Pierre Tremblay & Ozanne Anne Achon
Pierre Tremblay and Ozanne "Anne" Achon are the ancestors of the largest francophone family in North America. 1% of all Quebeckers are named Tremblay!
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Pierre Tremblay and Ozanne "Anne" Achon
Meet the ancestors of the largest francophone family in North America
French Origins
Pierre Tremblay (or Tremblé), the son of Philibert Tremblay and Jeanne Coignet dite Lebreuil, was born circa 1626 in La Filonnère, located in the parish of Saint-Malo, Randonnai, Perche, France. Today, Randonnai is inhabited by about 730 villagers and is part of the commune of Tourouvre au Perche.
Pictured above and at left: circa 1900 postcards of Randonnai, featuring the 16th-century church of Saint-Malo
Ozanne "Anne" Achon, the daughter of Jean Achon and Hélène Regnaud, was baptized in the parish of Notre-Dame in Chambon, Aunis, France on July 18, 1633. Today, Chambon has a population of about 950 residents.
1633 Baptism of Ozanne Achon
Location of Chambon in France (Google Maps)
Location of Randonnai in France (Google Maps)
Voyage to the New World
On the afternoon of April 9th, 1647, Pierre agrees to a three-year employment contract before notary Choiseau in Tourouvre, along with blacksmith Martin Huan. Pierre will go to New France and work for Noël Juchereau for 75 livres per year. Juchereau will pay for the voyage to and from New France, and will feed the men during the three years. Pierre was 21 years old; he could not sign the contract.
Extract of the 1647 Employment Contract of Martin Huan and Pierre Tremblay
About two months later, Pierre and Martin board the ship La Marguerite for the 8-week voyage to the new world. The ship likely transported other passengers, animals, water reserves, cannons and various merchandise. Passengers slept in cramped quarters in the ship’s hold and conditions were far from hygienic, especially when travellers were overcome with sea sickness. In total, almost 10% of passengers died on their way to New France. Luckily, both Pierre and Martin survive the crossing. They arrive at Québec on August 6th, 1647.
Pierre lives in Québec for about 11 years, having decided not to return to France. He works for Juchereau on the docks, handling merchandise arriving by ship, as well as furs belonging to colonists and Indigenous people.
"Les ouvriers du port, à Rouen" (Dock Workers in Rouen) by Camille Pissarro (Bibliothèque nationale de France)
Anne crosses the Atlantic in 1657. She is a "fille à marier", or marriageable girl. In total, 262 "filles à marier" came to New France in the hopes of finding a better life. They were recruited by individuals, such as merchants or seigneurs, or religious societies. They signed a contract in France, normally to work as a servant. It was understood, however, that their primary objective was marriage and settlement. These agreements did not include return passage to France. Once the contract was signed, the Fille à marier would board a ship for Québec, from La Rochelle or Dieppe. She normally travelled alone, not as part of a larger, organized group. Click here for more information on these pioneering women.
On September 19, 1657, 31-year-old Pierre and 24-year-old Anne sign a marriage contract according to the Coutume de Paris (Custom of Paris). Neither spouse could sign, so they left their mark.
Signature portion of Pierre and Anne's 1657 marriage contract (their marks are at the top)
Pierre and Anne were married a few weeks later in the parish of Notre-Dame in Québec on October 2, 1657. Pierre is recorded as a "laboureur", or ploughman. Their first daughter, Marie Madeleine, is born and baptized in Québec in July of 1658. The couple doesn't remain in Québec long, however. In April of 1659, Pierre takes possession of two arpents of land in L'Ange-Gardien, facing the Saint Lawrence River. Misfortune strikes Pierre and Anne just a few months later, when an unnamed child is born in August, but dies soon after.
On February 2nd, 1660, Anne receives her confirmation from Monseigneur de Laval in the church of Château-Richer, along with 175 others. There was no church in L'Ange-Gardien at the time.
Over the next five years, Pierre and Anne welcome four more children into the world: Pierre (born 1660), Michel (born 1662), Jacques (born 1664) and Marguerite (born 1665).
The Tremblay family is recorded in the 1666 census living in the Côte-de-Beaupré, which includes L'Ange-Gardien.
1666 census for the Tremblay family
What is a "côte"?
Within the seignorial system of New France, a new type of community emerged: the "côte". A côte was normally comprised of families and/or friends who owned neighbouring land within a specific area. Thus, they created a new community on a côte with its own social and economic ties, the entirety of the seigneurie being too large to develop a solidarity with others. On average, a côte would include anywhere between 10 and 50 dwellings.
Son Louis is born and baptized in September of 1667. That same year, another census is taken. The Tremblay family is still living in the Côte-de-Beaupré. Pierre owns nine arpents of cleared land and two heads of livestock.
On October 16th, 1669, Pierre receives a donation from Martin Huan, who had travelled to New France with him. Martin gives Pierre his goods and furniture, and comes to live with the Tremblay family. In return, Pierre agrees to take care of Martin until his death.
What is a Donation?
In New France, donations "entre vifs" (between living persons) were common. Once a person got older, or their health declined, they would normally give control of their possessions over to the person who was going to take care of them. This "donation" was recorded by a notary, and outlined the rights and responsibilities of each party, specifically what the donor was giving the receiver and what they asked for in return. This normally included land, a house and/or farm, furniture and animals. In return, the receiver may have to pay outstanding debts, and ensure the donor was housed, fed, clothed and otherwise taken care of until their death.
During the next decade, five more Tremblay children are born: Louise (1669), Jeanne (1671), Anne (1673), Jean (1675) and Marie Dorothée (1677).
On the first of December 1678, Pierre signs a 5-year contract to work on the properties of Monseigneur de Laval in nearby Baie-St-Paul. Two of his sons also become employed as labourers on the land. The Tremblays receive a payment of 600 livres for their work.
"At the Plough", 1884 painting by Vincent Van Gogh
In November of 1681, another census is conducted. Pierre and his family are still enumerated in the Côte-de-Beaupré, along with a domestic servant. Pierre owns ten arpents of cleared land, two guns and 16 heads of livestock. It appears the family has two main properties, in L'Ange-Gardien and Baie-St-Paul.
1681 census for the Tremblay family
In 1684, tragedy strikes the Tremblay family. Nine-year-old son Jean dies from drowning. He is buried in the parish cemetery of Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré.
In October of the following year, Pierre receives a land concession from the Québec Seminary, located in Petite-Rivière-St-François. The lot measures 9 arpents frontage by 1.5 leagues.
Pierre Tremblay died sometime between 14 Apr 1687 and 6 Nov 1689, when Anne is referred to as a widow. He may possibly have been a victim of smallpox, which devastated New France in 1687-1688.
In March of 1696, Anne goes before a notary to register a donation to her son Jacques. She gives him half a lot of land and a house. Jacques must take care of his mother until her death, arrange for her burial, and for 20 masses to be said in her honour.
Ozanne "Anne" Achon dies at the age of about 74. She is buried on December 24th, 1707 in the parish cemetery of Notre-Dame in Québec.
1707 burial of Ozanne “Anne” Achon
The Tremblay Legacy
Pierre and Anne's eldest son Pierre became the seigneur of Les Éboulements. His son Pierre inherited that property, which was one of the largest in the country at the time. Pierre's own son Étienne built the manor house on that land, which still stands today, beautifully restored.
Undated postcard of the seignorial manor in Les Éboulements (BAnQ)
Today, it is estimated that over 9,000 Tremblay families live across North America, representing about 180,000 people. 13% of all Quebeckers are named Tremblay! In Les Éboulements, one in three residents is a Tremblay.
Over the centuries, the Tremblay/Tremblé name has morphed into several variations: Du Tremble, Trembley, Trombley, Trembly, Tremblaye, etc.
To see a 2-minute video of the Tremblay history (in French), click here.
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Sources:
Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie, Fichier Origine online database (https://www.fichierorigine.com/recherche?numero=243978), entry for Pierre TREMBLAY (person #243978), updated on 19 Jun 2019.
Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie, Fichier Origine online database (https://www.fichierorigine.com/recherche?numero=240004), entry for Ozanne / Anne ACHON (person #240004), updated on 16 Jun 2019.
Mrs. Pierre Montagne, Tourouvre et les Juchereau: un chapitre de l'émigration percheronne au Canada (Québec: Société canadienne de généalogie, 1965), 69-76.
"Fonds Cour supérieure. District judiciaire de Québec. Greffes de notaires", digital images, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (https://numerique.banq.qc.ca), marriage contract of Pierre Tremblay and Ozanne Achon, Beaupré, notary Claude Auber, 19 Sep 1657, reference : CN301,S4.
Gérard Lebel, Nos Ancêtres 3 (Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, Revue Sainte Anne de Beaupré, 1982), 155-162.
"Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968", digital images, Ancestry.ca (https://www.ancestry.ca/), marriage of Pierre Tremblé and Ozanne Achon, 2 Oct 1657, Québec (Notre-Dame); citing original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.
"Recensement du Canada, 1666", Library and Archives Canada (https://collectionscanada.gc.ca/), entry for Pierre Tremblé, 1666, Québec, Finding aid no. MSS0446, MIKAN no. 2318856; citing original data: Centre des archives d'outre-mer (France) vol. 460.
"Recensement du Canada, 1667", Library and Archives Canada (https://collectionscanada.gc.ca/), entry for Pierre Tremblé, 1667, Québec, Finding aid no. MSS0446, Item ID number: 2318857; citing original data: Centre des archives d'outre-mer (France) vol. 460.
"Recensement du Canada fait par l'intendant Du Chesneau", Library and Archives Canada (https://collectionscanada.gc.ca/), entry for Pierre Tramblay, 14 Nov 1681, Québec, Finding aid no. MSS0446, MIKAN no. 2318858; citing original data: Centre des archives d'outre-mer (France) vol. 460.
André Lachance, Vivre, aimer et mourir en Nouvelle-France; Juger et punir en Nouvelle-France: la vie quotidienne aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles (Montréal: Éditions Libre Expression, 2004), 167-172.
"Quebec, Canada, Notarial Records, 1637-1935", digital images, Ancestry.ca (https://www.ancestry.ca/), donation from Martin Huan to Pierre Tremblay, 16 Oct 1669, Québec, notary Claude Auber, act 359; citing original data: Fonds Cour Supérieure. Greffes de notaires. Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Peter Gagné, Before the King’s Daughters: Les Filles a Marier, 1634-1662 (Orange Park, Florida : Quintin Publications, 2002), 47.
René Jetté and the PRDH, Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730 (Montréal, Gaëtan Morin Éditeur, 1983), page 1088, entry for Pierre Tremblay and Anne/Ozanne Achon.
"Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1968", digital images, Ancestry.ca (https://www.ancestry.ca/), burial of Ozanne Achon, 24 Dec 1707, Québec (Notre-Dame); citing original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.