Probate Record Ducharme & Roy

Catherine Ducharme & Pierre Roy

A New France Pioneer Family

Catherine Ducharme (c.1657-1719)

Catherine Ducharme (sometimes spelled Ducharne)[1] was born around 1657 on Rue des Poiriers in the parish of Saint-Benoît, Paris, France. She was the daughter of Jean Ducharme (or Ducharne), a master woodworker, and Catherine Dupré.[2] Some sources incorrectly list her mother as Anne Lelièvre, who was actually Jean Ducharme’s first wife and the mother of Catherine’s half-sisters Marguerite, Madeleine, and Barbe.[3]

Catherine arrived in Quebec on August 15, 1671, aboard the ship Saint-Jean-Baptiste as a Fille du Roi (King’s Daughter).[4] Records indicate she was unable to sign her name.[5] Upon arrival in New France, the young Catherine, only about 14 years old, lived with her uncle Fiacre Ducharme, a master carpenter, who was a neighbor of the Maison Saint-Gabriel at Pointe-Saint-Charles in Montreal, until her marriage.

Pierre Roy (1643-1721)

Pierre Roy (sometimes recorded as Leroy) was born in France, baptized on October 23, 1643, in Saint-Michel-le-Cloucq (Saint-Michel) in Poitou (now in the district of Fontenay-le-Comte, Vendée).[6] He was the son of Charles Roy (or Leroy) and Jeanne Boyer (sometimes recorded as Bouhier).[7]

The first recorded mention of Pierre in New France appears in the 1666 census, where he is listed as a hired servant in the household of merchant Jacques Leber in Montreal. At that time, he was recorded as 22 years old.[8] He cannot be found in the 1667 census and was no longer employed in Leber’s household.

Marriage and Family Life

A marriage contract between Pierre Roy and Catherine Ducharme was drawn up by notary Bénigne Basset on December 27, 1671.[9] The couple married on January 12, 1672, at Notre-Dame de Montréal. The marriage record describes Pierre as an “inhabitant of La Prairie” and names his parents as Charles Leroy and Jeanne Boyer of the parish of Saint-Michel-le-Clou in Poitou, diocese of La Rochelle. Catherine is listed as the daughter of Jean Ducharme, carpenter of Paris, and Anne Lelièvre (though this maternal name is incorrect, as noted above). The ceremony was performed by priest Gilles Perot, with witnesses including Monsieur de Carion, Fiacre Ducharme (Catherine’s uncle), and Nicolas Boyer.[10] Neither spouse could sign the marriage contract.

Pierre and Catherine settled in Laprairie and established themselves as farmers. The 1681 census for Prairie de la Magdelaine lists their household as follows:

  • Pierre Roy, age 39
  • Catherine Ducharme, his wife, age 24
  • Children: Marguerite (7), Pierre (6), Catherine (5), Marie (4), Étienne (3), Anne (1½)
  • Possessions: 1 gun, 3 horned animals, 5 arpents of cultivated land[11]

Pierre and Catherine had a remarkably large family, even by the standards of New France. Together they had 17 children (sometimes reported as 18), the most of any Fille du Roi.[12] Ten of these children are known to have married and established families of their own.[13]

On June 21, 1700, Pierre Roy and Catherine Ducharme made a donation to Antoine Rougier dit Lafrance, the widower of their daughter Catherine, as recorded by notary Antoine Adhémar.[14]

Children

The children of Pierre Roy and Catherine Ducharme were:[15]

  1. Marie Anne Roy (c.1672-July 4, 1744) – married André Babeu on November 14, 1689
  2. Marguerite Roy (July 4, 1674-December 13, 1749) – later became Sister de La Conception with the Congregation Notre-Dame
  3. Pierre Roy (January 3, 1677-1743) – married Marguerite Ouabanakikoue before June 1706
  4. Catherine Roy (April 10, 1678-April 16, 1700) – married Antoine François Rougier
  5. Pierre Louis Roy (June 17, 1679-April 26, 1743) – married Marie Angélique Faye on April 20, 1705
  6. Marie Marguerite Roy (May 25, 1681-December 31, 1757) – married Clément Leriger
  7. Jean Roy (February 22, 1683-March 2, 1689) – died in childhood
  8. Marie Magdeleine Roy (August 19, 1684-February 23, 1726) – married Jean Perras on October 25, 1701
  9. Gabriel Roy (September 19, 1686-October 13, 1688) – died in childhood
  10. Jacques Roy (May 13, 1688-August 9, 1731) – married Marthe Marguerite French on November 24, 1711
  11. François Leroy (twin) (January 8, 1691-August 21, 1778) – married Madeleine Trudeau on August 27, 1731
  12. Étienne Leroy (twin) (January 8, 1691-December 3, 1727)
  13. André Leroy (December 14, 1692-October 23, 1754) – married Suzanne Gourdon on November 7, 1718
  14. Louis Leroy (August 20, 1694-unknown) – married first Marguerite Dumais on April 24, 1718, and second Jeanne Magnus
  15. Antoine Roy (January 29, 1696-1717)
  16. Marie Josephe Roy (May 20, 1697-September 13, 1772) – married Louis Trudeau on May 31, 1719
  17. Angélique Roy (July 15, 1701-July 16, 1701) – died in infancy

Final Years

Catherine Ducharme died at about 62 years of age and was buried on February 21, 1719, in the cemetery of the parish of Notre-Dame in Montreal.[16]

Pierre Roy survived his wife by more than two years. He was buried on October 28, 1721, in Montreal (Notre-Dame) after receiving the sacraments. The burial record states his age as approximately 83 years. Present at his burial were André Babeu, his son-in-law, and Pierre Roy, his son (which Pierre was not specified in the record).[17]

Research Notes

Several potential children have been mentioned in various sources that require further research:

  • A Marie Ann Roy born in 1703 has been listed as a child, but no supporting evidence has been found.
  • A Geneviève Roy born in 1700 has been incorrectly attributed to this family. Records show that the Geneviève Roy born on April 9, 1700, was actually the daughter of a different Pierre Roy and his wife Marguerite Levasseur. She was baptized on April 10, 1700, at Notre-Dame-de-Québec in Quebec, with godparents Charles Jeanvrain and Geneviève Gouyon.[18]

Family Connections

There is an interesting potential family connection worth investigating. At the baptism of Marguerite Boier, daughter of Nicolas Boyer, on April 25, 1668, in Montreal (Notre-Dame), Pierre Roy served as godfather.[19] Pierre’s mother was named Jeanne Boyer/Bouhier, and both Pierre and Nicolas came from the same region of France, from locations very close to each other. Nicolas Boyer was also present at Pierre Roy’s wedding in 1672, though no family relationship was stated in the record. It remains an open question whether they were related, requiring further research in French records.

Name Variations

It’s worth noting that Catherine’s father Jean signed documents in Paris as “Ducharne” rather than “Ducharme,” and Catherine’s uncle Fiacre’s children were all baptized under the name “Ducharne.” The spelling appears to have changed to “Ducharme” after the family’s arrival in New France.[20]

Notarial Records

Several notarial records exist documenting the lives of Pierre Roy and Catherine Ducharme:[21]

  • Marriage contract between Pierre Roy and Catherine Ducharme (December 27, 1671). Notary Bénigne Basset
  • Employment agreement of Mathurin Valliquet to Pierre Roy (April 7, 1675). Notary Bénigne Basset
  • Land contract for Pierre LeRoy (September 30, 1689). Notary Bénigne Basset
  • Donation by Pierre Roy of a plot of land to make a village at La Prairie Saint-Lambert (February 5, 1690). Notary Antoine Adhémar
  • Declaration of Pierre Roy against Bénigne Basset, in favor of the co-heirs of Cael’s widow (February 18, 1692). Notary Antoine Adhémar
  • Employment agreement of Pierre Roy, Charles Primot, Mathieu Sauton and Jean Boyer to the Jesuit Fathers (August 6, 1692). Notary Antoine Adhémar
  • Donation from Pierre Roy and Catherine Ducharme his wife, to Antoine Rougier dit Lafrance (June 21, 1700). Notary Antoine Adhémar

Parisian Notarial Records

Parisian records provide additional information about Catherine’s family background:[22]

  • Marriage contract of Catherine’s parents (January 20, 1657) before notaries Claude Ménard and Pierre Parque, Study XXXIX. Jean Ducharne, master carpenter, living on Rue des Poiriers, parish of Saint-Benoît, and Catherine Dupré, daughter of Jacques, merchant living in Mantes, and the late Avoye Touré. Catherine’s dowry was 1,050 livres.

  • Inventory after death of Anne Lelièvre (June 14, 1657) before notaries Charles Quarré and Jacques Ricordeau, Study XLIII 85. Jean Ducharme is described as master carpenter in Paris, residing on Rue des Poirées, parish of Saint-Benoît. The document mentions his daughters with Anne: Marguerite (8), Madeleine (5), and Barbe (3).

  • Declaration by Jean Ducharne (August 8, 1679) before notary Charles Quarré, Study XLIII 170. Jean is named guardian of his grandson Jean Poupinel, 10 months, son of the deceased François and Françoise Ducharne, Jean’s daughter.

  • Obligation and constitution by Jean Ducharne (October 15, 1682) before notaries Charles Quarré and Claude Monnerat, Study XLIII 183. This document mentions that after the death of Catherine Dupré, Jean could no longer care for his grandson Jean Le Poupinel.

  1. Fichier Catherine Ducharme, Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie, 2020. ↩︎

  2. Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730, René Jetté, with the collaboration of PRDH, 1983, Presses de l’Université de Montréal, p. 1018. ↩︎

  3. Les familles pionnières de la Nouvelle-France dans les archives du Minutier central des notaires de Paris, Presented and annotated by Marcel Fournier, Author Jean-Paul Macouin, Société de recherche historique Archiv-Histo, 2016, pp. 72-73. ↩︎

  4. Migrations: navire St-Jean-Baptiste 1671. ↩︎

  5. 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, pp. 99-100. ↩︎

  6. Baptism image, Fichier Pierre Roy. ↩︎

  7. Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730, René Jetté, with the collaboration of PRDH, 1983, Presses de l’Université de Montréal, p. 1018. ↩︎

  8. Recensements de 1666-1667 en Nouvelle-France, referencing chapter IV of the book Histoire des Canadiens Français by Benjamin Sulte, compiled by Jean-Guy Sénécal, March 17, 1998. ↩︎

  9. BAnQ Notarial acts index, Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, by Pierre Georges Roy and Antoine Roy; 27 Volumes + index 1-8, Vol I, p. 207. ↩︎

  10. Marriage image, Institut Généalogique Drouin (IGD). ↩︎

  11. Wikisource Recensement 1681 Census according to Benjamin Sulte, Histoire des Canadiens-français, Volume 5, chapter 4. ↩︎

  12. Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 – Drouin IGD. ↩︎

  13. Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730, René Jetté, with the collaboration of PRDH, 1983, Presses de l’Université de Montréal, p. 1018. ↩︎

  14. BAnQ Notarial acts index, Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, by Pierre Georges Roy and Antoine Roy; 27 Volumes + index 1-8, Vol VI, p. 31. ↩︎

  15. Children Records: images and database in Genealogy Quebec; citing Drouin Institute, 2024, LAFRANCE Couple Search Roy and Ducharme. ↩︎

  16. Burial record image, Institut Généalogique Drouin (IGD). ↩︎

  17. Burial record image, Institut Généalogique Drouin (IGD). ↩︎

  18. Baptism Records: images and database in Genealogy Quebec; citing Drouin Institute, 2024, LAFRANCE Baptism IGD. Entry for Geneviève Roy, daughter of Pierre Roy and Marguerite Levasseur, born on April 9, 1700, and baptized on April 10, 1700, in Québec (Notre-Dame-de-Québec). ↩︎

  19. Baptism Records: images and database in Genealogy Quebec; citing Drouin Institute, 2024, LAFRANCE Baptism IGD. Entry for Marguerite Boier, daughter of Nicolas Boier and Marguerite Maquelain, baptized on April 25, 1668, in Montréal (Notre-Dame-de-Montréal). ↩︎

  20. Notes from Catherine Ducharme’s profile regarding her father’s name. ↩︎

  21. BAnQ Notarial acts index, Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, by Pierre Georges Roy and Antoine Roy; 27 Volumes + index 1-8. ↩︎

  22. Les familles pionnières de la Nouvelle-France dans les archives du Minutier central des notaires de Paris, Presented and annotated by Marcel Fournier, Author Jean-Paul Macouin, Société de recherche historique Archiv-Histo, 2016, pp. 72-73. ↩︎

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