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About Jean Gaudreau, Gottrau
GEDCOM Note
The following info is taken from the American-Canadian Genealogist, article titled "The Godreau Family" p. 124-129, Vol (?).
According to "Nos Ancestres", Jean left La Rochelle, France on 25 April 1665 on the vessel "Chat de Hollande". The ship was at sea for 54 days before docking at Quebec. His brother, Gilles Gaudreau, was aboard on this crossing. Any record of Jean's indenture for Canada and the year of his arrival in New France has not yet been discovered. If he accompanied his brother in 1665, his name did not appear in the censuses of 1666 and 1667 or at the wedding of his brother, Gilles, in 1671. So it is assumed that Jean arrived in New France in 1665 at the age of 18.
When he arrived, Jean found employment at a farm owned by Mr. Leroi (Le Roy- Marie-Jeanne's father?) where he stayed for two years.
The widow Madame de Chavigny had been granted land on Cap St. Ignace across the river from the Leroi farm. She became very interested in settling this region and eventually 14 families set up households on the cape. She had heard that Jean was an excellent carpenter, so she hired him to build the first houses in her little settlement. The first house he built was for Jean Bernier, who had moved with his family from Ile d'Orleans. The second house was for his brother, Gilles, who also came from Ile d'Orleans with his wife and three children.
Jean also built himself a house on land purchased from Madame de Chavigny. It is interesting to note that there were certain rules in those days concerning property. One was that a person could do whatever he wanted with his land, with the exception of cutting down chestnut trees. The wood of these trees was particularly good for making masts for sailing vessels, and so the trees were to be kept until needed for this purpose. Another rule, which was actually more of a cultural practice, was that before he could marry, a man had to build a house. He would then show the house to his fiance's parents and once he had received their approval and blessing on the dwelling, the couple could be married.
The first recoded notation of Jean's presencein New France is at the church of Norte-Dame de Quebec, 24 Aug 1667. This notation was on the occasion of 42 people, including Jean Gaudreau, being confirmed by Msgr de Laval.
It is assumed that Jean probably renewed his indenture contract, which means he likely was a hired worked from 1667 to 1673. On 4 June 1685, there is a record of Jean being "granted, in Vincelot, 120 arpents of land planted in wood, 40 arpents by 3. At the time of the 1681 census, Jean Gaudreau had settled in Vincelot, Cap-Saite-Ingace, Quebec. He then owned 1 hunting gun and 6 arpents under cultivation. His wife was not mentioned!?!
Jean & Marie-Jeanne were married 25 July 1679, although their formal ceremony at the cathedral of Quebec was performed on 31 July 1679. Their honeymoon was a barge trip on the river toward La Durantaie.
According to records, from 6 Nov1679 through 29 Sept 1680, Jean was hired to work for Sieur Jacques Le Marchand in exhange for being fed, housed, having his laundry done, a pair of French shoes and 120 livres, Marie-Jeanne likely lived with her parents while Jean lived at Le Marchand's.
Subsequently, Jean & Marie-Jeanne had three children, Charles, Jean-Baptiste, and Marrie-Anne. In 1693, the people of Cap St. Ignace decided to build their first church. The community had grown to 16 families and 47 souls. Jean was chosen by Mme. de Chavigny to be the builder of the church.
Jean died before 24 Apr 1685 at the age of 37. The papers concerning his death were lost and the cause of his death shall remain a mystery. After Jean's death, an inventory was done of all of the property left to Marie. This was conducted by a notary and witnessed by Gilles. The inventory is very revealing. Among Jean's belongings were found tools for a "sabotier". A "sabot" was a type of sturdy shoe which everyone wore in those days. Most people had only one pair of these shoes at a time as this was all they could afford. At the time of his death, Jean had approximately 50 pairs of sabots. We know that Jean was a carpenter, but through this inventory, we also discover that he was a shoemaker.
Carpentry supplies were also listed with Jean's belongings. It was noted that he owned approximately 200 wooden planks. The inventory describes his house as being made of wood and covered with straw. It mentions that the house was made by Jean before marrying the daughter of LEROI. It describes the barn and the animals. Among the livestock on this farm were 5 cows (which were very expensive in those days) and 4 pigs. The document also declared that Jean was without debts.
GEDCOM Note
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Jean Gaudreau, Gottrau's Timeline
| 1649 |
August 4, 1649
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Ste Catherine De La Flotte, Ile De Re, Larochelle, France
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August 4, 1649
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La Flotte, Charente-Maritime, Poitou Charentes, France.
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August 4, 1649
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La Flotte, Ste-Catherine, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France
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| 1670 |
1670
Age 20
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Québec, Qc.
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| 1681 |
February 3, 1681
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Cap St-Ignce, Seigneurie de Vincelot
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| 1682 |
August 31, 1682
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Cap-St-Ignace, Montmagny, Quebec, Canada
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| 1684 |
August 6, 1684
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Cap-St-Ignace, Montmagny, Quebec, Canada
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| 1685 |
April 24, 1685
Age 35
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Cap Ignace, Montmagny, Quebec
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