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“Though the Percheron contribution to the settlement
of Canada — about 5% of French immigrants —
may seem to be a modest one, it must be stressed that
Percheron immigration, the earliest wave, turned out
to be remarkably prolific,” Françoise
Montagne tells us.
And, in fact, the movement that began
in 1634 thanks to the persuasiveness of Robert Giffard
does stand out to some extent from the general stream
of French emigration to New France. This must be ascribed,
not to poverty, but to an adventurous spirit. In the
space of about thirty years, some 146 adults in 80 families
representing various trades, many of them building trades
(masons, joiners, carpenters, brick makers, etc.) would
embark on the long voyage.
Some of them would return home, but the vast majority,
despite the Iroquois threat, elected to settle on the
banks of the St. Lawrence to clear the new lands and
make them fruitful. Their progeny are now reckoned at
1,500,000 in Canada and doubtless even more if we consider
the significant out-migration throughout North America.
1608: Champlain sets up a “Habitation”
at Quebec.
1617: The apothecary Hébert
and his family settle at Quebec.
1621: Robert Giffard, an apothecary
in Tourouvre and native of Autheuil who may have been
a school friend of Hébert, leaves for Canada
and settles in the Quebec area.
1625: Arrival of the Jesuits in
Quebec.
1627: Robert Giffard returns to
France persuaded that fresh settlers should be coming
to the banks of the St. Lawrence. This same year sees
the foundation of the Company of One Hundred Associates
that include Noël Juchereau of Tourouvre, a friend
of Robert Giffard.
1628: At Mortagne in February,
Robert Giffard marries Marie Renouard. In the spring
he leaves again for New France to prepare for future
settlements. The vessel he is travelling in is intercepted
by pirates in the pay of the English. Robert Giffard
has to go back to France. In Tourouvre and Mortagne,
he makes use of this time to describe the immense land
that lies beyond the Atlantic.
1629-1631: Quebec is in English
hands.
1632: The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
enables France to regain possession of Canada. Robert
Giffard can finally make his dream come true.
1633: Robert Giffard, assisted
by the brothers Jean and Noël Juchereau, readies
his expedition.
1634: In January, the Company
of One Hundred Associates grants the seigniory of Beauport
to Robert Giffard. He recruits his first settlers and
receives the support of Pierre Le Bouyer de Saint-Gervais,
Civil and Criminal Lieutenant General of le Perche.
In March, Robert Giffard leaves for New France with
his wife and children and about thirty settlers. These
include Jean Guyon, master mason, Zacharie Cloutier,
master carpenter and Robert Drouin, a tile maker and
native of Pin-la-Garenne. The ship reaches Quebec in
early June.
1635: At Quebec, Samuel de Champlain
dies: the colony now has 132 settlers, of whom 35 are
from le Perche. Mortagne witnesses the departure of
more settlers, including Gaspard Boucher with his wife
and children. One of them is Pierre, born at Mortagne
in 1622 and now aged 13. The first organized settlement
of new France is under way. Most of the departures from
le Perche occurred during the period 1634-1662. A few
emigrants are noted in the late seventeenth and eighteenth
centuries.
1641: Arrival at Quebec of Guillaume
Pelletier from Bresolettes. The colony’s population
stands at 300 souls.
1647: Arrival at Quebec of 17
young people from the Tourouvre area.
1653: Pierre Boucher defends Trois-Rivières
against the Iroquois.
1662: Pierre Boucher returns to
France and solicits the support of Louis XIV and Colbert
to save the threatened colony from the Iroquois. He
returns to New France with a large group of settlers.
1665: Arrival at Quebec of the
Carignan-Salières Regiment.
1668: Robert Giffard dies
in Beauport. The colony has 3,000 inhabitants. |
