Guillaume Chartier

Biography

Guillaume's birth in in the parish of Saint-Thomas in La Flèche (diocese of Angers), Anjou, France was recorded as "Guillaume Chartier," son of Jacques Chartier . He enlisted in the Company to defend Montreal at La Flèche on 20 April 1653 and arrived in Montréal 16 November with the Grande Recrue. He became known as Guillaume Chartier dit Robert on lists of who participated in the defense of Montreal. "La Grand Recrue de 1653" He was then an 18 year old. On 27 November 1663, he married Marie Faucon in Montréal. (It is worth mentioning here that Guillaume's name on the marriage contract did not include "dit Robert" as part of the name. Neither did his death certificate, according to Janet Manseau-Donaldson.) Neither spouse could sign the marriage contract drawn up 18 November by notary Basset. They had 11 children, the first named Jacqueline was baptized 24 November 1664 at Montréal, the last, Etienne, baptized on June 3, 1688. He died and was buried on May 23, 1707 at Pointe¬-aux-Trembles. His wife, Marie, remarried a man named François Jocteau about a year later, but he died less than a week after the wedding.

The Recruit

As a recruit for the defense of Montreal (known as Ville Marie back then), he was bound to the Company for five years. (He is said to have come as an orphan [1], so it is unlikely that he had the name "dit Robert" prior to his arrival in New France. ) So, from 1653 to 1658 , he was bound to the Company (Compagnie de Montreal) and part of the defense of Montreal. Most likely, he lived in the Company Housing. The deed of engagement would be the likely place to see if the company name or an individual was the seignior. (It may be that the seignior was named Robert, and that's where the "dit Robert" came from.) He was a tailor by trade, as his likeness shown here attests.

Marriage

At about twenty-eight, he married Marie Falcon on Tuesday, November 27, 1663 in Montreal, Quebec, Chapel of Notre-Dame de l'Hôtel Dieu de Ville-Marie. Marie was born in 1644 and passed away in 1709. Marie Faucon is listed as one of the "Filles du Roi", the King's Daughters. This was the name given to a group of about 1000 (esstimates range from 800 to 2000) young women who were sent to New France with the idea of complementing the overwhelmingly male population and propagating New France: See [Society of King's Daughters ]

The First dit Robert? Probably not.

Based on a comprehensive source "All Things Robert," by David Robert of Seattle, WA, Wikitree member, Joseph Denis concluded that Guillaume was the first dit Robert in Montreal. The following are facts listed in that source:

• Name: Guillaume Chartier dit Robert 1 • Sex: M • Change Date: 12 MAY 1998 • Occupation: tailleur d'habits 1 • Birth: ABT 1635 • Residence: St Thomas, La Flèche, év. Angers, Anjou (Sarthe), France 1 • Emigration: 20 APR 1653 La Flèche, év. Angers, Anjou (Sarthe), France 1 • Immigration: 16 NOV 1653 Montréal, Île de Montréal, Qc 1 • Census: 1666 Montréal, Île de Montréal, Qc • Note: age 31 years 1 • Census: 1667 Montréal, Île de Montréal, Qc • Note: age 25 years 1 • Census: 1681 Pointe-aux-Trembles, Île de Montréal, Qc • Note: age 43 years 1 • Burial: 23 MAY 1707 Pointe-aux-Trembles, Île de Montréal, Qc • Note: age 78 years 1 Marriage 1 Marie Faucon • Marriage Contract: 18 NOV 1663 in c. Basset, Qc 1 • Married: 27 NOV 1663 in Montréal, Île de Montréal, Qc 1 Children 1. Jacqueline Chartier 2. Pierre Chartier 3. Madeleine Chartier 4. Claude Chartier 5. Laurent Chartier 6. Marie Chartier 7. Catherine Chartier b: 17 JAN 1678 in Ste Anne, Qc 8. Robert Chartier 9. Isabelle Chartier 10. Marie Anne Chartier 11. Étienne Chartier

However, research by Janet Manseau-Donaldson, who posted "Pioneer Chartier" on GenForum, seems to prove that Guillaume never actually used the dit name during his lifetime. "If Robert had been a “non de guerre” (a name given to soldiers as a war name, much like a military service number), he would have been proud of it and used it. [But] He did not [even] use the dit name for his marriage nor in the 1666 census." She goes on to say that, "The reason it was used on the plaque, I believe, was to keep the different Chartier families from his. The plaque was done in 2003 I believe." Manseau-Donaldson added, "I believe that the dit/aka name started with Robert Chartier's children. At PRDH [The University of Montreal "Programme de recherche en démographie historique," which she says is 98% accurate] they start to use the name Chartier-dit-Robert when his children got married. . . . According to PRDH, if Guillaume had used the name Robert in any document that he signed, they would have used the dit name. I think that Jette [an earlier resource for French Canadian genealogy] used the dit name to keep the line together because the were several Chartiers that pioneered New France at about the same time. They came from different parts of France."

For a brief discussion of the origin of Guillaume's dit name, see Dit Robert on WikiTree.com website. Robert seems to have been the only one of Guillaume's children to have kept the dit name. All the rest appear to have gone back simply to Chartier. This was confirmed by Michael Shorkey, who said in an e-mail to me, "It is true that only Guillaume's son Robert's descendants kept the DIT and none of Etienne's did. The thought has been that since both families were so large that one branch kept the DIT to distinguish between the two."

Biography from The Chartier Family Association Website

The following biography appears in The Chartier Family Association Website, Vol 2, a five volume history of the Chartiers in North America. [2]:

"Born in LaFleche (Anjou) France about 1635 from Jacques Chartier and Marguerite Loisel, he arrived as one of the members of the "Grande Recrue" (Great Recruit) of 1653. He was engaged as a designer and tailor of suits. Guillaume was listed as an orphan, so his parents were dead by this time. [Note: his father Jacques' date of death is about 1651] . He probably enlisted because he was not the oldest son (in fact, he may have been issue from a 2nd marriage) and therefore, did not inherit any lands of his own.

"His marriage to Marie Faulcon (who was probably a "King's Daughter") at Notre Dame de Montreal on 27 November 1663 has produced a large number of descendants that today respond to the name of CHARTIER, SHORKEY (and variations) or ROBERT according to their relationship with either Etienne or Robert Chartier, two sons of Guillaume and Marie.

"Guillaume was one of the pioneers of Pointe-aux-Trembles, which lies at the eastern end of Montreal island, and is where two of his grandsons made themselves illustrious as a major and a captain in the military. From Pointe-aux-Trembles, after a few generations, Guillaume's and Marie's descendants moved into the [various] precincts of Montreal and all across Canada and the United States.

"The Chartier family lived around Pointe-aux-Trembles, near the eastern tip of the Island of Montreal, starting in the summer of 1675. The sketch shows Guillaume's original land plus that of his sons, Robert and Etienne. Etienne probably sold his land, which consisted of 54 acres, to his oldest son Joseph. Since Joseph had 8 grown sons (and 17 children overall), it wasn't possible for them all to inherit such a small farm; therefore, they needed to strike out on their own. Since Pointe-aux-Trembles was at the east end of Montreal Island; it was an obvious launching site for voyageurs-- which is probably where Joseph's son got the idea to become one of the voyageurs (explorers)."

The Chartier Family Association website[3] provides a comprehensive background on the family. It has information about the origin of the surname ("originally derived from CHARRETIER, or cart driver in 12th century France "), the many variations of the name, and a searchable database.

"The Story of Le Grande Recrue de 1653."

Guillaume Chartier dit Robert is listed as one of the members of "Le Grande Recrue de 1653."

The following is from Acadian Pioneers [4]:

"In 1651, the need to defend the newly created town of Montreal (Ville-Marie) from the attacking Iroquois became apparent. M. Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve went to France to enlist one hundred men to protect the perimeter of the town and, two years later, he returned with these brave men.

"The men came from Picardie, Champagne, Ile-de-France, Normandie, Anjou and [the]Maine (especially LaFleche) area. In the spring of 1653, approximately 150 men signed contracts before notaries with the Company of Montreal. For various reasons, less than 105 arrived in Ville-Marie. The original departure from Nantes (Loire-Atlantique Department, Pays-de-la-Loire Region) was scheduled for the spring of 1653 but, after multiple delays, the vessel 'Saint-Nicolas-de-Nantes' set sail for New France on June 20th under the command of Captain Pierre le Besson.

"The 'Saint-Nicolas-de-Nantes' was apparently in very poor shape and constantly took on water. Despite the best efforts of the crew and enlistees, it became necessary to sail back to Nantes after 350 miles at sea. Interestingly, Mr. de Maisonneuve, realizing that many of the enlistees might desire to stay in France after their recent 'adventure', put his soldiers on an island from which they could not escape! On July 20th, the replacement ship set sail for the New World.

"On September 22, 1653, the ship landed at Quebec after 64 days aboard ship. When they arrived, Governor de Lauzon refused to let them have the necessary boats to complete their journey to Ville-Marie as they were sorely needed to defend Quebec. The group finally arrived at Ville-Marie on November 16th."

Below is the first of three columns of the enlistees whose names appear on the plaque (see image on this profile) commemorating their efforts which is still on view in Montreal, Quebec, today. As you see, Gulliaume Chartier dit Robert's name appears near the end of this first column:

Pierre Anselin Jacques Andru Jehan Auger dit Baron Maurice Averty dit Leger Francois Avisse Jacques Balue Valerie de Barbousson Bardet Pierre Bareau dit Logogue Yves Bastard Urbain Baudreau dit Graveline Antoine Baudry dit L'Epinette Beaudoin Pierre Beauvais Rene Bellenger Charles Jean Beliot Paul Benoit dit Nivernois Rene Besnard dit Bourjoli Gilles Biards Louis Biteau dit St. Laurent Francois Blanchard dit Belleville Jacques Boivin dit Panse Rene Bondu Rene Bondy Jean Bonneau Estienne Bouchard Augustin Boullay Jacques Boutelou Michel Bouvier Pierre Bouze Jacques Brassier Urbain Brossard Rene Cadet Jean Cadieu Guillaume Chartier dit Robert Louis Chartier Jean Chaudronnier Pierre Chauvin dit le Grand Pierre Jean Chesneau Louis Chevalier Antoine Chevasset

For a detailed story of the Recrue, see Maison Saint-Gabriel : Museum and Historic Site [5] This source also notes, "most of the recruits came from the vicinity of La Flèche (in the La Sarthe department)," which was Guillaume Chartier's birthplace. This was probably a very close knit group.

Sources

The Society of King's Daughters [6]

The Chartier Family Association Website, Vol 2, a five volume history of the Chartiers in North America. [7]

Michael Shorkey email, Mon 8/4/2014 1:00 PM, to me regarding the "dit name" origin. Machael is one of the curators of The Chartier Family Association Website.

Acadian Pioneers" [8]

Marriage date from Lemaire website on Family Tree Maker [9]

Birth, without "dit" name, contributed by Susan Martin: Nosorigines [10]

Different POB and POD (France), Richard LeMaire Website on FamilyTreeMaker [11]

"All Things Robert," compiled by David Robert of Seattle [12] David Robert's sources were the following: Title: Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730 Abbrev: Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec Author: Jetté, René Publication: Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal, Montréal, 1983 Page: page 235

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Saint-Joseph-de-la-Rivière-des-Prairies p.3 "Pioneer Chartier" on GenForum [6]

Janet Manseau-Donaldson, emails to Bob Scrivens on the origin of "dit Robert" (Nov. 2014)

Maison Saint-Gabriel : Museum and Historic Site [13]

• Reference: FamilySearch Family Tree - SmartCopy: Apr 13 2019, 19:29:45 UTC

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GEDCOM Source

@R-1574695084@ Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes (Collection Tanguay), 1608 à 1890 Ancestry.com Publication en ligne - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011.Données originales  - Tanguay, Cyprien. Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours. Québec, Canada: Eusèbe Senécal, 18 1,2177::0

GEDCOM Source

Volume: Vol. 3 Sect. 1 : Cha-Deh; Page: 27 1,2177::245137

GEDCOM Source

@R-1574695084@ Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes (Collection Tanguay), 1608 à 1890 Ancestry.com Publication en ligne - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011.Données originales  - Tanguay, Cyprien. Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours. Québec, Canada: Eusèbe Senécal, 18 1,2177::0

GEDCOM Source

Volume: Vol. 3 Sect. 1 : Cha-Deh; Page: 27 1,2177::245137

GEDCOM Source

@R-1574695084@ Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes (Collection Tanguay), 1608 à 1890 Ancestry.com Publication en ligne - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011.Données originales  - Tanguay, Cyprien. Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours. Québec, Canada: Eusèbe Senécal, 18 1,2177::0

GEDCOM Source

Volume: Vol. 3 Sect. 1 : Cha-Deh; Page: 27 1,2177::245137

GEDCOM Source

@R-1574695084@ Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes (Collection Tanguay), 1608 à 1890 Ancestry.com Publication en ligne - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011.Données originales  - Tanguay, Cyprien. Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours. Québec, Canada: Eusèbe Senécal, 18 1,2177::0

GEDCOM Source

Volume: Vol. 3 Sect. 1 : Cha-Deh; Page: 27 1,2177::245137

GEDCOM Source

@R-1574695084@ Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes (Collection Tanguay), 1608 à 1890 Ancestry.com Publication en ligne - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2011.Données originales  - Tanguay, Cyprien. Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours. Québec, Canada: Eusèbe Senécal, 18 1,2177::0

GEDCOM Source

Volume: Vol. 3 Sect. 1 : Cha-Deh; Page: 27 1,2177::245137

GEDCOM Source

@R-1299940082@ Quebec, Canada, Notarial Records, 1626-1935 Ancestry.com Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. 1,61062::0

GEDCOM Source

Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec; Montréal, Quebec, Canada 1,61062::7648904