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Barthélémy Verreau dit Le Bourguignon & Marthe Quitel

Explore the story of Barthélémy Verreau dit Le Bourguignon, an edge-tool maker from Dijon, and Marthe Quitel, a Fille du roi from Rouen, who settled in Château-Richer in the 17th century. This founding couple is the ancestral origin of all North American Verreaus.

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Barthélémy Verreau dit Le Bourguignon & Marthe Quitel

A Master Edge-Tool Maker and a Fille du Roi in New France

 

Location of Dijon in France (Mapcarta)

Barthélémy Verreau dit Le Bourguignon, son of Michel Verreau and Claudine Roche, was born around 1631 in the parish of Saint-Jean in Dijon, Bourgogne, France. Located 263 kilometres southwest of Paris and 175 kilometres north of Lyon, Dijon is within the present-day department of Côte-d’Or and the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. As of 2022, it had a population of about 250,000 residents, called Dijonnais.

Dijon, the historic capital of the Duchy of Burgundy, was nicknamed the “city of a hundred steeples” under the Ancien Régime. In the first half of the 17th century, the city was a thriving provincial capital with significant administrative and judicial importance within the Kingdom of France. As the centre of one of the country’s wealthiest regions, Dijon maintained a strong intellectual and religious presence, with several parishes, convents, and schools.

 

The Parish of Saint-Jean

The church of Saint-Jean in Dijon, where Barthélémy Verreau was likely baptized (Geneanet)

The parish church of Saint-Jean in Dijon has a rich and layered history. It replaced a much older basilica first built in the 5th century and became one of Dijon’s key parish churches by the 12th century. The current Gothic-style church was constructed between 1448 and 1470, after the previous structure was demolished. It became a collégiale in the late 15th century and remained an active place of worship, with ongoing renovations and burials continuing until the late 18th century. The church was closed during the French Revolution, when its towers were dismantled and the building repurposed several times—for use as a market, fodder depot, wine warehouse, and even military lodging.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, the building underwent major restorations and was returned to religious use for a time before being permanently deconsecrated in 1973. Since then, it has served as a cultural venue and is now home to the Théâtre Dijon-Bourgogne.

Dijon, 17th century map by Jean Crépy (Bibliothèque municipale de Bordeaux)

"Description de la ville de Dijon siège du parlement de Bourgogne" (Description of the city of Dijon, seat of the Parliament of Burgundy), 1647 map by Jean Boisseau (Bibliothèque nationale de France)

Arrival in New France

Barthélémy was educated—he knew how to sign his name. In Dijon, he also learned the trade of forgeron (blacksmith) and taillandier (edge-tool maker). The details of his departure from France are unknown, as no work contract has been found. He is thought to have arrived in New France in June 1662, probably aboard the ship L’Aigle Blanc or the ship captained by Peré, both of which departed from the port city of La Rochelle.

An Edge-Tool Maker’s Workshop ("Le taillandier = Der Zeugschmied"), 1847 drawing or painting by Jean Frédéric Wentzel (Bibliothèque nationale de France)

Barthélémy signed a work contract on November 5, 1662, to work for edge-tool maker and merchant Jean Milot in Montréal for one year. An inventory of Milot’s possessions the following year indicated that he owed Barthélémy 246 livres for one year’s wages and “merchandise of steel.”

In 1663, Barthélémy served in the fifth squadron of the Sainte-Famille militia in Montréal, under corporal Jean Gasteau.

 

The Sainte-Famille Militia

In 1663, facing repeated and deadly attacks by the Iroquois, Montréal's residents were left to defend themselves in the absence of formal military support. In response, Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve, the town’s founder, established the first Canadian militia. He called upon the men of Montréal to organize themselves into groups of seven, each led by a corporal of their choosing. This local force was placed under the patronage of the Holy Family—Jesus, Mary, and Joseph—and named the Sainte-Famille militia. The final roll listed 139 men, likely representing all able-bodied males in the small settlement, which had a population of around 500 at the time.  

At some point over the next two years, Barthélémy left Montréal for the côte de Beaupré.

Settlement in Château-Richer

On June 27, 1665, Barthélémy purchased a plot of land in the côte and seigneurie of Beaupré, in a settlement called Château-Richer, from Jacques Cauchon de Lamothe and Barbe Delphine Letardif. The land measured forty square feet and did not include any buildings. The sale price was 30 livres. Barthélémy agreed to pay a rente of 15 sols to the seigneur annually, on the feast day of Saint-Martin. The deed of sale, penned by notary Claude Auber, records Barthélémy as a maître taillandier (master edge-tool maker).

 

Page one of the 1665 land purchase by Barthélémy Verreau (FamilySearch)

 

Location of Rouen in France (Mapcarta)

Marthe Quitel, daughter of Denis Quitel and Louise Bénard, was born around 1638 in Rouen, Normandy, France. Rouen, now home to approximately 114,000 residents, is located in the department of Seine-Maritime, 120 kilometres northwest of Paris and about 50 kilometres south of Dieppe. Her surname appears in a variety of phonetic forms in historical records: Quintel, Quitelle, Guitel, etc.

Rouen in 1660, engraving by Hendrick Focken (Bibliothèque nationale de France)

A Fille du roi, Marthe left France via the port of La Rochelle on May 10, 1665, aboard La Marie Thérèse. Among her fellow passengers were Jean Bourdon, attorney general in the Conseil Souverain, seven other women, and a dozen horses. The ship arrived at Québec on July 16, 1665.

 

"The Arrival of the French Girls at Quebec," watercolour by Charles W. Jefferys (Wikimedia Commons)

 

There was one complication upon Marthe’s arrival in New France: she was a Huguenot, or French Protestant. As the French crown had designated Roman Catholicism as the only authorized religion in its colonies, Protestants were forbidden to settle in New France unless they converted. They were also prohibited from marrying or owning land. 

Consequently, on July 17, 1665—one day after her arrival—Marthe renounced her Calvinist faith in an “abjuration of heresy” at the parish church of Notre-Dame in Québec.  

Marthe was then sent to live with Nicolas Marsolet, also from Rouen, and his wife Marie Barbier, residents of Coteau Sainte-Geneviève in Québec.  

Marriage and Family

On August 31, 1665, Barthélémy Verreau dit Le Bourguignon and Marthe Quitel had their marriage contract drawn up by notary Duquet de Lachesnaye in the Marsolet home. Among Barthélémy’s witnesses were Denis Derôme (a fellow edge-tool maker from Bourgogne) and his wife Jacqueline Roulois, Jean Gervaise, and Étienne Lessard. Among Marthe’s witnesses were “noble man” Nicolas Marsolet and Marie Barbier, as well as several of their children and their spouses. The contract followed the standards of the Coutume de Paris. The prefix dower—the portion of property reserved by the husband for his wife in the event she outlived him—was set at 400 livres.

The Coutume de Paris (Custom of Paris) governed the transmission of family property in New France. Whether or not a couple had a marriage contract, they were subject to the “community of goods,” meaning all property acquired during the marriage became part of the community. Upon the death of the parents, the community property was divided equally among all children, both sons and daughters. If one spouse died, the surviving spouse retained half of the community property, while the other half was shared among the children. When the surviving spouse passed away, their share was also divided equally among the children. After-death inventories were crucial for listing all assets within the community to ensure proper division.

Barthélémy and Marthe’s signatures on their 1665 marriage contract

The couple was married on September 22, 1665, in the parish of La-Visitation-de-Notre-Dame in Château-Richer. Barthélémy was recorded as a blacksmith, aged about 34. Marthe was about 27. The witnesses were royal notary Pierre Duquet de Lachesnaye, Louis Levasseur dit L’Espérance, Gilles Esnard, and Louis Bantaville.

Barthélémy and Marthe settled in Château-Richer and had at least nine children:

  1. Antoine (1667–1667)

  2. Jeanne (1668–1711)

  3. Joseph (1671–1671)

  4. Marie (1672–1703)

  5. Marguerite (1674–1749)

  6. Prisque (1676– before 1681)

  7. Barthélémy (1678–1718)

  8. François (1682–1754)

  9. Anne (1684–1749)

The Verreau Family in the Census

In 1666, Barthélémy and Marthe were recorded in the census of New France, living on the côte de Beaupré (in Château-Richer). Barthélémy was listed as a taillandier habitant. A domestic servant also named Barthélémy, a baker, lived in the household.

1666 census for the Verreau family (Library and Archives Canada)

The following year, another census was taken. Barthélémy and Marthe were still living in Château-Richer. They did not own any animals, nor any arpents of cleared or cultivated land.

Land at Sainte-Famille on Île-d’Orléans

Although Barthélémy owned land on Île-d’Orléans, the Verreau family never lived there:

  • On April 14, 1668, Barthélémy received a land concession at Sainte-Famille on Île-d’Orléans from seigneur Jean Paul Maheu.

  • On May 6, 1668, Barthélémy exchanged this plot with Noël Rose dit Larose.

  • On November 10, 1676, Barthélémy and Marthe sold the concession to Nicolas Patenostre and Marguerite Lebreton for 630 livres. However, the land was returned in 1679 for lack of payment.

  • On July 1, 1682, Barthélémy and Marthe exchanged the land on Île-d’Orléans for a concession in Château-Richer with Jean Charet and Marie Bourdon.

Land in Château-Richer

On December 1, 1669, Barthélémy enlarged his land holdings in Château-Richer by acquiring another concession adjoining his own, “near the mill,” from Zacharie Cloutier (acting on behalf of the minor children of Olivier Letardif as their guardian). His land now measured 47 feet of frontage (facing the chemin du Roi) by 90 feet in depth.

On March 27, 1677, Barthélémy and Marthe purchased an habitation in Château-Richer from missionary priest François Fillion (acting on behalf of François de Laval, bishop of Québec) for 1,000 livres. The land measured about three and a half arpents of frontage facing the St. Lawrence River. They agreed to pay three livres and ten sols in rente, three sols and six deniers in cens, plus two live capons annually for the entire concession, due on each feast day of Saint-Martin.

In 1681, the Verreau family was recorded in the census of New France, living on the côte de Beaupré (in Château-Richer). Barthélémy was listed as a taillandier (edge-tool maker). Four children lived in the household: Jeanne, Marie, Marguerite, and Barthélémy. The family owned four head of cattle and six arpents of “valuable” land (cleared or under cultivation), and no guns.

1681 census for the Verreau family (Library and Archives Canada)

A Respected Edge-Tool Maker

Over the years, several religious institutions employed the services of Barthélémy. In 1694, the church of Sainte-Anne du Petit-Cap (later Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré) recorded the following expense: “paid to bourguignon for sharpening tools which are used for cutting stone, twenty-five livres for making sharp three hammers.” Barthélémy was also hired on multiple occasions by the Seminary of Québec. On June 2, 1700, the Seminary offered to settle its outstanding debts by giving Barthélémy a desirable plot of land. He accepted, adding to his real estate holdings. The land measured four arpents in width.

Death of Barthélémy Verreau

Barthélémy Verreau dit Le Bourguignon died at the age of about 69 on December 17, 1700. He was buried two days later in the parish cemetery of La-Visitation-de-Notre-Dame in Château-Richer.

1700 burial of Barthélémy Verreau (Généalogie Québec)

A few months later, on February 28, 1701, Marthe asked notary Étienne Jacob to draw up the inventory of the community of goods she had shared with her late husband. The relatively short document listed all the couple’s possessions, though several pages appear to be missing.  

On May 31, 1702, Marthe sold her late husband’s forge to her son Barthélémy for 120 livres, “including all the tools of an edge-tool maker, namely: an anvil, bellows, rapier, hammers and tongs.” The sale price reflected the estimated value of the forge in the couple’s 1701 inventory.

On May 4, 1706, five years after her husband’s death, Marthe divided her movable property and inheritance among her surviving children and their spouses. The family land was granted to François, with the agreement of his siblings. In return, François promised to care for his mother, in sickness and in health, until her death.  

Death of Marthe Quitel

Marthe Quitel died at the age of about 84. She was buried on December 26, 1722, in the parish cemetery of La-Visitation-de-Notre-Dame in Château-Richer. The burial record indicates that she “died suddenly, having nevertheless given during her life marks of Catholicity.” [The date of death was omitted from the burial record.]

1722 burial of Marthe Quitel (Généalogie Québec)

The Verreau Legacy

Barthélémy Verreau dit Le Bourguignon and Marthe Quitel laid deep roots in the early colony of New France. He was a skilled edge-tool maker whose services were sought by both settlers and religious institutions; she was among the women sent by the king to help populate and stabilize the young colony. Together, they established a lasting presence in Château-Richer—a place that would become the homeland of the Verreau family in North America. From this small settlement on the côte de Beaupré, their children and descendants spread outward, making Barthélémy and Marthe the founding ancestral couple of all North American Verreaus.

 
 
Barthélémy Verreau dit Le Bourguignon & Marthe Quitel (article in PDF format)
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