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Contact: Michel Lopez
Beaudry's genealogy
(8)
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GUILLAUME PEPIN dit Tranchemontagne |
"Pepin is a name from the oldest of
French nobility. Pepin de Landen (the Old), lived in the XII century; he was the father of
Grimoald, ancestor of the Carolingians, whose dynasty gave twelve Kings to the mother
country. Pepin d'Heristal, grandson of Pepin de Landen, was Duke of the Austrasiens, a
people living in the eastern part of France. Finally, Pepin the Short, the best known of
all, is famous for his warlike actions. A powerful man, born to the saddle, he rode to
glory over the backs of the Aquitans, the Alamans, the Bavarois and the Saxons. Having
united his Kingdom by the sword, he was crowned by Saint-Boniface, apostle of the
Germains.
"Are the Canadian Pepins distand descendants of
these old Kings of France? Each has the freedom to claim it, but we will never really
know. There are so many generations between the two eras, lost in the fog of the
centuries, and, apart from the records kept by the nobility, largely unrecorded.
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"IN THE CRADLE OF LIFE IN TROIS-RIVIERES |
"Without the Pepins, the first few
decades of life in Trois-Rivieres would have been quite different. Three noted historians
and genealogists, Tanguay, Sulte and Bellemare, all claim that Guillaume Pepin dit
Tranchemontagne was present at the founding of the town in 1634. However, this assertion
is not based on known documents.
"What is certain however, is that a man named Jean
Pepin, about whom we know almost nothing, lived in the budding trifluvien community in
1643. On 15 June of that year, his name was entered in the civil records as a Godfather.
On 7 May 1658, we find his signature in a contract by notary Severin Ameau, and on 11 July
1660, his name was again mentioned in the official report of the local Provost.
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"SURNAMED LAFOND OR DELAFOND |
"As for the so-called
"brother", Guillaume and Etienne Pepin, both with the surname Delafond or
Lafond, they must have arrived in the country about the same time as Jean. Etienne was in
Quebec in 1642, and he took a wife there in 1645. On 28 September of this last year,
Guillaume, as well as Francois Marguerite, Jean Veron de Grandmesnil and Guillame Isabel,
all citizens of Trois-Rivieres, obtained permission from the governor to develop the land
situated near the Fort.
"One, Jean Lafond, Sieur de Lafontaine, who could
well be the same Jean Pepin mentioned previously, also lived in Trois-Rivieres before
going to settle in Boucherville, from where he was buried on 2 June 1711 at the age of 81
years. The census of 1666 also mentions Pierre Delafond, a 26 year old servant in the home
of Marie Boucher, in Petit-Cap-de-la-Madeleine. On 24 June 1667, Pierre was at the signing
of the marriage contract between Jean Trotier and Genevieve Lafond, daughter of Etienne,
his cousin. On 23 March 1673, this Pierre, having returned to France, and living as a
laborer in nearby LaRochelle, sold, through Pierre Boucher, a homestead situated near that
of Jean Delafond, in Boucherville. On 5 April 1675, this same property was resold, through
Pierre Boucher, to Denis Veronneau, for 70 livres payable in three years.
"Therefore, the family ties of the Delafonds,
whether they bear the original name of Pepin or not, seem a sure thing. Even though the
families of Etienne and Guillaume appear intimately connected, let us leave aside the
activities of the first and only describe, for the moment, those of the second.
"Father Archange Godbout states that we know neither
the place of birth nor the names of Guillaume's parents. If we admit the hypothesis that
he is the "brother" of Etienne, and this has not yet been proven beyond a
reasonable doubt, he would then be the son of Pierre Pepin and Francoise Prieur from
Saint-Laurent de la Barriere in Saintonge.
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"GUILLAUME MARRIES AN ADOLESCENT |
"Guillaume must have married in the
tririverine region about the end of 1645. There are some papers in the archives of Quebec
which concern a contract of commitment to Pierre Lagardeur by Jean Meschin, a laborer,
worker and sailor, living at LaRochelle. This colonist drowned at Cap-a-l'Arbre on 6
November 1646 with eight other Frenchmen while going to Trois-Rivieres by boat. It is
possible that Jean Meschin was the father of Jeanne, a young girl who must have been
fourteen or fifteen at the time of her marriage to Guillaume Pepin.
"On 14 April 1646, Jacques was carried to the
baptismal font of the chapel at Trois-Rivieres; he was the eldest son of Guillaume and
Jeanne. The Godfather was none other that Governor Jacques Leneuf de la Poterie. The
Godmother was Marie Leneuf, Jacques sister and wife of Jean Godefroy.
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"LAND CLEARING ON THE ILE SAINT-CHRISTOPHE |
"On 1 June 1647, the Governor-General
of New France, Charles Huault de Montmagny, granted permission to Guillaume Pepin,
Guillaume Isabel, Pierre Lefebvre and Sebastien Dodier, to clear the Isle du Milieu across
from their homes in Trois-Rivieres. This island, about 80 arpents in size, was known for a
time as the Ile a Pepin, for the leader of the land clearers. Today it is called the Ile
Saint-Christophe. On 6 June 1652, this jewel in the Mraicien estuary was granted as fief
and seigneury to Guillaume Guillemot Duplessis-Kerbodot; a few weeks later, he was killed
in that insane assault which he himself organized against the Iroquois. The island finally
reverted to the Jesuits on 20 October 1654, then on the following 9 March, they divided it
into eight parcels of ten arpents each in order to distribute it to as many people.
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"AN IMPORTANT PROPRIETOR |
"At that time, several colonists possessed land on
the right bank of the Saint-Maurice river, a stream then called simply by the name of
"river of Trois-Rivieres." Guillaume Pepin obtained his piece on 23 July 1647.
It was a lot with three arpents of frontage by nine in depth, with a road of fifteen
toises running along the river, between the holdings of Jean Godefroy de Lintot and
Guillaume Isabel. In the town itself, the Pepin property was bordered on the north-east by
the Chenaux road, on the south-east by the rue Jean-Amyot, on the south-west by the rue
Saint-Paul and on the north-west by a line which passed from beyond the rue Whitehead to
the level of the church of Saint-Patrice.
"Our ancestor also owned a plot in town, seventeen
toises in frontage, between those of Alexandre Raoul (the ancestor of the Rheaults) and
the widow of Baptiste Bourgery. Pepin received this grant on 6 June 1650 from
Governor-General Louis d'Ailleboust, acting in the name of the Company of New France. In
1668, he had a house, a barn and a stable there. On this same 6 June 1650, our pioneer
also accepted, from the same beneficiary, another building lot of twenty square toises,
situated below the Fort of Trois-Rivieres.
"On 22 May 1652, Guillaume Pepin, Sieur de la Fond,
in the company of Pierre Boucher and of the notary Roland Godet from Quebec, verified the
official record of possession by the Jesuit Father Rene Menard, of the concession granted
by Jacques de la Ferte, the Abbot of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine. On 20 March 1651, this
celebrated Abbot, who gave his name to Cap-de-la-Madeleine, received from the Company of
New France, without ever setting foot in Canada, a stretch of land with two leagues of
frontage by twenty deep, from the cape to Trois-Rivieres.
"Pepin received several other domains. On 15 June
1656, he obtained one with an area of forty arpents square, situated then to the
north-west of the town, between the holdings of Medard Chouart des Groseillers and Quentin
Moral. On 14 July of the same year, Pierre Boucher made him a gift of sixty arpents, but
Guillaume ceded them back to him on 21 July 1684. Not to be deterred by this suggestion,
on 12 September 1657, Pierre gave him another concession, on the hill. About the same
time, Pepin ceded to the associates Michel Lemay and Elie Bourbaut, a piece of land for
600 livres. Our ancestor gave a quit claim to it on 11 February 1662. Guillaume owned
another piece of land with five arpents in frontage in the commune of Lac Saint-Pierre,
but it is not likely that he ever developed it because it was a favorite stalking ground
of the Iroquois enemy.
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"SORTIE AGINST THE IROQUOIS AGGRESSOR |
"On 18 August 1652, Pepin must have
participated, along with dozens of other men, commanded by Duplessis-Kerbodot, in a sortie
against the Iroquois aggressor. The Governor himself lost his life, as did several of his
men. On 21 April 1663, Antoine Desrosiers, Pierre Lepele dit Lahaie and Guillaume Pepin
were called to give testimony relating to the death of Jean Pelerin dit La Grave, killed
in this engagement.
"The records of notary Severin Ameau contain several
acts concerning the pioneer Pepin, notably a concession from Nicolas Marsolet at Cap de
l'Arbre-a-la-Croix (3 August 1665); another concession in the arriere-fief belonging to
Pierre Mouet de Moras on the south bank of the Saint-Lawrence; land and homestead ceded by
his son-in-law Guillaume de la Rue on the seigneury of Champlain (29 August 1675). On 25
August 1679, Pepin ceded to another of his sons-in-law, Jean Herou dit Bourgainville, all
the lands which belonged to him "in the town and territory of Trois-Rivieres, the
said beneficiary to enjoy them all his life and to share it after his death with his
co-heirs." On 23 February 1678, Guillaume made a similar donation to his sons Jean
Pierre and Etienne, of half of the land acquired from Louis Pinard in the vicinity of the
town.
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"ALONE WITH HIS GUN AND ANIMALS |
"After having led a very active life
for more than thirty years - he had even been Mayor in his town in the 1650's - our
ancestor went tranquilly into retirement. He was still mentioned in some acts by Ameau,
Jean Cusson and Antoine Adhemar. In 1681, all of his children were settled; the census
taken mentioned him all alone, with his gun, his three head of cattle, his thirty arpents
under cultivation and his seventy years of age.
"Abbot Bellemare says that death surprised Guillaume
while he was living at the home of his son Pierre, at Pointe-aux-Sables, on the other side
of the river in the future parish of Saint-gregoire. On 12 August 1697, his mortal remains
were brought to Trois-Rivieres to be buried there in the cemetery of the parish. His death
certificate said that he was about ninety years old. As for Jeanne Meschin, we don't know
precisely the date of her death. An act by Severin Ameau drawn up in 1679 says that she
was living but the census of 1681 does not mention her. Thus we must believe that she was
taken sometime between these two years.
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"A NORMAL FAMILY FOR THE TIMES |
"Guillaume and Jeanne were the
parents of thirteen children, about average for the times. The sons are listed as follows:
1. Jacques, born in 1646, married Marie-Jeanne Caiet
(Cayer) in 1671. They had 9 children, 4 of whom were boys.
2. Jean dit Descardonnets, born in 1647, married
Madeleine Loiseau in 1685. They had 11 children, 7 of whom were boys.
3. Guillaume, born in 1651, died before marrying.
4. Pierre dit Laforce, born in 1652, married Louise
Lemire in 1681. They had 14 children, 6 of whom were boys.
5. Etienne, born in 1654, died without marrying.
6 & 7 Twins, Louis and Joseph, born in 1660, died in
the cradle.
"There were six daughters:
1. Marie, born in 1649, married Guillaume de la Rue.
2. Jeanne, born in 1656, married Jean Herou dit
Bourgainville in 1674, and was remarried in 1690, to Mathurin Marais.
3. Madeleine, born in 1657, married Francois Roussel in
1671.
4. Elisabeth, born in 1659, married Jean Arcouet dit
Lajeunesse in 1671.
5 & 6 Twins, Marguerite and Marie-Ursule, born in
1662. The first married Bernard Joachim dit Laverdure in 1679; the second married Nicolas
Geoffroy about 1678 and was remarried in 1680 to Louis Pinard.
"Some descendants of Guillaume Pepin,
a small number of whom are called Laforce, live in the same town in which their ancestor
lived three hundred years ago. However, the majority have settled on the south bank of the
river, from Nicolet County to the Montreal region.
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"NAME VARIATIONS OF PEPIN AND TRANCHEMONTAGNE |
"Some name variations, across the
border and over the generations, have been recorded:
"Pepin: Cardonnet, Chateauguay, De La Fond,
Descardonnets, Dupin, Lachance, Lachaussee, Laforce, Laforge, Lechance, Papan, Pain,
Patin, Pepain,
Pepine, Pepitt, Pine, and Refort.
"Tranchemontagne: Bausier, Beausier, Corbeil,
Daneau, Denoyer, Desnoyers, Fortier, Garceau, Gourbeil, Laisne, Lescuyer, Lespardier,
Nouvel, Pizachon,
Roussel, St.Pierre, Sullier, Sullieres, Sustier, Suyer,
Thomas, Vignault and Vilelain(Thomas LaForest, Our French Canadian Ancestors (n.p.:
n. pub., n.d.), Volume 5, Chapter 17, page 181-192.). Reference: I. PEPIN dit
Tranchemontagne, Guillaume, footnote (2) Syndie de Yrois-Rivieres, puis juge de la
seigneurie de Champlain, Il etait deja etabliaux Trois-Tivieres, en 1634, a l'endroit ou
se trouve aujoud'hui la communeaute des Dames Urulines, Il est un des ancetres de
l'Honorable Hector Langevin.' b 1607, de St.Laurent de la Baviere, eveche de Xaintes; s 12
aout 1697, aux Trois-Rivieres. MECHIN, Jeanne, b 1630. Jacques, b 14 avril 1646; m 16 nov.
1671, a Jeanne Caiet. Jean, b en aout 1647; m 23 nov. 1683, a Madeleine Loiseau, a
Boucherville. Marie, b 21 avril 1649; m 3 oct. 1663, a Gilles La Rue. Guillaume, b 4 aout
1651. Pierre, b 29 dec. 1652; m 20 oct. 1681, a Louse Le Mire, a Quebec; s 2 avril 1722.
Etienne, b 14 avril 1654. Jeanne., b 28 mars 1656; 1 m 6 fev. 1674, a Jean Herou; 2 m 13
aout 1690, a Mathurin Marais. Madeleine, b 19 nov. 1657; m 7 avril 1671, a Francois
Roussel; s 8 juillet 1722. Elizabeth, b 1659; m 16 nov. 1671, a Jean Arcouet dit
Lajeunesse; s 31 dec. 1697, a Champlain. Louis, b 21 nov. 1660. Joseph, b 21 nov. 1660.
Marguerite, b 6 mai 1662; m 14 nov. 1679, a Bernard Joachim. Marie-Ursule, b 6 mai 1662; 1
m a Nicolas Geoffroy; 2 m 30 nov. 1680, a Louis Pinard' circa 1985(Cyprien Tanguay, Dictionnaire
Genealogique des Familles Canadiennes (28 Felsmere Avenue, Patucket, Rhode Island
02861-2903: Quintin Publications, 1996 reprint), Volume I, page 472.).
Children of Guillaume Pepin dit11
Tranchemontagne and Jeanne Mechin (see #82) were as follows:
i. Marie Ursule10 Pepin married Louis
Pinard, son of Jean Pinard and Marguerite Gaigneur, on 29 October 1658 at Trois-Rivieres,
Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
ii. Jacques Pepin was baptised on 14 April 1646. He
married Marie Jeanne Caille, daughter of Claude Caille and Anne Malle, on 16 November 1671
at Quebec, Quebec, Quebec, Canada.
iii. Jean Pepin dit Des Cardonnets was born in August
1647. He married Marie Madeleine Loiseau, daughter of Lucas Loiseau and Francoise Cure, on
23 November 1685 at Boucherville, Chambly, Quebec, Canada.
iv. Marie Pepin was baptised on 21 April 1649. She
married Gilles LaRue on 3 October 1663.
v. Guillaume Pepin was baptised on 4 August 1651.
vi. Pierre Pepin dit Laforce was baptised on 29 December
1652. He married Louise Lemire, daughter of Jean Lemire and Louise Marsolet, on 20 October
1681 at Quebec, Quebec, Quebec, Canada. He was buried on 2 April 1722.
vii. Etienne Pepin was baptised on 14 April 1654.
viii. Jeanne Pepin was baptised on 28 March 1656. She
married Jean Herou on 6 February 1674. She married Mathurin Marais on 13 August 1690.
ix. Madeleine Pepin was baptised on 19 November 1657. She
married Francois Roussel, son of Jacques Roussel and Madeline Beauregard, on 7 April 1671
at Trois-Rivieres, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. She was buried on 8 July 1722.
72 x. Elisabeth Pepin.
xi. Louis Pepin was baptised on 21 November 1660.
xii. Joseph Pepin was baptised on 21 November 1660.
xiii. Marguerite Pepin was baptised on 6 May 1662. She
married Bernard Joachim on 14 November 1679.
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82. Jeanne11 Mechin was born in 1630. She
married Guillaume Pepin dit Tranchemontagne (see #81) in 1645 at Trois-Rivieres, Montreal,
Quebec, Canada. She died on 6 November 1646. She was buried on 20 December 1646 at Quebec,
Canada. |
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83. Jean12 Mechin. |
Children of Jean12 Mechin and an
unknown spouse were:
82 i. Jeanne11 Mechin.
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1850Ci Minn Harpole, Patricia C. and Mary D. Nagle, ed., Minnesota
Territorial Census, 1850 (St.Paul, Minnesota: Minnesota Historical Society, 1972). |
1870C-MB 1870 Manitoba Census, National Archives of
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Cindy Charlebois Research, n.d.
Clarence Kipling Research.
Cyprien Tanguay, Dictionnaire Genealogique des
Familles Canadiennes (28 Felsmere Avenue, Patucket, Rhode Island 02861-2903: Quintin
Publications, 1996 reprint).
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James W. Chesebro, PhD, n.d.
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(n.p.: n. pub., n.d.).
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Biche, Alberta, Registre des Baptemes, Mariages & Sepltures de Notre-Dame, Volume 1,
1853-1898.
MBS Scrip Applications, Original White Settlers &
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Ontario.
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residing outside Manitoba on 15 July 1870, RG15-20, Volume 1325 through 1332, Microfilm
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SB St.Boniface Roman Catholic Registre des Baptemes,
Mariages & Sepltures, 1825-1834.
SFXI-1834-1900 St.Francois Xavier Register Index,
1834-1900; compiled by Clarence Kipling.
SIWB St.Ignace Roman Catholic Registre des Baptemes,
Mariages & Sepltures, Willow Bunch, Saskatchewan, 1882-1917.
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