Jacques Guyon (mid-16th Century – before 1624) & Marie Huet (mid-16th Century – 1626)

According to "One Hundred French Canadian Family Histories" by Phillip J. Moore, most people of French Canadian heritage descend from the Guyon family of old Perche. Jacques Guyon is the earliest Guyon documented as an ancestor to many French Canadians.

Jacques GUYON (mid-16th century – before 1624)

Background and Origin

• Birth: Jacques Guyon was born in France in the mid-16th century. The exact location of his birth is unknown, though it was likely in the Perche region [2, 3].
• Parents: His parents are unknown. Previous genealogical claims linking him to Mathurin Guyon and Madeleine Aymard have been explicitly detached in modern genealogical records due to a lack of evidence [1].
• Official Life: He was named among the notables of the town on November 21, 1604 [2]. Historical records indicate Jacques was unable to sign his name.
• Earliest Trace: He witnessed a document in Tourouvre on Monday, January 6, 1579. The earliest documented trace of Jacques and Marie is a mutual donation to the last survivor dated April 15, 1583 [2].

Marriage and Death

• Marriage: Jacques Guyon married Marie Huet before April 15, 1583, in Mortagne-au-Perche (parish of Saint-Jean and Saint-Malo) in the diocese of Séez [4]. Mortagne is now in the Orne department of the Normandy region.
• Death: Jacques died before September 29, 1623, probably in Tourouvre-au-Perche [2, 7]. This date is cited when his son Jean sold the family house in Tourouvre, having previously buried his father [8].

Marie HUET (mid-16th century – 1626)

Background and Death

• Birth: Marie Huet was born in France around the mid-16th century, possibly circa 1562, though this date is not well-documented [11, 3].
• Parents: Her parentage is disputed. There is no evidence to support the claim that she was the daughter of Guillaume Eustache Huet and Madeleine Agnès Avrard. This claim may stem from a conflation with her son Jean's wife's parents (Jean married Mathurine Robin, daughter of Eustache Robin and Mathurine Avrard) [10].
• Marriage: She married Jacques Guyon before April 15, 1583, in Mortagne [4, 12].
• Death: Marie Huet was buried at Mortagne in the Saint-Jean and Saint-Malo parish on February 26, 1626 [13, 4, 2].

Known Children

Jacques Guyon and Marie Huet had at least two known children:

• Marie Guyon (born 1588)
• Jean Guyon, sieur du Buisson (1592–1663) [5, 6]
  • Historical Context: The Guyon family’s connection to French Canadian heritage comes through their son Jean Guyon du Buisson, who emigrated to Canada and became a significant ancestor for countless French Canadian families, with numerous descendants throughout North America today.

Research Notes

• Conflicting Dates: The April 15, 1583 date (mutual donation) is in close proximity to the marriage date from Fichier Origine records, raising questions about whether the marriage occurred before this donation and if the religious act exists in records [2].
• Parentage Dispute: Note the suggested research regarding Marie Huet's parentage, which implies that the individual named Eustache may have actually been named Jacques Huet, married to Madeleine Avrard, and they had a son Eustache baptized in 1601 [10].
• Parish Records: The parish registers of Saint-Aubin Church in Tourouvre, Perche region, begin on July 16, 1588 [2].

Sources

1. G2G (GenealogyToGenealogy) forum discussion on Jacques Guyon’s parentage.
2. PREFEN 8124, Notice Complémentaire, p. 1 (Wayback Machine).
3. Provost, Honorius (1966, 2017). “Guyon du Buisson, Jean (mort en 1663)” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography / Dictionnaire Biographique du Canada, vol. 1.
4. Fichier Origine 241993. Répertoire informatisé de la Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie.
5. PREFEN Fiche 8124. Acte de baptême Jehan Guyon (latin). (No longer available)
6. Fichier Origine 241993, Acte de baptême Jehan Guyon – (traduction française).
7. perche-quebec.com.
8. Madame Pierre Montagne. “Jean Guyon before his departure for Canada”, French Canadian and Acadian Genealogical Review, Québec, Canada, Vol. I, no 1, Spring 1968, p. 17-26.
9. France, Vital Records Index MyHeritage.com [online database], MyHeritage Ltd.
10. Research Notes from the document regarding conflated parentage.
11. Various genealogical sources, including Find A Grave: Memorial #122050577 for Marie Huet (not considered a reliable source).
12. Mortagne is now known as the French commune of Mortagne-au-Perche (INSEE 61016).
13. 1626 Burial Record, Archives départementales de l’Orne, Archives en Ligne, Etat Civil, Registres Paroissiaux de la commune de Mortagne-au-Perche, Saint-Jean et Saint-Malo, Document 3NUMECRP293/AC293_24 (1600-1712) Image 247/957 (Left Side – Last Entry).
14. PREFEN Fiche 8124. Acte de baptême (No longer available).
15. Fichier Origine 241993, Acte de baptême Jean Guyon.

Additional Bibliography

• Bizier, Hélène-Andrée, Lacoursière, Jacques; “Nos Racines : chapitre 46 à 60”, chap. 54, p. image 215, “Les Guyon, Dion et Yon”, ISSN 0226-7756.
• Fichier Origine Jean Guyon.
• Nos Origines 3544.

• perche-quebec.com’s entry for Jean Guyon.

Credits and Licensing

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.

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