Marriage: Jeanne Mercier & Claude Poulain 1639

Jeanne Mercier & Claude Basile Joseph Poulain

Jeanne Mercier (1621 – 1687)

Also known as: Merciere, Meteyer

Parents:
She was the daughter of Loup Mercier and Jeanne Gaillard.[1]

Birth:
In 1621, she was born in Les-Sables-d’Olonne, Les-Sables-d’Olonne, VendĂ©e, France.

Marriage:
On August 8, 1639, at Notre-Dame parish, Quebec, Canada, Jeanne Merciere, aged 13, married Claude Poulain, aged 23, son of Pascal Poulain and Marie Levert.[2]

Claude Basile Joseph POULAIN (1616 – 1687)

Also known as: Poullain

Parents:
He was the son of Pascal Poulain and Marie Levert.

Birth:
On January 25, 1616, he was born in Saint-Maclou, Rouen, Normandy, France, and was baptized the following day. His godparents were Marie Leclercc and Claude Levert.[3][4]

Migration to New France:
According to Fichier Origine, the first mention of his arrival dates to 1634.

However, in “The Jesuit Relations”: “In the afternoon of the same day (in the afternoon of June 11, 1636, feast of Saint Barnabas = another vessel having arrived carrying Governor Montmagny) another vessel was seen on the river; this vessel of Sieur Courpon carried several new families who came to increase the colony. It was a subject where God was to be praised, to see in these regions very delicate young ladies, tender little children coming out of a wooden prison as day emerges from the darkness of night, to enjoy, after so many months of crossing, such good health, despite all the inconveniences one receives in these floating houses, as if one had been walking in a carriage.” According to AbbĂ© Ferland, who reports the words of Father Lejeune just quoted, this vessel of Sieur Courpon carried Estienne Racine, Robert Caron, and Claude Poulain, who were among the first settlers of the BeauprĂ© coast.

On June 11/12, 1636, Claude Poulain disembarked at Quebec, Canada, from the unnamed vessel of Sieur Savinien Courpon de Latour – with 45 people on board. This navigator was captain of the flagship of the New France fleet, the “EspĂ©rance” from 1640, a vessel based in Dieppe, France.

According to Carpin, Claude Poulain landed in 1639,[5] but Carpin does not indicate if this was the arrival date; 1639 may instead correspond to the end year of an engagement contract, typically for 3 years.

Marcel Trudel tells us that he was described as an interpreter during a baptism sponsorship on March 5, 1639, so he must have arrived two or three years earlier.[6]

The story of the dramatic end of the vessel “EspĂ©rance” on November 8, 1649, is recounted by the chronicler David Asseline according to the testimony of a Jesuit, R.P. Le Juge. At anchor in Dieppe, this vessel was destroyed by a fire that cost the lives of more than 300 people on board, without the assistance of the sailors who remained idle
[7]

Claude Poulin was educated and knew how to read and write. He could sign his name.[6:1]

Children of Jeanne Mercier & Claude Poulain:

  1. Marie Poulin (1641 – 1716)
  2. Pascal Poulin (1645 – 1661)
  3. Madeleine Poulin (1646 – )
  4. Martin Poulin (1648 – 1710)
  5. RenĂ© Poulin (1651 – 1661)
  6. Ignace Poulin (1655 – 1720)
  7. Marguerite Poulin (1658 – 1722)
  8. Marie Poulin (1661 – 1743)
  9. Pierre Poulin (1664 – 1709)

Life Events:

In 1641, Claude Poulain, his wife Jeanne Mercier, and their daughter Marie returned to France, coming back to Canada in 1648. According to Marcel Trudel, they stayed in France from 1644 to 1646.[6:2]

On September 18, 1651, Claude Poulain obtained from Olivier Letardif a title of concession for a piece of land six arpents wide that he had acquired on September 1, 1651, from the Fabrique of Notre-Dame de Quebec for 50 livres.

On February 2, 1660, Claude Poulain was confirmed at ChĂąteau-Richer, Canada.[8]

1666 Census:
Claude Poulain, 48, carpenter, inhabitant; Jeanne Mercier, 40, his wife; Martin, 18; Ignace, 9; Marguerite, 6; Marie, 4; Pierre, 2; Magdeleine, 20. They lived in Beaupré, Canada.

1667 Census:
Claude Poulin, 31; Jeanne Meteyer, his wife, 40; Martin, 19; Ignace, 12; Marguerite, 9; Marie, 7; Pierre, 3; 8 livestock, 20 arpents under cultivation. They lived on the coast of Beaupré, Canada.[9]

1681 Census:
Claude Poulin, 65; Jeanne Mercier, his wife, 50; children: Martin, 33; Ignace, 24; Pierre, 17. They lived in the seigneury of Beaupré, Canada.[10]

Death:
On December 14, 1687, Jeanne Mercier, aged 65, died and was buried the same day at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Canada.[11]

On December 17, 1687, Claude Poulain, aged 71, died and was buried the next day at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Canada.[12]

Sources

  1. Baptism – Jeanne Mercier image 107. ↩

  2. Family Search – Marriage – Claude Poulain – Jeanne Merciere ↩

  3. Fichier Origine 243389 Claude Poulin / Poullain 2015 FĂ©dĂ©ration quĂ©bĂ©coise des sociĂ©tĂ©s de gĂ©nĂ©alogie//QuĂ©bec Federation of Genealogical Societies ↩

  4. Baptism, image File, AD-76 ↩

  5. Le rĂ©seau du Canada: Étude du mode migratoire de la France vers la Nouvelle-France (1628-1662), Gervais Carpin, Ed. Septentrion 2001 ISBN 2-89448-197-7 Ed. Presses de l’UniversitĂ© Paris-Sorbonne ISBN 2-84050-207-0 (pages 489, 572 #67) ↩

  6. Catalogue des immigrants 1632-1662: pg 62; Marcel Trudel, Ed. Hurtubise HMH 1983 ISBN 2-89045-579-3 (out of print) ↩ ↩ ↩

  7. Coupron – Burning of a vessel ↩

  8. Confirmation – Poulin Claude – Guy Perron’s blog ↩

  9. Wikisource: 1666-1667 Censuses according to Benjamin Sulte, Histoire des Canadiens-français, Tome 4, chap. 4 ↩

  10. Wikisource 1681 Census according to Benjamin Sulte, Histoire des Canadiens-français, Tome 5, chap. 4 ↩

  11. Family Search – Burial – Jeanne Mercier, wife of Claude Poullain ↩

  12. Family Search – Burial – Claude Poullain ↩

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