Noël Simard dit Lombrette & Marie-Madeleine Racine

Noël Simard dit Lombrette: Biography

Noël Simard dit Lombrette was born around 1637 in Puymoyen, near Angoulême, Angoumois (now Angoulême, Charente, Poitou-Charentes), France.[^1][^2] He was the son of Pierre Simard and Suzanne Durand.[^1:1]

Pierre Simard was born around 1602 in Saint-Vincent, in the town of Puymoyen, Angoulême, in Angoumois (modern-day department of Charente). He was the son of Marsault Simard and Ozanne Soullet (or Goulet). Pierre worked as a mason in the Angoulême region. He signed a marriage contract in Angoulême with Catherine Boudier on May 25, 1631, but they had no children. He later married Suzanne Durand on December 2, 1635. Suzanne was the daughter of Louis Durand and Françoise Levrauld from Angoulême. The couple had two children: Noël (born around 1637) and Suzanne.

Pierre crossed the Atlantic in late May 1657 with his son Noël, who was 21 years old at the time. Their ship, the “Taureau,” docked in Quebec on June 21, 1657.[^1:2] Catherine likely did not accompany them, or if she did, she probably disliked the new country and returned immediately. Historical documents are silent on this matter.

On January 30, 1655, Pierre Simard (dit Lombrette), along with Robert Paré and Mathurin Meunier, each received a land grant on the Côte de Beaupré from Jean de Lauzon, Sr., Governor of New France. Pierre and his son remained together. The land belonged to the father, but Noël worked on it and intended to settle there.

Marriage and Family

On November 13, 1661, Noël Simard committed to marry Marie-Madeleine Racine, who was baptized in Quebec on July 25, 1646.[^3] She was the daughter of pioneer Étienne Racine and Marguerite Martin (a Fille à Marier), and the granddaughter of the royal pilot Abraham Martin. Marie-Madeleine was about fifteen years old at the time. The marriage was celebrated in Château-Richer on Tuesday, November 22, 1661.[^3:1][^1:3]

Marie-Madeleine gave birth to fourteen children. All eight sons and six daughters married and established their own households. Ten of these children have descendants relevant to the genealogy referenced in the original document.

Census Records

Settlement at Baie-Saint-Paul

Around 1680, the Simard family settled in Baie-Saint-Paul, at a location called Cap Maillard in Petite-Rivière-St-François. There, they joined the Tremblay, Bouchard, Fortin, Lavoie, and Lacroix families.

Noël Simard was one of the pioneers of that area. Father and son initially settled at Château-Richer, with the father using his skills as a mason and the son cultivating the land. By 1667, they owned thirteen arpents of cleared land and had four cattle in their barn. Fourteen years later, at the time of the 1681 census, these numbers had grown to thirty arpents and twenty horned animals, indicating considerable success. That same year, Noël Simard moved to Baie-St-Paul with part of his family.

Death

Ancestor Pierre Simard died after the 1681 census. His son Noël, after 54 years of marriage, was buried in Baie-St-Paul on July 24, 1715.[^4][^5][^1:4][^6] His widow, Marie-Madeleine Racine, passed away during the summer of 1726 at the age of 81.[^9]

Occupation

Noël Simard was a farmer (cultivateur).

Legacy

The name “Simard” means “famous victory.”

Noël Simard is the ancestor of the majority of descendants bearing the Simard name who appear in the PRDH database. The Simard surname ranks 19th among the most common family names in Quebec at the end of the 20th century, ranking between the surnames Girard and Boucher.

All Simards in Canada are descendants of Noël Simard. Today, this family is one of the largest in the country. They can be found almost everywhere, but mainly in the counties of Charlevoix, Saguenay, Chicoutimi, Lac-St-Jean, and Roberval.

Marie-Madeleine Racine (1646-1726)

Sources

[^1]: Fichier Origine, Noël Simard / Lombrette: a) file profile, b) Archives file [^1:1]: Fichier Origine, Noël Simard / Lombrette, profile file: Fichier Origine, Noël SImard / Lombrette [^1:2]: Fichier Origine, Noël Simard / Lombrette, profile file: Fichier Origine, Noël SImard / Lombrette [^1:3]: Fichier Origine, Noël Simard / Lombrette, profile file: Fichier Origine, Noël SImard / Lombrette [^1:4]: Fichier Origine, Noël Simard / Lombrette, profile file: Fichier Origine, Noël SImard / Lombrette [^2]: PRDH pioneer, PRDH: Le Programme de recherche en démographie historique (free): Pioneer: 68958 Noël Simard Lombrette [^3]: IGD Baptism record (Marie-Madeleine Racine) [^3:1]: FamilySearch, Marriage of Noël Symard and Marie Magdeleine Racine [^4]: PRDH, PRDH: Le Programme de recherche en démographie historique (membership): record: 9970 Burial record for Noel Simar Lombrette at Baie-St-Paul: “The priest being temporarily absent, he was buried by the villagers.” [^5]: FamilySearch, Burial – Noël Simard [^6]: Find A Grave: Memorial #65122773 [^7]: IGD Baptism record (Marie-Madeleine Racine) [^8]: IGD Marriage record (Noël Simard and Marie-Madeleine Racine) [^9]: Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979 Baie-Saint-Paul Saint-Pierre-et-Saint-Paul-de-Baie-Saint-Paul Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1681-1789 – Year 1727 Image 132 of 1071 – FamilySearch Record

Additional References

Credits and Licensing

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.

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