⚓ André Robidou dit l'Espagnol: The Spanish Mariner & Pioneer
André Robidou, known as dit l'Espagnol (the Spaniard) due to his foreign origin, was a foundational pioneer of New France. He was the son of Manuel Robidou and Catherine Alve from the parish of Santa María in Galicia, Spain (diocese of Burgos), where he was born circa 1640 [^1], [^2], [^3].
André's Journey and Settlement
- Initial Engagement (1661): Prior to coming to Canada, André worked as a sailor in Nantes, France [^4]. On April 20 or May 6, 1661, he signed a three-year indenture contract (engagement) in La Rochelle to work as a mariner for the merchant Eustache Lambert in Québec [^5], [^6]. He was illiterate and could not sign the document [^5].
- Life in Québec: He arrived in New France in the late summer of 1661. The 1666 Census recorded him as a 26-year-old sailor living in Québec with his employer, Eustache Lambert [^7].
- Land Holdings: In the early years, André pursued land. He received a concession from the Hospitalières Nuns of Québec on June 15, 1664, before Notary Pierre Duquet [^8], [^9]. He later moved to the more remote Seigneurie of Laprairie (across from Montréal) around 1671, becoming one of the area's early habitants (settlers) [^10]. He acquired and exchanged several plots of land in Laprairie, confirmed by the Compagnie de Jésus (Jesuits), including concessions on Cote de la Rivière Saint-Jacques and Cote Saint-Lambert, confirming his status as a settler and farmer [^11].
Marriage to a Fille du Roi
André married Jeanne Denot dite Leduc, a Fille du Roi (King's Daughter), establishing one of the colony's prominent family lines.
- Jeanne's Background: Jeanne Denot was born circa 1645 in the parish of Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois, Paris, France. She was the daughter of Antoine Denot and Catherine Leduc [^12].
- Fille du Roi (1666): Jeanne was sponsored by King Louis XIV and arrived in Québec in 1666 aboard Le Saint-Jean-Baptiste [^13]. She resided at the Ursuline monastery in Québec until her marriage [^13].
- Marriage: André Robidou and Jeanne Denot signed a marriage contract on May 16, 1667, before Notary Pierre Duquet [^9]. They married on June 7, 1667, at Notre-Dame de Québec [^14]. The marriage record mistakenly used her mother's name, Leduc, as her surname [^12].
Family and Widowhood
André and Jeanne had five children, born in Québec and La Prairie, before André's early death.
Children of André Robidou and Jeanne Denot
| Child's Name | Birth/Baptism | Fate | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marie Romaine | July 11, 1669, Québec (ND) | Married Jean Roux (1683). | [^1], [^3] |
| Marguerite | Nov. 10, 1671, La Prairie | Died young, Jan. 15, 1672, La Prairie. | [^1] |
| Jeanne (Marie Jeanne) | Sept. 19, 1673, La Prairie | Married Gabriel Lemieux (1690). | [^1] |
| Guillaume | Nov. 28, 1675, La Prairie | Married Marie Guérin (1697); continued the main family line. | [^1] |
| Joseph | Jan. 13, 1678, La Prairie | Married Jeanne Séguin (1701). | [^1] |
- André's Death: André died at approximately 35 years of age and was buried on April 1, 1678, in Montréal (ND) [^15], [^16].
- Jeanne's Second Marriage: Four months after André's death, Jeanne, a widow with four young children, remarried on August 16, 1678, in Laprairie [^10]. Her second husband was Jacques Surprenant dit Sansoucy, a soldier of the Carignan-Salières Regiment (Contrecoeur Company) [^17].
- Second Family: Jeanne and Jacques Surprenant had at least eight additional children, making Jeanne the founding mother of two major Canadian families [^10].
- Jeanne's Death: Jeanne Denot died sometime between February 1, 1692 (burial of her last child) and October 10, 1701 (marriage of her son Joseph) [^12].
Credits
Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.
📚 Source References
[^1]: Jetté, René. Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730. Montréal: Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 1983, p. 996 (Robidou). [^2]: PRDH (Programme de Recherche en Démographie Historique). Pionnier: 65032. Birth/Naissance: circa 1640, Santa-Maria, ev. Burgos, Galice, Espagne. [^3]: IGD (Institut Généalogique Drouin). Mariage Jean Roux - Romaine Robidou. [^4]: ManyRoads. André Robidou dit L'Espagnol - Voyageur from Spain. (Citing pre-1661 employment in Nantes). [^5]: Perron, Guy. Blogue de Guy Perron #130: Liste des contrats d'engagement relevés à La Rochelle... (Cites 1661 engagement contract details). [^6]: Perron, Guy. Blogue de Guy Perron #188: Les engagés levés par Antoine Grignon et Michel Pelletier pour le Canada en 1661. [^7]: Sénécal, Jean-Guy. Recensements de 1666-1667 en Nouvelle-France. (Cites André Robidou with Eustache Lambert). [^8]: BAnQ (Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec). Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, Vol II, pg 112 (Concession Dames Hospitalières, 15 juin 1664). [^9]: BAnQ (Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec). Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, Vol II, pg 123 (Contrat de mariage, 16 mai 1667). [^10]: The French-Canadian Genealogist. André Robidou dit l'Espagnol & Jeanne Denot. (Citing settlement in Laprairie and second marriage context). [^11]: Ripples from La Prairie Voyageur Canoes. (Cites concession inventory details by Compagnie de Jésus). [^12]: WikiTree. Jeanne (Denote) Denote dite Leduc (abt.1645-bef.1701). (Citing parentage, surname confusion, and death window). [^13]: Guertin, Généalogie Des. Jeanne Denot. (Cites Fille du Roi status, ship, and stay with Ursulines). [^14]: IGD (Institut Généalogique Drouin). Mariage image (André Robidou & Jeanne Leduc). [^15]: IGD (Institut Généalogique Drouin). Sépulture-Funeral image (André Robidou). [^16]: Archives Nationales du Quebec. Death Record (André dit l'Espagnol). (via FamilySearch database). [^17]: Petelle Motors. Jacques Surprenant dit Sansoucy. (Cites Carignan-Salières Regiment, Contrecoeur Company).