Bernard-Debure Marriage

Marie Debure & Jean Bernard dit Anse

A Life in New France

Marie Debure’s Early Life and First Marriage

Marie Debure was born around 1646 in Rouen, Normandy, the daughter of Vincent Debure and Suzanne Golin. Her parish of origin is uncertain – records variously mention Saint-Laurent, Saint-Maclou, or Saint-Sauveur, all in Rouen.[1][2][3]

After her father’s death, Marie came to Canada in 1665 at approximately 19 years of age. She arrived at Quebec City on June 18, 1665, aboard the vessel “Le St-Jean-Baptiste” from Dieppe. She traveled with her sister Suzanne Debure, her brother-in-law Louis Lefebvre dit Batanville, and their daughter Angelique.[4] Marie arrived as one of the “King’s Daughters” (Filles du Roi), young women whose immigration to New France was sponsored by King Louis XIV to help populate the colony. According to records, she was unable to sign her name.[1:1]

On October 6, 1665, Marie married Gilles Enard at Notre-Dame de Quebec. Their marriage contract was drawn up on July 23, 1665, by notary Michel Fillion, though neither spouse could sign it.[5] Gilles was born around 1636 in Saint-Nazaire in Andily-les-Marais (district and diocese of La Rochelle), Aunis, the son of Pierre Enard (or Esnard) and Hilaire Guirout. He had arrived in Canada in September 1646 to serve the Jesuits.[6][7]

The couple settled in Charlesbourg. They had one child, Marie Enard, who was born on August 19, 1666, and baptized on August 22 at Quebec City. Sadly, the child died shortly thereafter, before the 1667 census (possibly even before the 1666 census, though the exact date of the census is uncertain).[8]

The 1666 census listed: “NOTRE-DAME-DES-ANGES, LA RIVIÈRE SAINT-CHARLES ET CHARLESBOURG: Gilles Enard, 30, habitant; Marie Debure, 18, his wife.”[9]

Gilles Enard made his will before notary Duquet on September 12, 1666.[10] He died sometime between that date and December 27, 1666, when Marie remarried.

Second Marriage and Family with Jean Bernard dit Anse

Jean Bernard dit Anse (also known as Hanse, Hinse, or sometimes Bernard Anse) was the son of Jean Bernard and Catherine Fauden. He was born around 1643 in the parish of Sainte-Croix in Thionville (diocese of TrĂšves), Lorraine. Some records indicate he may have been from Erfurt, Thuringia, Germany.[11]

Jean’s first documented presence in the colony was a land concession granted by Charles Aubert de la Chenaye in August 1664. He was confirmed on May 1, 1666, at Quebec City, where he was identified as German in the register.[4:1]

On December 27, 1666, Jean Bernard married the widowed Marie Debure at Notre-Dame de Quebec. Neither spouse could sign the marriage contract drawn up on December 3, 1666, by notary Pierre Duquet.[12] The marriage record was witnessed by prominent figures including Daniel de RĂ©my (governor of New France), Jean DePeiras (the governor’s secretary), members of Marie’s family, and religious figures such as Brother Joseph Boursier of the Jesuits and Jean Bourdon, the King’s Attorney General in New France.[5:1]

Marie and Jean settled in the village of Saint-Bernard in the parish of Charlesbourg. Together, they had nine children:

  1. Marie Madeleine Bernard: Born and baptized on October 3, 1667, at Quebec City; died one week later and was buried on October 10.
  2. Louis Bernard: Born and baptized on October 11, 1668, at Quebec City; died sometime after the 1681 census.
  3. Nicolas Bernard: Born on June 7, 1670, and baptized the next day at Quebec City; married Marie Bruneau in 1707.
  4. Angélique Bernard: Born on August 29, 1672, and baptized the next day at Quebec City; married Jacques Boutin on June 20, 1691, at Charlesbourg.
  5. Charles Bernard: Baptized on December 14, 1674, at Sillery; married GeneviĂšve Martin on November 10, 1697, at St-Augustin.
  6. Jean Bernard: Born on October 1, 1677, and baptized the following day at Quebec City; married Marie Barbot on November 21, 1712, at Charlesbourg.
  7. Marie Madeleine Bernard: Born on December 20, 1680, at Charlesbourg and baptized the next day at Quebec City; as “Marie Anse” (age 19), she married François Millet on November 13, 1702, at St-Jean, Île d’OrlĂ©ans; after being widowed, she remarried as “Marie Ance” (age 25) to Robert Vermet on June 12, 1703, at Ste-Famille, Île d’OrlĂ©ans.
  8. Marie Anne Bernard: Born and baptized on February 28, 1683, at Charlesbourg; as “Jeanne Anse,” she married Jacques Brunel on March 31, 1704, at Varennes; she died as “Marie Jeanne Bernard,” widow of Jacques Brunel, on April 3, 1752, and was buried the next day at St-François-d’Assise de la Longue-Pointe in Montreal, recorded as 68 years old.
  9. Jeanne Bernard (also known as Marie-ThĂ©rĂšse): Born on April 17, 1685, and baptized two days later at Charlesbourg; as “Marie ThĂ©rĂšse Bernard,” she married Pierre Brosseau on January 7, 1704, at Quebec City (her parents listed as deceased); she died as “Marie ThĂ©rĂšse Ance” on August 3, 1732, and was buried the next day at Quebec City, aged approximately 45.[7:1][11:1]

The 1667 census recorded: “LA CÔTE DE NOTRE-DAME-DES-ANGES: Jean Bernard, 25; Marie de Bure, 22; Marie, 2 days; 1 head of livestock, 6 arpents under cultivation.”[9:1]

Financial records show that Jean Bernard dit Anse and Marie Debure took out loans on at least two occasions:

  • An obligation to Denis-Joseph Ruette D’Auteuil et de Monseaux on May 19, 1675 (Notary Romain Becquet)
  • An obligation to Jean-Baptiste de Peiras on April 26, 1678 (Notary Romain Becquet)[5:2]

The 1681 census for the Village of St-Bernard listed: “Jean Bernard, 23 [an apparent error, as he would have been about 38]; Marie Debure, his wife, 34; children: Louis 13, Nicolas 11, AngĂ©lique 9, Charles 8, Jean 4, Pierre 2 [likely an error for Marie Madeleine]; 2 mares; 10 arpents under cultivation.”[13]

Final Years

Jean Bernard dit Anse was found half-frozen on Lac Saint-Pierre and died en route to Quebec City, where he was being taken for medical care. He was buried at Champlain on February 15, 1698, recorded only under the name “Anse” and estimated to be about 60 years old.[14]

Marie Debure was admitted to the HĂŽtel-Dieu de QuĂ©bec on October 11, 1700, and died the same day. Her burial record does not name her specifically but refers to her as “the wife of Ance, residing in Quebec,” aged 69 years.[15][16][17]

Notes about Name Variations

There remains some confusion regarding the identities of Marie and Jean’s daughters due to name variations in the records:

  • Marie ThĂ©rĂšse: JettĂ© identifies her as Jeanne (born 1685), though records during her marriage variously name her Marie ThĂ©rĂšse, Marie, Marie AngĂ©lique, and (once) Jeanne. Her death record in 1732 gives her age as approximately 45 years.
  • Marie Anne/Jeanne: The daughter who married Jacques Brunel is identified by JettĂ© as Marie Anne, though she is named Jeanne or Marie Jeanne on all marriage records. Her age at death in 1752 (68 years) would align with being Jeanne.
  • Marie Madeleine: JettĂ© indicates she married François Millet, but records give her age as 19 at that marriage, and 25 when she remarried Robert Vermet a year later. Records from this second marriage name her either Marie or Marie Anne.

Tanguay’s records indicate Madeleine as married to François Millet and later Robert Vermet, Marie Anne as married to Jacques Brunel, Jeanne without a spouse, and Marie ThĂ©rĂšse (born circa 1686) as married to Pierre Brosseau.[18]

Michel Langlois claimed that Marie Debure was not the woman who died at the HĂŽtel-Dieu de QuĂ©bec on October 11, 1700, suggesting she had been confused with Marie Bourgeois, the wife of Jacques Anet.[19] However, the HĂŽtel-Dieu register clearly identifies the deceased as “the wife of Ance,” which has been verified by multiple researchers, indicating Langlois is mistaken.

Sources

Additional reference sources:

  • PRDH: Le Programme de recherche en dĂ©mographie historique (membership): https://www.genealogie.umontreal.ca/
  • Actes d’état civil et registres d’église du QuĂ©bec (Collection Drouin), 1621 Ă  1997 – Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection: Institut GĂ©nĂ©alogique Drouin IGD (membership) https://www.genealogiequebec.com
  • “Canada Marriages, 1661-1949,” database, FamilySearch https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F2KB-RZ3
  • BAnQ insinuation du contrat de mariage Ă  la PrĂ©vĂŽtĂ© de QuĂ©bec
  • Registre des confirmations de l’évĂȘchĂ© de QuĂ©bec: 1 mai 1666 Ă  QuĂ©bec image IGD

  1. Yves Landry: Orphelines en France, pionniĂšres au Canada: Les Filles du roi au XVIIe siĂšcle; Ă©dition rĂ©visĂ©e 2013 Éd BQ ISBN 978-2-89406-340-8 pg 91 ↩ ↩

  2. Dictionnaire gĂ©nĂ©alogique des familles du QuĂ©bec – RenĂ© JettĂ© pg 405 (membership IGD) ↩

  3. Tanguay, Cyprien, Dictionnaire GĂ©nĂ©alogique des Familles Canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu’à nos jours; MontrĂ©al, 1887 (7 volumes) Vol 1 pg 224 ↩

  4. Migrations: navire St-Jean-Baptiste 1665 ↩ ↩

  5. BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du rĂ©gime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 ↩ ↩ ↩

  6. Family Search “QuĂ©bec, registres paroissiaux catholiques, 1621-1979,” database with images, QuĂ©bec > Notre-Dame-de-QuĂ©bec > BaptĂȘmes, mariages, sĂ©pultures 1621-1679 > image 183 of 512; Archives Nationales du Quebec (National Archives of Quebec), Montreal. ↩

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

  8. Marriage image IGD ↩

  9. Recensements de 1666-1667 en Nouvelle-France, rĂ©fĂ©rant au chapitre IV du livre Histoire des Canadiens Français de Benjamin Sulte, compilĂ©s par Jean-Guy SĂ©nĂ©cal (senecal@gel.ulaval.ca) le 17 mars 1998 ↩ ↩

  10. Inventaire des testaments, donations et inventaires du rĂ©gime français conservĂ©s aux Archives judiciaires de QuĂ©bec, par Pierre-George Roy, Archiviste de la province, QuĂ©bec 1941 Vol 1 pg 195 Enard, Gilles, testament, Duquet, 12 septembre 1666. ↩

  11. Dictionnaire gĂ©nĂ©alogique des familles du QuĂ©bec – RenĂ© JettĂ© pg 89 (membership IGD) ↩ ↩

  12. Mariage 2 IGD ↩

  13. Wikisource Recensement 1681 Census selon Benjamin Sulte ↩

  14. SĂ©pulture-Funeral Anse image IGD ↩

  15. SĂ©pulture-Funeral IGD ↩

  16. Birth, Death, Marriage, Parents, Siblings Programme de Recherche en DĂ©mographie Historique, UniversitĂ© de MontrĂ©al (paid subscription) PRDH: Le Programme de recherche en dĂ©mographie historique (membership): Famille: 1844 ↩

  17. Registre HĂŽtel-Dieu de QuĂ©bec pg 479 ↩

  18. Tanguay, Cyprien, Dictionnaire GĂ©nĂ©alogique des Familles Canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu’à nos jours; MontrĂ©al, 1887 (7 volumes) Vol 1 pg 44 ↩

  19. Dictionnaire biographique des ancĂȘtres quĂ©bĂ©cois (1608-1700) T. II, Langlois, Michel, p. 46 ↩

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