Walking in the Steps of my Ancestors - Part Four - La maison Laurent - Lortie
I saw the Maison Laurent dit Lortie as we were driving int Beauport on the Friday evening that we drove from Montreal. I recognised the house immediately from the pictures that I had seen on the internet. It was late afternoon and the late afternoon shadows gave the house an dramatic look that impressed on me just old the house is. Unfortunately, we could not stop to look. we had been on the road for over three hours and we were anxious to get to our destination, the Ambassador Hotel and get something to eat. The Maison Laurent dit Lortie would have to wait for the next day.
The maison Laurent dit Lortie would be the last house that we would look at on chemin Royal that day, it was located at 3200 chemin Royal. There was one more house and two cemeteries to visit before lunch! We had been impressed by our passing impression of the maison Laurent Lortie when we had driven past the evening before. Now in the mid-morning light the house had the appearance of being filled with light. If I hadn't know better, I would have have thought that the house had been built within the last 20 - 30 years, not the 17th century. The house has been well preserved but more than that, it was clear that the house had been well built. It had been built to last centuries, and it has. The maison Laurent dit Lortie was the oldest house that we had seen, so far in our Beauport walking tour.
The house was built by Jean Millouer (dit du Maine) between 1652 and 1663. Jean Millouer arrived in Nouvelle France in 1638 from Maine, Normandy, France. Jean was born in 1616 so he was 22 years old when he arrived in Nouvelle France in 1638. From 1639 until 1642 Jean Millouer was in the service of Guillaume Huboust but in 1638, Jean Millouer was in the service of Pierre Legardeur sieur de Repentigny, who was the lieutenant of governor Hualt de Montmagny and later the director of the communauté des Habitants, the company that held the monopoly for the fur-trade.
There is an interesting story about Jean Millouer and Pierre Legardeur. On December 13, 1638, Pierre Legardeur brought criminal charges against Jean Millouer and his 10 associates; Rene Mezery dit Nopces, Denis le Boucher, Nicolas Le Fauconnier (stonemason), Guillaume Isabel (carpenter), Marin Terriere, Jean Leblessier, Pierre Pernelle, Raimond, and Gaspard Le Boucher (carpenter). Pierre Legardeur had charged them with stealing wooden planks, peas, eels and a half-moose skin. What was most interesting is that the group was accused of consuming 30 bushels of peas (did they make pea soup?) Even for a group of ten hungry workmen, 30 bushels of peas would have been a huge amount of peas to consume. What is interesting is that Jean Millouer composed a song mocking his employer while consuming the peas.
"Pauvre bonhomme,
tu n'es pas maitre en ta maison
quand nous y sommes
(translation)
Poor man,
you are not master in your own home
when we are there."
According to Luc Lacourciere (a Quebec Musicologist), Jean Millouer was the first folklorist in the history of Quebec.You might ask, what does Jean Millouer have to do with La maison Laurent - Lortie. Well, Jean Millouer was the stonemason and builder who built the house.
The house was occupied by Pierre Parent by 1685. Pierre Parent was the fourth child and second son of Pierre Parent (1628 - 1698) and Jeanne Badeau (1639 - 1706). On November 22, 1683, Pierre Parent fils married Marguerite Baugis. Their first child, Pierre, was born on July 29, 1684, a year before Pierre and Marguerite moved into their home. Their second child, Jacques, was born on February 2,1687, two years after they moved into their home. altogether, Pierre and Marguerite had eleven children.
According to French Canadian custom, the eldest son inherited the property. This being the case, the house would have gone to Pierre once his father passed away. Pierre would have passed the house onto his son, Pierre who passed the house onto his oldest son, Michel. Michel passed the house onto his son Louis. Now Louis did not have a male heir so he sold the house to Jean Pepin dit Lachance. The house had been in the Parent family for 137 years.
Jean Pepin dit Lachance bought the Parent house (la maison Laurent Lortie) in 1822. His daughter Julie was born on April 7, 1822, the year that Jean Pepin purchased the house. Jean was a 'cultivateur' (farmer), albeit a successful enough 'cultivateur' if he was able to purchase Pierre Parent's home.
Julie Pepin dit Lachance married Antoine Laurent dit Lortie on January 10, 1836. Antoine was also a 'cultivateur'. According to the wedding record, Antoine's parents were Antoine Laurent dit Lortie and Marie Belanger. Antoine's father was also a 'cultivateur'. Jean Pepin dit Lachance passed the house on to his daughter Julie and son-in-law, Antoine Laurent dit Lortie.
In 1850 the western portion of the house was extended by three meters. Later, the current dormers were added along with the galleries that equipped with eavestroughs. From the time that the house passed into the hands of Julie Pepin dit Lachance and Antoine Laurent dit Lortie, it has been owned by the Lortie family until the present.
The maison Laurent dit Lortie would be the last house that we would look at on chemin Royal that day, it was located at 3200 chemin Royal. There was one more house and two cemeteries to visit before lunch! We had been impressed by our passing impression of the maison Laurent Lortie when we had driven past the evening before. Now in the mid-morning light the house had the appearance of being filled with light. If I hadn't know better, I would have have thought that the house had been built within the last 20 - 30 years, not the 17th century. The house has been well preserved but more than that, it was clear that the house had been well built. It had been built to last centuries, and it has. The maison Laurent dit Lortie was the oldest house that we had seen, so far in our Beauport walking tour.
The house was built by Jean Millouer (dit du Maine) between 1652 and 1663. Jean Millouer arrived in Nouvelle France in 1638 from Maine, Normandy, France. Jean was born in 1616 so he was 22 years old when he arrived in Nouvelle France in 1638. From 1639 until 1642 Jean Millouer was in the service of Guillaume Huboust but in 1638, Jean Millouer was in the service of Pierre Legardeur sieur de Repentigny, who was the lieutenant of governor Hualt de Montmagny and later the director of the communauté des Habitants, the company that held the monopoly for the fur-trade.
There is an interesting story about Jean Millouer and Pierre Legardeur. On December 13, 1638, Pierre Legardeur brought criminal charges against Jean Millouer and his 10 associates; Rene Mezery dit Nopces, Denis le Boucher, Nicolas Le Fauconnier (stonemason), Guillaume Isabel (carpenter), Marin Terriere, Jean Leblessier, Pierre Pernelle, Raimond, and Gaspard Le Boucher (carpenter). Pierre Legardeur had charged them with stealing wooden planks, peas, eels and a half-moose skin. What was most interesting is that the group was accused of consuming 30 bushels of peas (did they make pea soup?) Even for a group of ten hungry workmen, 30 bushels of peas would have been a huge amount of peas to consume. What is interesting is that Jean Millouer composed a song mocking his employer while consuming the peas.
"Pauvre bonhomme,
tu n'es pas maitre en ta maison
quand nous y sommes
(translation)
Poor man,
you are not master in your own home
when we are there."
According to Luc Lacourciere (a Quebec Musicologist), Jean Millouer was the first folklorist in the history of Quebec.You might ask, what does Jean Millouer have to do with La maison Laurent - Lortie. Well, Jean Millouer was the stonemason and builder who built the house.
The house was occupied by Pierre Parent by 1685. Pierre Parent was the fourth child and second son of Pierre Parent (1628 - 1698) and Jeanne Badeau (1639 - 1706). On November 22, 1683, Pierre Parent fils married Marguerite Baugis. Their first child, Pierre, was born on July 29, 1684, a year before Pierre and Marguerite moved into their home. Their second child, Jacques, was born on February 2,1687, two years after they moved into their home. altogether, Pierre and Marguerite had eleven children.
According to French Canadian custom, the eldest son inherited the property. This being the case, the house would have gone to Pierre once his father passed away. Pierre would have passed the house onto his son, Pierre who passed the house onto his oldest son, Michel. Michel passed the house onto his son Louis. Now Louis did not have a male heir so he sold the house to Jean Pepin dit Lachance. The house had been in the Parent family for 137 years.
Jean Pepin dit Lachance bought the Parent house (la maison Laurent Lortie) in 1822. His daughter Julie was born on April 7, 1822, the year that Jean Pepin purchased the house. Jean was a 'cultivateur' (farmer), albeit a successful enough 'cultivateur' if he was able to purchase Pierre Parent's home.
Julie Pepin dit Lachance married Antoine Laurent dit Lortie on January 10, 1836. Antoine was also a 'cultivateur'. According to the wedding record, Antoine's parents were Antoine Laurent dit Lortie and Marie Belanger. Antoine's father was also a 'cultivateur'. Jean Pepin dit Lachance passed the house on to his daughter Julie and son-in-law, Antoine Laurent dit Lortie.
In 1850 the western portion of the house was extended by three meters. Later, the current dormers were added along with the galleries that equipped with eavestroughs. From the time that the house passed into the hands of Julie Pepin dit Lachance and Antoine Laurent dit Lortie, it has been owned by the Lortie family until the present.
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