 1622 - 1717 (94 years)
-
| Name |
De BOUCHERVILLE Pierre Boucher Sieur |
| Birth |
01 Aug 1622 |
Notre Dame, Mortagne, Perche, France  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Death |
19 Apr 1717 |
Boucherville, QC |
| Notes |
- Baptism: August 1, 1622 Notre Dame, Mortagne, Perche, France
Immigration: 1635, Quebec, New France
Occupation: Farmer; Soldier, Interpreter, Indian Agent
Education: Educated by the Jesuit missionary priests in New France
Religion: Catholic
PIERRE BOUCHER - FOUNDER AND GOVERNOR
The Sieur de Grosbois, son of Gaspard and Nicole Lemaire, holds a
place of prime importance in the history of French Canada. So many
historians and writers, such as Raymond Douville, Montarville Boucher
de la Bruere, Estelle Mitchell, Laure Conan, Alphonse Fortin,
Seraphin Marion and others, have recounted his exploits, that it
seems superfluous to add anything whatsoever. However, this recital
would be incomplete if we ignored him.
Pierre was baptized at Mortagne in Perche on 1 August 1622. As we
have seen, he was taken to New France by his parents who settled on a
farm arm of the Jesuits. A short time after his arrival, these
missionaries took him with them to Huronia where he helped with their
work, sharing in the native life and learning the customs and
dialects. At the same time, the good fathers were completing his
education. In 1640, he was seriously wounded in the arm during a
skirmish which came near to being tragic for Fathers Brebeuf and
Chaumonot.
Upon his return to Quebec in 1641, Pierre went into the service of
Governor Hualt de Montmagny as soldier, interpreter and Indian agent.
On 18 May 1642, he took part in the founding of Ville-Marie
(Montreal) and on the following 20 August, at the mouth of the
Richelieu, he fought against the Iroquois. In 1644 Pierre made his
official entry into Trois-Rivieres with the title of interpreter and
clerk at the fort. He lost no time in making himself indispensable,
such as in the defense of the town and in the negotiations with the
Mohawk chief, Kiotseueton in 1645. The following year he pursued the
Iroquois to the Puante River at Becancour. It was about this time
that his parents moved to Trois-Rivieres and from then on he
considered it his home.
Meanwhile on 6 June 1651, Pierre Boucher, who by now had shown
himself to be the true leader of the small community of Trois-
Rivieres, was named it's Commandant. On 19 August 1652, he fiercely
opposed the punitive expedition against the Iroquois decided upon by
Governor Duplessis-Kerbodet, but in vain. The ensuing defeat spread
panic throughout the entire colony. On 23 August 1653, six hundred
Iroquois surrounded the fort after having massacred or stolen the
livestock and burned the harvest and buildings outside the palisade.
With only about forty very young and very old men, the garrison
resisted the repeated attacks for nine days. When the Indians asked
for a truce, Pierre Boucher met them alone outside the fort and
persuaded the Indian Chiefs to return their prisoners, and to bring
gifts to Quebec for a meeting with the Royal Governor, which was
done. This exploit earned the title of Governor for Boucher, an
office from which he asked to be relieved in 1657 in order to retire
to his lands at the Cap.
On 31 August 1661, Governor Dubois Davaugour , who had just arrived,
was appalled to discover the deplorable state of affairs in which the
colony found itself. He lost no time in designating the local hero,
Pierre Boucher, to sail for France to plead the case of New France
with the Sovereign.
"Pierre Boucher, Sieur de Grosbois, sailed for Paris on 22 October,
with dispatches from the colony's governor, and an important letter
to the Prince de Conde", along with letters from the Jesuits to their
mother house. He was granted an audience with the king, during which
Louis promised to help the colony and place New France under his
protection. Grosbois also convinced the Prince de Conde and Colbert,
the minister of finance, of the colony's importance to France. He
left for home on 15 July 1662 with ships, soldiers and provisions.
The success of Pierre Boucher at the French court marks a turning
point in the history of New France. His mission resulted in
curiosity, sympathy, and increased interest in Boucher's adopted
country. It brought about the arrival of the Marquis de Prouville de
Tracy in command of the Regiment de Carignan-Salieres, comprised of
1,000 men and officers, and the first Intendant, Jean Talon. " (19)
On his return to the country, Pierre resumed the governorship of
Trois-Rivieres. In 1667, facing internal difficulties with citizens
who disregarded his directives, he finally gave up the post of
Governor and retired to his seigneury on the Ile Percees, a place
later renamed Boucherville. Pierre spent the last fifty years of his
life improving his lands and attracting colonists of his choice,
several of whom were recruited from Trois-Rivieres. He died in his
manorhouse at Boucherville on 19 April 1717, at the age of 95 years.
In 1668 the Boucher family was rendered a touching mark of
recognition by the Marquis de Denonville in a letter sent to the
Minister of Marine:
"They are the family which has worked best for the good of the
colony, neglecting nothing at all which is necessary for its
advancement. The father was one of the first founders of the colony
under M. d'Avaugour. Esteemed by your late father, he was for a long
time the Governor of Trois-Rivieres. His seigneury is one of the
finest in this country. "
THE BOUCHERS ADOPT SEVERAL SURNAMES
The sons of Pierre Boucher adopted diverse surnames: Grandpre,
Grosbois, Montarville, Montbrun, Montizambert, LaBroquerie, LaBruere,
LaPerriere and Niverville.
However, there are no less than thirty-nine other common variations
of Boucher found in North America:
Barbel, Belleville, Bocher, Boisbuisson, Boucha, Bouche,
Boucherville, Bouchet, Busha, Bushee, Bushey, Bushy, Cambray,
DeBonnecueil, DeBoucherville, DeGrosbois, DelaBruyere, DelaPierre,
DeMontarville, DeMontbrun, DeMontizambert, DeNiverville, DeSt-
Laurent, Desnois, Desroches, Desrosiers, DeVercheres, Dubois,
Dueuron, Grand-Pre, Lajoie, Lambert, Montbrun, Morin, Rouleau, Simon,
St-Armour, St-Martin and St-Pierre. (20)
END NOTES
19) J. Richard Lebel. "Je Me Souviens" , Journal of the American
French Genealogical Society, Spring 1982,
pages 3-7.
20) Taguay, Jette, et al.
|
| Person ID |
I1350 |
Freeman-Smith |
| Last Modified |
10 Apr 2024 |
| Father |
BOUCHER Gaspard, b. Mortagne, Perche, France d. Aft 20 May 1662, Trois Rivieres, QC |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Mother |
LEMAIRE Nicole, b. Mamers, LeMans, Maine, France d. Aft 19 Jun 1652, Trois Rivieres, QC |
| Relationship |
natural |
| Marriage |
01 Jan 1619 |
St-Langis-Les-Mortagne, France |
| Family ID |
F1243 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family 2 |
CREVIER Jeanne, b. Abt 1636 d. 11 Dec 1727, Boucherville, QC (Age 91 years) |
| Marriage |
09 Jul 1652 |
Quebec, QC |
| Children |
| | 1. De BOUCHERVILLE Pierre Boucher Sieur, b. 1653 d. Abt 1724 (Age 71 years) [natural] |
| | 2. BOUCHER Marie, b. 1655 d. Aft 1688 (Age > 34 years) [natural] |
| | 3. De GRANDPRE Lambert Boucher Sieur, b. 1656 d. 1699 (Age 43 years) [natural] |
| | 4. De GROSBOIS Ignace Boucher Sieur, b. 1659 d. 1699 (Age 40 years) [natural] |
| | 5. BOUCHER Madeleine, b. 1661 d. Aft 1699 (Age > 39 years) [natural] |
| | 6. BOUCHER Marguerite, b. 1663 d. 1698 (Age 35 years) [natural] |
| | 7. BOUCHER Philipp, b. 1665 d. 1721, Lauzon, PQ, Canada (Age 56 years) [natural] |
| | 8. De MONBRUN Jean Boucher Sieur, b. 06 Feb 1667, Trois Rivieres, QC [natural] |
| | 9. De LAPERRIERE Rene Boucher Sieur, b. 1668 d. Aft 1726 (Age > 59 years) [natural] |
| | 10. BOUCHER Jeanne, b. 1670, Boucherville, PQ, New France [natural] |
| | 11. BOUCHER Louise, b. 1670, Boucherville, PQ, New France [natural] |
| | 12. BOUCHER Nicolas, b. 1672, Boucherville, PQ, New France [natural] |
| | 13. BOUCHER Jacques, b. 1673, Boucherville, PQ, New France d. 1688, Boucherville, PQ, New France (Age 15 years) [natural] |
| | 14. De NIVERVILLE Jean-Baptiste Boucher Sieur, b. 1673, Boucherville, PQ, New France d. Aft 1728 (Age > 56 years) [natural] |
| | 15. BOUCHER Genevieve, b. 1676, Boucherville, PQ, New France [natural] |
|
| Family ID |
F1350 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
10 Apr 2024 |
|
|
