My eighth great-grandfather Jacques Lussier was born about 1646 in Paris and was baptized in the parish of St-Eustache. I’m adding the church to my list of places to go on my next trip to France. The present church was built between 1532 and 1632, so it is the building that Jacques and his parents Jacques and Marguerite Darmine would have known.
Jacques arrived in Quebec in 1666. The chapter about him in the series “Our French Canadian Ancestors” says he agreed to a 36-month engage contract to work for Pierre Boucher, the governor of Trois-Rivieres. The first mention of him in New France comes in Quebec on the 22nd of September, 1669 when he and Filles du Roi Charlotte de la Marche, a fellow Parisian, go to see Notary Romain Becquet to have a marriage contract drawn up. “Our French Canadian Ancestors” says Charlotte brought 300-livres to the marriage as well as a gift from the king of 50-livres.
Jacques and Charlotte were married eight days later at Notre-Dame de Quebec by Father Henri de Bernieres. “Our French Canadian Ancestors” says on the 13th of July 1670, Jacques paid Jacques Menard dit Lafontaine 60-livres to rebuild his house. The new home would be 20-feet long by 16-feet wide, with four windows and a fireplace.
Charlotte gave birth to a daughter, Marie on the 3rd of February, 1671 at Boucherville. The child survived, but Charlotte died 12-days later. She was just 24-years-old.
Six months after Charlotte’s death, Jacques travelled to Quebec and met another Filles du Roi, 18-year-old Catherine Clerice. “Our French Canadian Ancestors” says Notary Becquet drew up Jacques’ second marriage contract as well, but I can’t find it in the Quebec Archives online. On the 12 of October, 1671 Jacques and Catherine Clerice were married by Father Henri de Bernieres at Notre-Dame in Quebec.
Catherine was from the parish of Saint-Sulpice in Paris and was the daughter of Pierre and Marie Lefebvre. She brought with her 200-livres and a 50-livres dowry from King Louis XIV. Jacques brought Catherine to his home in the seigneurie of Varennes on the south shore of the St. Lawrence across from the east end of the island of Montreal.
Their first child died without being given a name. The couple lost two other children before Catherine gave birth to my ancestor Marie Louise in March of 1689.
Over the next 20 years, “Our French Canadian Ancestors” uses notarial records to track Jacques’ business transactions. On 15 May, 1672 Pierre Chaperon de Boucherville gave four days of plowing with his oxen and five pounds of butter in exchange for Jacques hoeing his cornfield in the month of June. On the 3rd of December, 1674 Jacques leased a cow to Chaperon. And on the 8th of September, 1675 Jacques sold 60 square arpents of land to Etienne Charles.
The 1681 Census of Varennes finds the couple with Jacques’ daughter Marie from his first marriage and four children of their own: Christophe, born in 1673; Pierre, born in 1675; Catherine, born in 1677 and Jacques, born in 1678.
Jacques and Catherine had five head of cattle and nine arpents of land under cultivation. “Our French Canadian Ancestors” says Lussier harvested a lot of wheat. On the 24th of May 1688, he gave a receipt to Etienne Charles for 10 minots of wheat which he had sold him. Over the next 20 years, Jacques took out farm leases and lent large amounts of money to his neighbours.
Jacques drowned in the St. Lawrence River in the fall of 1712. His body was found the following spring about 50-kilometres downstream from Varennes at Sorel.
The PRDH transcription shows that two priests performed the burial service, which was attended by Jacques’ eldest son Christophe and his son-in-law Antoine Voisy as well as an officer in the Troupes de la Marine.
An inventory of Jacques Lussier’s belongings was carried out by the Notary Antoine Adhemar on the 16th of March, 1713. “Our French Canadian Ancestors” says the list of Jacques and Catherine’s possessions included two tin chandeliers, small earthenware plates, an ornate wardrobe, the farm with four arpents of frontage, four milk cows, three calves, two oxen and three horses. Jacques had nearly three-thousand livres in cash, which is described as a fortune for that time.
“Our French Canadian Ancestors” relates that two days after the inventory was complete, the Lussier family held a house auction, selling everything but the roof over Catherine Clerice’s head. Catherine died two years later, on March 1st, 1715 at the age of 68.
Mew-Sings 