Késsinnimek - Roots - RacinesTHE FIEFDOM DE GROSBOIS &
THE FIEFDOM DE GRANDPRÉ
by Jacques Dunant
THE FIEFDOM DE GRANDPRÉ
by Jacques Dunant
Version française
LAMBERT BOUCHER, FIRST SIEUR DE GRANDPRÉ, FIRST
LANDLORDS OF DES FIEFS DE GROSBOIS AND DE GRANDPRÉ
THE FIEFDOM DE GROSBOIS & THE FIEFDOM DE GRANDPRÉ
One must take care in not confusing the seignory de Grosbois situated on the north bank of Saint-Pierre Lake on each side of the mouth of the Yamachiche river, up river from Trois-Rivières with the Island of the same name situated in the saint Lawrence river facing Boucherville. St-Pierre Lake is a stretch of water, a widening of the Saint-Lawrence River between Sorel and Trois-Riviéres. Refer to map no.1, illustrating the first fiefdoms conceded in this part of the territory.
The fiefdom de Grosbois was conceded to Pierre Boucher the father, in 1653 and 1655 by Jean de Lauson, governor and the Cie des Cent-Associés (1) This act by the governor Jean de Lauson was a way of thanking Pierre Boucher for his actions during an attack by the Iroquois tribes at the fort of Trois-Rivières. One must understand that at the time of this first concession, the riverside was an immense forest and surveying the first fiefdoms wasn't precise nor an easy feat. The mouth of a river could be used as a point of reference. This permitted in localizing the fiefdom de Grosbois in November 1672 as explained further down.
The Company of the One Hundred Associates had their privileges removed in 1663 and certain land concessions that they could have made were revoked, especially those that had not been deforested. The fiefdom de Grosbois was one of these but Pierre Boucher was not affected by it and on October 3rd 1668, he received the foy et homage, providing this land would be occupied within that year, otherwise it would be returned to the king. (2)
Pierre Boucher, first tenant of the title sieur de Grosbois had other things on his mind. His attention was drawn away from. Lac Saint-Pierre toward Les Îles Percées where a few members of his family were living. (3) This domain Les Îles Percées that was granted to him in January 1664 was now the centre of his attention, because that is where he had begun his establishment with a few colonists.
On November 3rd 1672, Pierre Boucher was given a new deed even though the fiefdom de Grosbois was still not deforested nor occupied. It was simply relocated equally on each side of the Yamachiche's river mouth.
A surprise or a sign of recognition for the family's contribution to the development of this country, Pierre, sieur de Boucherville, (1-1) being nine years of age receives a grant of land just beside his father's land, on the east side. (5) See map no. 1.
In 1693, Pierre Boucher, sieur de Grosbois, sold a tract of land to his son Lambert, sieur de Grandpré, (1-3) a major in Trois-Rivières. Nearly half of the fiefdom de Grosbois on the west side. The amount of the sale was three hundred livres. This tract of land was called the Fiefdom de Grosbois West. (6) See map no. 2.
Two years later, Lambert, (1-3) received the fiefdom de Grandpré that was located immediately west of Grosbois West. (7) Lambert did not profit from many advantages with his fiefdoms. He died at Trois-Rivières in April 1699. (8) The fiefdoms of Grosbois West and de Grandpré become the property of Marguerite Vauvril de Blazon, his widow and their two remaining young children.
A few months later Pierre Boucher sieur de Grosbois, sold to Nicolas Gatineau, his brother-in-law (8a) a concession of a tract of land which was included in the fiefdom Grosbois East; (9) and on July 1st 1702, Pierre Boucher sold to his nephews Charles and Julien Lesieur the rest of the territory which belonged to him for eight hundred livres. Signed before Marien Tailhandier, a notary of Boucherville (10) Pierre Boucher never lived on or cleared his fiefdom de Grosbois. He had it in his possession for forty-nine years. His eldest son Pierre, sieur de Boucherville (1-1) also owned a concession neighbouring his father's land. Pierre Boucher's second son Lambert (1-3) might have granted some habitations on the two fiefdoms which belonged to him (Grosbois West and Grandpré) but it must have been done verbally or by a note since notarial contracts were not found before 1706. (11) Pierre Boucher de Boucherville, his eldest son, (1-1) in 1712 sold to Louis Gatineau, the fiefdom which had been conceded to him in 1672. (12)
During the year of 1723, many owners take an oath (foi et homage) and promise. (Following the king Louis XIV death). Louis Boucher de Grandpré the eldest son (1-3-1) and Lambert's heir gives foi et homage for himself and his sister, (1-3-2) also his mother owners of the two fiefdoms Grosbois West and Grandpré. (13) Charles Lesieur also takes an oath for Grosbois East (14) Louis Gatineau also takes an oath for the fiefdom he bought from Pierre Boucher de Boucherville. (1-1) (15)
Louis Boucher de Grandpré (1-3-1) (16) Lambert and Marguerite Vauvril's son, like his father begins a career in the military. He attends his sister's wedding Genevieve (1-3-2) who marries Charles Hertel, sieur de Chambly, in Trois-Rivières on November 16th 1729 (17). Four months later Louis exchanges an heritage with his sister and her brother- in-law. He leaves for Louisiana in the autumn of 1730 to follow a military career and to get married. On May 16th 1764, his procurator Joseph-Godefroy de Tonnancour sold to Conrad Gugy, an officer from Holland who was originally Swiss and secretary to the governor Haldimand, two fiefdoms which still belonged to the family, Grosbois West and Grandpré (18). With this sale, all the family rights in the Yamachiche region and on the North shore of Saint Pierre Lake have disappeared.
The following are supplementary details on the two seignories. On February 17th 1723 Louis Boucher de Grandpré, the eldest son (1-3-1) inherits from the deceased Lambert Boucher de Grandpré. (1-3) He gives oath (foi et homage) for the two thirds of one half of the three quarters of a league in length, less seven acres in width and two leagues in depth (Grosbois West) and two other thirds of half of one half in another fiefdom, one league in front by three in depth, it being for him and Marie de Vauvil, his mother owns one half of the fiefdom and for his sister Geneviève, who also inherits one third. On February 18th, the next day he gives un aveu et dénombrement (census) for the same tracts of land and for the same people. These two acts seem to refer to two different tracts of land: first the fiefdom Grosbois West or Petite rivière Yamachiche and another fiefdom Grandpré. The Lesieur offer their foi et homage et aveu et dénombrement for their fiefdom on the same dates. .
Reference: Benjamin Sulte, Mélanges historiques, Vol. 7 Pgs 67 to 75
René Jetté, Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec
Nicolas Gatineau dit Du Plessis, was born in Paris either in 1627 or 1628. He arrived in Québec in 1648, probably as a soldier…In 1650-51 we find him acting as a clerk for the trading post Cent Associés in Trois-Rivières. He also acts as a notary and passed a dozen acts, then worked in Montreal where he wrote some contracts from January 1652 to July 1653.
He returned to Trois-Rivières, and then went to the Cap-de-la-Madeleine. At thirty-six years of age he signs a marriage contract with Marie Crevier, who is thirteen years old. She is the daughter of Christophe Crevier and Jeanne Evard; the contract is prepared by Laurent du Portail and is dated April 1st 1663.
He is Pierre Boucher's brother-in-law. We find him at the Cap doing some fur trading and accompanies caravans that come from the west, he also reached the Ottawa River and we suppose that the Gatineau River is named after him. During the 1681 census in Cap-de-la-Madeleine Nicolas Gatineau's name is noted, his age 54, 2 guns, 2 pistols, 14 horned animals and 60 acres of valued land. His wife Anne (Marie) Crevier 31, children: Nicolas 17, Marguerite 15, Jean (Baptiste) 10, Madeleine 9, Louis 7, domestics Robert Campion and Michel…One must add a daughter Jeanne-Renée who totally disappears. Nicolas Gatineau died around 1700. Pierre Boucher who had received the fiefdom de Grosbois gives part of it to his godchild Nicolas (the son) before Marien Tailhandier on September 12th 1699, the same year as his marriage to Jeanne Testard, Charles de Folleville and Anne Lamarque's daughter. When Nicolas (the son) dies the fiefdom was given to his brother Jean-Baptiste. As for the son Louis, he received the fiefdom Boucher, ¾ length by one length from Pierre Boucher de Boucherville on July 28th 1712; he was married at Batiscan on January 22nd 1710 to Jeanne Lemoine, daughter of Jean and Madeleine de Chavigny and whose brother René-Alexandre Lemoine Despins had married Marie-Renée Boulanger, daughter of Pierre and Renée Godefroy on February 2nd 1712.
REFERENCES:
Nearly everything was found in
Inventaire des concessions en fiefs et seigneurie, fois et hommages et aveux et dénombrements are kept in the Province of Quebec archives.
Written by Pierre-Georges Roy. (I .C .F.S.)
Beauceville l'Eclaireur Ltée 1927-1929 - 6 volumes.
Also read: Les bases de l'histoire d'Yamachiche de R. Bellemare.
(1) (I.C.F.S) Vol. II, p. 265/266. Actes dated May 23rd 1653 and August 9th 1655.
(2) (I.C.F.S.) Vol II p. 266 Acte de Pierre Boucher dated October 3rd 1668.
(3) The names of Marie-Ursule et de Ignace Boucher, the children of Pierre Boucher are mentioned as godmother and godfather in the Boucherville register on May 20th 1668 with R.F. Jacques Marquette signature.
(4) (I. C. F. S.) Vol. II, p. 266 Concession de Jean Talon dated November 3rd 1672.
(5) (I. C. F. S.) Vol. II, p. 253 Concession de Jean Talon dated November 3rd 1672.
(6) (I. C. F. S.) Vol. II, p. 267 Acte de Antoine Adhémar dated July 2nd 1693.
(7) (I. C. F. S.) Vol. IV, p.117 Concession by Frontenac and Champigny dated July 30th 1695.
(8) Burial on April 3rd 1699, Trois-Rivières register. P.R.D.H.
(8a) Nicolas Gatineau becomes Pierre Boucher's brother in law in marrying Marie Crevier, in April 1663. She is Jeanne Crevier's sister. (René Jetté)
(9) (I. C. F. S.) Vol, II, p. 273 Act de Marien Tailhandier dated September 12th 1699.
(10) (I. C. F. S.) Vol. II, p. 270 Act de Marien Tailhandier dated July 1st 1702. The Lesieur brothers are Etienne Lafond and MarieBoucher's grandchildren; She is Pierre Boucher's sister.
(11) Greffe Etienne Véron de Grandmesnil, A.N.Q. Trois-Rivières.
(12) (I. C. F. S.) Vol. II, p. 253 Acte de F. G. Lepailleur dated July 28th 1712.
(13) (I. C. F. S.) Vol. II, p. 267 Acte dated February 17th 1723.
(14) (I. C. F. S.) Vol. II, p. 271 Acte dated February 17th 1723.
(15) (I. C. F. S.) Vol. II, p. 253 Acte dated February 23rd 1723.
(16) Baptised on July 3rd 1695 in Trois-Rivières.
(17) P.R.D.H.
(18) Greffe de Louis Pillard, Trois-Rivières.
The two annexed maps were drawn by Jacques Dunant.
Thanks to monsieur Marcel Trudel for his map of the seignories on the north shore of Saint-Pierre Lake in1674, in the terrier du Saint-Laurent
en 1674.
Préparé par Jacques Dunant en mars 1998 et revu en août 2004 et novembre 2005.
Thanks to Jody Smith from Baton rouge, Louisiana
Refer also to previous bibliography and references given in preceding articles.
Translated by Bernice Dunant.
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