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Michel Messier

His family

Upon his arrival in 1649 in Ville-Marie, Michel is not alone. He is accompanied by his uncles Jacques Messier and Antoine Primot, Martine Messier, sister of Jacques and wife of Antoine Primot and Catherine Thierry Primot, adopted daughter of the couple Primot.


Children of Michel


From his union with Anne LeMoyne, twelve children were born. Like him, his children will settle in Varennes on his lordship.


1 - Catherine was born on July 11, 1659 in Montreal. She married Etienne Gentes on November 28, 1678 in Montreal. She has three daughters. Catherine was still alive in 1704.


2 - Jeanne was born on June 18, 1661 in Montreal. At her birth, Michel is a prisoner and no one knew whether he was alive or dead. She married Ignace Hébert on January 31, 1679. The deed is recorded in Boucherville. Ten children were born from this union. Jeanne died on August 6, 1699 in Varennes.


3 - Marie-Anne was born on August 2, 1665 in Montreal. She married Jean Brodeur on January 31, 1679 in Boucherville. She is the mother of six children. Following the death of her husband she married Alexandre Petit on January 8, 1721 in Varennes. She died on December 13, 1751 in Varennes.

 

4 - Anne was born on November 12, 1667 in Montreal. She died on January 1, 1668 in Montreal.

 
5 - Anne was born on December 21, 1668 in Montreal. She died on January 29, 1669 in Montreal.


6 - Anne was born on February 5, 1670 in Montreal. She married Gabriel Celles Duclos on August 26, 1687 in Boucherville. From this union, thirteen children were born. She died on March 14, 1720 in Varennes.

 

7 - Gabrielle was born on May 2, 1672 in Montreal. She died on June 5, 1682 in Boucherville then ten years old.


8 - Jean-Michel was born on 31 May 1674 in Boucherville. He died on his arrival at Fort Louis de la Mobile in the month of April 1705.


9 - Marguerite was born on May 24, 1676 in Montreal. She married very young on March 29, 1690 in Boucherville, with Pierre LeSueur. She is the mother of five children. Marguerite died on March 5, 1741 at Fort Louis de la Mobile, Louisiana.

10 - A child is waved on August 20, 1678 in Montreal. His burial took place on August 22, 1678 in Montreal.

 

11 - François-Michel was born at the end of 1679 probably in Varennes. He first married Marie-Anne Amyot, on February 10, 1706 in Varennes. From this marriage, six children were born including four boys. He married his second wife Marie-Jeanne Duval on October 8, 1725 in Contrecoeur. Again he became a widower. He married his third wife Madeleine Lefebvre on July 25, 1729 in St. François-du-Lac. Finally, he married Angélique Poirier on June 8, 1744 in St. Anne-du-Bout-de-Ile. He died on June 11, 1751 in Varennes.

 
12 - René was born on April 20, 1681 in Varennes. His birth is recorded in Boucherville. On January 18, 1706 in Varennes, he married Catherine Bissonnet. The couple had seven children. He remarried on August 25, 1718 in Batiscan, Madeleine Guillet with whom he had eight children. It is in Varennes on May 22, 1758 that Rene died.


His brothers and sisters


Michel seems the oldest child of David and Margaret Barc. The death of his mother, which occurred in 1676, it is mentioned that she was aged about fifty years. The year of the birth of Michel would be 1640. If we accept these dates, Marguerite Barc would have Michel at the age of thirteen. I believe we have to rejuvenate Michel or growing old the age of his mother. I prefer the second option.


Jean married Françoise Haudricourt on June 2, 1664 in St. Denis-le-Thiboult. No child is known.

 
Madeleine married Pierre Thierry on July 24, 1672 at Vascoeuil.

 
Pierre enters into a contract of marriage with Michelle Mallet on May 26, 1675 at Vascoeuil at the notary Charles Allyne. The marriage was celebrated at Vascoeuil.


Marie married Pierre Ranette on June 2, 1674, in Vascoeuil. Marie died at Vascoeuil in 1693. This is Pierre Ranette who buys the house that David inherited from his father.

 
Catherine died on November 4, 1662 in St. Denis-le-Thiboult, at the age of six years ten months.

 
Jacques was born in 1649 in Vascoeuil like all his brothers and sisters. Jacques will join his brother Michel in New France in 1660.


An event marked the life of Messiers in Ville-Marie. On February 5, 1663 at half past five in the evening, while Michel is still a prisoner of the Iroquois, an earthquake of high intensity disturbs the tranquility of the inhabitants of the colony. If it has not done much property damage, nature was sentenced. Dry lakes, rivers diverted from their course, plowed forests. Terror has gripped the people of Montreal and the entire colony. It was so great that they confessed all night. People saw it as a manifestation of God. Many earthquakes followed for months.

Text comes from the volume of Gilles Messier:  Les Messier et leurs ancêtres, 700 ans d'histoire.

Last update : 

August 11, 2014

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