ELEVENTH GENERATION
1654. Robert DROUIN was born on 6 Aug 1607 in Pin-la-Garenne, Perche, France. He arrived in Québec around 1633, as a brick-maker and worker for the Jesuits. He found the earth suitable for bricks on the Jesuits fief near the Beauport River. This place was called Pointe de l'Essai because its soil had been tested. At the end of his contract, he married Marie Anne CLOUTIER, daughter of Zacharie CLOUTIER, a settler on the Beauport fief, on 12 Jul 1637 in Québec. According to the marriage contract of 27 Jul 1636, the couple had a lodging reserved in the father-in-law's house for three years. On 25 Mar 1640, Robert promised 7,000 bricks to the Hospitalers who were building the Hôtel-Dieu. In 1640, he acquired a piece of land awarded by the Company of Beaupré and built his house there. His first wife died on 2 Feb 1648. He left his land at Beaupré to retire to Beauport. He then married Marie CHAPPELIER on 29 Nov 1649 in Québec. That same year, the Jesuits opened the Cap-de-La-Madeleine and he left there for a while. He probably worked at Trois-Rivières because the town was being built at that time and his skill as a brick-maker was in demand. He returned to Québec in 1651. The Jesuits entrusted him with their estate of Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours near the Beauport River. On 24 Mar 1653, they granted him a piece of land close to the river. He sold it to René CHEVALIER on 12 Aug 1655 and returned to Château-Richer. He died 31 Aug 1685 and was buried on 1 Jun 1685 in Château-Richer. (1)(2)(3)(4)
1655. Marie Anne CLOUTIER was born and baptized 19 Jan 1626 in St-Jean-de-Mortaque, Perche, France. She arrived in New France on 4 Jun 1634, 100 years after Jacques CARTIER. She was one of the first to sign a marriage contract in Canada on 27 July 1636. Jean Guyon was a witness of this document. She was only 11 years old when she married. The young mother had six children but only two survived. Marie Anne died at the age of 22, on 2 and was buried 3 Feb 1648 in Beaupré.
Children were:
i. Agnès was born 25 Jan and died 31 Jan 1732 in Québec. (1)
Link to
Drouin - Gervais Ancestry
Index DROUIN
Index CLOUTIER
Table of Contents
(1) PRDH, Certificat de famille No. 88071.
(2) Ibid, Certificat de mariage No. 66326.
(3) Ibid., Certificat de mariage No. 66393.
(4) Biographical Dictionary for The Jesuit Missions in Acadia and New France: 1602-1654, Lucien Campeau, S.J., translated by William Lonc, S.J. & George Topp, S.J., summer 2001, pp. 152-153.
Robert Drouin had 11 children.
Robert and his second wife Marie CHAPELIERhad 8 children.
Nicolas, the 12 year old son of Robert, "being afflicted by a falling sickness (epilepsy) who was in danger of dying in the fire or in the water, often fell down as if dead wherever he found himself, vowed to Saint Anne and started a novena in her honor...and recovered his health" on the feast day of Saint Anne, 26 Jul 1662. His recovery was complete. "He continued all the years with his parents to give thanks to Saint Anne on her feast day, at the church of the little cape."
The Society of Drouins of America tell us that of all these children, Nicolas and Étienne were the only ones to have perpetuated the name of their father. They married two sisters, Marie LOIGANand Catherine LOIGAN, daughters of Pierre LOIGAN & Françoise ROUSSIN, originally from Tourouvre in Perche; therefore the Drouin family is doubly attached to the ancient province. The other children allied themselves as follows: Marie to Nicholas LEBEL; Marguerite to Jean GAGNON and to Antoine DARDE; Catherine to Michel ROULOIS and to Guillaume SIMIN.
In 1664, their daughter Marie, married in November 1662 to Nicolas LEBEL, drowned at Rivière-aux-Chiens "coming to Sainte-Anne to hear the Holy Mass... and with the intention of making her devotions".
Geneviève and Jeanne, the children of the first marriage, married Romain TREPAGNY and Pierre MAHEU.
(From a message dated: Fri, 10 Aug 2001, D. Shanks in QUEBEC-RESEARCH-L@rootsweb.com)