What has this got to do with Angelique PIETTE, the wife of Antoine Desrosiers III???
Well, not to prolong the drama any further:  Jean and Marguerite's child Pierre was born on 23 December 1670.  He married Marie HAREL on 22 November 1700, and one of their five children was Angelique PIETTE dite TREMPE born on 31 January 1704 at I'lle Dupas.
(In case you were wondering about the French use of the "dit" names: "dit"  or "dite" means "called" in French, and it is like our "nicknames".)

1 comment:

  1. Very interesting story! This is the story of my very distant ancestors. Thank you for posting. Carole Lafrenière-Noël, Ottawa, Ontario

    ReplyDelete