ANCESTORS

 

Story of our ancestors Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin

JEAN BAUDET, son of Sebastien Baudet and Marie Baudonnier was born in 1650 et grew up in the small village of Blanzay, today a small commune of the Vienne province in France, located south of the city of Poitiers. In February 1664, Jean is fourteen years old. He leaves his family and boards with 49 other workers on the Holland boat “Le Noir” which leaves La Rochelle for New France.

On May 25th, the boat arrives at Quebec. Jean Baudet goes to work for Nicolas Gaudry aka Bourbonnière along with a companion from the Poitou region named Jean Malherbeau. He will learn the farm trade. Nicolas Gaudry owned a farm of about 8 acres on the Côte Saint-François and Saint-Jean, near Quebec. In 1670, six years after his arrival, Jean Baudet still lives in New France and has decided to stay.

MARIE GRANDIN, a young French girl from the parish of Saint-Euverte in the city of Orleans, arrives in Quebec on July 31 1670. His father had died earlier and she left her mother behind. Saint-Euverte is an old abbey which gets his name from a bishop of the fourth Century.

Marie was with a group of 120 Filles du Roi who had left La Rochelle on the boat “La Nouvelle-France”. Once in Quebec she boarded at madame Bourdon (Anne Gasnier) like many other girls who arrived that way. During ten years, Mme Bourdon signed 304 marriage conventions pertaining to the Filles du Roi.

The marriage of Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin was celebrated less than two months after their encounter. The contract is signed in front of notary Romain Becquet on September 7th, 1670 and is registered at the church Notre-Dame de Québec on September 23rd, 1670. Marie brings a dot of 300 pounds and a gift of 50 pounds from the King of France.

Their first years together are in Sillery. On September 4th, 1672, Jean rents a farm with a house, a barn and a stable. In 1677, the family already having 2 girls and a boy leave Sillery for Lotbiniere where the seigneur Louis-Chartier de Lotbiniere gives Jean the responsibility of his seigniorial domain. Jean rents a piece of land, builds the manor and stays on the premises with his family.

In 1680, Jean Baudet obtains his first land concession situated on the Platon. He continues to work for Louis Chartier and he builds himself a house. The following year, he moves in with his family. By 1692, the family has 6 girls and 4 boys.

Besides farming the land, Jean is a eel fisherman and does business with fish markets in Montreal, Trois-Rivieres and Quebec. He delivers annually between 20 and 40 large kegs during the 20 years he had that business. In 1708, he gets another farm concession which he will split between his 3 younger sons : Jean-Baptiste, Michel and Jacques.

Jean Baudet dies in 1714. Marie Grandin gives the Platon concession to the eldest Charles on condition that he takes care of her until her death. She dies soon after, on July 14th, 1715, at the Hotel-Dieu hospital in Quebec.

The ten children of Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin

■     Marie (Louise) - baptized on September 14th, 1671 in Sillery

■     Simone (Anne) - baptized on December 27th, 1673 in Sillery

■     Jean-Charles - baptized on August 14th, 1676 in Lorette

■     Louise - baptized on April 21st, 1679 in Neuville

■     Jeanne-Françoise - born on October 1st, 1681 in Lotbiniere

■     Jean-Baptiste - born on September 2nd, 1683

■     Michel - born in 1686 in Lotbiniere

■     Marie-Josèphe - baptized on April 24th, 1687 in Sillery

■     Jacques - baptized on November 20th, 1690 in Lotbiniere

■     Marie-Madeleine - born in 1692

It is important to note that except for the first three children, the 7 others were most surely born in the Seigneurie of Lotbiniere. At the time, the only priests were missionaries travelling sporadically on the vast territory of New-France. The different registers (Neuville and Sillery), where the children appeared were probably the parish of the missionary.

For more information, please buy and read the book “Sur les traces de nos ancêtres” published by our Association.