Contact Us / Contactez nous

         

123 Street Avenue, City Town, 99999

(123) 555-6789

email@address.com

 

You can set your address, phone number, email and site description in the settings tab.
Link to read me page with more information.

Jean Julien & Madeleine Guérin

Discover the story of Jean Julien and Madeleine Guérin, a 17th-century French settler and Fille du roi who helped build early Quebec. From their arrival in New France to their life in L’Ange-Gardien, explore the roots of a French-Canadian family legacy.

Cliquez ici pour la version en français

Jean Julien & Madeleine Guérin

A Poitevin and a Fille du roi in New France

 

Jean Julien, son of Michel Julien and Perrine Coutant, was born around 1641 in Sainte-Verge, in the former province of Poitou, France. Located about 50 kilometres east of Nantes, Sainte-Verge is now part of the Deux-Sèvres département. Today, it is considered a suburb of the town of Thouars and has a population of approximately 1,400.

 

Location of Sainte-Verge in France (Mapcarta)

 

Postcard of Sainte-Verge (Geneanet)

Postcard of Sainte-Verge (Geneanet)

The exact date of Jean’s arrival in New France is unknown, but he was present by 1659.

On February 24, 1660, Jean received the sacrament of confirmation in Quebec City from François de Montmorency-Laval, "Monsignor the Illustrious and Most Reverend Bishop of Petrée, Vicar Apostolic in the whole of New France,” alongside 64 others, most of them French settlers. He was recorded as a 19-year-old from the bishopric of Poitiers.

 

Confirmation of Jean Julien in 1660 (Généalogie Québec)

 

Between his confirmation in 1660 and his marriage in 1665, Jean does not appear in the historical record.

Madeleine Guérin, daughter of Simon Guérin and Nicole Leduc, was born around 1647 in Vauxaillon, in the former province of Île-de-France. Located about 145 kilometres northeast of Paris, Vauxaillon is now part of the Aisne département. This rural community has a population of around 500, known as Vauxaillonnais.

 

Location of Vauxaillon in France (Mapcarta)

 

Madeleine left her homeland in 1665 in search of a new life in New France. She was a Fille du roi.

Marriage

On October 20, 1665, notary Pierre Duquet de Lachesnaye drew up a marriage contract between “Jean Jullien” and “Magdelaine Guerin” in his office in Quebec City. The groom was about 24 years old, and the bride about 18. The contract followed the legal framework of the Coutume de Paris. 

The Coutume de Paris governed the transmission of family property in New France. Regardless of whether a couple signed a marriage contract, they were subject to the community of goods (communauté de biens), meaning that all property acquired during the marriage belonged equally to both spouses. Upon the death of both parents, the community property was divided equally among all their children, sons and daughters alike. If one spouse died, the surviving spouse retained half of the property, while the other half was shared among the children. When the surviving spouse later died, their portion was also divided equally among the children. After-death inventories were crucial for listing all assets within the community to ensure proper division and legal compliance.

In the section concerning the douaire préfix (prefixed dower—the portion of property reserved for the wife if she outlived her husband), the notary left the amount blank—perhaps an oversight.

Among the witnesses to the contract were high-ranking figures: Alexandre de Prouville, seigneur de Tracy, the king’s counsellor and lieutenant general of His Majesty’s armies; Jean Talon, the king’s counsellor and intendant “of Canada, Isle de terre neufve, and Lacadie”; and Barbe de Boulogne, widow of Louis d’Ailleboust, former governor of New France. The future spouses declared they did not know how to sign their names.  

Jean and Madeleine were married on November 10, 1665, in the parish of Notre-Dame in Québec.

Marriage of Jean and Madeleine in 1665 (Généalogie Québec)

Artificial intelligence image created by the author with ChatGPT (May 2025)

Life in L’Ange-Gardien

After their wedding, the newlyweds likely settled in L’Ange-Gardien, on the côte of Beaupré. 

Jean and Madeleine had at least three children:

  1. Marie Madeleine (ca. 1667–1702)

  2. Nicolas (1669–?)

  3. Anne Jeanne (1672–before 1733)

On March 19, 1666, Jean Julien purchased land in L’Ange-Gardien, on the côte and seigneurie of Beaupré, from shoemaker Pierre Cartel for 120 livres. The lot measured two arpents of frontage along the St. Lawrence River.

The following year, Jean and Madeleine appeared in the 1667 census of New France. They were living on the côte de Beaupré with their six-month-old daughter, Marie. The couple owned two arpents of land en valeur (i.e. cleared or under cultivation) but had no livestock.

Census of New France in 1667 for the “Jullien” family (Library and Archives Canada)

A Quarrel Between Neighbours

In the spring of 1671, a major dispute broke out between Jean Julien and his neighbour Nicolas Quentin. Quentin accused Jean of setting fire to his shed, alleging criminal misconduct. The case was heard by the civil and criminal lieutenant of Québec. On 7 July 1671, Jean was ordered to pay 100 livres to Nicolas Quentin, as well as a fine payable to the hospital.

 

Artificial intelligence image created by the author with ChatGPT (May 2025)

 

Jean lodged an appeal on August 22, 1671:

 

“Between Nicolas Quentin, plaintiff in anticipation of the appeal lodged by Jean Julien against the sentence rendered by the civil and criminal lieutenant general of this town on the seventh of July last, on the one hand, and the said JULIEN, defendant, on the other; having considered the sentence under appeal, by which the said Julien was condemned—with the consent of the said Quentin—to pay him the sum of one hundred livres, as well as a fine of one hundred sols payable to the Hospital, and the costs of the trial, moderated and set at twelve livres including the sentence and one hundred sols for the service of the petition and writs on the witnesses […]; Julien’s petition outlining his grounds for appeal; a report from Jacques Goullet, Pierre Gendreau, and Charles Henou dated 28 June last; another report from Raymond Paget, Jacques Vézinat, and Jean Trudelle, who visited the homes of the said Julien and of Jean Clément dit Lapointe at Julien’s request (the latter report undated); both reports having been made without court order; and the parties having been heard. All considered, the Council annuls the appeal and orders that the original sentence be carried out in full.”

 

The case was finally settled before the Sovereign Council on October 26, 1671:

 

“The Council, currently engaged in reviewing the documents in the lawsuit reported by Sieur Dupont, councillor, between Jean JULIEN, plaintiff in a civil claim, and Nicolas Quentin, defendant, in order to render judgment on the dispute between them—initiated at the request of the said Quentin, who claimed that Julien was responsible for compensating him for the loss of property caused by a fire allegedly due to Julien’s fault—heard both parties. They requested that the Council approve the agreement they had reached to settle the dispute. According to the agreement, Julien promised and undertook to pay Quentin the sum of thirty livres that same day, in the form of a promissory note redeemable at the King's store, with each party bearing the costs and expenses they had incurred. Quentin accepted this arrangement. The Council approved and homologated the agreement, rendering it legally binding […]; and Quentin declared he had received the said note for the sum of thirty livres, acknowledged payment in full, and discharged Julien of all further obligation.”

 

Death of Jean Julien

Jean Julien died around 1673. No burial record has been found.

On June 23, 1673, notary Paul Vachon drew up an inventory of the community property of Jean and Madeleine in L’Ange-Gardien.

This seven-page document lists the couple's assets, including :

  • a grill, a pot, utensils, a frying pan, a pail, and a tin dish

  • a gun

  • two chests and a small armoire

  • a pair of old mittens

  • an old pair of winter snowshoes

  • a barrel of lard

  • wheat and peas stored in the attic

  • a red-haired cow, a calf and two pigs

  • their marriage contract and other important notarial documents

  • a “small house or cabin” valued at 30 livres

Second Marriage of Madeleine Guérin

Widowed with three young children, Madeleine sought to remarry. On August 25, 1673, notary Vachon drafted a marriage contract between Madeleine, then about 26 years old, and Pierre Boivin, about 34. The contract again followed the rules of the Coutume de Paris, and the fixed dower (douaire préfix) was set at 300 livres.

The couple married on August 31, 1673, in L'Ange-Gardien. They did not have any children.

Marriage of Madeleine and Pierre in 1673 (Généalogie Québec)

In 1681, the Boivin family was enumerated in two locations in New France: the côte de Beaupré and Neuville, suggesting they maintained two residences. In Neuville, Pierre owned two guns, seven head of cattle, and eight arpents of land. On the côte of Beaupré (L’Ange-Gardien), he owned one gun, seven head of cattle, and thirty arpents of land.

Census of New France in 1681 for the Boivin family in Neuville (Library and Archives Canada)

Census of New France in 1681 for the Boivin family in L'Ange-Gardien (Library and Archives Canada)

Death of Madeleine Guérin

Madeleine died sometime after February 1, 1699, the date of the baptism of her goddaughter, Marie Anne Riopel. No burial record has been found.

From Nouvelle-France to the Present

The story of Jean Julien and Madeleine Guérin reflects the modest yet foundational beginnings of thousands of French-Canadian families. He was from Poitou; she, a Fille du roi from Île-de-France. Together, they settled in L’Ange-Gardien, built a home, raised children, and contributed to the growth of a young colony. Despite challenges—including a legal dispute and Jean’s untimely death—their union gave rise to a lasting lineage. More than three centuries later, their journey to New France still echoes in the lives and memories of their descendants.

 
 
Jean Julien & Madeleine Guérin (article in PDF format)
CA$2.99

Are you enjoying our articles and resources? Show your support by making a donation. Every contribution, regardless of its size, goes a long way in covering our website hosting expenses and enables us to create more content related to French-Canadian genealogy and history. Thank you! Merci!

Donate
 
 

Sources: