Skip to content

Philippe Amyot & Anne Couvent

Philippe Amyot (c.1600 - bef. 1639)

Philippe Amyot (or Hameau) was born in Picardie around 1600. Around 1625, he married Anne Couvent in Brécy (St-Michel), Soissonais (Aisne), France. Anne was the daughter of Guillaume Couvent and Antoinette de Longueval.[^2]

In a sale act by notary Antoine Courand dated January 20, 1626, Philippe Amyot purchased a substantial property from Antoinette Longueval in Estrée, which included 14 rooms and 32 acres (arpents) of land.

Philippe arrived in Canada in the summer of 1635, accompanied by his wife, Anne Couvent, and two sons, Mathieu and Jean. Their third son, Charles, was born in Québec in 1636.[^4]

Philippe Amyot's activities in Québec are unknown, and the exact date of his death is uncertain, but it is established that he died before September 1639. No funeral record has reached us for him. Theories suggest he may have died by drowning, or his burial act was lost when the parish register was reconstructed following the fire at the Notre-Dame de la Recouvrance chapel in 1640. Notary Audouart inventoried Philippe Amiot’s possessions on September 7, 1639.

Anne Couvent (c.1604 - 1675): Three Marriages in New France

Anne Couvent was born around 1604 in Brécy (Saint-Michel), Île-de-France (Aisne)[^1], France. She emigrated with her first husband, Philippe Amyot, and their two sons around 1635.[^3:1] Anne's life in New France is notable for her active community presence and three marriages.

First Marriage (c. 1626)

  • Husband: Philippe Amyot dit Villeneuve (c. 1600 – bef. 1639)
  • Marriage Date/Location: c. 1626 in Brécy, France.[^3]
  • Children (Amiot): Mathieu, Jean, and Charles.

Second Marriage (September 26, 1639)

On September 26, 1639, at Notre-Dame de Québec, the widowed Anne Couvent (approx. 35) remarried Jacques Maheu (approx. 38). The ceremony was attended by Charles de Montmagny, the Governor of New France, and Marin Boucher.[^5][^6]

  • Children (Maheu):
    • Marie Madeleine Maheu (baptized Sept 28, 1641; died Oct 19, 1641)
    • Jean Maheu (baptized May 31, 1643)

Anne was an active member of the community, serving as godmother for Anne Martin (daughter of Abraham Martin) in 1645 and Nicolas Peltier in 1649. Jacques Maheust died and was buried in Québec on July 22, 1663.[^4:3] An inventory of their property was taken a few days later.[^7:2]

Third Marriage (September 10, 1666)

Anne Couvent, listed in the 1666 census as a 65-year-old widow[^9], signed a marriage contract on May 5, 1666, and remarried on September 10, 1666, at Notre-Dame de Québec.[^11][^12]

  • Husband: Estienne Blanchon dit La Roze (approx. 25 years old), son of Jean Blanchon and Anne Rochon from Auvergne, France.
  • Note: Estienne was significantly younger than Anne. No children were born from this marriage.[^4:4]

The couple appeared in the 1667 census of Québec.[^9:1] Anne remained active in legal and notary affairs throughout her life, giving a shop lease in 1670[^7:7], and making a final donation to her grandchildren (children of Mathieu and Charles Amyot) in 1674[^7:8] before creating her will on February 23, 1674.[^7:9]

Death and Legacy

Anne Couvent died at approximately 71 years of age on December 25, 1675, in the lower town of Québec and was buried the following day at Notre-Dame de Québec.[^13][^14]

Her three surviving sons, who carried on the Amyot and Maheu names, were:

  • Mathieu Amyot: Married Marie Miville on November 22, 1650.
  • Charles Amyot: Married Geneviève de Chavigny on May 2, 1660.
  • Jean Maheu: Married Marguerite Courivaux in 1663, and remarried Mathurine Bélanger in 1673.

Sources

[^1]: Wikipédia: Brécy, Aisne [^2]: Dossier fichier 310126 [^3]: Fichier origine 310126 Anne Couvent 2017 Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie//Québec Federation of Genealogical Societies [^3:1]: Fichier origine 310126 Anne Couvent 2017 Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie//Québec Federation of Genealogical Societies [^4]: Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 – Drouin IGD [^4:1]: Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 – Drouin IGD [^4:2]: Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 – Drouin IGD [^4:3]: Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 – Drouin IGD [^4:4]: Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 – Drouin IGD [^4:5]: Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 – Drouin IGD [^4:6]: Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 – Drouin IGD [^5]: Mariage 2 Jacques Maheu – Anne Couvent FamilySearch [^6]: Mariage 2 image IGD [^7]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 [^7:1]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 [^7:2]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 [^7:3]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 [^7:4]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 [^7:5]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 [^7:6]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 [^7:7]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 [^7:8]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 [^7:9]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 [^7:10]: BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 [^8]: Histoire de la seigneurie de Lauzon; Roy, Joseph-Edmond (1897) vol. 1, p. 263 [^9]: Wikisource: Recensements 1666-1667 Censuses selon Benjamin Sulte Histoire des Canadiens-français, Tome 4, chap. 4 [^9:1]: Wikisource: Recensements 1666-1667 Censuses selon Benjamin Sulte Histoire des Canadiens-français, Tome 4, chap. 4 [^10]: Note: The site Francogene indicates that this was her son Jean Maheu, who would have taken the additional name de Clermont. Francogene Jean Maheu de Clermont [^11]: Mariage 3 Estienne Blanchon Larose – Anne Couvent FamilySearch [^12]: Mariage 3 image IGD [^13]: Sépulture-Funeral Anne Convent FamilySearch [^14]: Sépulture-Funeral image IGD [^15]: PRDH: Le Programme de recherche en démographie historique (membership): union: 4514 Mariage Blanchon – Videau PRDH Famille 4514 [^16]: Mariage Blanchon-Vuideau image IGD

Additional Sources

  • BANQ 5 May 1666 contract – insinué 10 Jul 1674
  • BANQ 23 Feb 1674 testament, document original
  • BANQ 19 Jan 1664
  • BANQ 22 Mar 1664
  • BANQ 12 Oct 1667
  • BANQ 12 Oct 1667
  • BANQ 9 Apr 1674
  • BANQ 5 Sept 1674
  • BANQ 2 Sept 1678
  • BANQ 29 Oct 1678
  • BANQ 10 Apr 1683
  • BANQ 20 Feb 1702
  • BANQ Jul 1702
  • DGFQ, p. 12; MSGCF, vol. 58, p. 17-58
  • Tanguay, Cyprien. Dictionnaire Genealogique des Familles Canadiennes. 1871. Pg. 6, 138 and 403. Link 1 Link 2 Link 3
  • PDF Archive Link
  • Fichier Origine – Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie, en partenariat avec la Fédération française de généalogie
  • PRDH – Programme de recherche en démographie historique, Université de Montréal
  • Actes d’état civil et registres d’église du Québec (Collection Drouin), 1621 à 1997 – Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection: Institut Généalogique Drouin IGD (membership)
  • Inventaire des greffes des notaire du régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy, publié en 27 volumes plus un index des volumes 1 à 8, par les Archives de la province de Québec, entre 1942 et 1974
  • Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec: BANQ choisir archives pour les recherches/ choose archives for research
  • « 1666, État Général des Habitants du Canada en », compilé par Senécal, Jean-Guy ; Sep 27, 1998, compilation OCR de trois documents Word disponible en ligne, ses documents se référant principalement au Tome IV & V, Chapitre IV du livre Histoire des Canadiens-Française de Benjamin Sulte, édition 1977.
  • « 1667 en Nouvelle-France, Recensement de », compilé par Senécal
  • Beauregard, Denis, francogene.com. {232} COUVENT, Guillaume
  • Drolet, Yves (2009). Tables généalogiques de la noblesse Québecois du XVIIe au XIXe siècle: Table 14
  • Drouin Rouge, Tome III (PÉF) – p.1357
  • Généalogie Québec 3024 site de François Marchi: Anne Convent (1601 – 1675)
  • Monet, J. (1966 / 2014). “Amiot (Amyot), dit Villeneuve, Mathieu” dans DBC / DCB, vol. 1, consulté le 21 octobre 21, 2018.
  • Tanguay, Cyprien (1871-1890), Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes, 7 volumes. Vol. 1, p.138: CONVENT Anne. vol. 1, p. 403: MAHEU, Jacques.
  • Note: Alternative spellings for Anne Couvent include: Convent, Couvant.

Credits

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.