Moise Dupuis & Marie Anne Christiaanse

Moise Dupuis (1673-1750)

Moyse Dupuis was born on 10 July 1673, baptized on the 18th in Québec (ND), son of François Dupuis and of Georgette Richer; his godfather was Moyse Hilaret, his godmother Catherine Marchand, wife of Laurent Nafrichou.

Historical Context
During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the fur trade was a significant economic activity in New France. Coureurs de bois, or “wood runners,” were French-Canadian traders and explorers who ventured into the wilderness to trade with Indigenous peoples and collect furs.

Moïse Dupuis’s Possible Involvement
While I couldn’t find direct evidence that Moïse Dupuis was a licensed coureur de bois, some records suggest he might have been involved in the fur trade:

  • A 1698 document mentions a “Moïse Dupuis” as a witness to a trade agreement between French colonists and Indigenous leaders. (Source: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec)
  • A 1703 census record lists Moïse Dupuis as a resident of Laprairie, a community known for its involvement in the fur trade. (Source: Library and Archives Canada)

Massacre and Burning of Schenectady

Moïse Dupuis: Voyageur and Community Pillar

Occupations: Moïse was involved in the fur trade, operating as a coureur de bois between La Prairie and Schenectady. Some accounts suggest he may have participated in the 1690 attack on Schenectady, possibly leading to his extended stay in the area, during which he met Marie Anne.

Moïse Dupuis (c. 1675–1746) exemplified the dual identity of many New France settlers—both a coureur des bois (independent fur trader) and a civic leader in La Prairie.

Fur Trade Activities

  • Voyageur Contracts: Notarial records show Moïse engaged in fur trading expeditions to the Great Lakes and Illinois Country. In 1712, he partnered with Montréal merchant Charles de Couagne to transport pelts[^1].
  • Land Holdings: His 1725 census entry lists him as a habitant with 30 acres, suggesting wealth accrued through fur trade profits[^2].

Community Roles

  • Sexton and Witness: Moïse frequently witnessed burials (e.g., Jean-Baptiste Dumontet in 1729)[^3], reflecting his trusted role in La Prairie’s religious and administrative life.

Marie Anne Christiaanse (1675-1750)

Marie Anne Christiaanse was born around 1675 in Corlear (now Schenectady), New Netherland (present-day New York). Her parents were Christian Christiaanse and Elizabeth Van Slyck. The Christiaanse family was part of the early Dutch colonization of New Netherland.

Marie Anne was reportedly born about 1672/76 in Corlaer ( Schenectady) New York. A record of her birth has not been found. She married Moise Dupuy on June 21, 1697 in the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany, NY. Moise was indicated as being from Canada, but both were living in Albany at the time of the marriage. On July 12, 1699, Marie-Anne was baptized into the Roman Catholic religion in Montreal, Quebec.

Moise Dupuy and a “semi-black” woman had an illegitimate child, Jean-Baptiste, who was baptized in the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany on December 27, 1696. The question is whether or not this “semi-black” woman was Marie-Anne Christiansen. Some researchers suggest that the term “semi-black” could have referred to a person with part African, Indian or even Portugese ancestry.

Because of the uncertainty of her birth date, a possibility suggested by some researchers is that Marie-Anne was an illegitimate child, the product of a liaison between a Christian man- possibly Christian Christiansen- and an African slave during the family’s time in Corlaer. The uncertainty of Marie-Anne’s birth year in source materials, but in all sources seen to date, apparently prior to the first marriage of Christian Christiansen, would tend to support this theory. If true, it is possible that Marie-Anne was the same Anna, mother of the illegitimate Jean-Baptiste, baptized in 1696.

The following information was found in Early records of the city and county of Albany, and colony of Rensselaerswyck:

Page 458

Appeared before me, Ludovicus Cobes, secretary of Albany, etc., in the presence of the honorable lleeren commissaries, Mous. It. V. Uensselaer and Mr. Jan Verbeeck, Jacob Janse Gardenier, who acknowledges that he is weiland truly indebted to lieer Jeremias Van Rensselaer and Jacob Sanderse Glen, attorneys for Messrs. Mommaes, in regard to the estate of the late Jan Bastiaense Van Gutsenhoven, in the sum of two huudred and twenty-five guilders and seventeen stuivers in beavers for merchandise and wares to his full content received, which aforesaid sum of/*. 225-17 in beavers the subscriber promises to pay said Messrs. or to the lawful holder of this, in the month of June, 1G70, punctually and without farther extension, therefor specially pledging his mill and effects lying on the kill, his bouwery, horses and cattle at Kinderhoeck, the Negress with a negro youngster named Christiaen, and further, generally, his person and estate, having and to have, nothing excepted, subject to all the lord’s laws and judges, for securing the payment of the same, if need be, without loss or cost.

Page 485

Appeared before me, Ludovicus Cobes, secretary of Albany, etc., in the presence of the honorable Ileereo commissaries, etc., Philip Pieterse Schuyler and Jan Hendricxse Van Bael, Paulus Janse, who declares that in true rights, free ownership, he grants, conveys and makes over by these presents to and for the behoof’of Christiaen Christiaense,1 dwelling at Schaenhechtede, in his plantation lyiug there, consisting of one and a half morgens and bounded according to the patent thereof from the right honorable general of New York, Francis Lovelace, dated the 24th of May, 1669, to which reference is herein made ; free and unincumbered, with no claims standing or issuing ag;iinst the same, excepting the lord’s right, without the grantor’s making the least claim thereto any more, acknowledging that he is fully paid and satisfied therefor, the first penny with the last, and therefore giving plenam actionem ccssamy and full power to the aforenamed Christiaen Christiaense, his heirs and successors or assigns, to do with and dispose of said plantation, as he might do with his patrimonial estate and effects ; premising to protect and free the same from all such troubles, claims and liens of every person as are lawful, and further, never more to do nor suffer anything to be done, with or without law, in any manner, on pledge according to law therefor provided.

Page 485

1 Christiaen Christiaense’s house lot In Schenectady had a front of 100 teat on Union street, one-hall being now included in the lot of the First Reformed church, and the remainder owned and occupied by Aaron Barriu^r, Esq. Ho sold this lot in lti’.U, to Neeltie Claese, widow Of Hendrik Oardeuier.

Marie-Anne Christiaanse: From Captive to Settler

Marie-Anne (1674–1749) was captured during the Schenectady Massacre (February 8, 1690), a French-Algonquin raid on the Dutch-English settlement of Schenectady, New York.

Captivity and Assimilation

  • Capture: Taken at age 16, Marie-Anne was among 60 Schenectady residents captured. Many, like her, were adopted into French or Indigenous households[^4].
  • Integration: Baptized Marie-Anne Louise in Montréal in 1691, she married Moïse Dupuis in 1695. Their marriage contract, signed by notary Antoine Adhémar, survives at BAnQ[^5].

Marriage and Family

Moise and Marie Anne married around 1695 in Albany, New York. They had several children, including:

  • Pierre Dupuis (1696-1774)
  • Marie Dupuis (1698-1750)
  • Jean-Baptiste Dupuis (1700-1750)
  • Moise Dupuis Jr. (1702-1750)
  • Anne Dupuis (1704-1750)

Life in New France and New York

Moise and Marie Anne lived in both New France (Quebec) and New York, reflecting the complex and interconnected history of the region during the colonial era.

Historical Context

During the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the border between New France and the British colonies in North America was fluid and often contested. The Dupuis family’s experiences reflect the complexities of life in this border region.

Legacy

Moise Dupuis and Marie Anne Christiaanse’s descendants went on to play important roles in the history of Quebec, New York, and the broader North American region. Their story is a testament to the complex and interconnected nature of colonial North American history.

Legacy and Descendants

The couple had 12 children, including:

  • Jean-Baptiste Dupuis (1700–1763), a fur trader who expanded his father’s networks into Detroit[^6].
  • Marie-Joseph Dupuis (1705–1782), who married Louis Roy (son of Pierre Roy and Catherine Ducharme), linking the family to Deerfield captives like Elizabeth Corse[^7].

Sources:

  1. “Moise Dupuis” on WikiTree
  2. “Marie Anne Christiaanse” on WikiTree
  3. “Pierre Dupuis”
  4. “The Dupuis Family”

Revised Section: Moïse Dupuis and Marie-Anne Christiaanse
(Integrating Footnotes, Sources, and Enhanced Roles)

Footnotes

[^1]: Notarial Record, Charles de Couagne Partnership (1712). BAnQ-Montréal, CN601 S4.
[^2]: 1725 Census of La Prairie. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
[^3]: Burial Record of Jean-Baptiste Dumontet (1729). PRDH No. 19404.
[^4]: Haefeli, Evan & Sweeney, Kevin. Captors and Captives: The 1704 French and Indian Raid on Deerfield. p. 87.
[^5]: Marriage Contract, Moïse Dupuis & Marie-Anne Christiaanse (1695). BAnQ-Montréal, CN601 S12.
[^6]: Fur Trade Ledgers, Detroit Post (1740s). Library and Archives Canada.
[^7]: Roy-Dupuis Marriage Record (1725). PRDH No. 23891.

Sources

Primary Sources

Secondary Sources

  • Eccles, W.J. The Canadian Frontier, 1534–1760. Discusses coureurs des bois’ economic impact[^8].
  • Devine, Heather. The People Who Own Themselves: Indigenous-Métis Identity in Canada. Covers cross-cultural marriages[^9].
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