History of Jacques-Joseph Cheval
by Suzanne St-Jacques, Association
archivist (m03).
Translated by Pierre St-Jacques, (m05).
The one that we believe to be the
ancestor of all the St-Jacques and Cheval of Quebec is Jacques
Joseph Cheval. Born in 1697, he was the son of Thomas Cheval
and Gillette Neve of the city of Tournai in Belgium. He married
the first time in 1725 and a second time in 1743. His first
wife is Marie Renée Cousineau, born, baptized, died and
buried in Montreal, daughter of Jean Cousineau and Marie
Besnard. She bore twelve children from Jacques Joseph. His
second wife is Geneviève Leduc, daughter of Charles
Leduc and Angélique Chevalier. She had six children from
Jacques Joseph. Happiness and sadness from all of these
children since eleven of those children will die before
adulthood. Wig maker by profession when he arrived in New
France, he will also be an innkeeper, harbour master in
Montreal and bailiff of High Council of Quebec. He died in
1757, on his sixtieth birthday and was buried in Montreal.
This brief summary of Jacques Joseph does
not tell us much about him. When did he arrive in the country?
Did he live all his life in Montreal? Was he well known of his
compatriots? What happened to his children? As many questions
to which we’ll answer in the following pages relating the
story of Jacques Joseph Cheval.
On June 20, 1693, Thomas Cheval and
Gillette Neve exchanged marriage vows in the parish of
Notre-Dame, in the city of Tournai in Belgium. In the history
that is of interest to us, this area of Belgium was then a
French community. Four years later, it’s in the parish of
St-Nicolas of the same city that they baptized a son named
Jacques Joseph. The godfather is Jacques Gouy and the godmother
is Caroline Elisabeth Le Maire. We suppose that it is in that
city that he grew up, learned to read and write as well as his
trade of wig maker.
In the 18th century, merchant captains
were not required to turn in a list of passengers carried
aboard to the countries they were getting to. This is why we
still do not know the exact date of arrival in New France of
Jacques Joseph Cheval and the name of the vessel on which he
arrived.
However, we do know that on July 27,
1722, he is in Ville-Marie (now Montreal) because on this date
he is present at the marriage of Jean-Baptiste Huberdeau dit
Lafrance, a soldier in the company of Sir de Gannes, with
Charlotte Rouleau and signs the register of the parish of
Notre-Dame in Ville-Marie as a witness.
On February 7, still in Ville-Marie, he
is the godfather of Marie-Josèphe, daughter of Jean
Deslandes dit Champigny and Josèphe Serran dite
l’Espagnole, and the godmother is Marie Renée
Cousineau, niece of Jean Deslandes and Josèphe Serran.
On the August 14, he’s again a godfather. This time it is
to the son of Charles Monarque and Marie Dazé. The
godmother is Agnes Renaud and the child is named Jacques.
At the age of 27, Jacques Joseph decides
to look for a wife with whom to found a family. His choice
falls on Marie Renée Cousineau (ot), godmother with him
to Marie-Josèphe Deslandes. Marie Renée is the
seventh child of sixteen in her family.
We can read in the register of the parish
of Notre-Dame: (The original entry is in old French without
punctuation.)
« On the fourth day of the month of
September one thousand seven hundred and two was baptized by me
priest undersigned acting in the curate’s functions Marie
Renée daughter of Jean Cousinot (Mason) and of Jeanne
Benard his wife born on the third day of this month and year
the godfather René Benard son of Mathurin Benard
(deceased) living in Chambly the godmother Marie Anne Beauvais
daughter of Raphael Beauvais living in this parish who have
declared knowing how to sign as following edicts.
R.C. De Breslay acting curate ».
(1)
The clergy, in order to discourage
consanguine marriages, forced couples wanting to join their
destinies to pay a dispensation. This same clergy, either in an
excess of prudence or needing to make a bit of money in an era
where it was rather rare, extended this obligation to couples
who had acted as godparents to the same child. I therefore
think that Jacques Joseph and Marie Renée paid the
dispensation.
It is in the house of Jean Deslandes dit
Champigny and in front of notary Jean-Baptiste Adhémar
that on September 2, 1725, the marriage contract is signed. On
this occasion many parents and friends were present. On the
groom’s side we find Charles Monarque, surgeon, Nicolas
Louis Boulay, wigmaker and Toussaint Rebou also wig maker. On
the bride’s side are, Angélique and Marguerite
Cousineau, her sisters, Jean Cousineau, her father, Jean and
Noel Cousineau, her brothers, François Rivière
and Cécile Cousineau, her brother-in-law and sister,
Pierre and Jean Grou, her brothers-in-law, René Benard,
her godfather, Jean Deslandes dit Champigny and Marie Joseph
Serran, his wife, her uncles and aunt and Jean-Baptiste Legau
Delaurier, her friend cousin. For the first time in his life in
America, our ancestor signs Jacques Joseph Cheval dit
Chevalier.
On the following day, Mr. Hourde,
missionary priest of the parish of St-Laurent on the island of
Montreal gives the nuptial benediction to Jacques Joseph and
Marie Renée. The witnesses at the marriage are, to a few
persons, the same who assisted to the signature of the contract
on the eve. For the last time of his life the groom signs as
Jacques Joseph Cheval dit Chevalier.
(1) René Charles de Breslay is the
one who blessed Marguerite Bourgeois’ grave. She is the
founder of the Notre-Dame Congregation.
On the birth of the couple’s first
child, we learn of their move to Quebec City. On June 8, 1726,
in Montreal, Marie Renée gives birth to a small girl.
The child is only anointed because it is only on the 10th of
June in St-François du Lac that she is baptized, under
conditions. Her godfather is Mathurin Desrosiers and her
godmother is Catherine Hus. Unfortunately, the girl is buried
on August 26, 1726, in Quebec City.
The Cheval stay in Quebec City for a
period of nine years. Seven of their children are born there:
Jacques in 1727, Paul Antoine François in 1728, Pierre
François in 1729, Pierre Joseph in 1731, Antoine in
1732, Antoine in 1733, and Angélique in 1735. The first
Antoine died at age one and was buried in Lorette, the second
Antoine died at three and Angélique died at the age of
two. These last two were buried in Quebec City.
We have very few indications of this stay
in Quebec City. We know, however, that on October 30, 1731,
Jacques Cheval leases from Marguerite Maillou, and for a period
of three years, a house built on the La Montagne Street, with
shed, backyard and garden. The rent is one hundred and twenty
pounds per year, payable every three months. On December 15 of
the same year, at the request of Mother St-Michel, there is an
assignment for J.J. Cheval dit St-Jacques for the grazing of a
cow for the summer.
On January 12, 1733, Jacques Joseph
Cheval dit St-Jacques signs a partnership contract with Nicolas
Diverny dit St-Germain. This partnership was certainly not
successful as on March 18, 1735, the provost office of Quebec
reports that Jacques Cheval of St-Louis street requires Nicolas
Diverny dit St-Germain to appear in order to settle certain
accounts.
That’s what I know of our
ancestor’s stay in Quebec.
We know that the Cheval family has
returned to the region of Montreal in 1736. On April 8 of that
year, Paul-Marie, ninth child of Jacques Joseph and Marie
Renée Cousineau is baptized by Monsieur Matis, priest of
the St-Laurent parish. This son will be buried on January 30,
1737, in the common cemetery in Montreal. On October 24 of the
same year, Cécile is born. She will be buried on August
20, 1738, the day after her death, in the adult cemetery, her
mother attending. Following after are Véronique, born
August 7, 1739, and buried on August 13, 1740, in the common
cemetery and Marie-Joseph, born on February 2, 1741, and buried
August 25 of the same year in a cemetery removed from the
church.
On April 26, 1741, in front of
François Simonnet, royal notary of the jurisdiction and
city of Montreal, Toussaint Rebou dit Leveiller, one of Jacques
Joseph’s witness at his wedding, signs an obligation of
seventy-nine (79) pounds and one (1) sol that he promises to
pay back on the following month.
On July 3, 1741, this time in front of
notary Louis Claude Danré de Blanzy, Jacques Joseph and
Marie Renée build up an annuity said to be perpetual to
Françoise Martineau, widow of Leonard Canien dit
Desgranges.
On July 18, 1741, Jacques Joseph is again
in front of notary François Simonet. The payment of the
obligation that Toussaint Rebou dit Leveiller had signed on
April of the same year is deferred next August. Moreover,
thirty-three (33) pounds and ten (10) sols are added to this
obligation. This amount was loaned by Jacques Joseph to
Toussaint to help him and his family.
On May 29, 1742, by contract signed by
notary B. Janvrin dit Dufresne, Jean-Baptiste Cousineau and his
wife Catherine Hay, brother and sister-in-law of
Marie-Renée Cousineau, sell to our ancestor, for the sum
of eight hundred (800) pounds, a piece of land of three
“arpents” (arpent, old French measure almost
equivalent to an acre) wide and all of its depth, located at
Côte des Vertus on the island of Montreal. This land is
bounded to the North by Rivière des Prairies, to the
South by the Côte des Vertus, on one side by
Jean-Noël Cousineau and the other by Jean-Baptiste
Cousineau.
On January 7, 1743, at the age of forty
(40) years, Marie-Renée Cousineau died and was buried on
the same day in the cemetery near the church. Nobody from the
family nor any friends were present at this ceremony! After
seventeen (17) years of marriage, Jacques Joseph is now alone
to raise the four sons that are left and to see to their
well-being.
Jacques is now fifteen (15), Paul Antoine
François is fourteen (14), Pierre-François is
thirteen (13) and Pierre Joseph is twelve (12). It is on this
sad note that the first part of the life of Jacques Joseph
ends. We will see later what he did in the second part.
After Marie Renée
Cousineau’s death on January 7, 1743, Jacques Joseph does
not stay celibate for long. On May 18 of that year, after four
months of widowhood, we find him in front of notary
Louis-Claude Danré de Blanzy to sign a marriage contract
with Geneviève Leduc, daughter of Charles Leduc and
Angélique Chevalier. Jacques Joseph is then 46 years old
and his future wife is 38. On Jacques Joseph’s side,
there’s only one witness: his friend Toussaint Rebou. As
to Geneviève, she is surrounded by her brother Joseph,
her sister Madeleine, her aunt Geneviève Chevalier, her
brother-in-law François Maurice dit Lafantaisie and her
friends Magdeleine Dumouchel and Jacques-Urbain Maurice.
Nine days later, on May 27, their
marriage is blessed in the church of Notre-Dame. On this
occasion, Geneviève states that she does not know how to
sign while her father Charles Leduc, her brother-in-law
François Maurice dit Lafantaisie as well as Justin
Morise and Elie Legros sign as witnesses for the bride. As well
as Jacques Joseph Cheval, Toussaint Rebou and Jacques Cheval
his son sign as witnesses for the groom.
Jacques Joseph Cheval and Marie
Renée Cousineau were married in community of property or
regime of common property as was the custom in Paris. Article
241 of this custom requires an inventory of all possessions of
that community on the death of one of the spouses. On May 18,
1743, Jacques Joseph hires notary Louis-Claude Danré de
Blanzy to establish that inventory. On this occasion, all
furniture, clothing, jewelry, household accessories, books or
adornments were inventoried. Each object is assessed as to
value and assessors assign a monetary value. On this May 18,
1743, this task is given to Charles Renaud and Paul Taxier.
On August 6, 1743, Jacques Joseph Cheval
lodges a complaint to the lieutenant general for assault and
battery and all consequences against Maurice Wredon, son. The
following day, 7 August, in front of notary Danré de
Blanzy, the two persons sign an agreement. Maurice Wredon
reimburses Jacques Joseph for all expenses incurred and commits
to have a solemn mass said, on January 5, for the soul of Marie
Renée Cousineau. On his side, Jacques Joseph drops all
complaints and suits against Maurice Wredon.
On September 20, 1743, at the offices of
notary Jean-Baptiste Adhémar, Jacques Joseph signs an
agreement for the apprenticeship of his son
Pierre-François for a period of five years to Pierre
Austin dit Martineau, blacksmith.
On September 8, 1744, Jacques Joseph
Cheval buys from Jean-Baptiste Cousineau, his brother-in-law, a
piece of land of one arpent in width and two in depth on the
Côte des Vertus. In October 1744, Jacques Joseph and his
sons are back again in Quebec City. On the 7, Jacques Joseph
sends his son François as an apprentice to Pierre
Lenclu, master shoemaker. Pierre Lenclu is not unknown to the
Cheval as he is Pierre-Joseph’s godfather, fifth son of
the Cheval-Cousineau couple. The contract is for three entire
consecutive years. Jacques Joseph signs as witness on this
contract signed at notary Pinguet’s offices.
On December 4, 1744, Jacques Joseph signs
an apprenticeship commission for the trade of woodworker, for
his son Jacques with Jean-Baptiste Couturier dit Bourgignon.
The contract is read in notary Danré de Blanzy’s
offices and for a period of four years. This agreement is not
satisfactory as on February 11, 1745, again in notary
Danré de Blanzy’s offices a new contract is read
with Antoine Lenoir.
Jacques Joseph Cheval and
Geneviève Leduc will have six (6) children. On November
7, 1744, their first child is born. He’s baptized on the
same day and is given the name of Michel. On January 7, 1746,
it is now François-Xavier’s birth and he’s
baptized on the following day. They are followed by
Paul-Joseph, born on November 23, 1747 and baptized the
following day; Basile-Joseph, born on January 4, 1749 and
buried on January 13; and the last two are Catherine, born
December 11, 1751 and baptised the following day, and Louise
born in 1754.
Roland-J. Auger, historian, relates that
our ancestor became harbour master in Montreal in 1740. His
responsibilities were to oversee the port, its outskirts and
the ships in order to ensure that regulations were followed.
In 1750, Jacques Joseph is named bailiff
of the High Council with a residence in Montreal. He’ll
practice this until his death on December 13, 1757, in
Montreal.
On February 26, 1759, in
St-Vincent-de-Paul, Geneviève Leduc marries Jean Mignon,
widower of Marguerite Huneault.
THE END
