Francois Voyer (1774 - 1851)
François Voyer was born on January 7, 1774 and baptised on January 9, 1774 in L'Ancienne Lorette. François's father, Pierre Voyer, his grandfather, Pierre Voyer and his grandmother, Ursule Moisan were all in attendance at his baptism in L'Ancienne Lorette. To put his birth in historical perspective, François was born just eleven years after the conquest of Nouvelle France. The Quebec Act would not be passed by the parliament of Great Britain for another six months on June 22, 1774.
An explanation of the Quebec Act would be appropriate at this point. The Quebec Act would expand the territory of Quebec by three times of its current size. It would include an area that would now be Southern Ontario, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota. The Quebec Act would restore the right to religious practice to Quebec. Canadiens who held a political office had to renounce Catholicism. The Quebec Act would permit Canadiens who were in a political position to retain their Catholic faith. According to the Quebec Act a governor would be appointed but there would not be an elected assembly. French Civil Law would be used for all civil matters but British Common Law would be used for all other matters. The seigneurial system would be reinstated. As well, the Jesuits were allowed to return to Quebec and resume the collection of tithes.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that François Voyer was born during a turbulent and dynamic time of Quebec history. The Quebec Act was not put into effect until May 1, 1775. François would have been just a few months over a year old when the Quebec Act was put into effect but he would have been completely oblivious to the importance and effect of this momentous act.
As I say above, François was born in L'Ancienne Lorette but it does not say where his father, Pierre Voyer, had his land. I discovered in a document about Ignace Plamondon père (1735 - 1793) from November 14, 1787 that I found in the "archives canada.access to memory.ca/ignace-plamondon-pere", a reference to Francois Voyer. Ignace Plamondon was a surveyor in Nouvelle France. he received his surveyor's commission on December 24, 1733, a nice Christmas present! Ignace was appointed Royal Surveyor, a title that he kept throughout his long career which lasted past the conquest of 1763 to 1793 which was a period of 62 years! Typically, Ignace Plamondon surveyed and laid out lots which were then allocated to seigneurs and then habitants. he covered a vast territory from Saint-Anne- de-la-Pérade to Eboulements on the North Shore and from Sainte - Croix to Kamouraska on the South Shore of the Saint Lawrence River, as well as Beauce (the seigneury of Vaudrieul), and in Quebec City on Île d'Orleans. In the document called "Minutes of Chaining" about Ignace. The document states that land had been surveyed in the Seigneury of Gaudarville which included the parish of L'Ancienne Lorette.
L'Ancienne Lorette began in 1674. Jesuit, Pierre Chaumonot, (1611 - 1693) built a chapel on the site that was to become L'Ancienne Lorette for the Hurons. The Hurons had been pushed out of the homeland by the invading Iroquois. Pierre Chaumonot made several trips to the shrine of Loreto in Italy. During his third and final trip to Loreto he was cured of a terrible headache. To show his gratitude for being cured, Pierre Chaumonot dedicated his colony to Our Lady of the Annunciation and the colony was known as L'Ancienne Lorette. A church, Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation was built in 1698 in L'Ancienne Lorette as a mission. The Hurons had left L'Ancienne Lorette the year before and moved north to have better access to their traditional hunting grounds.
The marriage contract between François Voyer and Marie Madeleine Vandal (1779 - 1815) was written on February 19, 1800 by the notary Alexandre Dumas, I do not believe that he was any relation of the celebrated writer Alexandre Dumas, author of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. Francois and Madeleine were married on February 24, 1800 in Neuville which is the home of Madeleine Vandal's family. François was 26 years old when he married Marie Madeleine Vandal and Madeleine was 21 years old.
Between 1800 when François and Madeleine were married and 1815 when Madeleine Vandal passed away, they had nine children, five sons and four daughters.
The first born, François Voyer was born on February 18, 1801 in L'Ancienne Lorette. Although François and Madeleine were married in Neuville which is not that far from L'Ancienne Lorette, they made their home in L'Ancienne Lorette on the land that François had acquired in the seigneury of Gaudarville. François Voyer married Marie Delphine Faucher Chateauvert on August 8, 1826 also in Neuville. François was 25 years old when he married Marie Delphine Faucher Chateauvert. François is my direct descendant. You may remember if you read the previous post on Francois Voyer.
The second child was Nicolas Voyer who was born on march 21, 1802 in L'Ancienne Lorette. Nicolas was only twelve years old when he died on March 25, 1814 in Quebec City. He was interred in Notre-Dame-de-Quebec.
The third child, Ignace was born on October 26, 1803 in L'Ancienne Lorette Ignace married Marguerite Boivin on May 4, 1824 in L'Ancienne Lorette. Ignace was 20 years old when he married Marguerite. Ignace died on June 14, 1832 in Quebec City. He was interred in St. Roch Cemetery. Ignace was only 29 years old when he passed away.
The fourth child, Pierre Voyer, was born on July 17, 1805 in L'Ancienne Lorette. Pierre married Marie Robitaille on October 10, 1829 in L'Ancienne Lorette. Pierre was 24 years old when he married Marie Robitaille. There are no records of Pierre's death in the PRDH.
Marie Emilie Voyer was the fifth child of Francois and Madeleine and the first daughter. She was born on December 5, 1807 at Notre-Dame -de-Quebec. Unfortunately, I do not have anymore information with regard to the Marie Emilie Voyer.
Charles Voyer, the sixth child and fifth son was born on May 17, 1810 in Quebec City at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec. Charles married Marie Reine (Renelde) Cote on october 18, 1831 in Baie St. Paul. Charles was 21 years old when he married Marie Reine. The alternate form of Marie Reine's name (Renelde) suggests that she was of Flemish descent. There is no record of Charles death but he was still alive in 1864 because his last child by his second wife was born in 1864.
The seventh child was also named Emilie. This makes me suspect that the first Emilie of whom there is little information other than her date of birth, did not thrive and probably died very young. Often when a child dies young the parents will use the dead child's name for a subsequent child. They believed that the dead child will live through the new child by giving them the dead child's name. The second Emilie was born on May 13, 1812 in Quebec City at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec. Unfortunately, the second Emily passed away at the age of less than one month. She was interred at Quebec City in the cemetery of Notre-Dame-de-Quebec.
Child number eight, Daisy Voyer, was born on July 19, 1813 in Quebec City at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec. Daisy also died young at just over a year on July 26, 1814 in Quebec City. She was interred in the cemetery of Notre-Dame-de-Quebec.
The ninth and last child, Madeleine Voyer, was married on January 13, 1824 in Quebec at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec to Charles Faucher Chateauvert. It is a reasonable assumption the Charles Faucher Chateauvert was the brother of Marie Delphine Faucher Chateauvert who married Francois Voyer.
Based on the information from the PRDH it would appear that François Voyer moved his family from L'Ancienne Lorette to Quebec City sometime between July of 1805 and December of 1807. This is probably when François sold his property in Gaudarville and purchased a business as a carter and cart builder. Yet, it is not entirely clear where his main residence was located as we will see shortly.
As I mentioned above, Madeleine Voyer passed away on July 9, 1815. She was interred in Notre-Dame-de-Quebec in Quebec City on July 10, 1815. In just a few days more than a year later, Francois Voyer married Judith Bertrand in Quebec City at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec.
This post is already getting too long and I still have much to say about Francois Voyer (1774 - 1851) so I will cut it off here and continue on in the next post starting with the marriage of Francois Voyer and Judith Bertrand.
An explanation of the Quebec Act would be appropriate at this point. The Quebec Act would expand the territory of Quebec by three times of its current size. It would include an area that would now be Southern Ontario, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota. The Quebec Act would restore the right to religious practice to Quebec. Canadiens who held a political office had to renounce Catholicism. The Quebec Act would permit Canadiens who were in a political position to retain their Catholic faith. According to the Quebec Act a governor would be appointed but there would not be an elected assembly. French Civil Law would be used for all civil matters but British Common Law would be used for all other matters. The seigneurial system would be reinstated. As well, the Jesuits were allowed to return to Quebec and resume the collection of tithes.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that François Voyer was born during a turbulent and dynamic time of Quebec history. The Quebec Act was not put into effect until May 1, 1775. François would have been just a few months over a year old when the Quebec Act was put into effect but he would have been completely oblivious to the importance and effect of this momentous act.
As I say above, François was born in L'Ancienne Lorette but it does not say where his father, Pierre Voyer, had his land. I discovered in a document about Ignace Plamondon père (1735 - 1793) from November 14, 1787 that I found in the "archives canada.access to memory.ca/ignace-plamondon-pere", a reference to Francois Voyer. Ignace Plamondon was a surveyor in Nouvelle France. he received his surveyor's commission on December 24, 1733, a nice Christmas present! Ignace was appointed Royal Surveyor, a title that he kept throughout his long career which lasted past the conquest of 1763 to 1793 which was a period of 62 years! Typically, Ignace Plamondon surveyed and laid out lots which were then allocated to seigneurs and then habitants. he covered a vast territory from Saint-Anne- de-la-Pérade to Eboulements on the North Shore and from Sainte - Croix to Kamouraska on the South Shore of the Saint Lawrence River, as well as Beauce (the seigneury of Vaudrieul), and in Quebec City on Île d'Orleans. In the document called "Minutes of Chaining" about Ignace. The document states that land had been surveyed in the Seigneury of Gaudarville which included the parish of L'Ancienne Lorette.
L'Ancienne Lorette began in 1674. Jesuit, Pierre Chaumonot, (1611 - 1693) built a chapel on the site that was to become L'Ancienne Lorette for the Hurons. The Hurons had been pushed out of the homeland by the invading Iroquois. Pierre Chaumonot made several trips to the shrine of Loreto in Italy. During his third and final trip to Loreto he was cured of a terrible headache. To show his gratitude for being cured, Pierre Chaumonot dedicated his colony to Our Lady of the Annunciation and the colony was known as L'Ancienne Lorette. A church, Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation was built in 1698 in L'Ancienne Lorette as a mission. The Hurons had left L'Ancienne Lorette the year before and moved north to have better access to their traditional hunting grounds.
The marriage contract between François Voyer and Marie Madeleine Vandal (1779 - 1815) was written on February 19, 1800 by the notary Alexandre Dumas, I do not believe that he was any relation of the celebrated writer Alexandre Dumas, author of The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers. Francois and Madeleine were married on February 24, 1800 in Neuville which is the home of Madeleine Vandal's family. François was 26 years old when he married Marie Madeleine Vandal and Madeleine was 21 years old.
Between 1800 when François and Madeleine were married and 1815 when Madeleine Vandal passed away, they had nine children, five sons and four daughters.
The first born, François Voyer was born on February 18, 1801 in L'Ancienne Lorette. Although François and Madeleine were married in Neuville which is not that far from L'Ancienne Lorette, they made their home in L'Ancienne Lorette on the land that François had acquired in the seigneury of Gaudarville. François Voyer married Marie Delphine Faucher Chateauvert on August 8, 1826 also in Neuville. François was 25 years old when he married Marie Delphine Faucher Chateauvert. François is my direct descendant. You may remember if you read the previous post on Francois Voyer.
The second child was Nicolas Voyer who was born on march 21, 1802 in L'Ancienne Lorette. Nicolas was only twelve years old when he died on March 25, 1814 in Quebec City. He was interred in Notre-Dame-de-Quebec.
The third child, Ignace was born on October 26, 1803 in L'Ancienne Lorette Ignace married Marguerite Boivin on May 4, 1824 in L'Ancienne Lorette. Ignace was 20 years old when he married Marguerite. Ignace died on June 14, 1832 in Quebec City. He was interred in St. Roch Cemetery. Ignace was only 29 years old when he passed away.
The fourth child, Pierre Voyer, was born on July 17, 1805 in L'Ancienne Lorette. Pierre married Marie Robitaille on October 10, 1829 in L'Ancienne Lorette. Pierre was 24 years old when he married Marie Robitaille. There are no records of Pierre's death in the PRDH.
Marie Emilie Voyer was the fifth child of Francois and Madeleine and the first daughter. She was born on December 5, 1807 at Notre-Dame -de-Quebec. Unfortunately, I do not have anymore information with regard to the Marie Emilie Voyer.
Charles Voyer, the sixth child and fifth son was born on May 17, 1810 in Quebec City at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec. Charles married Marie Reine (Renelde) Cote on october 18, 1831 in Baie St. Paul. Charles was 21 years old when he married Marie Reine. The alternate form of Marie Reine's name (Renelde) suggests that she was of Flemish descent. There is no record of Charles death but he was still alive in 1864 because his last child by his second wife was born in 1864.
The seventh child was also named Emilie. This makes me suspect that the first Emilie of whom there is little information other than her date of birth, did not thrive and probably died very young. Often when a child dies young the parents will use the dead child's name for a subsequent child. They believed that the dead child will live through the new child by giving them the dead child's name. The second Emilie was born on May 13, 1812 in Quebec City at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec. Unfortunately, the second Emily passed away at the age of less than one month. She was interred at Quebec City in the cemetery of Notre-Dame-de-Quebec.
Child number eight, Daisy Voyer, was born on July 19, 1813 in Quebec City at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec. Daisy also died young at just over a year on July 26, 1814 in Quebec City. She was interred in the cemetery of Notre-Dame-de-Quebec.
The ninth and last child, Madeleine Voyer, was married on January 13, 1824 in Quebec at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec to Charles Faucher Chateauvert. It is a reasonable assumption the Charles Faucher Chateauvert was the brother of Marie Delphine Faucher Chateauvert who married Francois Voyer.
Based on the information from the PRDH it would appear that François Voyer moved his family from L'Ancienne Lorette to Quebec City sometime between July of 1805 and December of 1807. This is probably when François sold his property in Gaudarville and purchased a business as a carter and cart builder. Yet, it is not entirely clear where his main residence was located as we will see shortly.
As I mentioned above, Madeleine Voyer passed away on July 9, 1815. She was interred in Notre-Dame-de-Quebec in Quebec City on July 10, 1815. In just a few days more than a year later, Francois Voyer married Judith Bertrand in Quebec City at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec.
This post is already getting too long and I still have much to say about Francois Voyer (1774 - 1851) so I will cut it off here and continue on in the next post starting with the marriage of Francois Voyer and Judith Bertrand.
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