Marin Boucher

• General Notes
  • (See Robillard)
    
    Marriage (1): Julienne du Baril on 7 Feb 1611 in St-Jean de Mortagne, ev. Sees, Perche, France
    Marriage (2): Perrinne Mallet on 29 Mar 1629 in St-Langis-lès-Mortagne, Sées, Perche, France
    
    Brother of Jeanne Boucher who married Thomas Hayot. Marin Boucher came over from Perche, France in early 1634 aboard the ship, St. Jehan under the command of Captain Pierre Nesle, which arrived in Quebec on June 4, 1634.  With him was his wife Julienne and their child Francois.  They were met by Champlain and taken into
    Fort St. Louis.  There were forty people aboard the ship from Perche who were the censituaries of Robert Giffard.  Giffard along with Juchereau had recruited them in Perche, France in early 1634.  With him was a cousin Gaspard Boucher and his wife Nicole Lemaine and their children.
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    IMMIGRATION: 1634; immigrated to New France with Robert Giffard and Nöel Juchereau. Settled with family first on the Rivière Saint-Charles before receiving land grant at Château-Richer.
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    MARIN BOUCHER from " Our French-Canadian Ancestors " by Thomas J. Laforest
    
    Marin Boucher was born between 1587 and 1589. He was married twice before leaving for Canada. On February 7, 1611, he married Julienne Baril, daughter of Jean and Raoulline, living at LaBarre in the parish of Saint-Langis-les-Mortagne ( Orne ). They had seven children. Julienne Baril died, on December 15, 1627 and was buried at Saint-Langis the next day. Around 1628 or 1629, Marin took a second wife. She was Perrine Mallet. The marriage was in Saint-Langis-les-Mortagne, France. They had seven children.
    
    Perrine Mallet, the second wife of Marin Boucher, was born between 1604 and 1606 and was the daughter of Pierre and Jacqueline Liger from Courgeout ( Orne ). When the Bouchers came to New France in 1634 they were accompanied by 3 children; Louis-Marin, 4 years old; Jean-Galleran, 1 year old; François, 16 years old.
    
    HEIR TO CHAMPLAIN
    We know almost nothing about the first four years of Marin Boucher and his family in New France except that the pioneer is mentioned in Champlain's will. According to the historian, E. Mitchell (a member of the Society of Canadian Writers and the Historical Societies of Montreal and Boucherville), the founder of Québec certainly knew Boucher before his death. She states that "the Commandant of Trois-Rivières, Marc-Antoine Bras-de-fer de Châteaufort, assumed his duties as interim governor immediately after the funeral. He presided at the reading of Champlain's will; a will whose validity was to be contested, in which a man called Marin was mentioned and it concerns, we believe, Marin, relative of Gaspard: "I give to Marin, mason, living near the house of the Recollet Fathers, the last suit that I had made from material which I got at the store," wrote Champlain."
    
    Marin Boucher must have greatly appreciated this legacy from Champlain because we know how much Our Ancestors, who were for the most part very poor, attached importance to any clothing, be it also threadbare and worn out.
    
    FARMER OF THE JESUITS
    On August 24, 1638, Marin was called to give testimony on the circumstances of the voyage of Gaspard Boucher "his relative ", who also arrived in 1634. We know that Marin first worked a piece of land that the Recollets had abandoned in 1629 following the surrender of Québec to the Kirke brothers. Later, he took a farm with his brother-in-law, Thomas Hayot ( the ancestor of the Ayotte families), on land of the Jesuits at Beauport. On June 11, 1648, reports the Jesuit Journal, the two farmers separated. Hayot kept the farm and Boucher took a concession next to that of Olivier Tardif.
    
    ON THE BEAUPRE COAST
    Later, Boucher and his family lived on the Beaupré coast. Marin then sold his former farm of 3 arpents in frontage on the Saint Charles River "from the stream which separates the cleared field of the Reverend Fathers Recollets from the deserted property formerly of Jacques Caumont." Marin claimed to have received the land from the Company of New France but the Recollets claimed this land as belonging to them when they returned to Canada in 1670.
    
    On March 6, 1656, Boucher signed a note for 176 livres for the Fabrique de Québec, an old debt contracted from the Compagnie des Habitants. Meanwhile, our mason-farmer wrote Father Godbout, advanced in age. Little by little, he gave up his concessions. He gave one and a half arpents in frontage to his son-in-law, Louis Houde, which was returned to Marin on the 13th of September, 1655. He then gave two arpents to another son-in-law, Jean Plante, on April 15, 1656, which was receipted for on February 7, 1659. He increased this on July 8, by 8 perches; and the right of passage, on September 27, 1668. He gave another two arpents to his son, Jean-Galleran, on April 30, 1656 and added an increase of seven and one-half perches on December 15, 1662. He made a similar gift to his son, Guillaume, on July 29, 1670. At the time of the 1667 census, Marin Boucher had reached the age of 80. In the census, he listed 8 head of cattle and 20 arpents under cultivation. He died March 25, 1671, at Château-Richer.
    
    In 1681, Perrine Mallet, his widow, was listed in the census along with Antoine Voilon, a tailor, who seems to have been in her employ. She died, on August 24, 1687 and buried the next day at Québec.
    
    His epitaph exists fine and clear, copied from the registry of Château-Richer dated March 29, 1671, as follows: "In the year of Our Lord Jesus Christ 1671, on the 29th of March died Marin Boucher after having lived as a good Christian and received the Holy sacrements of eucharist, penance and the last rights of extreme unction, was buried in the cemetery of Chateau-Richer by Monsieur Morel accompanied by the Reverend Father Nouvelle and by me doing priestly functions for them on the coast of Beaupre." ( signed ) F. Fillion, missionary priest
    
    THE BOUCHERS ARE LEGION
    The descendants of Marin Boucher are extremely numerous in America. " His descendants would today form a complete regiment," exclaimed the historian Benjamin Sulte 100 years ago, in speaking of Marin Boucher. In our day, the expression is not strong enough. It would be necessary to speak of an entire army.
    
    FAMILY NAME VARIATIONS
    According to Tanguay, the surname Boucher has given rise to no less than nineteen variations: Belleville, Cambray, De Boucherville, De Grosbois, De la Brutiere, De la Periere, De Montanville, De Montbrun, De Montizambert, De Niveville, Desnois, Desroches, Desrosiers, De Vercheres, Dubois, Simon, St. Amour, St. Martin, and St. Pierre.

Click here for details of Marin's family with Perinne Mallet

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