Quebec City
And The Emergence of Louis Lavergne
The Age of Exploration
and the struggle to colonize the New World produced three major
imperialist nations: Spain, Great Britain, and France. It
was the ambition of France to become a world power that brought
Louis Lavergne to New France (Canada) in the middle of the 17th
Century.
Spain had interests in the New World, but those interested were centered in Central and South America and were fueled by the discovery and exploitation of gold and silver. Great Britain's interest centered on agricultural and shipping pursuits, a much more stable and safe existence befitting colonists. France's interest centered on the fur trade, bringing with it frequent internal clashes between farmers interested in clearing the land and fur trappers interested in preserving the wilderness. What all three imperialists power shared was a deep suspicion of one another. Very often, the moves and decisions of each of the powers were strategic; an attempt to subvert the emerging influence of another competitor.
One of world history's greatest practitioners of realistic power politics in international relations was Bishop of Lucon, Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642), a sincere but certainly not an ardent Catholic, and an efficient, ambitious, even brilliant, administrator. 'Raison d' etat' (reason of state) motivated all his policies. He lived in splendor, usually accompanied by his private choir and corps of musicians of a great and splendid Kingdom. He was largely responsible for building 'la grande nation' of Louis XIV. It was Richelieu who sent many Jesuits to the New World for the purpose of spreading the faith but also spreading French influence. In addition to sending Jesuits, he formed the Company of New France in an effort to make France a world power. The Company's objectives were simple enough:
1. New France was to be
self-sufficient in agriculture;
2. Natural resources were to be
discovered and exploited; and
3. Missionary activities were to be
fostered.
The Company of New French opened the lands and had the right to parcel them out to settlers. In turn, they agreed to settle 4,000 settlers in the next 15 years. Not surprisingly, the Jesuits, the fur trappers (referred to as 'Coureurs de Bois' or "Runner of the Woods"), and colonists were often at odds over the use of the land and natural resources of New France.
Samuel de Champlain was a born explorer. In an area recently abandoned by Indians, he founded the first French Settlement in the New World in 1608. The settlement was Quebec. Fishing was not feasible there; but its value was military. Early defense systems would be built and rebuilt many times over the next 200 years, resulting in a walled fortress that earned Quebec the name "Gibraltar of North America". When Louis Lavergne entered Quebec City sometime before his marriage to Marie Anne Simon on May 26, 1675, he entered an area fraught with danger. He lived among a people dangerously divided and reduced to petty bickering. The French alliance with Algonquins and Hurons made bitter enemies of the Mohawks and Iroquois Indian tribes. Political struggles between the Jesuits and the colonial leaders were simultaneous with economic struggles between agrarians and Coureurs de Bois. Champlain's governorship was occupied by wars with the British and the Indians. Life for Canadians was very hard, especially whenever France and England were at war on the European continent. By 1650, there were approximately 500 settlers in Canada. Most of these settlers were engaged in agricultural pursuits. For a long period of time, Canada was on the brink of disaster. What was done in North America in the name of France was pretty much accomplished by what the Catholic Church or independent commercial enterprise could get done, and the success of either of those efforts depended upon a delicate and unreliable alliance with selected Indian tribes against other Indian tribes and the British. The efforts should have been directed by the government; but that period of French-English history was dominated by war.
Louis Lavergne was assuredly recruited by the Company of New France to help construct the slowly growing Quebec City. He moved to the New France right at the time of the rise of King Louis XIV to absolute power in France. The king's appointment of Jean Colbert as Finance Minister signalled the development of a clear policy regarding the relationship of Canada and France: Canada was to be used to make France rich. The objective was to make France an imperialist nation; the colonies were to develop raw material and serve as markets for the mother country; the colonies were to become the springboard for further penetration into the North American continent. (The economic policy is called Mercantilism; and it was this policy that led to the American Revolution against the British from 1776-1783. In order to build a proper infrastructure to meet those objectives, skilled laborers were needed very badly. As a mason (bricklayer), Louis Lavergne was almost certainly recruited for his skills.
After his arrival in Quebec City, the 28 year old Louis Lavergne met and married Marie Anne Simon, the 14 year old daughter of Hubert Simon and Marie Viez de la Mothe. Their marriage would last only 12 years; Louis Lavergne died in Quebec in 1687. At least one and more probably two of his sons, Louis and Phillippe, floated down the Mississippi River to help settle yet another territory and city, New Orleans in Louisiana.(1)
(1)
Lavergne family tradition maintains that two
brothers floated down the Mississippi River by canoe to the New
Orleans area. The tradition is supported by documentation
in Quebec insofar as Phillippe Lavergne is recorded as having
been born in Quebec on June 18, 1683. There is no record
of his marriage or death there, possibly suggesting his departure
for Louisiana with his brother, Louis, Jr. However, unlike
Louis, there is no record of his living in Louisiana either.
There are a number of possibilities: he could have
died en route to Louisiana; he could have never left Quebec and
died in obscurity there; or he could have made it to Louisiana
and died in obscurity there. Most family traditions are
rooted in historical fact; but, in this case, there is no way to
establish this tradition as a historical truth.
(Please do not copy Mr. Lavergne's article without his express written consent.)
The complete vitae of Gary M. Lavergne!!!
February 15, 1999: I heard from Gary again today with news that the entire book, Lives of Quiet Desperation is now on-line :-) Be sure to check it out!! Lives of Quiet Desperation: The Ancestry Of A Louisiana Frenchman!!
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