Issac-Urbain de Broussard

Isaac came from Faubourg St. Germain near La Fleche, Angers, Anjou, France. He was hired under contract on 12/4/1653 at La Fleche and arrived in Montréal 16/11/1653. He was a master mason. He was part of the "Recrue de 1653"(for which a book has been written) which was brought to Montréal by de Maisonneuve in order to fortify the colony of Villemarie and to help fight the Iroquois. The men recruited were said to be strong, robust and brave. Accompanying them during the crossing to Canada was the illustrious Marguerite Bourgeoys.

In 1652 the Governor-General of Ville-Marie (later known as Montreal) returned to France to recruit additional colonists for the region. Attacks from Iroquois had diminished settlers to less than 100. In a meeting with M. Jerome le Royer de la Dauversiere at La Fleche, 153 men were recruited to return to Canada. In May 1653 contracts were signed. Settlers had to agree to serve the colony for five years, defend against the Indians and help clear the area for farmland. On May 30, 1653 the group boarded the St. Nazaire and sailed toward Canada. When at sea for only a few days the ship began to take on water and had to return to port. The ship set sail again on July 20, 1653. Only 111 of the 153 recruits showed up for the departure, apparently fearful of being lost at sea. The ocean crossing was rough as attested to by Sister Marguerite Bourgeois, who noted in her own records that the crossing was difficult. The ship encountered several storms at sea; eight died from sickness on board. When the ship finally reached the harbor at Quebec on September 22, 1653 it hit a submerged object and began to sink. The passengers and cargo were saved, but the St. Nazaire had to be burned to clear the harbor. The Governor of Quebec wanted to keep the recruits but Maisonneuve contacted authorities in Paris and 2 months later on November 16, 1653 the men were finally sent to Ville-Marie (Montreal).

The Crossing of the Atlantic in the XVII century reserved many surprises. If the weather is good, the day of the immigrant is simple. He gets up at dawn and takes his breakfast usually at 7 o'clock. At the end of the sailors shift, the boat priest rings a bell and passengers as well as crew get on their knees to pray. Sometimes they celebrated mass. The cook mostly prepares fish: when the weather is calm, he cooks whatever bit the hook. If not he serves dried hareng, peas and biscuit with cidre. Three or four times a week, they ate lard and drank wine with "eau-de-vie"(brandy). Between prayers and meals, the passengers were free to do as they wished.

At night the passengers slept, grouped in the steerage on thin mattresses.

When the weather was nice the windows stayed open to permit air circulation. But when it was cold or that the sea was bad, they stayed closed and the atmosphere became unbreathable.

During the crossing, most of the boats have to go trough storms and fog or even a couples of days stops when the weather was too calm. When approaching a continent, ice was another danger.

After weeks and weeks of rocking on sea, the yell "Land! Land!" became a song of deliverance. The first land in sight is Newfoundland. They sometimes stopped to fish. Then the trip continued up to Québec.

From there, after many days stay, those engaged for Montreal, resumed their trip of nearly a week that finally took them to destination.

BROSSARD, URBAIN, master mason, son of Mathurin Brossard and Michelle Bidaut; b. 1633 or 1634 at La Flèche, province of Anjou; buried 10 April 1710 at Montreal.

       Brossard came to Ville-Marie with the contingent of 1653. He had been engaged as a mason and settler and applied himself all his life to building and farming.

His first undertaking dates from 30 Nov. 1658, when he agreed to start the following May to build a house for Raphaël-Lambert Closse*. In 1660 François Bailly* took him into partnership for three years. Six years later, in association with Michel Bouvier he built a house for Pierre Chauvin. In 1672, with Gilles Devennes and Bouvier, he erected a vast house at Lachine for Jean Milot, a maker of edge-tools and merchant from Montreal. At the top of the contract a sketch signed by Brossard (his partners could not write) shows the lay-out of this building. It measured 50 feet by 25, had a pavilion roof, and comprised a ground floor and two upper storeys, two chimneys, a forge, a well, and an outside oven. In 1676 Brossard, with the same two partners, built a house for Daniel Greysolon Dulhut, and in 1680, with Bouvier alone, a house for Philippe Dufresnoy Carion.
The next ten years are marked only by works of secondary importance: foundations, half-timbered field-stone gables and attics, chimneys and fireplaces. Then came a series of important works: in 1690, in partnership with Michel Dubuc, a house for the merchant Claude Pothier; in 1692 houses for Pierre Legardeur* de Repentigny and Claude Dudevoir, the first in association with Étienne Campot, the other with Jean Mars; in 1695 an extensive enlargement to Jean-Vincent Philippe de Hautmesnil’s house; finally, in 1704, in collaboration with Jean Deslandes, a mill on the seigneury of Pierre de Saint-Ours.
Brossard was a good mason and knew how to cut stone; on occasion he even acted as the supplier of stone and quarryman. His contracts inform us of the methods of work and the building practices of his time. From them we see that works were generally carried out by masons in partnership, with joint responsibility, and not by a single contractor. These masons generally engaged only “their labour and their tools,” and as there were a score of them in and around Montreal, they felt no need to train apprentices. The use of cut stone was rare; most often people were content with “boulders or field-stones.” Finally, the frequency of half-timbered field-stone construction must be noted, an ancient building method which was to continue in use into the following century.
In 1660 Brossard had married Urbaine, the only daughter of Sébastien Hodiau, who also came originally from La Flèche. Urbaine died in 1681, after bearing him eight children, among them Catherine, who married the mason Jean Sareau, and Madeleine, who married the maker of edge-tools François Campot, the son of the mason Étienne Campot.
Jules Bazin

AJM, Greffe d’Antoine Adhémar; Greffe de Bénigne Basset; Greffe d’Hilaire Bourgine; Greffe de Claude Maugue; Greffe de Pierre Raimbault. Jug. et délib., II, 734. Recensement du Canada, 1666 (APQ Rapport). Recensements du Canada, 1667, 1681 (Sulte). R.-J. Auger, La grande recrue de 1653 (SGCF pub., I, Montréal, 1955). DCB, I, 78. [Faillon], Histoire de la colonie française, II, 536. Morisset, L’architecture en Nouvelle-France, 129. É.-Z. Massicotte, “Maçons, entrepreneurs, architectes,” BRH, XXXV (1929), 133–34.

© 2000 University of Toronto/Université Laval

   L'immigrant Urbain* BROSSARD est né dans le Faubourg Saint-Germain du Val, et baptisé à La Flèche (Saint-Thomas), Poitou, en France. Il était le fils de Mathurin BROSSARD et de Michelle BIDAUT mariés en France. Catholique. Immigration en 1652, comme engagé de la recrue, par ct LaFousse, le 12-04-1653, à La Flèche, France. - DGFQ, page 175. Fichier Origine no. 401137. A Montréal/Qc, Canada, le 19-04-1660, Urbain BROSSARD épousa l'immigrante Urbaine HODIAU (fille de Sébastien HODIAU dit LAFLÈCHE et de Marie-Urbaine LEMONIER). - DGFC, vol. 1, page 91. 

Marriage Certificate from Drouin Collection:

The 19th of april was done (celebrated) and solemnized the marriage of Urbin Brossard, son of Mathurin and Michelle Bidaut with Urbaine Hodiau, daughter of Sébastien...., both of this parish, the three banns (were) published before without opposition. This (ledit =told, written before) marriage celebrated with the presence of Master Louys Chartier surgeon and Michel...friends of the husband and Sébastien H father of the wife and Marin....and several other jointly friends of parties.

Le 19 avril (1660)

Le 19th avril a esté fait et solennisé le mariage d' Urbin Brossard fils de Mathurin et de Michelle Bidaut avec Urbaine Hodiau fille de Sébastien Hodiau et de Marie Le Monnier tous deux de cette paroisee les trois bans ayant esté publiés auparavant sans opposition. Ledit mariage fait en présence de Me Louys Chartier chirurgien et Michel Counost amys dudit espoux et dudit Sébastien Hodiau père de ladite (épouse) et Marin Jamet et de plusieurs autres amys communs des parties.

According to the 1666 census of Quebec, Urbain Brossard is not the father of Jean Francois. The following was recorded for the Montreal area of the Quebec (New France) colony.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Urbain brossard .............................32 maçon habitant Urbaine hodiau ..............................20 sa femme Jeanne brossard ..............................3 fille et Jean brossard .......................13 mois fils

Sources:

- personne: http://genealogie.com/migrants/0022.html

- naissance: Généalogie, par UdeMtl, Québec, Canada.

- baptême: Fichier Origine, Fiche individuelle (no. 401,137).

- décès: Communauté-Urbaine-de-Montréal (66), Montréal (06).

- inhumation: DGFC, par Cyprien Tanguay: aucune mention.

- mariage: DGFC, par Cyprien Tanguay, vol. 1, page 91.

Buried 10 Apr 1710

=================================================================================================

Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online (http://www.biographi.ca) Apr 2005

BROSSARD, URBAIN, master mason, son of Mathurin Brossard and Michelle Bidaut; b. 1633 or 1634 at La Flèche, province of Anjou; buried 10 April 1710 at Montreal.

       Brossard came to Ville-Marie with the contingent of 1653. He had been engaged as a mason and settler and applied himself all his life to building and farming.

His first undertaking dates from 30 Nov. 1658, when he agreed to start the following May to build a house for Raphaël-Lambert Closse*. In 1660 François Bailly* took him into partnership for three years. Six years later, in association with Michel Bouvier he built a house for Pierre Chauvin. In 1672, with Gilles Devennes and Bouvier, he erected a vast house at Lachine for Jean Milot, a maker of edge-tools and merchant from Montreal. At the top of the contract a sketch signed by Brossard (his partners could not write) shows the lay-out of this building. It measured 50 feet by 25, had a pavilion roof, and comprised a ground floor and two upper storeys, two chimneys, a forge, a well, and an outside oven. In 1676 Brossard, with the same two partners, built a house for Daniel Greysolon Dulhut, and in 1680, with Bouvier alone, a house for Philippe Dufresnoy Carion.
The next ten years are marked only by works of secondary importance: foundations, half-timbered field-stone gables and attics, chimneys and fireplaces. Then came a series of important works: in 1690, in partnership with Michel Dubuc, a house for the merchant Claude Pothier; in 1692 houses for Pierre Legardeur* de Repentigny and Claude Dudevoir, the first in association with Étienne Campot, the other with Jean Mars; in 1695 an extensive enlargement to Jean-Vincent Philippe de Hautmesnil’s house; finally, in 1704, in collaboration with Jean Deslandes, a mill on the seigneury of Pierre de Saint-Ours.
Brossard was a good mason and knew how to cut stone; on occasion he even acted as the supplier of stone and quarryman. His contracts inform us of the methods of work and the building practices of his time. From them we see that works were generally carried out by masons in partnership, with joint responsibility, and not by a single contractor. These masons generally engaged only “their labour and their tools,” and as there were a score of them in and around Montreal, they felt no need to train apprentices. The use of cut stone was rare; most often people were content with “boulders or field-stones.” Finally, the frequency of half-timbered field-stone construction must be noted, an ancient building method which was to continue in use into the following century.
In 1660 Brossard had married Urbaine, the only daughter of Sébastien Hodiau, who also came originally from La Flèche. Urbaine died in 1681, after bearing him eight children, among them Catherine, who married the mason Jean Sareau, and Madeleine, who married the maker of edge-tools François Campot, the son of the mason Étienne Campot.
Jules Bazin

AJM, Greffe d’Antoine Adhémar; Greffe de Bénigne Basset; Greffe d’Hilaire Bourgine; Greffe de Claude Maugue; Greffe de Pierre Raimbault. Jug. et délib., II, 734. Recensement du Canada, 1666 (APQ Rapport). Recensements du Canada, 1667, 1681 (Sulte). R.-J. Auger, La grande recrue de 1653 (SGCF pub., I, Montréal, 1955). DCB, I, 78. [Faillon], Histoire de la colonie française, II, 536. Morisset, L’architecture en Nouvelle-France, 129. É.-Z. Massicotte, “Maçons, entrepreneurs, architectes,” BRH, XXXV (1929), 133–34.

© 2000 University of Toronto/Université Laval

GEDCOM Source

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "FamilySearch Family Tree," database, FamilySearch Name: (https://www.familysearch.org);

GEDCOM Source

accessed 12 Jun 2018), entry for Urbain Brossard, person ID LRG9-GB1. 3

GEDCOM Source

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "FamilySearch Family Tree," database, FamilySearch Name: (https://www.familysearch.org);

GEDCOM Source

accessed 12 Jun 2018), entry for Urbain Brossard, person ID LRG9-GB1. 3

GEDCOM Source

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "FamilySearch Family Tree," database, FamilySearch Name: (https://www.familysearch.org);

GEDCOM Source

accessed 12 Jun 2018), entry for Urbain Brossard, person ID LRG9-GB1. 3

GEDCOM Source

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints "FamilySearch Family Tree," database, FamilySearch Name: (https://www.familysearch.org);

GEDCOM Source

accessed 12 Jun 2018), entry for Urbain Brossard, person ID LRG9-GB1. 3