Késsinnimek - Roots - RacinesPIERRE BOUCHER AND JEANNE CREVIER'S CHILDREN
TWO SONS WHO BECAME PRIESTS
by Jacques Dunant
TWO SONS WHO BECAME PRIESTS
by Jacques Dunant
Version française
1-7 PHILIPPE BOUCHER (1665-1721), seventh child
He was born in Trois-Rivières on December 19th 1665, baptized on December 20th PRDH-87661. His godfather and godmother are Philippe De la Fouille and Jeanne Jalot (Jallaud). Manifestly very intelligent, he enters the small seminary of Québec in the autumn of 1674; he opts for a career as an ecclesiastic. He passes the first degree in the ecclesiastic hierarchy receiving his tonsure on September 29th 1682 and finishes his course when he is nineteen years old.
The propagation of religion in Canada
A certain excitement prevails amongst the Christians in la Nouvelle-France, beginning in 1663. The cleric and devoted laics chose Canada as the Promised Land to evangelize and convert the population of « infidels » of this new country.
Pierre Boucher and Jeanne Crevier raise their children amid this current religious fever, which fulfills the spiritual and social needs of the population. The church provides useful benefits for the community (schools for girls and boys, hospitals, etc.) It seems natural that two of their sons do not wish to follow an army career like their brothers. They entered the seminary to complete their studies.
Philippe follows his studies in theology and Mgr de Laval names him canon of the Quebec Chapter. He is ordained as a priest on March 26th 1689 by Mgr de Saint-Vallier. He is quickly assigned to Cap-St-Ignace and is responsible for part of the southern coast of Quebec. He takes charge of Point de Lévis and becomes ill from running around from one mission to another. He recuperates at the seminary and returns to celebrate a wedding between his brother Jean (1-8) and Françoise-Claire Charet at the Pointe De Lévis on November 24th 1692. Two years later the parish is canonically approved and Pierre Boucher is present at his son Philippe's installation. Philippe is a pious priest, devoted and educated. He owns a library of about 500 volumes, organized so that they can be easily borrowed. He also owns a property of an arrière-fief in Boucherville granted to him by his father on September 24th 1696, before Genaple, notary of Quebec. Pierre Boucher always believed in treating his children equally. He will allot to his two sons who are priests and his daughter Geneviève who is at the Ursulines convent, an equal quantity of land. Each one will receive an arrière-fief measuring four arpents on the Saint-Laurent river, and two lieues in depth permitting them a clerical and patrimonial title. Philippe is an involuntary witness to a spectacular disaster. One day in November 1701, he went to the seminary as he often did. No sooner had he opened the door to the seminary he quickly saw that the place was in flames. The seminary was on fire, three hours later the building was a mass of ruins. Philippe was affected personally, since he kept many papers and letters of nobility there belonging to his father who had received them from France in 1661. These letters were still waiting to be registered. The curate Boucher was extremely generous. He contributed to his nephews and nieces without worrying about the loss of his fortune. In 1714 he promised that he would give Marie-Anne Boucher de Boucherville (1-1-5) an amount of 500 livres to help pay for her dowry when she went to the Ursulines. But when it came time to pay he realized that he had no money whatever to pay this. M. Pierre de Boucherville (1-1), his brother, had to borrow and lend him the money. Philippe promised that he would reimburse him later. He died on April 8th 1721 and was buried the next day in St-Joseph church at la Pointe de Lévis. PRDH-23466. In 1724, his succession was dealt with and the loan was reduced by 25%, leaving 375 livres to be paid from the curate's estate.
1-12 NICOLAS-MICHEL BOUCHER (1672-1733), twelfth child
Born in Boucherville on November 14th 1672. Baptized on November 15th, P. R. D. H. -2001 Godfather was his brother Pierre (1-1), godmother, his sister Marguerite (1-6). He will become the first priest born in Boucherville. He leaves the seigniorial house in Boucherville in 1681 to study at Quebec's seminary. He is ordained on June 6th 1696 by Mgr de Laval. His father had guaranteed him in writing a clerical and patrimonial title, which was confirmed, to him by notary François Genaple on September 19th 1696. The following is a translation of the act
…Pierre Boucher, Escuyer sieur de Boucherville seigneur of said lieu…who said to his son that Nicolas was ready to be received in the sacred orders, and that he had sent a note hand written and signed to his son, giving him lieu and assurance of the clerical and patrimonial title while waiting for the act to be written and signed, so that he could be ordained in consequence of this; in fact, monsignor de Laval, former bishop of this country endorses the note activated and confirmed by act from the sieur seigneur de Boucherville, notary Michel Moreau at the said site on April 2nd conforming with the sieur (seigneur) de Boucherville, father, gives, cedes, carries and leaves by the present all and now and ever to sieur Nicolas Boucher, his son, priest living at the Foreign Missions seminary in this city of Quebec, present and accepting for him his successors four arpents of land in front and in the arrière fief (like the other fiefs have) situated on the Saint-Laurent river by two lieues in depth joining on one side southwest to Jacques Ménard dit Lafontaine and on the other side north east to sieur Philippe Boucher brother Nicolas, to enjoy, dispose as property by Nicolas, also that the present donation and assignment of the patrimony does not cause prejudice in any manner to the succession rights of Nicolas living with his brothers and sisters, to the succession of the sieur donator his father. This donation also made as mentioned to the clerical sieur donator titled curator and patrimonial on the condition that the named Louis Robert dit Lafontaine and Étienne Dumetz…that they enjoy their concessions…one which is two arpents by fifty conceded to Louis Robert and the other two by twenty-five arpents. And to the other conditions that if Nicolas happened to become poor and require either his leaving the seminary or by lack of benefits from his living father, they oblige in this case to nourish and take care of him with the said donation.
By this act he received an arrière-fief (4) arpents by two lieues where the names Louis Robert dit Lafontaine and Etienne Du Metz (Demers) (Dumay) own land on the front row 2 by 25 arpents. Nicolas is interested in education and we find him at Château-Richer where he is in function as a magistrate of studies from 1702 to 1705.
He is named curate of Ste-Anne de Beaupré from 1698 to 1702, l'Ancienne-Lorette from 1705 to 1707 and serves at St-Augustin in1706 to 1707. Curate in Saint-Jean (Île- d'Orléans) 1707 to 1727. Chaplain and confessor to the nuns at the General Hospital from 1730 to 1733, where he acts as curate from October 27th 1730, (we mention him in this role on six occasions until June 27th 1732. P.R.D.H. He dies on July 30th 1733 at l'Hôtel-Dieu; sépulture is the next day (P.R.D.H.)-166257 in the basilica cathedral (P. G. Roy Les cimetières de Québec). He was 60 years and seven months old.
On Hôtel-Dieu's mortuary register we can read: Nicolas Boucher, curate of Saint-Jean, Île d'Orléans, very virtuous, fervent and a zealous apostolic worker, a man who is interiorly faithful and is full of God's spirit. Entered Hôtel-Dieu on July 27th 1733, died on the thirtieth, inhumed the next day in the parish.
In the 1707 testament, his parents divide their seignory and give to each of their children an arrière-fief six arpents in width. This is a confirmation of a title they had received in 1696, and is bigger since it originally was four arpents becoming six arpents in width. This land corresponds to today's cadastre no. 40, 41, and 42.
A judgment dated July 14th 1730 by Intendant Hocquart lead us to believe that the landholders of the brave curate do not often pay their dues. In effect Etienne Dumay, Jean Lesueur and Baptiste Poirier are condemned and must pay past debts and rent to sieur Nicolas Boucher and his sister Louise.
Philippe and Nicolas should be honoured to be counted amongst the oldest priests to be born in this country and to have contributed to the beginning of a Canadian church. This last phrase has been taken from a volume written by Fleurimont Boucher de La Bruère: Bref aperçu historique et généalogique de Pierre Boucher et de ses descendants (unpublished manuscript)
Soeur Estelle Mitchell, s. g. m.: Messire Pierre Boucher
J.B.A. Allaire: Dictionnaire du Clergé Canadien-Français, les Anciens
Amédée Gosselin: L'instruction au Canada.
Louis Pelletier: Le Clergé en Nouvelle-France P.U.M. 1983.
Prepared by Jacques Dunant , reviewed, corrected, and completed in the summer of 2006.
Translated by Bernice Dunant.
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