| Notes |
- Immigration: 1709, Quebec, New France Age: 35
Occupation: Sergeant in the troops of the company of D'alogny,
Bailiff, Lawyer
Religion: Catholic
Charles Chandonnet dit Leveille
Chandonnet descendants are unaware that their family name with so
fine a French appearance is a diminutive for a place of origin:
Chandon, attributed to several hamlets in
France and to a community of the Loire in the arrondissement of
Roanne. Chandonne and Chandonnais are only different names for the
same bearers.
Charles Chandonnet, child of Gatien and of Marguerite Legeay, was
born about 1674 at Saint-Calais, arrondissement of Le Mans, today in
la Sarthe. This locality has a
long history. Its abbey, founded under the name of Anisola in the
sixth century, in the twelfth century took the name of its founder
Caislefus (Saint-Calais), a monk from
Auvergne; in 1425, the English destroyed this monastery at the same
time as the town. The abbey was rebuilt by Jean de Ronsard, the
father of the great poet.
It was in this civilized and religious atmosphere that Charles
Chandonnet was raised. He was educated and signed his name with
flourish "Chandone".
It seems likely that Charles committed himself at the age of 20 to a
military career. One does not become a soldier at the age of 35! I do
not know his resume in France.
When he arrived in Canada about 1709, he held the title of sergeant,
a rank that he kept all his life. Sergeants were, in the beginning,
servants, either at the Provost in Paris,
or for the magistrates or the senechaux. Sergeant and servant were
synonyms. In Charles's time, a sergeant was a non-commissioned
officer in an infantry company. That
definition, by and large, remains true today.
AT QUEBEC
Charles Chandonnet dit Leveille, was at Quebec in 1709. On 13
December, he appeared at the church of Notre-Dame as godfather of
Charles Jodouin, son of Claude and of
Louise Renaud. Marie-Catherine Larcheveque accompanied him as god
mother. The curate Pierre Pocquet did not miss the opportunity to
mention the title of the spiritual
guardian of the infant:
"sergeant in the troops of the company d 'Alogny ".
Charles-Henri Aloigny de la Groye, midshipman at Rochefort, had come
to Canada in 1683 as a lieutenant. For 30 years, he pursued a very
active military career here as
captain, ship's ensign, commander at Fort Frontenac in 1700, major
in 1702 and commander of troops in 1704. He would occupy this last
position until his death in the
autumn of 1714 in the shipwreck of the Saint-Jerome at Sable Island.
Sergent Chandonnet was therefore under the orders of Charles-Henri
Aloigny in 1709. It took this
baptism to reveal to USA these valuable details. If Claude Jodouin
had chosen Ancestor Leveille as godfather, it was because he was
already favorably known at Quebec
and perhaps had been so for a few years.
From 1711 to 1712, Charles Chandonnet assisted as witness at four
marriages. On 23 November 1711, Jean Chandelier dit Saint-Louis,
soldier in the Co,mpany
d'Aloigny, abandoned bachelorhood. He married Jeanne-Elisabeth Joly
at the cathedral of Quebec. Sergeant Chandonnet and Nicolas Framery,
soldiers in the same
company, were honored to act as witness for their companion-in-arms.
On 19 January of the following year, the same friends, Charles and
Nicolas, did the same at the marriage of Louis Dautrepe dit Lanoix,
soldier in the Company d'Aloigny,
and Marie-Madeleine Delaunay, daughter of Henri and of Francoise
Crete. Ten days later, it was the turn of soldier Rene Girard dit
Brindamour and Marie-Josephe Poitras
to commit themselves to the great company of married people. This
time, Sergeant Charles Chandonnet enhanced this wedding at Quebec by
his presence: along with, to his
right Etienne de Villedonne, aide major of the troops, and to his
left Jean Vergeat dit Penouveau, veteran sergeant at the garrison of
Chateau Saint-Louis.
Finally, on 5 April 1712, Jean Bonneau, royal baker, native of Saint-
Quentin-les-Trod, took as his wife Marie-Madeleine Moreau, widow of
Francois Rolland. In his
lifetime Rolland had been a soldier in the company de Mantet and
master baker. This widow, who was marrying again, was accompanied by
a diverse crowd of people:
Jean-Baptiste Lacoudray dit Tourangeau, inn keeper and merchant;
Francois Pampalon dit Labranche, sergeant at the garrison of Quebec
since 1703; Louis Guerrain, an
unknown soldier; Claude-Charles Detisne, ensign of troops; and
finally, Sergeant Charles Chandonnet.
The presence of Charles Chandonnet appears again at the baptism of
Marie-Charlotte Dautrepe, the eldest daughter of Louis. Accompanying
the soldier on this 5 April 1712
was Marie-Barbe Delaunay, the child's aunt and godmother.
In short, the presence of Sergeant Charles Chandonnet did not pass
unnoticed at Quebec. He was so kind! Did Charles decide to set up his
home before white flakes fell on
his roof?
DAILY LIFE
The life of sergeant Chandonnet appears rather tranquil and with
reason. The Treaty of Utrecht, signed on 11 April 1713, gave Hudson
Bay and Newfoundland to England.
Acadia was already lost. With the permission of the king, the
soldiers were used to strengthen the fortifications of the capital:
they built a redoubt and a wall along the slope
of the Palais to provide a curtain between the redoubt and Cap-au-
Diamants. The sergeants, the first rank in the hierarchy of the non-
commissioned officers, assured the
supervision of these defensive works.
After the death of his commander Aloigny, Charles changed companies.
We know that in 1740, he belonged to the Company of La Ronde. Charles
de Beauharnois
(1726-1749) replaced Philippe Rigaud (1703-1725) as Governor of
Canada.
Chandonnet was educated. He sometimes used his talents as bailiff or
lawyer. Thus, on 23 May 1725, he signed an official report of an
account of expenses to be paid by
the widow Duchesnaye at the request of Jean Badeau.
On 8 August 1746, Sergeant Chandonne argued at the Sovereign Council
the case of the late Jean-Baptiste Roy, who was during his lifetime,
resident of Saint-Valier. And
on the 13th of the same month, he produced the account of expenses
to be paid by the widow Claire Cadrin. Another similar document for
the same case was drawn up on
the first of August 1747.
On 26 March 1739, we learn that Chandonne and Larche owned a lot at
Quebec rented to Joseph Huppe, hatmaker. The latter said he was
unable to pay the 50 livres owed
in arrears; he begged them to annul this debt, considering that he
now was living at Terrebonne, and to take back this lot located on
Rue Saint-Joseph and acquired in the
presence of Pinguet on 13 and 18 December 1731. The debtor received
an acquittal from his easy-going creditors.
HOUSE SALE
Elisabeth and Charles, residents of Rue Saint-Joseph, decided on 30
June 1740 to sell to the tailor Pierre Lamothe, living with his wife
Charlotte Boisandre at the carrefour
Saint Jean,
"a lot and house above built on it located and situated on the level
of the said rue saint Joseph, containing about 24 feet 10 inches of
frontage...by 38 deep ".
The neighbors were Etienne Roy and the widow Badeau. The house 20
feet wide, log on log, had only one floor with kitchen, bedroom, a
small room, cellar and attic.
Chandonnet had acquired the lot on 8 November 1715 from the Fathers
of the College for 24 livres in non-redeemable annual rent. The
buyers could draw their water from
the Chandonnets' wells located on Rue de la Fabrique, near the heirs
of Louis Vaillant. The tailor would pay a total amount of 700 livres
to the sergeant. Charles and
Elisabeth gave a receipt to Lamothe on 20 March 1742.
At the time of the census of the city of Quebec in 1744, the
Chandonne family was still living on Rue Saint-Joseph. Pierre
Lamothe, tailor, and Francois Lachambre,
shoemaker, were their neighbors.
At that time, were the Chandonnets property owners or renters? A
receipt from Sieur Couillard de Saint-Thomas given to Charles on 30
April 1747 sheds some light. In the
presence of the notary Louet on 18 March 1729, they had acquired
this piece of land "from a division" to Sieur Couillard de Saint-
Thomas after the death of his uncle
Jean-Baptiste Couillard, Sieur de l'Espinay. Charles had paid 400
livres to acquire this lot on which he was presently living with his
family.
THE CHANDONNET FAMILY
At Quebec, the sun of life shone at least 13 times in the Bourget-
Chandonnet cradle. But Charles, Marie, Madeleine, Marie-Anne, Antoine
and Jean-Baptiste did not reach
adulthood. I am unaware of the destiny of Etienne, baptized on 4
September 1738, present in the census of 1744.
There are stitches missing in the fabric of the history of this
second generation. One day, a descendant researcher will bring new
details.
LAST WATCH
Geography is learned by measurements, the history of a country by
ones heart and the value of life by the number of years one has
lived. Charles Chandonnet, sergeant
major, had crossed the ocean to protect the property of his
homeland. For almost a half-century, he was faithful to his post as
sergeant in New France. Now he was ready to
trade his military stripes in order to receive those of the chosen.
On Sunday, 27 June 1756, there was a changing of the guard. He was 78
years old. He was buried the next
day at Quebec, in the presence of a single witness recorded in the
registry, Jean Vallee. The officiating priest Jean Baptiste Rousseau
could have said more but he seemed to
have counted his words.
On 20 September of the following year, Elisabeth Bourget ordered an
inventory of the property of her late husband. Before the
distribution, she had the right to 1,000 livres
in dowry, 600 livres in preciput, her old clothes and her ornate
bed. Half of the remaining property reverted to her as a wife married
with community property. Thus, a
fortune did not remain to be divided among the minor children.
Etienne Chandonnet, Andre, Marie Marthe, Elisabeth, Marie-Anne,
Josephe and Charles settled on the
Riviere Saint-Jean.
The number of inventoried objects is impressive. Not to mention the
pots, iron trivets, skimmers, casseroles, numerous plates and the
bird cage, I especially note the small
frypan from the forges of Saint-Maurice with its sheet iron rack;
the small iron pepper mill with its crank; the 13 inch mirror with a
frame of gilded wood; the 2 small cotton
curtains and their small iron rods; an old and new testament; 2
prayer books; 2 dictionaries Latin and French; a box containing 3
alphabets of copper for printing letters and
an old copper horn.
In the cellar were found 6 cords of firewood; a small oratory
composed of a Christ and 9 small paintings with their frame; 1 basin
of coarse crockery for shaving; 2 old
spinning wheels, and so forth.
The widow declared owning no silver. She owed the nuns of the Hotel-
Dieu 10 livres for the care of her cow. Pierre Poulin was in debt to
the Bourget-Chandonnet family
in the amount of 450 livres "by a debt signed before Mr Sanguinet
and Dulaurent" on 9 March 1752.
That which Charles left was not important; the important thing is
what he brought: an honest life shared with his loved ones, his
homeland and his first commanding officer,
the Lord and Master of people and men.
The Chandonnet descendants have multiplied quietly in Quebec and
elsewhere.
FAMILY NAME VARIATIONS
Chandon, Chandone, Chandonne, Chandonnais and Leveille.
END NOTES
1) Records of Barolet, 13 July 1750; 20 September 1757.
2) Records of Dubreuil, 10 June 1712; 8 November 1715.
3) Records of Dulaurent, 26 March 1739; 30 June 1740; 20 March 1742;
30 August 1747.
4) Record of Pinguet, 13 December 1731.
5) Adrien Bergeron, Le Grand Arrangement des Acadiens au Ouebec
(1981), Vol.2, p. 212-217.
6) Albert Dauzat, DENFPF (1951), p,107.
7) Rene Jette, DFO (1983), p.221.
8) Andre Lafontaine, RAVO 1716 & 1744 (1983), pp.17, 156.
9) ___. DBC, Vol.11, p.192. Thomas-Aime
10) ___.Histoire et Archeologie (Ministry of Indian Affairs and of
the North), Vol.17, p.366, no 1527. Before me Gilbert de Godefus,
comes one Francois Morin hired to
square off a house for Andre Chandonnet. This house of 30 x 25 x 9,
with 8 openings, 6 for windows and 2 for doors; 150 beams and 300
pine planks.
11) ___. IJDCSNF 1717-1760, Vol.5, pp. 6, 39, 65.
12) ___. RAPQ, Vol.51, pp. 82, 98, 99.
13) ___. RHAF, Vol.l. DD. 200-201, 210-212, 234. The history of the
Abbot T.-A. Chandonnet.
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1678 - 1756 (78 years)
