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Mathurin Gagnon & Françoise Gotreau

Trace the ancestry of Mathurin Gagnon and Françoise Gotreau, founders of a lasting French-Canadian lineage. This biography explores their migration to New France, their family’s establishment in Château-Richer, and their enduring legacy in the Gagnon family tree across Québec and beyond.

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 Mathurin Gagnon & Françoise Gotreau

From Perche to Château-Richer: Building a Legacy in New France  

 

Mathurin Gagnon (or Gaingnon), son of Pierre Gagnon and Renée (or Magdeleine) Roger, was born in the village of La Gagnonnière, located between Tourouvre and Ventrouze in the old French province of Perche. He was baptized on October [22?], 1606, in the parish of Saint-Aubin in Tourouvre. His godparents were Mathurin Prost, Nicolas Creste and Marie Febvrier. Mathurin’s family name appears in a variety of phonetic ways on documents, including Gaignon, Gasgnon, and Gangnon. He signed his name Gaingnon.

1606 baptism of Mathurin Gagnon (Archives du Département de l’Orne)

The church of Saint-Aubin in Tourouvre, where Mathurin Gagnon was baptized, dates back to the 15th century. Dozens of emigrants to Canada were baptized in this church (Archives du Département de l’Orne).

Location of Tourouvre (present-day Tourouvre-au-Perche) in France (Mapcarta)

The Gagnon family owned a farm and an inn in La Gagnonnière. Mathurin had six siblings: Noël, Louis, Mathurine, Marguerite, Jean, and Pierre. The latter three would also become pioneers in New France.

While still in France, Mathurin had a daughter out of wedlock with Vincente Gauthier, whom he never married. Marie Marthe Gagnon was born around 1635 in L'Hôme-Chamondot in Perche. She would also emigrate to New France in 1643, presumably after the death of her mother.  

 

The Percheron Emigration: From France to the Shores of Canada

Tourouvre and the old province of Perche are deeply connected to the story of 17th-century French emigration to Canada, emerging as a major emigration hub. Many early Canadian settlers hailed from this region, leaving their homeland through the port of La Rochelle. The church of Saint-Aubin houses two remarkable stained-glass windows: one dedicated to those who emigrated to Canada, and another commemorating the 1891 visit of Honoré Mercier, a notable descendant of Julien Mercier.  

Key figures in this migration included Robert Giffard, a seigneur and surgeon, and the Juchereau brothers, merchants Jean and Noël, who had been granted large land concessions in Canada. They needed men who could clear their lands, build homes and other buildings, and start cultivation. Their primary aim was to bring as many colonists and families to Canada as possible. The Compagnie des Cent-Associés partly funded the migration of these colonists, including Zacharie Cloutier, Jean Guyon, Noël Langlois, and many others. The Museum of French Emigration to Canada in Tourouvre-au-Perche celebrates these pioneers and their stories.

“View of the Port of La Rochelle,” 1762 painting by Joseph Vernet (Wikimedia Commons)

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

Arrival in New France

Mathurin sailed to New France with his brothers Jean and Pierre sometime between 1635 and 1640. The three brothers were merchants who operated a store on rue Saint-Pierre in Québec’s lower town. The business measured 60 feet wide, facing the street, by 24 feet deep. Joseph Massé Gravel dit Brindelière was a co-proprietor; he would later marry Marguerite Tavernier, the Gagnon brothers’ niece (daughter of Marguerite Gagnon and Éloi Tavernier). The store was sold to Pierre Pellerin on October 9, 1668.  

Sometime before 1641, the three Gagnon brothers received land concessions on the Beaupré coast, between Sault-à-la-Puce and Rivière-aux-Chiens, at Château-Richer. Mathurin’s land measured 6½ arpents of frontage, facing the St. Lawrence River, by 126 arpents deep.

The elder Mathurin appeared to be the most educated of the brothers, as he was the only one able to sign his name. In 1642, he sailed back to France to take care of family affairs and to fetch his daughter Marie Marthe. The following year, Mathurin returned to Canada with his daughter, his mother Renée, as well as his sister Marguerite, her husband Éloi Tavernier, and their two daughters.

“Map from Kébec to Cap Tourmente, 1641,” drawn by Jean Bourdon (Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec)

Location of La Roche-Guyon in France (Mapcarta)

Françoise Gotreau, daughter of François Gotreau and Jeanne Jahan (or Jéhanne), was born around 1632 in the parish of Saint-Nicolas in La Roche-Guyon, Île-de-France, France. [Based on the ages reported on census records and her burial record, Françoise was born sometime between 1630 and 1634. Her surname was recorded inconsistently throughout her life: Godeau, Gaudeau, Goudeau, and even Boudeau.]  

Located just 55 kilometres northwest of Paris, La Roche-Guyon held strategic and noble importance in various historical periods, especially with its prominent château carved into the cliffs overlooking the Seine. Situated in the Val-d'Oise department within the historic province of Île-de-France, the village was long associated with powerful noble families, including the La Rochefoucauld line. Today, it is home to fewer than 500 residents and is recognized as one of Les Plus Beaux Villages de France for its remarkable natural and architectural heritage.

La Roche-Guyon (postcards, Geneanet)

Françoise emigrated to New France around 1647 with her mother, Jeanne, and her stepfather Jacques Lehoux.

Marriage

On September 9, 1647, notary Claude Lecoustre drew up a marriage contract between Mathurin Gagnon and Françoise Gotreau. The groom was a 40-year-old merchant; his bride was about 15. The relatively short contract followed the norms of the Coutume de Paris (the Paris custom). The couple was married on September 30, 1647, by chaplain Jean Lesueur dit St-Sauveur, in Mathurin’s home in Québec.

Mathurin’s signature on the 1647 marriage contract (FamilySearch)

1647 marriage of Mathurin and Françoise (Généalogie Québec)

 

Legal Age to Marry and Age of Majority

In New France, the legal minimum age for marriage was 14 for boys and 12 for girls. These requirements remained unchanged during the eras of Lower Canada and Canada East. In 1917, the Catholic Church revised its code of canon law, setting the minimum marriage age at 16 for men and 14 for women. The Code civil du Québec later raised this age to 18 for both sexes in 1980. Throughout these periods, minors required parental consent to marry. 

The age of majority also evolved over time. In New France, the age of legal majority was 25, following the Coutume de Paris. This was reduced to 21 under the British regime. Since 1972, the age of majority in Canada has been set at 18 years old, although this can vary slightly between provinces.

Mathurin and Françoise had at least 14 children:

  1. [anonymous] (1649–1649)

  2. Marie Madeleine (1650–1680)

  3. [anonymous] (1652–1652)

  4. Mathurin (1653–bef. 1715)

  5. Françoise (1655–1680)

  6. Vincent (1658–1708)

  7. Marie (1662–1662)

  8. Marguerite (1663–1742)

  9. Jacques (1665–1687)

  10. Flavien (1666–1679)

  11. Jean (1669–aft. 1681)

  12. Pierre (1672–1744)

  13. Joseph (1674–1676)

  14. Joseph (ca. 1676–1745)

Business, Real Estate and a Confirmation

On August 14, 1651, the three Gagnon brothers received a land concession from Louis d'Ailleboust, which was ratified by Jean de Lauson on December 1, 1652. The concession involved three-quarters of a site located on rue Saint-Pierre, in the lower town of Québec, measuring four toises wide by ten long, on which there was a main building consisting of three rooms with chimneys, three bedrooms, and three attics. [The toise was an old measure of length equal to six feet.]  

On October 6, 1653, Mathurin was involved in two notarial transactions recorded by notary Guillaume Audouart dit Saint-Germain:

  • Six-month lease agreement for one half of the cellar of a shop and house located on the port of Québec by Pierre, Jean, and Mathurin Gagnon, all brothers, and Massé Gravel dit Brindelière, to merchant Jean Garos of La Rochelle, for 90 livres.

  • Contract for the joinery and flooring of the same building located in the port of Québec by Michel Bourdet and Pierre Biron, joiners, for Jean, Pierre and Mathurin Gagnon, brothers, and Massé Gravel dit Brindelière, for 135 livres.

The following year, on September 22, 1654, Mathurin and Françoise enlisted the services of notary Audouart to draw up an agreement with Grégoire Jéhanne, a relative of Françoise’s [likely a maternal uncle or cousin], living in “La Motte Gugnon” [likely La Roche-Guyon] in France. The deed detailed a farm lease and rental agreement of houses and estates located in the village of “Goudeaux” [possibly Gommecourt, across the Seine from La Roche-Guyon].

On February 2, 1660, Mathurin received the sacrament of confirmation from François de Montmorency-Laval, “Monsignor the Illustrious and Most Reverend Bishop of Petrée, Vicar Apostolic in the whole of New France,” in Château-Richer.

1660 confirmation of Mathurin Gagnon (Généalogie Québec)

 The Gagnon Family in the Census

In 1666, Mathurin and Françoise were recorded in the census of New France living on the côte de Beaupré with their five children and two domestic servants.

1666 census for the “Gaignon” family (Library and Archives Canada)

The following year, another census was taken. Mathurin and Françoise were still living in Beaupré with their six children. They owned 12 head of cattle and 25 arpents of cleared or cultivated land.

1667 census for the “Gaignon” family (Library and Archives Canada)

Life on the Seigneurie

In 1674, Mathurin was named in three notarial documents penned by notary Paul Vachon, in which he was recorded as a resident of the parish of Notre-Dame in Château-Richer:

  • January 16, 1674: Mathurin purchased a land concession located near Grande Rivière in the parish of Sainte-Anne from Nicolas Gamache, for 200 livres in cash and five livres in pot-de-vin (brandy). The land measured three arpents of frontage facing the St. Lawrence River. Mathurin agreed to pay the annual rente of three livres and three live capons, as well as three sols in cens.

  •  January 16, 1674: Mathurin transferred a quarter-share in a boat called Sainte-Anne to Jean Lepiccard [Picard], his son-in-law.

  •  October 13, 1674: Mathurin and Françoise donated the land concession located at Grande Rivière, purchased from Nicolas Gamache, to their son Mathurin, in exchange for 200 livres (the original purchase price) as advance inheritance. He would also be responsible for the payment of future cens and rentes to the seigneur.

In 1681, Mathurin and Françoise were recorded in the census of New France living on the côte de Beaupré (in Château-Richer) with their seven children. The family owned two guns, 20 head of cattle, and 45 arpents of cleared or cultivated land.

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

Death of Mathurin Gagnon

Mathurin Gagnon (or Gaingnon) died at the age of 83 on April 20, 1690. He was buried two days later in the parish cemetery of La-Visitation-de-Notre-Dame in Château-Richer. [The burial record erroneously lists his age as 92.]

1690 burial of Mathurin Gagnon (Généalogie Québec)

As was customary after the death of a spouse, an inventory of Mathurin and Françoise’s community of goods was drawn up by notary Étienne Jacob on January 24, 1696. The 11-page document listed all of their possessions, including kitchen utensils and cookware, tools, three guns, books, a large chest, clothing and linens, several blankets, a barrel of lard, 140 minots of wheat, seven minots of peas, ten minots of oats, three horses, a colt, eight oxen, eight cows, seven pigs, as well as farming instruments and tools. The document also included a few debts, as well as all important legal documents.

 

The After-Death Inventory

The Coutume de Paris (Custom of Paris) governed the transmission of family property in New France. When a couple married, with or without a contract, they were subject to the “community of goods.” All property acquired during the union by the spouses was part of this community. After the death of the parents (assuming the couple had children), the property of the community was divided equally among all the children, sons and daughters. When the community was dissolved by the death of one spouse, the survivor was entitled to half, and the other half was divided equally among the children. When the surviving spouse died, the children divided the remaining share of the community. Inventories were drawn up after a death to itemize all the goods within a community.

Just before her death, on September 4, 1696, Françoise sold a plot of land located in the seigneurie of Beaupré to her sons Vincent, Pierre, Jean, and Joseph, for 3,000 livres. The land measured three arpents wide along the St. Lawrence River. The sons would be responsible for all future seigniorial cens and rentes payments.

Death of Françoise Gotreau

Françoise Gotreau died on September 14, 1696. She was buried the following day inside the parish church of La-Visitation-de-Notre-Dame in Château-Richer. Her sons Vincent and Pierre attended the burial. The burial record lists her age as “about 66.”

1696 burial of Françoise Gotreau (Généalogie Québec)

 

Buried inside the church?

Intramural church burials are an ancient Christian tradition that early colonists brought from France. In France, this privilege was primarily reserved for clergy and nobles. However, in New France, burials within church walls were not limited to these elite groups. They were performed for those belonging to the most powerful social classes (which could include farmers), successful tradespeople, and those devoted to their church and community.

Bodies were typically placed in crypts located under the church floor or in graves dug after raising the floor or moving a church bench.

The funeral rites for such burials were generally more elaborate and expensive than those for cemetery burials. These rites often included special masses, processions, and other ceremonies that underscored the social status and community contributions of the deceased.

The practice of intramural church burials began to decline by the mid-nineteenth century, primarily due to public hygiene concerns, lack of space, and changing attitudes toward burial practices. By this time, many communities began to favour dedicated cemeteries located away from populated areas.

Two More Inventories

The day after his mother’s death, Vincent Gagnon and his wife Marie Anne David requested that an inventory be formalized of his late parents’ community of goods. The unusually hasty request triggered succession procedures via a procureur fiscal, who requested that notary Étienne Jacob draw up the document. It was the responsibility of the procureur fiscal to ensure that legal formalities were followed, and that the estate was not mishandled.

Given that Françoise had just sold a plot of land and all the structures upon it, this inventory is much shorter—just four pages.

About a month later, on October 18, 1696, another inventory was drawn up by notary Jacob, this one requested by all the Gagnon children. It was slightly longer at six pages.

The reason for the two inventories was likely because the first inventory was preliminary and rushed. Since Vincent initiated it so quickly (the very next day), the first four-page inventory may have been a protective measure, a basic list to secure the estate immediately after death. It would have covered visible and urgent goods (such as livestock, farm tools, and household furniture) to prevent theft or misappropriation. The second inventory was probably more detailed, complete, and consensual. This second inventory would serve as the real foundation for the eventual division (partage).

Gagnon Heritage

Several plaques honour the history of the Gagnon family. In 1960, a commemorative plaque was affixed to the church of Saint-Aubin in Tourouvre in honour of the Gagnon brothers.

 

(© Association Perche-Canada; photo used with permission)

 

In Canada, a plaque marks the place where the Gagnon brothers operated a store in Québec City's Lower Town in 1651. It is located in UNESCO Park.

Gagnon brothers’ commemorative plaque in Québec (© The French-Canadian Genealogist)

Gagnon brothers’ commemorative plaque in Québec (© The French-Canadian Genealogist)

Another plaque was erected in Château-Richer in 1940, located at 8754, avenue Royale.  

Gagnon brothers’ commemorative plaque in Château-Richer (Marie-Claude Côté 2003, © Ministère de la Culture et des Communications)

Gagnon brothers’ commemorative plaque in Château-Richer (Marie-Claude Côté 2003, © Ministère de la Culture et des Communications)

A Lasting Legacy

The Gagnon family established deep roots in New France through farming, commerce, and land settlement. Mathurin Gagnon and his brothers contributed to the development of the colony by clearing land, building homes, operating a store in Québec’s Lower Town, and raising large families who would continue to settle along the Beaupré coast. Over time, the Gagnons became part of the fabric of French-Canadian society, with descendants who helped shape the communities of Château-Richer, Québec City, and beyond.

Their legacy remains visible today through historical plaques, preserved records, and the continuing presence of the Gagnon name in Canada. Originating from the small village of La Gagnonnière in Perche, France, the family’s story reflects the broader experience of the early settlers who laid the foundations of French Canada.

 
 
Mathurin Gagnon & Françoise Gotreau (article in PDF format)
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