A little of history . . .
Place of birth of the ancestor Charles |
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Charles was born in 1629, in Amfreville-sous-les-Monts, Normandy, France, a small village of some 450 inhabitants. The village is located near the Seine river, which links Nantes to Rouen, where the Andelle river flows into the Seine. |
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From Amfreville-sous-les-Monts to Paris
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The church of Amfreville-sous-les-Monts was built around the 10th century. We believe that our ancestor Charles was baptized in this church. The church is built on the hillside facing the Seine river. |
The church of Amfreville-sous-les-Monts
Our ancestor Charles left Amfreville-sous-les-Monts to practice his trade in Paris with his uncle Jean at an unknown date. It is in the church of St.Germain L’Auxerrois, located on Admiral-de-Coligny street in Paris, just across from Le Louvres Museum, that he wed Marie Madeleine Girard, daughter of Gilles Girard and Michelle Morlet of Saint-Cyr-de-Vaudreuil, or Notre-Dame de Vaudreuil, south of Amfreville-sous-les-Monts. |
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First place of residence of Charles on his arrival tin Quebec City
Upon his arrival in Quebec City in 1667, Charles, his wife Marie Madeleine Girard and their four children: 9 year old Jean, 6 year old Charles, 3 year old Marie Madeleine and Catherine not yet having celebrated her first birthday settled in with his uncle Jean. His uncle’s house was located at Côte Sainte-Geneviève, on the corner of Sainte-Anne street and Du Tresor street in front of the Château Frontenac. |
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On February 4th, 1669, he bought a 30 foot frontage piece of land in the Upper Town of Quebec City from Barbe de Boulogne, widow of Esquire D’Ailleboust. This piece of land was located at what is today the corner of Buade street and Du Tresor street, behind his uncle’s house. This is where Charles hung his workshop banner. Marie Madeleine Girard died in 1675. Charles remarried in 1677 to Marie Rousseau. |
From Quebec to Charlesbourg
In those days Charlesbourg, a few leagues from Quebec City, was divided into villages of five to six houses each. In 1680, Charles decided to have a house built on a land he owned at La Côte des Audy in Charlesbourg, more precisely, in the village of Saint-Bernard, at the limits of the village of Saint-Bonaventure. Thus, he became one of the first residents of this village. The exact location of his house remains unknown. As for his land, documents reveal to us its exact location.
A prolific ancestor
From his two marriages, Charles had 19 children. Four boys and five girls married. An interesting fact to note, at the birth of his last child, Adrienne, born on April 4th 1699, Charles was 70 years old.
The great departure
On Thursday, November 26th, 1705, the ancestor Charles died at the age of 76 years, 5 months. He was buried the same day in the parish cemetery at Charlesbourg in the presence of his second wife and their children. Also present as witnesses were François Bédard and Nicolas Thibault as recorded in the parish registry by the officiating priest Joseph-Ignace Le Boulanger. Charles’ widow, Marie Rousseau, survived him for at least fifteen years. |
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