THE MICHAUD FAMILY - STORIES!!

Micheau, Pierre

Pierre Micheau (Michel), an immigrant from Poitou, France, was the first person to carry the family name Michaud -- although for the better part of his life he went by his birth surname of Michel. (Michaud actually means "little Michel.") Pierre was born in Fontenay-Le-Comte, capital of the Department of the Vendee, Poitou, France. Poitou was part of the old Kingdom of Aquitaine, which at various times ruled itself, or belonged to either England or France through much of the middle ages. Pierre was baptized in the Church of Notre Dame, on Rue Pont-aux-Chevres. The church stands about 240 feet tall, and is still one of the most noticeable landmarks of the city. On March 27, 1656, before Notary Paul Moreau of LaRochelle, Pierre introduced himself to Jacques Pepin, a ship's factor and merchant of LaRochelle, to work in Quebec, for three years. Pierre made the crossing from LaRochelle to Quebec on the ship "Lafortune", owned by a minsieur Auboyneau. Pierre had classified as a migratory worker. Pierre first settled on the Beaupre (North) coast of the St. Laurence River, near Quebec, where the first official mention of him in Canada is found in the Register of Receipts and Expenditures of the Church of Sainte-Anne-du-Petit-Cap in 1661-1662: "to Pierre Micheau (Michel) for two days three livres." Pierre was engaged to do manual labor in the construction of the grand new Chruch of Sainte-Anne-du-Beaupre. Sainte-Anne-du-Beaupre is the oldest of Canada's religious pilgrimage sites. In August, 1663, a sales contract lists Pierre as a partner of Michel Marguiseau in the ownership of the three arpents (one arpent equals 0.85 acres) in the village of Beaupre, to the east of the Sainte-Anne River. Pierre sold this land on September 06, 1665. On October 02, 1667 Pierre was in the home of Claude Auber, amending the text of his marriage contract. The notary wrote: " Pierre Michel, habitant of Sainte-Anne de Petit-Cap, coast and seigneurie of Beaupre." This contract was never signed. For some reason Pierre's marriage was delayed for about three years. His fiancee, Marie Ancelin, lived at Ange-Gardien with her father and Stepmother. Her father, Rene Ancelin, was a thread-mill worker. Marie was born at LaRochelle, Parish of Notre-Dame, France, in May 1654. Her father, three in a half years after the death of his first wife, the late Claire Rousselot, remarried, to Marie Juin in LaRochelle on January 19, 1665. The following Spring, they emigrated to Canada, bring 11 year old Marie with them. At first the Ancelin's lived at the Ange-Gardien where, in 1667, they owned two head of cattle and 6 arpents of cultivated land. On May 18, 1669, Marie Ancelin was godmother at the baptism of her half-sister, Marie, at Ange-Gardien, and was not yet married to Pierre. According to Leon Roy, Pierre obtained a land grant of three arpents of river frontage on I'lle d'Orleans in June 1667. It was located in Sainte-Jean parish, when Jacques Cartier saw this island in 1535, he called it the Isle of Bacchus on account of the large quanities of grapes growing there. The Natives called it Ouindigo, Sorcerer's Isle. The records of Notary Pierre Duquet indicate that, on November 18, 1670, Pierre habitant of I'lle d'Orleans, owed a debt of 21 livres, 10 sols to Louis Boussot dit Laflotte. Pierre's fiancee Marie now lived on the island, along with her parent's. On March 26, 1670, Marie Ancelin appeared as a godmother to the infant of Antoine Pepin & Marie Teste. It is possible that Pierre & Marie were married by this time, but there is nothing to prove it. Between 1671-1672, Pierre & Marie had lived on the island of Geese (Ile-aux-Oies). Their first child, Pierre was born February 11, 1672, and was baptized by Father Morel on March 08. On September 09, 1673, Pierre sold his land on the Ile d'Orleans, where he had cleared five arpents, to Jean Mourier. Later he moved over to the Isle of the Cranes (Ile-aux-Grues), on the St. Laurence River. His eldest daughter Marie Anne, was born there on November 12, 1675. In effect, on July 17, 1674 the seigneur of the two little islands granted six arpents of frontage to the depth of the entire island to Pierre. Ile-aux-Grues is the only one of the 21 islands & small islands to be permanently inhabited. Today, in the year 2000, although only five Kilometers in total size, the island is home to nearly 250 residents. In 1681, Pierre & his family crossed over to the south shore of the St. Laurence River, to a place called I'Islet. Here he remained for eleven years, and was here that his last five children were baptized. On October 19, 1695, a grant was made by the Seigneruesse, but two years later was resold by the Michaud's to Pierre Lessard. The Michaud's were once again on the move. By June 30, 1695, Pierre & Marie held official title to a grant of twelve arpents of frontal property on the river, at Kamouraska. It was possible that they already had lived on this land for a few years; Marie's parents had also established a home at Kamouraska about this time. This was the last place Pierre Michaud's family lived. Pierre, was striken with mouth cancer & died in 1702.