SECOND WAVE 1663-1665:
FIEVRE-LEVASSEUR-BINET-PAYETTE-ROY-MOUFLET-LAUZE-BARBARY
Details for the ship voyages of my French ancestors are described in a 4 part blog post:
Part1: First Wave 1635 to 1659 Link Part1
Part 2: Second Wave 1663 to 1665-this blog post
Part 3: Third Wave 1667 and 1669 Link Part3
Part 4: Ship Voyage for Pierre Jamme dit Carriere 1687 Link Part4
Here is a link to the Introduction to the Atlantic Crossings of my French Ancestors that can be found on the 17th Century footprints tab on this website.
EXPLANATION: FIRST A SHIP VOYAGE LOG THEN SOME DETAILS FOR MY ANCESTORS
I have been able to determine some crossing details for only some of my ancestors (about 1/3).
This is because the maritime records for the French ancient regime have not survived. And the passenger lists that have survived or have been re-constructed are not complete.
Ship voyage logs have been prepared chronologically by year. For each ship voyage log I have included: the year, the number of ships that arrived from France, the departure port from France, the number of documented arrival passengers, the name of the ship that my ancestor sailed on, the size of the ship, the departure and arrival dates and the voyage length (number of days).
After the ship voyage is summarized, some details are provided about my ancestor who came to New France on the ship.
Here are the ship voyage logs with some ancestral details for the years 1663 to 1665.
1663
Four Ships arrive in New France. All from La Rochelle, France.
320 documented arrival passengers.
Ship: L’AIGLE D’OR
300 Tons, departed France June 3, 1663, arrival September 22, voyage of 111 days!
A significant event occurred in March 1663, France declared New France as a Province. Two of the four ships arriving in 1663 are sponsored by the King. The two ships are L’Aigle d’Or and Le Jardin de Hollande. On board L’Aigle D’Or is the new Governor of New France -Augustin de Saffray de Mésay, Bishop Francois de Laval, a curator and his son, 2 Jesuit priests, 4 ships carpenters, some soldiers, 9 indentured men, other settlers and 35 Filles du Roi or Daughters of the King.
Catherine Fievre, Fille du Roi (Daughter of the King born 1646 at Niort, New Acquitaine) is amongst this first contingent of brave young women to come to New France. Catherine is just 17 years old when she crosses the Atlantic and will marry Charles Allaire, my 7th great grandfather within a few months of her arrival. They will settle on Ile d’Orléans and have 13 children.
Their life in New France is described in volume 10 of “Our French Canadian Ancestors”. Charles and Catherine are one of the founding families of the beautiful Ile d’Orléans. In 1962, a commemorative plaque was placed on the Allaire/Dallaire ancestral lands that had been in the family for 300 years.
In my third blog post for “Atlantic Crossings of My French Ancestors” I will provide more details about the Filles du Roi program whereby the King Louis XIV of France sponsored women to sail to New France to promote marriage and boost the population of the colony. Many French-Canadians are descendants of these women, known as the “Mothers of the Quebec Nation”. I am a direct descendent of Catherine Fievre and Charles Allaire. So far I have identified 9 Daughters of the King (Filles du Roi) in the scope of the family history that I am researching.
The two ships (sponsored by the king) crew includes 12 naval officers and 43 sailors. The provisions loaded onto the ships include barrels of flour, bacon, and brandy. Also 100 bed covers, shoes for the soldiers, tackle, building supplies and tools for 2 long boats and 4 smaller boats and ammunition. The animals loaded onto the ships include cows, oxen, many pigs, a few sheep, some dogs and cats. There was also provision for 5 horses (one stallion and 4 mares) but Bishop Laval decides to load 25 to 30 additional barrels of flour instead. The ships are so full some of the items are loaded between two decks, inconveniencing the passe
A first-hand account of the voyage is rather revealing: “The crossing is long and stormy. The vessel carried many troops, and many families that the king sent to populate Canada. Several of the soldiers were Huguenots, most of them libertines, and caused great trouble for the bishop. Scurvy broke out on board. Up to sixty passengers died at sea and 38 others were hospitalized on arrival, twelve of whom died”.
This flute image is believed to be very similar to the L’Aigle d’Or, (300Tons) which came to New France twice, in 1662 and 1663.
The voyage in 1663 carried 2 of my ancestors: Catherine Fievre and Laurent Levasseur
Further details of this voyage include the fact that many of the men on board the ship were “young people, clerics, schoolchildren or the like”. My ancestor Laurent Levasseur (born 1648, Rouen, Normandy) was amongst them.
Although his baptismal record has not been found, he is estimated to be only 14 or 15 years old when he arrived. Laurent Levasseur is the French forefather to my 5th great grandmother Marie Louise Levasseur born 1729. (Laurent’s son Pierre Levasseur married my 6th great grandmother Elizabeth Michaud.) When Laurent arrived in New France, he was immediately employed as a domestic servant by Guillemette Hébert, the widow of Guillaume Couillard and daughter of Louis Hébert, the first Canadian colonist. He would work for six years as a servant before starting a new life as a habitant in 1669. He married in 1670, had 13 children with Marie Marchand and spent much of his life on the south shores of the St. Lawrence River just south of Quebec city. Here is a representative image of Laurent Levasseur:
This life like representative image of Laurent Levasseur together with his life story appears in the book by T.J. Laforest “Our French Canadian Ancestors”, Volume 3.
1665
Twelve ships arrive in New France, only 11 are identified.
Two are from Normandy (Dieppe and Le Havre), the rest are from La Rochelle.
More than 1300 arrival passengers, includes 1200 soldiers that are only partially documented.
Ships of interest to my ancestry:
The actual voyage details and conditions are scarce. In addition to the routine handful of French ships that are crossing the Atlantic in this era, the French king chartered 6 ships to transport an elite group of soldiers from the Carignan Saliére Regiment to subdue the Iroquois.
The Cat (Le Chat) is transporting 180 passengers, including 85 indentured men. Rene Binet (born 1638, La Chaussee, New Acquitaine) is amongst them.
Rene Binet is the French forefather to my great-great grandmother Emelie Binet. Rene Binet arrived in New France under contract as a servant (60 livres annual salary), he would eventually settle as a habitant and marry Catherine Bourgeois a Fille du Roi whose arrival is described in part 3 of this blog post. They settled in Beauport and had 6 children.
This life like representative image of Rene Binet appears in the book by T.J. Laforest “Our French-Canadian Ancestors”, Volume 20 which describes his life in New France.
The Saint-Jean-Baptiste carries one of the largest contingent of Filles du Roi to New France, there are 82 brave young women who make the voyage. There are also 30 “working men” on board.
Marie Chevreau, Fille du Roi (born 1645, Chateaudun, Centre-Val de Loire) who is my 9th great grandmother crossed the Atlantic on this ship. (Matrilineal line ascending from my grandmother Antoinette Timm).
Marie was an orphan from the ancient Beauce Region of France. She married Rene Reaume in 1665, and they had 13 children, 11 boys and 2 girls. Their life in New France is described in Volume 1 of “Our French Canadian Ancestors”. Marie and Rene settled and lived at Notre Dame Des Anges Seigneurie. The first 15 years was spent along the Saint Charles River and then they moved close to Charlesbourg, which is Northwest of Quebec City. Five of their sons would become “voyageurs”, the subject of a future blog story. Here is a representative image of Rene Reaume:
Rene Reaume (Rheaume) was a master carpenter. He married my 9th great grandmother Marie Chevreau (Fille du Roi) on October 29, 1665. See Volume 1 of “Our French-Canadian Ancestors” by T.J. Laforest for the story of their life together in New France.
Le Vieux Simeon, La Justice and La Paix are all carrying members of the Carignan Saliéres Regiment of soldiers. The Carignan Saliéres Regiment was sent by King Louis IV to New France to subdue the Iroquois threat to the colony. 1200 soldiers arrived on 6 vessels, a seventh ship transported the provisions. Each ship transported 4 companies of soldiers, as the Regiment was organized into companies of 50 members each. Imagine how this arrival would impact the colony with a population of less than 3,500 at the time…
Imagine a flotilla of ships sailing across the Atlantic ocean to bring the Carignan Saliéres Regiment to New France in 1665.
Le Vieux Simeon, La Justice and La Paix are all carrying members of the Carignan Saliéres Regiment of soldiers. The Carignan Saliéres Regiment was sent by King Louis IV to New France to subdue the Iroquois threat to the colony. 1200 soldiers arrived on 6 vessels, a seventh ship transported the provisions. Each ship transported 4 companies of soldiers, as the Regiment was organized into companies of 50 members each. This arrival had a huge impact on the French colony with a population of less than 3,500 at the time…
There are five soldiers that made this voyage with a connection to my ancestry:
Pierre Payette dit St Amour (born 1641, Libourne, New Acquitaine) is the French forefather to my 3rd great grandmother Felicite Payette St Amour (born 1834).
Pierre was a corporal in La Tour Company. On July 23, 1665 which was just over a month after their arrival, this company left for the Richelieu region. They helped to build Fort Chambly where they would spend the rest of their stay in New France.
Antoine Roy dit Desjardins (born 1635, Joigny, Bourgogne) is the French forefather to my great grandmother Augustine Desjardins (born 1863)
Antoine was a member of the Froment Company. This company eventually head to the Richelieu region to help construct the Fort Saint-Louis (Chambly). Later the company was garrisoned in the region of Trois-Rivières.
Antoine proved to be a scoundrel. In 1684, he was murdered by a jealous husband who found Antoine in bed with his wife. The full story is recounted at https://www.royandboucher.com/tng/histories/antoine_roy.php.
Jean Mouflet dit Champagne (born 1648, Mortagne-sur-Gironde, New Acquitaine) is the father in-law to my 6th great grandfather Francois Meloche (born 1676). Francois Meloche married his daughter Marie Mouflet. Marie was born in Lachine, she was the 6th of 8 children that Jean Mouflet and his wife Anne Dodain or Dodin (another Daughter of the King) had together.
Jean Mouflet dit Champagne was a member of the Naurois Company which was garrisoned in Cap-de-Madeleine during the years 1666 and 1667.
Jean Lauze dit Matha (born 1650, Saintes, New Acquitaine) is the French forefather to my 6th great grandmother Marie Josephe Louise Lauze (born 1730).
Jean Lauze dit Matha was a member of the Maximy Company which was sent to Trois-Rivières and stationed there. This company took part in in the Sieur Courcelles’ expedition against the Mohawks in January 1666. After this the company was garrisoned in Saint-Famille on Île d’Orléans.
Pierre Barbary dit Grandmaison (born 1651, Thiviers, New Acquitaine)is the father in-law to Pierre Jamme-Carriere, who was a soldier in the Marine Troops arriving in New France in 1687. Pierre Jamme-Carriere, married his daughter Marie. (Both father and husband of Marie Barbary dit Grandmaison were soldiers.) Pierre Jamme-Carriere (born 1662, Lantheuil, Normandy) is the French forefather to my 4th great grandmother Josephte Jamme-Carrier. Pierre Jamme-Carriere’s story will be told in part 4 of this blog story.
Pierre Barbary dit Grandmaison was a member of the Contrecoeur company which stayed in Montreal for the winter of 1665. Thereafter this company participated in the various campaigns or battles that the Carignan regiment fought with the Iroquois.
Pierre Jamme-Carriere was a member of the Marine troops that were sent to New France in 1687. The Iroquois threat became the Iroquois war in 1684 and continued until the Great Peace of 1701.
Three of these soldiers would face either death or captivity at the hands of the Iroquois, but that is another story to be told later…..
Here is a representative image of Jean Lauze dit Matha from the book by T.J. Laforest “Our French-Canadian Ancestors”, Volume 19 which describes the story of his life in New France.
Sources:
Ship Images
Navire Nouvelle France Website: L’Aigle d’Or Image Accessed 14 September 2020.
Flotilla of Ships bringing the Carignan Saliere Regiment Accessed 07 May 2021.
Ship Voyage Logs
Two websites were used extensively to document the Atlantic crossing of my ancestors:
1. Navire Nouvelle France Website https://naviresnouvellefrance.net/ Update: This website is no longer active -I have detailed extracts available upon request.
2. Guy Perron Blog https://lebloguedeguyperron.wordpress.com/
The following blog articles were very helpful and I am indebted to Guy Perron for his extensive research.
The Expedition of the ship L’Aigle D’Or in 1663
The Expedition of the ship Le Chat in 1665
The Expedition of the ship La Paix in 1665
The Expedition of the ship Le Vieux Simeon in 1665
The enlistments raised by Pierre Gaigneur for Canada in 1665 see Rene Binet
Ancestor Representative Images
T.J. Laforest, Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Palm Harbor, Florida: The Lisse Press, Volumes 1, 3, 19 and 20.