Marriage 1661 Besnard-Sedilot

René Besnard dit Bourjoli & Marie Sédilot

Introduction

This document presents a historical genealogy of René Besnard dit Bourjoli et Carignan, a soldier in the La Fouille company who lived in New France (present-day Quebec) during the 17th century, and his wife Marie Sédilot. The information presented here is based on available historical records and scholarly research.

René Besnard dit Bourjoli et Carignan

Origins and Early Life

René Besnard, known by the dit names “Bourjoli” and “Carignan,” was born around 1637 in France. Records indicate he originated from the parish of Saint-Pierre in the town of Neufchâtel, diocese of Rouen, in the province of Normandy, France.[1]

Like many soldiers who came to New France during this period, René Besnard arrived as part of the Carignan-Salières Regiment. Specifically, he served in the La Fouille company, which was one of the approximately twenty companies of this regiment that arrived in Quebec between 1665 and 1668.[2]

Military Service

The Carignan-Salières Regiment was dispatched to New France by King Louis XIV with the primary mission of confronting the Iroquois threat that had been plaguing the colony. This regiment, consisting of about 1,200 men, represented the first significant military force sent by France to defend its North American colony.[3]

René Besnard’s service in the La Fouille company would have involved participating in military campaigns against the Iroquois, including the construction and manning of forts along the Richelieu River. This river was strategic as it was the primary route used by the Iroquois for their raids into French territory.[4]

His dit name “Carignan” likely derives from his association with this regiment, a common practice among soldiers who adopted nicknames that reflected their military affiliations.[5]

Settlement in New France

Following the completion of his military service when many companies of the regiment were recalled to France in 1668, René Besnard chose to remain in New France. The French authorities actively encouraged soldiers to settle in the colony by offering land grants and other incentives.[6]

On April 15, 1670, René Besnard married Marie Sédilot at Trois-Rivières.[7] This marriage marked his transition from military life to that of a colonial settler.

Land and Property

After his marriage, René Besnard established himself as a resident of Batiscan, a settlement located on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River between Quebec City and Trois-Rivières. Records indicate that he received land grants in this area, which was being developed as part of the seigneurial system that characterized land distribution in New France.[8]

As a settler, René would have engaged primarily in agriculture, the dominant economic activity in rural New France. This involved the arduous task of clearing the forested land and establishing a farm to support his family.[9]

Family Life

René Besnard and Marie Sédilot had several children, including:

  1. Mathurin Besnard, baptized on January 13, 1671, at Trois-Rivières[10]
  2. François Besnard, born around 1673
  3. Marie-Jeanne Besnard, born around 1675
  4. Jean Besnard, born around 1677
  5. Charles Besnard, born around 1679
  6. René Besnard, born around 1681
  7. Catherine Besnard, born around 1684

The family grew up in the Batiscan area, where René established their homestead. Like other colonial families, they would have faced the challenges of frontier life, including harsh winters, the threat of conflict with Indigenous peoples, and the difficulties of establishing agriculture in a new environment.[11]

Later Life and Death

René Besnard dit Bourjoli et Carignan died on September 8, 1712, in Batiscan, at approximately 75 years of age.[12] His life spanned a significant period in the development of New France, from the early military campaigns against the Iroquois to the more settled colonial society of the early 18th century.

Marie Sédilot

Origins and Family

Marie Sédilot was born on January 28, 1654, in Trois-Rivières, New France.[13] She was the daughter of Louis Sédilot (also spelled Sédillot) and Marie Grimoult, who were among the early settlers of New France.

Her father, Louis Sédilot, was born around 1600 in France and arrived in New France in the 1630s. He was a carpenter by trade and was among the first colonists to settle in the area that would become Quebec City. Louis Sédilot married Marie Grimoult around 1636, likely in France before their arrival in the colony.[14]

Marie’s mother, Marie Grimoult, was born around 1610 in France. Together, Louis and Marie Grimoult established themselves as pioneering settlers in the young colony, contributing to its early development.[15]

Early Life

Marie Sédilot grew up in Trois-Rivières, one of the earliest French settlements in North America, founded in 1634. As a child born in the colony, Marie would have experienced the particular challenges and opportunities of frontier life. She would have been raised with the skills necessary for survival in the colony, including domestic tasks, gardening, and possibly basic medicinal knowledge.[16]

Growing up in Trois-Rivières during the mid-17th century meant living in a small, fortified settlement that was frequently under threat from Iroquois raids. The settlement served as a fur trading post and a gateway to the interior of the continent.[17]

Marriage and Family Life

On April 15, 1670, at the age of 16, Marie Sédilot married René Besnard at Trois-Rivières.[18] This marriage took place at a time when the colony was actively encouraging family formation as part of its strategy for population growth and stability.

As the wife of a former soldier turned settler, Marie would have played a crucial role in the family’s survival and prosperity. Women in New France were responsible for maintaining the household, raising children, preserving food, making clothing, and often assisting with agricultural work.[19]

Living in Batiscan, Marie would have been part of a small rural community where households depended on each other for support and assistance. Women in these communities formed important networks, helping each other during childbirth, illness, and other hardships.[20]

Children and Motherhood

Marie Sédilot and René Besnard had seven known children:

  1. Mathurin Besnard, baptized on January 13, 1671, at Trois-Rivières[21]
  2. François Besnard, born around 1673
  3. Marie-Jeanne Besnard, born around 1675
  4. Jean Besnard, born around 1677
  5. Charles Besnard, born around 1679
  6. René Besnard, born around 1681
  7. Catherine Besnard, born around 1684

Raising children in 17th-century New France involved significant challenges. Infant mortality was high, and those who survived were expected to contribute to family labor from an early age. Sons typically learned their father’s trade or agricultural skills, while daughters were trained in household management and domestic skills.[22]

As a mother in colonial New France, Marie would have been responsible for her children’s early education, teaching them practical skills and religious instruction. The Catholic Church played a central role in the lives of colonists, and religious education was an important aspect of child-rearing.[23]

Later Life and Death

Marie Sédilot outlived her husband René Besnard, who died in 1712. As a widow, she would have faced the challenges of maintaining the family’s property and overseeing any unmarried children who remained at home.[24]

Marie Sédilot died on May 24, 1726, in Batiscan, at the age of 72.[25] Her long life spanned a period of significant development in New France, from the precarious early settlements to the more established colonial society of the early 18th century.

Legacy

The descendants of René Besnard dit Bourjoli et Carignan and Marie Sédilot spread throughout New France and later Quebec. Their children established their own families, contributing to the growth of the French-Canadian population:

  • Mathurin Besnard married Marie-Anne Trottier on November 22, 1694, in Batiscan[26]
  • François Besnard married Marie-Jeanne Moreau on January 7, 1697, in Batiscan[27]
  • Marie-Jeanne Besnard married Jean-Baptiste Trottier on January 8, 1696, in Batiscan[28]

Today, many families in Quebec and across North America can trace their ancestry back to this pioneering couple. Their story represents an important chapter in the early history of French colonization in North America, particularly the transition from military expedition to permanent settlement.

The “dit” names “Bourjoli” and “Carignan” associated with René Besnard would continue to be used by some of his descendants, although over time, many simply adopted the surname Besnard (or its variations like Bénard or Bénar).[29]

References

Additional Sources for Research

  • Archives nationales du Québec, Notarial records, 17th century.
  • Tanguay, Cyprien. (1871-1890). Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu’à nos jours. Montréal: Eusèbe Senécal. Vol. 1, pp. 48-49.
  • Fournier, Marcel. (1989). Les Européens au Canada des origines à 1765. Montréal: Éditions du Fleuve.
  • Charbonneau, Hubert et al. (2000). The Population of the St. Lawrence Valley, 1608-1760. Vancouver: UBC Press.
  • Sulte, Benjamin. (1886). Histoire des Canadiens-Français, 1608-1880. Montréal: Wilson & Cie. Vol. 3, pp. 70-76.
  • Campeau, Lucien. (1974). Les Cent-Associés et le peuplement de la Nouvelle-France (1633-1663). Montréal: Éditions Bellarmin.

  1. Jetté, René. (1983). Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730. Montréal: Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal. p. 94. ↩︎

  2. Verney, Jack. (1991). The Good Regiment: The Carignan-Salières Regiment in Canada, 1665-1668. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. pp. 17-23. ↩︎

  3. Eccles, W. J. (1987). Essays on New France. Toronto: Oxford University Press. pp. 45-48. ↩︎

  4. Lanctôt, Gustave. (1963). Histoire du Canada: Du régime royal au traité d’Utrecht, 1663-1713. Montréal: Beauchemin. pp. 89-92. ↩︎

  5. Larin, Robert. (2000). Brève histoire du peuplement européen en Nouvelle-France. Sillery: Septentrion. pp. 78-80. ↩︎

  6. Dechêne, Louise. (1988). Habitants and Merchants in Seventeenth-Century Montreal. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. pp. 40-45. ↩︎

  7. PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique). (1999). Marriage record of René Besnard and Marie Sédilot, April 15, 1670. University of Montreal. ↩︎

  8. Roy, Pierre-Georges. (1927-1928). Inventaire des concessions en fief et seigneurie, fois et hommages et aveux et dénombrements conservés aux Archives de la Province de Québec. Beauceville: L’Éclaireur. Vol. 1, pp. 230-235. ↩︎

  9. Harris, Richard Colebrook. (1984). The Seigneurial System in Early Canada: A Geographical Study. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. pp. 120-125. ↩︎

  10. PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique). (1999). Baptismal record of Mathurin Besnard, January 13, 1671. University of Montreal. ↩︎

  11. Greer, Allan. (1997). The People of New France. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. pp. 26-30. ↩︎

  12. PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique). (1999). Burial record of René Besnard, September 8, 1712. University of Montreal. ↩︎

  13. PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique). (1999). Baptismal record of Marie Sédilot, January 28, 1654. University of Montreal. ↩︎

  14. Langlois, Michel. (2001). Dictionnaire biographique des ancêtres québécois (1608-1700). Sillery: La Maison des Ancêtres. Vol. 4, pp. 304-305. ↩︎

  15. Trudel, Marcel. (1973). La population du Canada en 1663. Montréal: Éditions Fides. pp. 150-153. ↩︎

  16. Noel, Jan. (1998). Women in New France. Ottawa: Canadian Historical Association. pp. 4-7. ↩︎

  17. Dickinson, John A. & Young, Brian. (2003). A Short History of Quebec. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. pp. 23-25. ↩︎

  18. PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique). (1999). Marriage record of René Besnard and Marie Sédilot, April 15, 1670. University of Montreal. ↩︎

  19. Noel, Jan. (1998). Women in New France. Ottawa: Canadian Historical Association. pp. 8-12. ↩︎

  20. Choquette, Leslie. (1997). Frenchmen into Peasants: Modernity and Tradition in the Peopling of French Canada. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. pp. 245-250. ↩︎

  21. PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique). (1999). Baptismal record of Mathurin Besnard, January 13, 1671. University of Montreal. ↩︎

  22. Moogk, Peter N. (2000). La Nouvelle France: The Making of French Canada – A Cultural History. East Lansing: Michigan State University Press. pp. 177-182. ↩︎

  23. Fahmy-Eid, Nadia. (1983). “Education et société au Québec aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles.” In Éducation et société au Québec, ed. Nadia Fahmy-Eid & Micheline Dumont. Montréal: Boréal Express. pp. 15-28. ↩︎

  24. Brun, Josette. (2006). Vie et mort du couple en Nouvelle-France: Québec et Louisbourg au XVIIIe siècle. Montreal: McGill-Queen’s University Press. pp. 130-138. ↩︎

  25. PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique). (1999). Burial record of Marie Sédilot, May 24, 1726. University of Montreal. ↩︎

  26. PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique). (1999). Marriage record of Mathurin Besnard and Marie-Anne Trottier, November 22, 1694. University of Montreal. ↩︎

  27. PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique). (1999). Marriage record of François Besnard and Marie-Jeanne Moreau, January 7, 1697. University of Montreal. ↩︎

  28. PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique). (1999). Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Trottier and Marie-Jeanne Besnard, January 8, 1696. University of Montreal. ↩︎

  29. Laforest, Thomas J. (1988). Our French-Canadian Ancestors. Palm Harbor, FL: The LISI Press. Vol. 3, pp. 28-32. ↩︎

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