François Leber (c. 1626 – 1694) & Jeanne Testard (1642 – 1723)

This record details the lives of François Leber, a pioneer who settled in New France (then Canada), and his third wife, Jeanne Testard, a Fille à Marier (marriageable girl) who arrived from Normandy and was raised in the Protestant faith.

Jeanne Testard (1642 – 1723)

Detail Description
Parents Jean Testard and Anne Godefroy.
Birth/Baptism Born September 27, 1642, and baptized October 12, 1642, at the Protestant temple in Lintot, Normandy (Seine-Maritime), France.
Paternal Grandparents Jean Tetard and Judic Manoury.
Migration First appears in New France records in 1662. Believed to have migrated to join her brothers Jacques and Charles, who were already in the colony.
Death & Burial Died January 18, 1723, aged about 85, and was buried the same day in La Prairie.

Note on Siblings

Jeanne had several siblings baptized at the Protestant temple in Lintot, including Jacques and Charles, who also became pioneers in New France.

François Leber (c. 1626 – 1694)

Detail Description
Parents Robert Leber and Colette Cavelier (known through his brother Jacques' marriage record).
Birth Circa 1626 in Pitres, Normandy (Eure), France.
Confirmation Confirmed on August 24, 1660, in Montreal.
Previous Marriages 1st: Françoise Lefrançois (in France, mother of daughter Anne Leber). 2nd: Marguerite Lesueur (in France, no record of her in the colony).
Death & Burial Died on May 19, 1694, and was buried the following day in La Prairie, aged approximately 72 years.

Marriage & Census Records (François Leber and Jeanne Testard)

Detail Description
Contract Date November 23, 1662, in Montreal (Notary BĂ©nigne Basset).
Ceremony Date December 2, 1662.
Ceremony Location Notre-Dame de Montréal.
Witnesses Included Jeanne’s brothers Jacques and Charles Testard, François’s brother Jacques Le Ber, and the governor of the island, Paul de Chomedey.

Census Records

Year Location Head (Age) Spouse (Age) Children Listed (Age) Assets/Notes
1666 Montreal François Leber (40) Jeanne Testard (24) Anne (10), Joachim (19 months). Habitant (settler).
1667 Island of Montreal François le Ber (40) Jeanne Testart (23) Joachin (3), Marie (5 months), Anne (11). 1 head of cattle, 23 arpents (cultivated land).
1681 Prairie de la Magdelaine François Leber (54) Jeanne Testard (40) Joachim (17), Jeanne (10), François (7). 1 musket, 2 pistols, 4 horned animals, 6 arpents cultivated.

Children of François Leber and Jeanne Testard (6 Total)

Name Born/Baptized Key Details & Spouse
Joachim Jacques Lebert Baptized June 10, 1664. Married Jeanne Cusson (1692).
Marie Lebert Baptized Dec 6, 1666. Married three times: 1) Charles Robert (1681); 2) François Bourrassa (1684); 3) Pierre Hervé (1714).
Jeanne Leber Born c. 1671. Married Jean Baptiste Tessier (1686).
Jacques Leber Born/baptized July 20, 1672. Died and buried on July 22, 1672.
François Leber Born Oct 10, 1673. Married Marie Anne Magnan (1698).
Claude Leber Born/baptized Sept 14, 1675. Died in mid-October 1675.

Credits and Licensing

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.

All materials licensed: CC BY-ND 4.0 by eirenicon llc.

Sources and References (28 Total)

  1. Departmental Archives of Seine-Maritime online. Parish and civil registers, reference 4E 03383 Lintot (Protestants), Baptisms 01-01-1638 to 12-31-1651, image 162/407 at the top.
  2. Fichier Origine, baptism image, AD-76.
  3. Fichier Origine 243907 Jeanne Testard 2020 Quebec Federation of Genealogical Societies.
  4. Note: We only know the names of his parents through his brother Jacques’ marriage, as they are not named in François’s 1662 marriage record since he was already a widower.
  5. Diocese of Quebec, Register of confirmations, folio 17, image d1p_31400674.jpg IGD.
  6. BAnQ: BĂ©nigne Basset dit Deslauriers, Acts, Nos 201 to 400, May 5, 1661 – September 29, 1667 (840 files), pgs 233-235/840 original Le Ber-Testard contract.
  7. Marriage Le Bert – Testard image IGD.
  8. Genealogical Dictionary of Quebec Families from the Origins to 1730, René Jetté, in collaboration with PRDH, 1983, University of Montreal Press, pg 670 (Leber or Lebert) (IGD membership).
  9. Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 – Drouin IGD.
  10. Baptism of Joachim Jacques IGD.
  11. Marriage Leber-Cusson IGD.
  12. Baptism of Marie 1666 IGD.
  13. Marriage Leber-Robert IGD.
  14. Marriage Lebert-Bourrassa IGD.
  15. Marriage Leber-Hervé IGD.
  16. Marriage Leber-Tessier IGD.
  17. Baptism of Jacques 1672 IGD.
  18. Burial-Funeral of Jacques 1672 IGD.
  19. Baptism of François 1673 IGD.
  20. Marriage Leber-Magnan IGD.
  21. Baptism of Claude IGD.
  22. Burial-Funeral of Claude IGD.
  23. Wikisource: 1666-1667 Censuses according to Benjamin Sulte Histoire des Canadiens-français, Volume 4, chap. 4.
  24. Wikisource 1681 Census according to Benjamin Sulte Histoire des Canadiens-français, Volume 5, chap. 4.
  25. Burial-Funeral of François Leber image IGD.
  26. Burial-Funeral image IGD.
  27. February 17, 1698 Reference: TL4,S1,D264 Royal Jurisdiction of Montreal Collection – BAnQ Vieux-MontrĂ©al Id 697395.
  28. The archives of Pitres (Eure) available online are incomplete for the relevant period.