The heads of these two families, namely Zacharie Cloutier and Jean Guyon were great friends. This is expressed in Volume 5 of "Our French Canadian Ancestors" by Thomas Laforest when he writes that they "seem to have done nothing one without the other". And so, in keeping with that tradition...and the fact that their stories both have the same starting point!...we will learn about them at the same time.
I will begin with the couple furthest back in the lineage and work forward.CLOUTIER Here, we begin with Denis CLOUTIER & Renée BRIERE, my 11th great-grandparents. Renée was buried 1 May 1680 in France, possibly in the Mortagne area. In November of the same year, Denis married Jeanne Rahir-Gaultier.6
Denis died sometime after 2 March 1633; on that date he appears in a document created by notary Mathurin Roussel which dealt with a dispute between Denis and his son Jacques over an inheritance from Jacques' mother Renée. Their son Zacharie appeared in the document as a mediator between the parties.6Zacharie Cloutier was born around 1590 to Denis CLOUTIER & Renée BRIÈRE. His parish of birth, that of Saint-John-Baptiste-de-Mortagny, Perche, France, only have records going back to 1600, so it is impossible to establish his exact date of birth.2,6
Wedding bells rang in the Saint-John-Baptiste parish on 13 July 1616 for Zacharie Cloutier. He had chosen as his bride Xainte DUPONT, a fille from Feings. She had been widowed by Michel Lermusier.6
Zacharie was a master carpenter by trade. He could not write his name; he signed documents by drawing an axe.6Zacharie and Xaintes had the following children, all baptized in Mortagne at the Saint-John-Baptiste parish:
ZACHARIE
Robert was born in 1607, making him 19 years older than his intended. This was not so unusual in that era. However, the marriage contract-an instrument drafted by Jean Guyon in the home of Robert Giffard-was dated 17 July 1636. The bride was a mere ten and a half years old! And even though the actual wedding took place a year later, on 12 July 1637, the contract stipulated that Anne had to live at home until she was 13 years old.2,6
Anne Cloutier died 4 February 1648, when she was just 22 years old. She had given birth to 6 children but only 2 survived her.2,6
Robert Drouin went on to marry widow Marie Chapelier in 1649. For reasons unknown, this match did not sit well with the head of the Cloutier dynasty. So Zacharie and Xainte took on the responsibility of raising Robert and Anne's two surviving daughters themselves, in the bosom of the Cloutier family.2,6
Robert Drouin lived until he was 77 years old. It has been claimed that it is impossible to trace any Franco-American genealogy without finding Robert as one of the earliest ancestors.2,6
Charles died at Château-Richer on 5 June 1709 at the age of 80. Louise lived until 1713, when she died in Québec.2,6On 19 January 1668, Zacharie Cloutier and Xainte Dupont and their children secured the services of notary Fillon and had an agreement drawn up that addressed inheritance issues. At this time, the children promised to see to any and all needs of their aging parents. The actual will of Zacharie and Xaintes was created on 12 May 1669. At this time, they "gave themselves" to son Zacharie--meaning that he would care for them when they could no longer do so themselves.6
In 1670, Zacharie Cloutier sold his fief and moved to land he owned at Château-Richer, which was closer to son Zacharie. This is where, on 17 November 1667, Zacharie Cloutier died. Xainte lived for 3 years before dying on 14 July 1680. They were both buried at the place they had come to love--Château-Richer.2,6Young Zacharie was born 16 August 1617 in St.-Baptiste-de-Mortagne, Perche, France to Zacharie CLOUTIER & Xainte DUPONT. Madeleine Émard was born circa 1626, possibly in La Rochelle; her parents were Jean ÉMARD & Marie BINEAU.2,6
According to Peter Gagne and Cyprien Tanguay, Zacharie married Madeleine in April 1648 in La Rochelle, France. Gagne further asserts that shortly after the May 1648 wedding of his new wife's sister Barbe to Olivier Tardiff, the two couples left for the new colony. They brought along the youngest Émard sister, Anne--a single girl classified as a fille à marier. But Volume V of "Our French-Canadian Ancestors" claims that Zacharie Cloutier Sr. brought his entire family to Canada; and that they were noted in the colony by July of that year. I'm not sure how this all worked out.
Once in Canada, Zacharie settled his family at Château-Richer. The couple had seven known children:The historian Raoul Cloutier describes the younger Zacharie as "level headed, friendly, charitable, and a good farmer." 2,6
- René- Baptized 29 February 1651 at Château-Richer. Married Marie Elisabeth LeBlanc, daughter of Leonard & Marie Riton and baptized 8 July 1658 at Québec. Their daughter was Louise. René Cloutier died about 1713. Marie Elisabeth LeBlanc was buried at l'Islet, Québec on 15 February 1727.2
- Charles- Baptized 12 Nov 1662 at Château-Richer. Married Anne Tibaut, daughter of Guillaume & Marie Madeleine François and baptized 14 June 1665 at Château-Richer. Charles Cloutier was buried 31 March 1729 at Château-Richer. Anne Tibaut's death details are unknown.2
- Pierre- Born about 1666.2
- Madeleine- Married Jean Bouchard on 24 November 1659 at Château-Richer. He was the son of Claude & Marguerite Bénard. No death information known.2
- Sainte
- Barbe- No birth details known. Married Charles Belanger on 25 November 1663 at Château-Richer. He was the son of François & Marie Guyon. Charles was buried 15 December 1692 at Château-Richer. Barbe went on to marry Noël Gagnon on 12 January 1705 in Château-Richer. Barbe Cloutier was buried 24 April 1711 in Château-Richer.2
- GENEVIÈVE
Zacharie Cloutier missed his 60th wedding anniversary by 2 months; he was buried at Château-Richer on 3 February 1708 at the age of 90. Madeleine Émard was buried on 28 May 1708 in the same place as her husband.6GUYON I shall begin this line with my 12th great-grandparents, Mathurin GUYON & Madeleine EMARD. Yes, we have seen the name Madeleine Emard before, but I'm sure they are not the same person! Mathurin was born about 1530 in St. Martin, Auxerre, France. Madeleine was born about 1534 in a unknown location. This couple were married in 1556 at Pouilly-en-Auxois, Bourgogne, France. Their son was Jacques.7
Jacques and Marie were married 15 Apr 1578 in St. Jean, Mortagne, Perche, France, which is where both of them were born. Marie's parents are not known. Their son is Jean.6,7
Jacques Guyon died 29 September 1623 in Perche. Marie Huet died 25 February 1626, also in Perche.6,7Jean was born 17 September 1592 in Tourouvre, and was baptized the next day in the parish of St-Aubin; his parents were Jacques GUYON & Marie HUET.2,6
Jean became a stone mason. He worked hard and saved his money, making him a nice catch for Mathurine. On 12 June 1615, they were wed in Mortagne, Perche, France; in the St. Jean parish of Mortagne. One might surmise that this was the home of Mathurine--weddings tend to take place in the bride's hometown--but there is no evidence to support that. Mathurine was the daughter of Eustache ROBIN & Madeleine AVRAD; nothing else is known about her parents.6
The couple settled in St-Jean. Jean had no trouble finding work. That November, he and Jean Froger were solicited by the members of the church at Tourouvre to build "a flight of stones to go up the first floor of the bell tower with a huisserie of white stones from La Louverye, at the bottom and entrance to this flight". A huisserie a fixed part in wood, forming the arch and lintel of a door in a section of a wall. The structure stands to this day at the church in Tourouvre.6
Jean and Mathurine lived in a house located behind the present-day Hôtel de France in Mortagne, Perche, France, where Jean plied his trade for 18 years; even taking apprentices under his wing.6
Jean and Mathurine had the following children in St. Jean, Mortagne parish:
Mathurine Robin died 16 April 1662 in Beauport, Quebec, Canada and was buried the following day at Quebec. Jean Guyon lived about a year longer, dying 30 May 1663 at Quebec. He was buried in Quebec the next day.6Jean was baptized 1 August 1619 at Mortagne, Perche, France, the son of Jean GUYON & Mathurine ROBIN. He immigrated to Canada with his family in 1634 at age 14.6
Elisabeth was a native of Québec, baptized there on 9 February 1641; her parents were Guillaume COUILLARD & Guillemette HÉBERT .2
The couple were wed on 27 November 1645, at Québec. Their known children are Joseph and Marie Madeleine.2
Jean Guyon was buried 14 Jan 1694 at Château-Richer. Elisabeth Couillard was buried on 5 April 1704, also in Château-Richer.2Claude was baptized April 22, 1629 in St. Jean, Mortagne, Perche, France. His godparents were Nobleman Claude Chouet, Sieur de LaMorrelière and Lady Suzanne Rumet. Claude's parents were Jean GUYON & Mathurine ROBIN.4,6 Catherine was a fille à marier from St.Germain d'Auxerre,France, where she was born in 1637; her parents were Jacques COLIN & Madeleine DE BAUBISE, about whom nothing else is known.4
Catherine came to Canada in 1654. She and Claude were married 7 February 1655 in Quebec City, at the home of Jean Guyon. The couple had 12 children as follows:Catherine Colin died 10 January 1688 at Ste. Famille, on the Île d'Orléans, and was buried there the next day. In December of the same year, Claude married fille du roi Marguerite Binaudiére; they had no children together. Claude Guyon was buried 23 February 1694 at Québec City.2,4,5
Joseph was baptized 11 September 1649 in Quebéc, the son of Jean GUYON & Elisabeth COUILLARD. Geneviève was baptized 22 January 1655, daughter of Zacharie CLOUTIER & Madeleine ÉMARD.2
It really comes as no surprise that this marriage--which occurred on 20 January 1674 in Château-Richer--happened. After all, as close as the families had been, it was inevitable that there would be at least one marriage between them! And while Jean GUYON & Mathurine ROBIN had long passed on, old Zacharie CLOUTIER & Xainte DUPONT were still around to celebrate the union of the two families who had been friends so long ago. Did they toast the memory of Jean and Mathurine? I like to think that they did.2
Their two known children are ANGELIQUE and Madeleine.2
Joseph Guyon du Bussion was buried 8 September 1712 at Grondines, Québec. It is not known when Genevieve Cloutier died.2To quote the late, great, Jim Morrison, "This is the end, my friend". The end of the GUYON lineage in this family.
The name Guyon seems to have fallen out of use and been replaced with Dion; in Louisiana, the name Derbanne is the default. The names Despres, Dumontier, and Lemoine are also possible replacements for Guyon.While our link to the Cloutier/Guyon families is relatively slender, it is nonetheless something to be proud of. The heads of these two families, forged by a bond of friendship and courage, set out to a new world to create a new and better life for their families. And I would be remiss if I did not tell that story. Therefore, I give you:
Zacharie and Jean's Excellent Adventure
Robert Giffard was from the area of Tourouvre, in France. He had been awarded the siegneurie of Beauport in Québec. He needed the most skilled and talented craftsmen he could find to help build his town. By the same token, he wanted men that were interested in farming the land and building a community in which they would live and raise families--and not so interested in fur trading. He approached Jean Guyon the master mason and Zacharie Cloutier the master carpenter, both of Tourouvre, with his proposition. Like the owner of an NFL team, he knew what he wanted and was willing to make generous offers to make it happen. On 14 March 1634, a contract was penned by Notary Mathurin Roussel at LaRochelle. The contract exists; it was found in the records of Notary Farce at Mortagne. The particulars of the contract stated that Robert Giffard would pay passage from France to Canada for Zacharie and Jean plus one family member each. Mr. Giffard promised them 1,000 arpents of land each to hunt, fish, and build a home on. Mr. Giffard also promised to foot the bill for all of their living expenses for the duration of the contract. After two years, Seigneur Giffard would pay passage for the rest of the mens' families to join them.
But when it came down to it, neither Zacharie nor Jean could bear to leave their families. Jean had 8 children, the youngest but a year old; Zacharie had 5. They decided to bring their families--in their entirety. It seems that only one--Barbe Guyon, Jean's oldest daughter, and her husband Pierre Paradis were expecting a child and could not travel at that time--remained behind. She and Pierre would eventually join the rest of the family in New France. But there is the case of young Zacharie Cloutier, oldest son of Zacharie Sr. He married his sweetheart, Madeleine Barbe Émard, in LaRochelle, France. Did he accompany his family to Canada and return later for his bride? Or did he stay behind and wait until he could marry her? I don't have that answer.
Zacharie and Jean worked to fulfill their end of the bargain. They helped to build the parish church and the governor's mansion of Québec. They planted crops. They built a community house in Beauport. On 3 February 1637, Zacharie was awarded the arriéve-fief of "La Cloutiére"; on the same day his good friend Jean Guyon was given his own as well. An arriéve-fief is a subdivision of a seigneurie.
Arriére-fiefs were rarely given. And the awarding of these did not go smoothly. While Thomas LaForest eludes to "certain boundary disputes" with no names mentioned, the Dictionary of Canadian Biography claims that Zacharie was "brought into conflict with Jean Guyon".But both Zacharie and Jean found themselves in conflict with seigneur Robert Giffard. The men were considered "vassals", and were subordinates of Mr. Giffard and, as such, were expected to pay homage to him. Meaning bowing and scraping; on their knees no less! Webmaster's note: I once actually paid homage to someone--for fun. Even in jest, it is humiliating for the payor. Who needs that? Jean and Zacharie were proud men. Masters of their respective crafts. They did not see Giffard as a superior; they felt they were his equal. Jean Guyon found a creative way to skirt the problem: He went to the home of Seigneur Giffard while he was not at home and knelt and paid homage to a servant!
As detailed in their separate sections, Zacharie and Jean eventually got out of the fiefdom business. They went their separate ways; Zacharie to Château-Richer and Jean to Beauport. Did they ever rekindle the close friendship they enjoyed at the beginning of their great adventure? That is not known for sure. What is for sure is that they certainly had some interesting stories to pass on to their children--and their grandchildren.3,6
The In-Laws
By necessity, every marriage has at least two sets of them. Some are precious, some are problematic; some are close and some are distant. In the time period we are dealing with in these pages, it is possible for the in-laws to either have died long ago, or in some cases outlive their daughters or sons in-law. In any case, here is the information that is known for the in-laws presented on this page. They will be listed in alphabetical order of the husband's last name.
The parents and origins of Guillaume COUILLARD were either never recorded, or the information has been lost. He married Guillemette HEBERT on 26 Aug 1621 in Quebéc. She was born about 1608 in France to Louis HÉBERT & Marie ROLLET.
Their daughter was Elisabeth COUILLARD.2
Guillaume Couillard was buried 4 March 1663 in the "Church of the Hospital"--possibly at the Hôtel-Dieu in Quebéc. Guillemette Hébert was buried 20 October 1684-in the same place as her husband.2This couple were from St. Andre de Niort, France, and were married about 1620. Jean was a merchant tailor. Jean died before 29 March 1631. Marie remarried Antoine LeBrun. She was present at her daughter Barbe's wedding on 21 May 1648. This ceremony took place about a month after her daughter Madeleine's wedding to Zacharie Cloutier, so we could safely assume that she was present for that marriage as well. After that, nothing is known.2,4
This couple immigrated to Canada with their children Guillaume and Guillemette about 1617 or so. Nothing about their origins in France or their parents are known. They are considered to be the first family established in Quebéc. Louis, an apothecary by trade, confided to the Duke of Ventadour in 1623 that he had sold all of his worldly goods in Paris and left his family and friends in France in order to help establish a Christian colony in the new country. Louis is considered only second to Samuel Champlain in taking the greatest role in the establishment of Quebéc and the advancement of Canada. His death (caused by injuries sustained after a fall) was a great loss to the colony. Louis was buried 25 January 1627 in the Recollets Cemetery at the convent of St. Charles.2
Marie Rollet was no less remarkable; she was reported to have ministered to sick Indian children and helped educate them as well; she maintained good relations with the Iroquois her entire life. She was buried on 27 May 1649 in Québec.2
The information on Louis Hebert was taken from a footnote in Tanguay's Dictionary.Leonard Leblanc came from Blessac, Aubusson, Limoges, Marche, France. He was born there about 1626 to Leonard Leblanc & Jeanne Fayaude or Fayande; nothing else known about his parents. He was a master mason by trade, but had little education and could not write his name. He may have arrived in New France about 1647. Marie Riton was a fille à marier who was born around 1623-1627 in La Roche-sur-Yon, Luçon, Poitou, France. The only thing known about her family of origin is the name of her parents; Robert Riton & Marguerite Guyon.2,4
Marie Riton gave birth to an illegitimate daughter, Marie, on 6 November 1644 at Ars-en-Ré on the Île de Ré, France. The father was one Abraham Brunet from La Rochelle. On 29 June 1645, Marie Riton became a Calvinist at La Rochelle. In 1650, Marie Riton signed herself and her 6 year old daughter Marie up to go to Canada. It is assumed that little Marie died before the ship actually set sail or during the crossing, as there is no mention of the little girl in the Canadian archives.4
Marie married Leonard on 23 August 1650 in Beauport; the marriage was recorded in Québec City. Ten years later, on 24 February 1660, Marie Riton was confirmed in the Catholic Church at Québec City. Marie and Leonard had seven children; Marguerite and Marie are of interest to us.2,4
Marie Riton died sometime between 16 April 1674, when Notary Vachon penned her will, and 4 November 1674, when the same notary created an inventory of the marital assets. Notary Vachon was pressed into service again on 15 April 1679, when he drew up an agreement between Leonard and his son Noël. Leonard gave all of his possessions to his son in exchange for lodging, food, and care from his son until his death; and to also see to Leonard's burial and masses for his soul. In the summer of 1681, Leonard was still healthy enough to do some masonry work for the Recollets. His health continued to decline; he spent the entire month of May 1691 in the Hôtel Dieu at Québec. Five months later, he returned; his death came on 6 October 1691.2,4
Pierre RACINE - Louise GUYONSources:
1. The Drouin Collection at Ancestry*Note-this does require a subscription
2. Tanguay's Dictionary
3. Dictionary of Canadian Biography
4. "Before the Kings Daughters-The Filles à Marier" by Peter Gagné
5. "Kings Daughters & Founding Mothers" by Peter Gagné
6. "Our French-Canadian Ancestors" by Thomas Laforest, Vols 1,5,25,27
7. Genealogy of Canada
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Noel Family of Brockton, MA by Jolynn Noel Winland is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States LicenseWhat does this mean? .
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