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Élisabeth Gobinet (1641 – 1715) & Paul Benoit (1623 – 1686)

This record details the lives of Élisabeth Gobinet, a Fille à Marier (Marriageable Daughter), and Paul Benoit, a master carpenter who was part of the pivotal "La Grande Recrue" of 1653, an organized effort to save the settlement of Ville-Marie (Montreal). They settled first in Montreal and later in Longueuil.

Élisabeth Gobinet (c. 1641 – 1715)

Origins and Arrival

Detail Description Source
Parents Nicolas Gobinet and Marguerite Lorgeleux.
Birth Circa 1641, Gonesse, Vexin region, Archdiocese of Paris (Val-d'Oise), France. [1][2]
Immigration Arrived in New France as a "Fille à Marier" before 1658. First mentioned in colony records at her marriage. [3][4][5]
Descendants Had 240 descendants by 1729. [7]
Death Died April 2, 1715, in Longueuil, aged 76. [6]

Paul Benoit (c. 1623 – 1686)

Origins and Recruitment

Detail Description Source
Parents François Benoist and Dimanche Chaspelin.
Birth Circa 1623, Châtillon-en-Bazois, Diocese of Nevers, France. [8][9]
Immigration A Master Carpenter recruited to defend Montreal in the "La Grande Recrue" of 1653. [10]
Contract Signed a 5-year contract with the Montreal Company on May 23, 1653. [11]
Death Died January 1, 1686, in Longueuil. [12]

Marriage and Family

Marriage to Élisabeth Gobinet

  • Marriage Date: September 16, 1658, at Notre-Dame de Montréal. [13]
  • Marriage Contract: Signed September 9, 1658, before notary Bénigne Basset. [14]
  • Witnesses: Included Governor Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve and Louis d'Ailleboust.
  • Notes: The contract included a mutual donation agreement if no children survived. Both spouses were documented as illiterate (unable to sign).

Census Records

Year Location Household Details Assets Source
1666 Montreal Paul (40), Élisabeth (24), 4 children, 9-month twins. [24]
1667 Montreal 12 cultivated arpents, 1 cattle head. [24]
1681 Longueuil 5 cattle, 12 cultivated arpents. [25]

"Before Royal Notary Marien Tailhandier... Hyzabelle Gobinet, widow of Paul Benoit, being of advanced age and unable to manage her lands, assembled her children to establish a lifetime pension of 300 livres annually. The agreement stipulates that she may reside with any child of her choosing, with costs prorated according to residence duration..." [26]

Notarial Records

  • Land exchanges with Jacques Millot (1659) and Pierre Picoté de Belestre (1670).
  • Contract disputes with Gilbert Barbier (1673).
  • Obligation agreements with son Laurent (1682). [27]

Children (11 Total)

Name Born (c.) Spouse(s) Source
Élisabeth Benoist 1659 François Blot (1672) [15]
Laurent Benoist 1661 Marie Françoise Taitereau (1691) [16]
Étienne Benoist 1662 1) Jeanne Campost (1699), 2) Hélène Charles (1722) [17]
Barbe Benoist 1665 1) Thomas Hébert (1679), 2) François Borry (1699) [18]
Marie Anne Benoist 1665 1) Jean Bourbon (1680), 2) Jean Besset (1695) [19]
Hélène Benoist 1667 Guillaume Gouyau (1686) [20]
Marguerite Benoît 1669 Jean Tournois (1686) [21]
Geneviève Benoist 1672 Pierre Hay (1689) [22]
Jacques Benoist 1674
François Benoist 1676 Marie Angélique Chagnon (1711) [23]
Yves Benoist 1679 (Died 1725+)

Credits

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.

Sources

  1. PRDH Individual #7186 - Élisabeth Gobinet
  2. Jetté Dictionary p.82 - Benoît family
  3. Filles à Marier List - French-Canadian Genealogist
  4. Francogène #65 - Marriageable Daughters
  5. Trudel Immigration Catalog p.389 - 1658 record
  6. Burial Record - Drouin Collection
  7. Mémoire du Québec - Descendants
  8. PRDH Pioneer #6910 - Paul Benoit
  9. Langlois, La Grande Recrue pp.76-78
  10. Desautels Family History - 1653 Recruitment
  11. Notarial Contract - BAnQ Archives
  12. Burial Record - Drouin Collection
  13. Marriage Contract - 1658 Record
  14. Basset Notary Records - BAnQ
  15. Blot Marriage - 1672 Record
  16. Taitereau Marriage - 1691 Record
  17. Campost Marriage - 1699 Record
  18. Hébert Marriage - 1679 Record
  19. Bourbon Marriage - 1680 Record
  20. Gouyau Marriage - 1686 Record
  21. Tournois Marriage - 1686 Record
  22. Hay Marriage - 1689 Record 23.Chagnon Marriage Contract - BAnQ Notaries 24.Sulte Census Records - 1666-67
  23. Sulte 1681 Census - Seigneurie de Longueuil
  24. 1714 Family Agreement - FamilySearch
  25. Notarial Index - BAnQ Inventory