Bilodeau.org

Over the next few days I will be adding more archives of the Bilodeau family tree. I will be using the way back machine to allow me a more accurate dating of my original posts and give an overall better picture of the life of bilodeau.org over the last decade.

Welcome to Bilodeau.org.

For those of you who wandered in from the Internets, I apologize, I have been neglectful in watching over my site.

I’ve been wondering what to do with bilodeau.org. As a family history site, it’s very limited. Really how many posts can I do on Alex and Jean-Luc?

I want to keep it more current and useful for visitors, and to that end I am going to expand the sight to encompass some other professional  interests like e-learning and cutting edge technologies, maybe even some predictions on future technologies.

I hope to post new topics two or three times a week, and bring back some energy to this site.

Thank You.

Geneviève is Involved in a Story of Murder

“Our French Canadian Ancestors”, Book 13, by Thomas J. Laforest

The action took place between 1675 and 1677. On 29 December 1675, Gabriel Hervet, farmer for his brother-in-law Hippolyte Thibierge, was buried at Sainte-Famille. He had been found dead in the snow. Originally from Sainte-Solemme de Blois, diocese of Chartres, in Orleanais, Hervet lived at the Thibierge home for several years. He was a bachelor.

On this subject Raymond Boyer (26) wrote:

“Another hanging in effigy (because they could not get their hands on him) was ordered by the Sovereign Council in 1676. It was that of the imprisoned vagabond Simon Du Verger, a resident of the Ill Saint-Laurent, who had been found guilty of the murder of his neighbor Hervet and who had escaped from prison at Quebec a week after he was incarcerated and placed in irons. In addition, Du Verget had been sentenced to a fine of ten livres (due the King’s Court, to pay expenses) and to have all of his property confiscated.” This lead to a curious ruling: The Council ordered that the brother-in-law of the victim, before taking possession of the deceased’s property, pay a fine incurred by the murderer. Another consequence of this litigation was a fine of 100 1ivres levied on Francois Cenaple, the warden of the prison of Quebec; at the same time, the Council ordered him to guard the prisoners more carefully.

How was Geneviève Longschamps involved in this story? I don’t know, but we do know, that this case was brought before the Council on the 6th, 7th, and 10th of March 1676. Genevieve was questioned in March 1677 and charged. On the following 31 August, it was ordered that Billaudeau and his wife appear so that Genevieve, in the presence of her husband, might be admonished to live a better life, and not to be the cause of a scandal in the future. The court also directed Jacques to:

“d’y tenir la main sur peine d’en repondre en son propre et prive nom, a eux permis de se Retirer ou bon kur semblera” (27)

On Tuesday, 29 May 1671, the Provost of Quebec also heard a case brought by Pierre Richer against Jacques Billaudau. Billaudeau failed to appear, and the expert testimony of Romain Becquet was heard; Jacques was ordered to pay a fine of nine livrcs plus court costs.

NOTES:

(26) Boyer, Raymond., Les crime et châtiments au Canada du XVIIe au XXe siècle, pages 107 and 108.
(27) OpCit (21), Volume II, pages 115, 152, and 154.

Jacques Billaudeau Fisherman and Hunter

“Our French Canadian Ancestors”, Book 13, by Thomas J. Laforest,

The founder of the Canadian Billaudeau families had a particular weakness: he liked to hunt and fish. This distracted him from the work on his farm and from clearing his land, which he willingly entrusted to his servants. This also gave him a small additional income which was greatly appreciated.

Therefore, on 9 February 1664 (21), a judgment from the Sovereign Council of New France mentions a lawsuit by Louis Couillard de L’Espinay against Jacques Billaudeau and his neighbor Antoine Pepin dit Lachance. The plaintiff asked that the defendants be ordered to return to him a moose which they had “taken”, and that Claude Guyon, his partner, had actually killed. (22) According to Couillard, Billaudeau and Pepin had taken and removed the carcass. Jacques admitted that he had indeed “taken” a moose in the woods; he drove it down to the bank where Guyon. got a shot at it. As for himself, he was content with the head, but he did not understand what the plaintiff meant when he stated that he only made his accusation the next day. In the end, the Council decided to send the parties out of court and to settle the suit without costs.

Ah, those quarrelsome ancestors! Much ado about nothing, as Shakespeare said.

On 20 October 1681 (23), Jacques formed a partnership with Jean Langlois and Antoine Cadde, merchant of Quebec, to go fishing and hunting in the seigncurie of La Riviere de la Madeleine, territory that Cadde had obtained from Frontenac on 31 May 1679. The Seigneur requested Langlois and Billaudeau buy or build themselves a suitable barge for the purpose of a long journey, for which he would pay each of them ten livres per year. However, a judgment by the Sovereign Council dated Monday 23 December 1686 informs us that difficulties occurred in this Partnership.

The contract of 1681 had been declared null (for not having been executed in time) by the bailiff judge of Saint Laurent on 6 July 1683. Judgment confirmed on the following 17 November by the Provost of Quebec, and on the subject of which Cadde had brought an appeal to the higher court. The Council denied this appeal, ordering that the judgment be carried out according to its terms and conditions. Billaudeau was authorized to break his contract, while Cadde and Langlois would continue it, if they so desired.

Several years later, more precisely on 7 June 1694, the notes of Louis Chambalon mention another contract, this time between the navigator Francois Frichet and the Sieurs Baudouin and Labonte (24). All three were associated with Jacques Billaudeau and Jean Moricet in an agreement to fish during the present year.

NOTES:

(21) JDCSNF, Volume 1, page 117.
(22) “Lever” in old French means, among other things, to partition.
(23) Record of Gilles Rageot.
(24) Gervais Baudouin, Lieutenant of Surgeons at Québec, and Gilles Couturier dit Labonté

Other Contracts made by Jacques and Geneviéve

“Our French Canadian Ancestors”, Book 13, by Thomas J. Laforest

Between 1666 and 1708, the name of Jacques Billaudeau was mentioned several times in the records of a few notaries of his time: Romain Becquet, Gilles Rageot, Paul Vachon and Louis Chambalon were those who recorded for him. The nine or ten years when the children were being born and raised were completely silent in the notaries’ records.

On 23 July 1666, Jacques Billaudeau was at Quebec. He had been summoned to the bishop’s residence to conclude an agreement on passage rights of the animals and the maintenance of his part of the lane leading to the mill on the island. It was Messire Jean Dudouyt (18) who welcomed him in the name of ; Msgr de Laval, who was the Seigneur of Beaupre and the Ile d’Orleans. Besides the Abbot Dudouyt, Salomon Allais and Pierre Fauve signed the act as witnesses, with the notary Becquet. As usual, Billaudeau stated that he could not write nor sign his name.

On 5 November 1686, in the absence of her husband, Genevieve Longschamps appeared at the home of the notary Gilles Rageot in order to rent a small house, ten feet by twenty, on the Rue du Sault au Matelot in the lower town of Quebec. This was a transaction between women since the owner, Andre Parant, was a minor and was represented by his mother, Jeanne Badault, wife of Pierre Parant. The house was comprised of two rooms, a small cellar and a small attic, adjoining on one side a man named Lefebvre dit Grand Ville, and on the other, Andre Parant himself. The rent was 75 livres which Genevieve promised to pay in two payments: half in March, the other half at the end of the lease. Louis Bidet, Nicolas Metru and Guillaume Roger signed as witnesses.

Another document drawn up by Louis Chambalon and dated 15 February 1696 reveals that Jacques Billaudeau and his neighbor Jacques Asselin had been the farmers for Francois Berthelot. This was indicated in a farm lease signed between Louis Rouer de Villeray (acting for Berthelot) and Claude Charlan dit Francoeur and his wife. Francois Berthdot had been the first and only legitimate Count de Saint-Laurant (hence the name of the county which is often applied to the island at the end of the seventeenth century and the beginning of the eighteenth). He was commissioner-general of the artillery of France. His domain on the island had four arpents in frontage, and a depth three Steps above the crest of the hill, which forms a type of crescent beneath the place where a water mill has begun to be built.(25)

NOTES:

(18) Jean Dudouyt (1628-1688), administrator of the Séminary of Québec and secretary to the Bishop. He was also Vicar General and Ecclesiastical Superior of the Hôtel Dieu
(25) OpCit (14), 1949-1951, pages 217 and 415.

Jacques Billaudeau The Last Years

“Our French Canadian Ancestors”, Book 13, by Thomas J. Laforest

Early in the eighteenth century, Jacques and Genevieve knew that they did not have many more years to live. Therefore they decided to give their sons Simon and Antoine the four arpents ceded at Sainte-Famille in 1656 by Charles de Lauson-Charny. The act of donation was signed by notary Etienne Jacob on 7 August 1708.

This was the last document which mentions Jacques Billaudeau during his life time. According to Leon Roy (28), the Billaudeau couple was then probably living at Saint-Francois at the home of their son Simon. It was in this parish that they were both buried; he on 8 February 1712, nearly 80 years old; she on 28 March 1718 at the age of 88, according to the burial records. She had died the day before. A few months after Jacques’s death, Genevieve settled some family business at the home of the notary Chambalon (29).

NOTES:

(28) Ibid, page 160
(29) Chambalon, Archange., Records of 2 and 7 October 1712.

Jacques Billaudeau’s Children

“Our French Canadian Ancestors”, Book 13, by Thomas J. Laforest

Jacques Billaudeau and Genevieve Longschamps had six or seven children. The number is uncertain because of the loss of the majority of their baptismal acts. Godbout and Jette (30) mention seven of them, while Leon Roy (31) is satisfied with five. There were at least six of them: the census takers of 1666 and 1667 agree with the above; the existence of five sons is incontestable; the existence of one of the two Louise’s is less certain

This Louise would be the eldest daughter. She was eight years old when first mentioned in the census of 1666 and ten months in the second (it should read ten years). In 1667, she got back her right as the eldest with eleven years of age. We are unaware of anything more about her, even what became of her. She was not mentioned in 1681.
Jacques, born on 24 December and baptized at Quebec on 31 December 1656; was buried at Montreal on 27 August 1713 (32). His name appears in the censuses of 1666 and 1667. He was not mentioned in 1681: Perhaps he was a coureur des bois that year?
Jean, born at Sainte-Famille about 1658 and buried at Saint-Francois on 3 September 1699. Married at SainteF,amille on 26 October 1682 (contract Vachon, 31 August), to Elisabeth Lehoux (1665-1683), daughter of Jean and of Elisabeth Drugeon, remarried in the same place on 20 November 1684 (contract Vachon, 21 October) to Marie Jahan dit Laviolette (1667-1719), daughter of Jacques and of Marie Ferra (four sons and three daughters). This family settled at Saint-Francois.
Antoine, born at Sainte-Famille about 1659 and buried at Saint-Francois on l December 1732. Married at Sainte-Famille on 13 November 1685 (contract Vachon, 23, October), to Genevieve Turcot (1666-1724), daughter of Abel and of Marie Girou (five sons and six daughters). This family also lived at Saint-Francois. Antoine, who was a militia officer, owned several pieces of land, all of which had a house, team and stable. In his father’s presence in 1693 as witness, he made business contracts with Gervais Baudouin, Gilles Couturier, Francois Frichet and Claude Guyon (33).
Simon, born on the first of May at Sainte-Famille and baptized at Chateau-Richer on 5 May 1662; buried at SaintFrancois on 26 November 1742. Married at Sainte-Famille on 6 June 1689 (contract Vachon, 22 April) to Anne Turcot (1670-1716), daughter of Abel and of Marie Girou (two sons and seven daughters). The family lived at Saint-Francois. Simon had been a captain, second in command in the militia from 1721 to 1726. In the local census of 1725, his land at Sainte-Famille (which he had inherited from his father) had a house, barn, stable and 50 arpents under cultivation. His land at Saint-Francois was still hrger. In 1726, Simon gave an arpent to his son-in-law Francois Langelier on the condition that the latter keep it until his death. He also gave the Church one hundred livres to have prayers said to God for the repose of his soul. (34).
Gabriel, born about 1664; died and was buried at Sainte-Famille on 6 January 1685, at the age of twenty.
NOTES:

(30) Godbout, Archange., AGA, RAPQ 1955-1957; DGFQ.
(31) Ibid , page 159.
(32) Opcit, Jetté.
(33) Chambalon, Louis., Record of 26 October 1693. Concern a dept of 1100 livres owed to Marguerite Hertel, wife of Jean Crevier, for the sale of a boat.
(34) OpCit (30), page 464

Jacques Billaudeau Made A Mistake On The First Name Of His Domestic

(TAKEN FROM ”DICTIONNAIRE NATIONAL DE CANADIENS FRANCAIS ’)

Jacques Billaudeau Came to Canada between 1652-1653. On October 28, 1654, he married Genevéve Longchamp in Quebec and later established himself on a farm on the island of Orleans.

The development of his farm was going well, so Billaudeau decided he needed to get a domestic to help him. He paid in advance for the travel costs of Pierre Lemoyne to come from France on the next boat. This was common practice, it favored immigration to Canada since it allowed colonists to be assured of domestic service. Similarly, a neighbour of Jacques Billaudeau, Charles Gaultier, paid for another young Frenchman, Jacques Lemoyne, to come on the same boat.

As soon as the boat carrying the two Lemoynes arrived, Billaudeau showed up to claim his domestic. Maybe there was confusion because of the similarity of names, maybe Billaudeau saw that Jacques was more valuable than Pierre, regardless Billaudeau took Jacques even though he had paid for Pierre’s trip.

This substitution even if it was involuntary, became Charles Gaultier’s problem because he was expecting to receive Jacques not Pierre. He started legal proceedings on Billaudeau who was ordered by the sovereign council to render Jacques to Gaultier. So Billaudeau render Jacques and took Pierre instead.

He did not lose in the end because in 1681, Billaudeau owned 40 ”arpents” of farmland and the average at that time was 10-15 ”arpents” per farm. Pierre Lemoyne had obviously been useful.

Jacques Billaudeau spent his whole life on the island of Orleans. This is where he died February 8, 1712. He was 76 years old.