Pioneers of New France

Marie Grandin

Marie Grandin was born around 1651 in the parish of Saint-Euverte (also called Saint-Eubert) in the city of Orléans, Orléanais (now Loiret), France. She was the daughter of Michel Grandin and Marie Lejeune.

Following her father's death, Marie embarked for New France as one of the Filles du Roi (King's Daughters). She arrived in Quebec on July 31, 1670, aboard the vessel La Nouvelle France. Marie brought with her goods estimated at 300 livres, and she received the King's gift of 50 livres as part of the program to encourage settlement.

Jean Baudet

Jean Baudet (also spelled Beaudet) was born around 1648 in Blanzay (near Montmorillon), diocese of Poitiers, in Poitou (now Vienne), France. He was the son of Sébastien (or Bastien) Baudet and Marie Baudonnier.

Jean was among the contracted passengers of the Noir de Hollande, which departed La Rochelle in April 1664 bound for Quebec. The ship carried 30 crew members, 51 recruits (50 men and 1 woman), and known passengers including Father Louis Nicolas and Jeanne Mance. It arrived in Quebec on May 25 after a seven-week crossing. The ship transported 10 barrels of brandy, 400 small axes, and 6 ewes.

In the 1666 census, Jean was listed as an 18-year-old domestic servant for Nicolas Gaudry at Côte Saint-François et Saint-Jean in Quebec City. In the 1667 census, he was no longer in Gaudry's service and could not be found.

1666 Census: Saint-Jean, Saint-François and Saint-Michel

The census lists: Nicolas Gaudry, 45, inhabitant; Agnès Morin, 24, his wife; Hélène, 9; Jacques, 7; Christine, 5; Marie-Françoise, 3; Nicolas, 16 months; Jean Baudet, 18, contracted domestic servant; Jean Mallerbant, 15, contracted servant.

Marriage

On September 7, 1670, Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin signed a marriage contract before notary Romain Becquet.

The contract stated: "Marriage between Jean Boudet (Beaudet), inhabitant of Champigny, son of Bastien (Sébastien) Boudet (Beaudet) and Marie Baudouin (Baudonier), his father and mother from the village of Blaichais (Blanzay) in the diocese of Poitiers, and Marie Gaudin (Grandin), daughter of the late Michel Gaudin (Grandin) and Marie LeJeune, her father and mother from the city and diocese of Orléans."

Present at the signing were Dame Anne Gasnier, widow of the late Sieur Jean Bourdon; Mademoiselle Élizabeth Étienne; Hélène DesPortes; Agnès Morin; Madeleine Normand; and Jean-Baptiste de Poitier, esquire, Sieur du Buisson, as friends of the future spouses. Jean-Baptiste Gosset and Gilles Dutartre served as witnesses. The document was registered on October 17, 1670.

The marriage was celebrated on September 23, 1670, at Notre-Dame de Québec. Henry de Bernières officiated. Witnesses included Jacques Gaudry, Nicolas Valin, Michel Maillou, and Jean Beriau.

Settlement and Farming Life

On September 4, 1672, Jean entered into a six-year lease with Noël Pinguet the younger before notary Romain Becquet. He obtained land on the St-Michel coast (modern-day Sainte-Foy), measuring two arpents by 30 arpents in depth, which included a habitable house, barn, and stable.

Five years later, on October 30, 1677, Jean signed a farming lease (bail à ferme) with Seigneur Louis Chartier de Lotbinière before notary Gilles Rageot. This two-year lease was for the land reserved for the seigneurial manor of Lotbinière, located on the edge of the Saint Lawrence River.

Jean renewed his lease on July 26, 1679, for three years, leasing the principal manor of the Seigneurie of Lotbinière, including all dependent buildings (except one room). The Seigneur also leased him livestock: two cows, two oxen, a young bull, and four small pigs. Historian Raymond Douville suggests Jean may have built the manor during his first lease.

On March 2, 1680, Jean obtained his own concession from the Seigneur, measuring ten arpents by thirty on the shore of the Saint Lawrence. He had to pay the cens et rentes (dues), which amounted to thirty francs and a denier, payable in grain and six good hens.

Children

Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin had ten known children who all married:

  1. Marie Louise Baudet: Born September 13, 1671, baptized September 14 at Sillery; married Jacques Houde dit Desruisseaux.
  2. Simone Anne Baudet: Born December 26, 1673, baptized December 27 at Sillery; married Michel Pinot on July 4, 1689, at Cap-Santé.
  3. Jean Charles Baudet: Born August 13, 1676, baptized August 14 at L'Ancienne-Lorette; married Madeleine Lemay in 1726.
  4. Marie Louise Baudet: Born c. 1679 (age 2 in the 1681 census); married Jacques Marcotte before 1698.
  5. Jeanne Françoise Baudet: Born October 1, 1681, at Lotbinière; married Jean Baptiste Bisson in 1699.
  6. Jean Baptiste Baudet: Born September 2, 1683, baptized September 17 at Lotbinière; married Françoise Chatel in 1717.
  7. Marie Josephe Baudet: Born after 1681; married Jacques Alexandre Denevers (contract October 14, 1704); died as a widow on May 28, 1748, buried May 29 at Ste-Croix de Lotbinière.
  8. Michel Baudet: Born around 1686; married Thérèse Pérasse (Pérusse) on June 17, 1719, at Ste-Croix de Lotbinière.
  9. Jacques Baudet: Born around 1688; married Marie Angélique Lemay on November 20, 1720, at Ste-Croix de Lotbinière.
  10. Marie Madeleine Baudet: Born around 1691; married Nicolas Joly around 1723.

The sons established themselves in Lotbinière, while the daughters settled in Saint-Antoine, Cap-Santé, Saint-Nicolas, Sainte-Croix, and La Prairie.

1681 Census: Seigneurie de Lotbinière

The 1681 Census records the family at Lotbinière:

Eel Fishing and Trading

Jean Baudet was not only a farmer but also an eel trader. He began fishing for eels upon arrival in Lotbinière, making a true trade of it from 1681 onward. That year, he sold twenty barrels of eels to merchant Jean Milot in Ville-Marie (Montreal). He continued this trade for more than twenty years.

On May 10, 1689, Jean contracted Michel Boucher of Lauzon to transport 45 barrels of eels from his Lotbinière residence to Montreal, at a rate of eighteen livres per barrel. Each barrel contained approximately 500 eels. Eel fishing was practiced especially from Québec to Trois-Rivières, with Lotbinière being a favorable spot, and was a significant food resource. The family, including Jean and his sons, were busy collecting and salting eels during the September and October season.

Later Land Acquisitions

On November 2, 1708, Jean and Marie sold a piece of land in Lotbinière (10 arpents and 3 perches by 30) to their sons, Jean and Michel. They had originally acquired this land on March 2, 1680, and the sale was recorded before notary Louis Chambalon.

Two days later, on November 4, 1708, Jean obtained a large second concession from the Seigneur of Lotbinière, covering about fifteen arpents in frontage by thirty in depth, intending to settle his four sons.

Final Years

On March 25, 1714, Jean sold part of his second concession to his son Michel, with the remainder reserved for sons Jean-Baptiste and Jacques. This is the last known contract signed by Jean Baudet.

Jean died between March 25, 1714, and May 28, 1714, as a document on the latter date refers to Marie Grandin as his widow. Four months after his last contract, on July 13, 1714, Marie Grandin appeared before notary Dehornay de Laneuville for the reading of her husband's inventory of goods.

On February 25, 1715, Marie Grandin made a donation of land to her son Charles Beaudet, stipulating that he must provide her with housing, food, clothing (annually, a skirt of carisse, a fabric bra, two handkerchiefs, and socks; every three years, a pair of French shoes), and ten masses for the repose of her soul after her death.

Marie Grandin was hospitalized at the Hôtel-Dieu of Québec in July 1715 and died there on July 14, 1715. She was buried the same day in the hospital cemetery under the name "la bonne femme Baudet" (the good woman Baudet).

Family Connections

On June 27, 1704, Louise Prou, Marie Grandin's first cousin, instituted Marie as her sole heir (and the Baudet children as substitutes) before notary Louis Chambalon. However, on August 9, 1710, Louise Proux annulled and revoked this declaration, also before notary Louis Chambalon.

Legacy

Jean Baudet and Marie Grandin left a significant legacy through their ten children, who married and established families throughout New France. Their descendants continue to bear the Baudet/Beaudet name across North America today. Jean's contributions as an early settler, farmer, builder, and eel trader make them important figures in early Canadian history.

Notarial Records

The couple's lives are extensively documented through numerous notarial records, including contracts for land leases, sales, and agreements, demonstrating their active role in the economic life of early New France.

Credits and Licensing

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.

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

Sources

[^1]: Yves Landry: Orphelines en France, pionnières au Canada: Les Filles du roi au XVIIe siècle; revised edition 2013 Éd BQ ISBN 978-2-89406-340-8 pg 119 [^2]: Note: There were 2 Filles du Roi named Marie Grandin, not to be confused. The other came from Normandy and married Claude Robillard. [^3]: Migrations: navire Nouvelle France 1670 [^4]: Navires Nouvelle-France, engagés [^5]: Pionniers PRDH [^6]: Blogue de Guy Perron: L'Expédition du navire le Noir de Hollande pour Québec et la pêche en 1664 [^7]: Recensements de 1666-1667 en Nouvelle-France, referring to chapter IV of the book Histoire des Canadiens Français by Benjamin Sulte, compiled by Jean-Guy Sénécal (senecal at gel.ulaval.ca) on March 17, 1998 [^8]: BAnQ Notarial acts index [^9]: BANQ insinuation de contrat de mariage 1670 [^10]: BANQ: Insinuation de contrat de mariage à la prévôté de Québec, image Patrimoine québécois, Nouvelle-France. Cour de la prévôté de Québec. Fonds Cour supérieure. District judiciaire de Québec. BAnQ, Patrimoine, Archives, Bourdon, Jean, [vers 1601]-1668, Desportes, Hélène, [vers 1620]-1675, CR301,P114 [^11]: Mariage image IGD [^12]: Migrations: actes de filles du roi, mariage, image FamilySearch [^13]: L'ancêtre des Beaudet d'Amérique: Jean Baudet [^14]: Sépulture-Funeral Marie Josephe Baudet IGD [^15]: According to PRDH, citation on her profile [^16]: Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 - Drouin IGD [^17]: Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec - René Jetté pg 62 [^18]: Wikisource Recensement 1681 Census according to Benjamin Sulte [^19]: BANQ 25 Feb 1715 Donation [^20]: Sépulture-Funeral IGD [^21]: Registre Hôtel-Dieu de Québec pg 813

General References