Roy Ancestry – France to Canada (Part 4)

Nicolas LeRoy Family Tree

 

Nicolas LeRoy (1639-1690) and Jeanne Lelièvre (1640-1728)

 

Nicolas LeRoy was baptised on May 25, 1639 in Dieppe, Rouen, Normandy, France. The records show that he was baptized at St. Remy as the son of Anne LeMaitre, age 21, and Louis LeRoy, age 28 (refer to the Roy Ancestry – France to Canada, Part 2). His godparents were Jacques Baudoin and Françoise Preaux.

Jeanne Lelièvre married Nicolas LeRoy in February 1658 when she was 18 years old. She was born in 1640 in Honfleur, Basse-Normandie, France. The records indicate that she was the illegitimate daughter of Guillaume Lelievre, age 24.

The first child of Nicolas and Jeanne was born about 9 months after they were married. Louis (named after his grandfather), was baptised on November 26, 1658 in St. Rémy de Dieppe. Their second child, Nicolas (named after his father), was baptized on March 3,1661 in the same church. As shown in the following table prepared by researchers at Quebec’s PRDH, they had 10 children, 7 boys and 3 girls, in the 20 years from 1658 to 1678. Their first two children were born in France and the others were all born in Canada (New France). Their third son, Noel, was the first child born in Canada.

A New Beginning

The following observations are based on several sources, including Nicolas Leroi et Jeanne Lelièvre - une histoire à suivre by Jacqueline Sylvestre and Nicolas Le Roy et ses Descendants by Joseph-Edmond Roy.

On June 17, 1661, Nicolas signed a contract promising to repay the sum of 50 livres (which was the cost of his passage) to Jean Gloria eight days after his arrival in New France. The contract describes him as being a bourgeois of Dieppe. In those days, the term bourgeois meant a person who had some means but was not of the clergy or of the nobility. It was usually applied to a professional or tradesman. As the following graphic shows, Nicolas signed his name with an assured hand on this contract and others later on in his life which suggests that he had received some schooling.

The research indicates that Nicolas LeRoy emigrated to New France in May 1662 along with his recently widowed mother (Anne LeMaitre), his wife and their two children (Louis and Nicolas). Their sailing ship, The Garden of Holland, arrived in Quebec City. It was the custom for new arrivals to serve a contract of 36 months in the new land. This contract obliged the patron to provide an agreed upon wage, food and clothing. There are no records to indicate  what kind of work Nicolas LeRoy did during this period.

Jeanne’s father, Guillaume Lelièvre, had preceded them to New France. The records show that he signed a marriage contract before the Notary Adouart on August 28, 1660 to wed Marguerite Milliet, widow of Pierre Briscoté. Unfortunately, she drowned two days later while travelling from Beauport to Quebec City. There are no indications that he ever re-married but he lived on his land at Île d'Orléans and maintained close ties with his soon to arrive family.

On November 10, 1663, Jeanne Lelièvre was ordered to appear before the sovereign council due to a complaint sworn in by Anne Chevalier. Jeanne was represented by her father. The reason for the requested appearance was not given and no other paperwork ensued. In those days, even small matters, such as quarrels between neighbours, were addressed by the sovereign council.

On June 8th 1664, Nicolas received a land grant in the seigneury of Beaupré. The contract was signed before Notary Pierre Duquet with the seigneuress Guillemette Hébert Couillard. The LeRoy’s family obligations are as follows:

• they must pay the sum of “12 deniers & 20 sols” for each measure of land (arpent) and 3 live poultry, payable on the day of the winter feast of St. Martin (November 11).
• they must maintain each side of their property and a 6 foot wide and 15 foot road along the St. Lawrence River.
• they must mill their grain at the seigneuress' mill.
• the fields are commonly held but they must mow them on their property.
• they must raise fences, otherwise they are responsible for damage to their property.
• they must pay their tithe to the priest.

In the 1666 census, Nicolas LeRoy is described as a gamekeeper with 4 cattle and 7 “arpents” under cultivation. His children are listed as Louis 7, Nicolas 5, Noël 3, and Marie-Jeanne, 16 months. Another member of the household was listed as Jean Brière, aged 24. He was described as a hired domestic and baker. Because the 1666 census had many errors, it was redone in 1667. By then, the household had a new baby, Guillaume, aged 2 months. When the census takers arrived at Guillaume Lelièvre’s house on île D'Orléans several months later, they find him with his grandson, Noël, and Jean Brière who probably came for a visit. 

On July 6, 1670, tragedy struck when a fire in the LeRoy home claimed the lives of 2-year-old Anne and 1-year-old Jean. The family was devastated!

In 1677, the family moved to the south shore of the St. Lawrence River. An undated draft document was found in the notes of Notary Romain Becquet covering the period from July 27 to August 28, 1677. The document indicates that Nicolas LeRoy (having lived for 1 year on said property) and the seigneur Olivier Morel de la Durantaye agreed to have Nicolas exploit the seigneur’s property in exchange for rent. The lease was to begin in April and have a duration of 4 years. This lease was renewed by Morel’s daughter in a document signed before Notary Rageot on February 16, 1686.The area was first known as the La Durantaye seigneury. When a church was built, it took the name of St. Michel de La Durantaye. Eventually the territory was split in two; the western part keeping the name of St. Michel and the eastern part taking on that of St. Vallier de Bellechasse.

St. Vallier Church, Quebec

St. Vallier de Bellechasse, Quebec

According to the records, Nicolas LeRoy died on April 27, 1690 at the age of 50 years, at La Durantaye, Bellechasse, Quebec. He was buried at the St. Vallier Cemetery. About five years after Nicolas died, his wife Jeanne Lelièvre married François Molinet on February 8, 1695 in St-Étienne de Beaumont. She died on January 11, 1728 at St. Vallier, Quebec, having lived a long life of 88 years, and was buried there. 

It is noteworthy that descendants of the Roy families continue to this day at the homestead established by Nicolas and Jeanne at La Durantaye, Bellechasse, Quebec.

Roy Family Ancestry