Pierre Joffrion & Marie Briault
Pierre Joffrion/Geoffrion and Marie Briault/Priault: New France pioneers and ancestors of the Geoffrion dit St-Jean family. Discover the story of this Fille du roi who arrived in 1668 and her settler husband, their challenges in Verchères and Montreal, and the origins of this founding French-Canadian lineage.
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Pierre Joffrion & Marie Briault
Founders of the Geoffrion dit St-Jean Line
Pierre Joffrion was born in France. His name has appeared in various phonetic spellings, including Geoffrion, but he signed "Joffrion."
Pierre's exact age remains uncertain. Period documents suggest various birth dates: 1634 (1667 census), 1637 (1697 trial), 1638 (1681 census), and 1644 (burial record). This imprecision reflected the practices of the era, when age was often estimated rather than precisely documented.
Since no marriage contract or record has been found, his parents' names remain unknown.
Pierre Joffrion's Origins: Two Possibilities
Montreuil-sous-Bois
In 2000, historian and genealogist Michel Langlois wrote an article in L'Ancêtre titled "L'émigration, une affaire de parenté." His article shed light on the question of Pierre Geoffrion/Joffrion's birthplace. Based on a notarial document from November 8, 1651, the author challenged this ancestor's presumed origin. Before notary Guillaume Audouart, François de Rosny made a declaration concerning Martin Prévost. This valuable document revealed that in 1648, Pierre was one of three men native to Montreuil-sous-Bois (along with Toussaint Savard and Pierre Vitry) who asked Martin Prévost to take them to La Rochelle and pay their travel expenses to reach Canada.
Extract from the 1651 declaration, Pierre Geoffrion's name in yellow (FamilySearch)
According to Langlois, this 1651 document was "highly valuable" because it definitively revealed Pierre's origin. The author stated categorically: "This ancestor was believed to originate from the Fontenay-le-Comte region in Poitou. Now, we are definitively settled on his place of origin"—that is, Montreuil-sous-Bois, near Paris.
Langlois mentioned that a notarial document from 1618 listed the inhabitants of Montreuil-sous-Bois, reinforcing the credibility of this location. This document contained several familiar surnames (Vitry, Savart, Regnard) that corresponded to the other immigrants mentioned in the 1651 act. For Langlois, this discovery definitively settled the question of Pierre Geoffrion/Joffrion's origin: Montreuil-sous-Bois rather than Fontenay-le-Comte in Poitou.
Montreuil-sous-Bois, postcard, 1905 (Geneanet)
Simply called Montreuil since 1951, the commune is now part of the Paris suburbs, located in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. Its population numbers approximately 111,000 inhabitants, called Montreuillois and Montreuilloises.
Fontenay-le-Comte
In 2006, Bertrand Drapeau wrote an article in the Mémoires de la Société généalogique canadienne-française titled "Des traces de 33 émigrants de Fontenay-le-Comte partis pour la Nouvelle-France aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles" (Traces of 33 emigrants from Fontenay-le-Comte who left for New France in the 17th and 18th centuries). The article presented the research of Isabelle Beaussy from the Université de La Rochelle, who studied 33 emigrants from Fontenay-le-Comte who left for New France in the 17th and 18th centuries. In her list of emigrants identified as originating from Fontenay-le-Comte, Pierre Geoffrion/Joffrion appeared explicitly.
Fontenay-le-Comte, postcard (Geneanet)
Contrary to Michel Langlois's article, which claimed that Pierre originated from Montreuil-sous-Bois, this article presented documentary evidence (notarial and civil records) placing him among the emigrants from Fontenay-le-Comte in Poitou.
This position found partial support in data from the PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique at the Université de Montréal), which indicated that Pierre was baptized on February 16, 1640, in Fontenay-le-Comte. Curiously, the database did not indicate his parents' names, perhaps an indication of uncertainty, without providing explanations. A search in the digitized records of Fontenay-le-Comte at the Archives de la Vendée revealed no baptism for Pierre in the parishes of Notre-Dame, Saint-Jean-Baptiste, or Saint-Nicolas (the latter showed no baptisms for the year 1640).
Fontenay-le-Comte, postcard (Geneanet)
Fontenay-le-Comte, postcard (Geneanet)
Most plausible scenario
Faced with these contradictory sources, a reconciliation scenario emerges. Given that only two men named Pierre Geoffrion/Joffrion were present in New France in the 17th century ("our" Pierre and his son, who died in childhood), this apparent contradiction can probably be explained by internal migration within France during his youth.
The most likely scenario suggested that Pierre was born in Fontenay-le-Comte in Poitou, which would explain his presence in the notarial and civil records identified by Isabelle Beaussy's university research. Subsequently, his family could have moved to Montreuil-sous-Bois, near Paris, where Pierre could have grown up and established his social connections. This family or professional migration, common in the 17th century, would explain why the 1651 notarial document presented him as being "from Montreuil-sous-Bois" and why he maintained such close relationships with Martin Prévost and the other immigrants from that locality.
This hypothesis respects the geographical identification practices of the era. In 1648, when he asked Martin Prévost to accompany him to La Rochelle, Pierre naturally identified with Montreuil-sous-Bois, his place of residence and social integration, rather than his birthplace. This interpretation reconciles the two documentary sources by recognizing the validity of each according to its temporal and geographical perspective.
Arrival in New France
The exact date of Pierre's arrival in New France remains unknown, but he set foot there sometime before 1667. In the 1667 census of New France, Pierre "Jofriau," aged 33, appears as a domestic servant in Jean Aubuchon's household in Montreal. Aubuchon owned 19 arpents of "valuable" land (cleared and under cultivation) and four head of cattle.
1667 census for the Aubuchon family (Library and Archives Canada)
Marie Briault (or Priault) was born in France.
Like Pierre, Marie's exact age remains subject to interpretation according to the sources consulted. Documents suggest she was born in 1645 (1681 census) or 1649 (burial record). Her parents' names remain unknown.
Marie belonged to a particular group of female immigrants: she was a "Fille du roi" and arrived in Canada in 1668.
Mural of the Filles du roi created by Annie Hamel on the wall of École Saint-Gabriel in Pointe-St-Charles, Montréal (© The French-Canadian Genealogist)
Marriage and Family
Pierre and Marie married in 1668 or 1669. As previously mentioned, the couple's marriage record is missing, but the wedding may have been celebrated in Sorel. The Sorel registers are largely missing for this period.
Together, they founded a large family that would contribute significantly to the settlement of the colony. Pierre and Marie had at least nine children:
André (ca. 1669–aft. 1681)
Jean Baptiste (ca. 1670–1740)
Marie (1672–1756)
Toussaint (1675–after 1681)
Michel (1677–bef. 1681)
Françoise (ca. 1679–1740)
Anne (1681–?)
Pierre (1683–1686)
Hélène (1685–?)
On August 26, 1668, Pierre took an important step by receiving a land concession located on the Island of Montreal, "at the place called côte Ste Anne below Bois Bruslé" from the seigneurs of the Island. The land measured 60 arpents — three arpents of frontage facing the St. Lawrence River by twenty arpents in depth. Pierre committed to pay six deniers of cens per arpent [of frontage] and three live capons annually on the feast day of Saint Martin. [The original concession document has not been found. It is mentioned during the sale of this land in 1669.]
However, this first attempt at settlement was short-lived. On February 1, 1669, Pierre sold this land on the island of Montréal to Jean Hardouin dit Le Major for the sum of 400 livres. Pierre was described as an habitant of the island of Montréal."
Pierre Joffrion’s signature in 1669
Settlement at Verchères
After this transaction, Pierre settled his family elsewhere. In 1672, the Joffrions lived at Verchères, according to daughter Marie's baptism. Pierre received a concession in the seigneurie from the seigneur of Verchères, drawn up by notary Adhémar de Saint-Martin. However, the date of the concession and the details are unknown. [The original concession deed has not been found.]
Between July 22, 1680, and November 25, 1681, a private deed was drawn up. Pierre and a man named Ponse [Poncet?] exchanged their lands in the seigneurie of Verchères. [The document, having been drawn up privately, is not available.]
The Joffrion family still lived at Verchères in 1681. In the census, the family had three head of cattle and eight arpents of land under cultivation.
1681 census for the Geoffrion family (Library and Archives Canada)
According to the baptisms of Pierre (1683) and Hélène (1685), and Pierre Jr.'s burial (1686), the Joffrion family lived at Verchères.
Life in Verchères
In the 1670s and 1680s, the seigneurie of Verchères was still in its infancy. Seigneur François Jarret granted long narrow plots along the St. Lawrence River, where settlers cleared forest, built log houses and barns, and cultivated wheat, peas, and flax. Families followed the rhythm of sowing and harvest, paid their cens and rentes, performed corvée labour to maintain roads and fences, and answered militia calls when required. Daily life, however, remained cautious. Homes were clustered near the shoreline, and redoubts or palisades were sometimes raised around the more exposed dwellings. Men stood guard on patrol, especially in the late 1680s when alarms grew more frequent. Trade with Montreal remained steady, and for many households the town also served as the site of the notary, the market, and seasonal construction work.
This period of relative calm proved short-lived. Between 1687 and 1692, the environment grew increasingly hostile. Governor Denonville’s campaign against the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) provoked reprisals, and after 1689 the shores downstream from Montreal became frequent targets of incursions and surprise attacks. Crops failed, travel grew dangerous, and many families withdrew to safer ground. Montreal—with its palisade, garrison, hospital, religious communities, and markets—offered both protection and opportunity.
The Transition to Montréal
Around the mid-1680s, documents reveal a change in Pierre and Marie's lives. Although they officially remained "habitants de Verchères," notarial records often described them as "presently in Montréal." This gradual move to the city resulted from a series of events that show the challenges of colonial life.
Confession of Theft
On October 13, 1684, Marie "Priau" made a troubling declaration before notary Bénigne Basset dit Deslauriers in Montréal. She admitted to stealing during the absence of Sieur La Fontaine, a boat captain who had traveled away with his wife and son-in-law. Marie acknowledged being "quite dishonest" and confessed to taking many items from La Fontaine's house while she was there. She promised to return everything "at the will of the said Sieur de la Fontaine."
The stolen items included grey fabric, caribou underwear, a small barrel, a red skirt, a fustian skirt, a small cauldron, a handkerchief, two belts, a pair of brown stockings, a "quite good" pair of women's shoes, various pieces of small linens, some cornettes (headdresses), and a lantern. Marie declared that she could neither write nor sign.
Father and Son's Work Contracts
Authorization note written by Pierre Joffrion in 1684 (FamilySearch)
The family's financial troubles become clear in decisions made weeks later. On October 27, 1684, Marie agreed to bind her 14-year-old son Jean Baptiste as a servant to Catherine Primot [Primeau] and Charles Lemoyne [Lemoine] de Longueuil, merchant and seigneur. The two-year contract would pay Jean Baptiste 40 livres annually. The agreement was accompanied by a note in which Pierre gave Marie authorization to arrange their son's employment—a rare example of text written by an ancestor in New France beyond a simple signature.
Artificial intelligence image created by the author with ChatGPT (September 2025)
Artificial intelligence image created by the author with ChatGPT (September 2025)
Besides farming, Pierre took on other work to support his family. On July 20, 1692, he agreed to work as a general labourer performing masonry work alongside Simon Piton dit Toulouse for master masons Jean Deslandes dit Champigny and Charles Perineau dit Lamarche of Ville-Marie. Pierre was about 52 years old and living in Ville-Marie. He would earn three livres for each toise of masonry. Oddly, he claimed he could neither write nor sign.
Trial of Marie Madeleine Gibault
Life in Montreal exposed Pierre to dramatic events in colonial society. In 1697, Pierre Geoffrion, then "aged 60 or thereabouts" and working as a ploughman in Ville-Marie, was called as a witness in a criminal case before the royal court of Montreal. This was the trial of Marie Madeleine Gibault, accused of abandoning her newborn baby in a pile of manure in front of the barn of Claude Robillard, a butcher in Lachine. The child, discovered by Robillard who had heard its cries early in the morning, had injuries to its cheek and neck. After an investigation and confirmation by a surgeon and a midwife that Gibault, who was staying with Robillard, had indeed just given birth, the accused was imprisoned and interrogated.
The King's prosecutor sought the death penalty by hanging, a sentence that was handed down but appealed before the Superior Council in Québec City. Pierre Joffrion was among the witnesses in this dramatic case, alongside some fifteen other people, including the accused's parents and several residents of Lachine.
A Permanent Move to Montréal
The final departure from Verchères occurred shortly thereafter. On February 4, 1698, Pierre sold the 60-arpent plot of land in the Verchères seigneurie to Pierre Guertin for 50 livres. He was described as an "habitant of Verchères currently residing in Ville-Marie."
The couple finally severed their ties with Verchères and settled permanently in Montreal. There were likely several reasons for this departure: increased security, opportunities for men to find work as carters, labourers or masons on construction sites, and quicker access to religious sacraments, healthcare and credit. In this context, leaving Verchères was not a renunciation, but a pragmatic adaptation to the realities of a still unstable frontier.
Deaths of Pierre and Marie
After settling their family in Montreal, Pierre and Marie saw their lives come to an end in the city that had become their permanent home.
Marie Briault (or Priault) died first, on February 24, 1699, at the Montreal hospital. She was buried the next day in Montreal, although her place of burial is not specified (parish cemetery, hospital cemetery, church). The record indicates that she was "aged fifty years or thereabouts."
Burial of Marie Briault (or Priault) in 1699 (Généalogie Québec)
Five years later, Pierre Joffrion joined his wife. He “died suddenly” on October 17, 1704, and was buried the following day in Montreal. Like his wife, his place of burial is not specified. The record indicates that he was "about sixty years old."
Burial of Pierre Joffrion in 1704 (Généalogie Québec)
A Legacy Despite Adversity
The story of Pierre Joffrion and Marie Briault illustrates the challenges faced by the first settlers of New France. Marie, who came to Canada as a Fille du Roi with a royal dowry and the hope of a new start, quickly discovered the realities of colonial life. The couple experienced obvious financial difficulties: Marie's confession of theft in 1684, the early employment of their son Jean Baptiste as a domestic servant, and the need for Pierre, in his fifties, to work as a mason's labourer provide evidence of their constant struggle for economic survival. Their move from Verchères to Montreal reflects the challenges of living on the outskirts of the colony, where Iroquois threats made life precarious.
Despite these hardships, Pierre and Marie founded a lasting lineage. Several of their descendants adopted the name Geoffrion dit St-Jean, thus perpetuating the legacy of this pioneering couple who, through their difficulties and perseverance, contributed to the French roots in North America.
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Sources:
Michel Langlois, "L’émigration, une affaire de parenté," L’Ancêtre, volume 27, numbers 3 and 4, Nov-Dec 2000, pages 124-125.
Bertrand Drapeau, "Des traces de 33 émigrants de Fontenay-le-Comte partis pour la Nouvelle-France aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles," Mémoires de la Société généalogique canadienne-française, volume 57, number 4, issue 250, winter 2006, page 270.
"Le LAFRANCE (Baptisms, marriages and burials)," database and digital images, Généalogie Québec (https://www.genealogiequebec.com/Membership/LAFRANCE/acte/49677 : consulted 9 Sep 2025), burial of Marie Briau, 25 Feb 1699, Montreal (Notre-Dame-de-Montréal) ; citing original data: Institut généalogique Drouin et le PRDH.
"Le LAFRANCE (Baptisms, marriages and burials)," database and digital images, Généalogie Québec (https://www.genealogiequebec.com/Membership/LAFRANCE/acte/50203 : consulted 9 Sep 2025), burial of Pierre Jofrion, 18 Oct 1704, Montreal (Notre-Dame-de-Montréal) ; citing original data: Institut généalogique Drouin et le PRDH.
"Actes de notaire, 1634, 1649-1663 // Guillaume Audouart," digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSVN-32DW?cat=1171569&i=499&lang=en : consulted 9 Sep 2025), declaration by François de Rosny in favour of Marin Prévost, 8 Nov 1651, images 500-501 of 2642 ; citing original data: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
"Actes de notaire, 1657-1699 // Bénigne Basset," digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSV2-RQRH-Z?cat=426906&i=2964&lang=en : consulted 9 Sep 2025), sale of land by Pierre Geofrion to Jean Hardouin dit Lemajor, 1 Feb 1669, images 2965-2967 of 3055 ; citing original data: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
"Actes de notaire, 1657-1699 // Bénigne Basset," digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSV2-RQRH-Z?cat=426906&i=2964&lang=en : consulted 9 Sep 2025), sale of land by Pierre Geofrion to Jean Hardouin dit Lemajor, 1 Feb 1669, images 2965-2967 of 3055 ; citing original data: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
"Actes de notaire, 1657-1699 // Bénigne Basset," digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CST7-2W62-X?cat=426906&i=988&lang=en : consulted 9 Sep 2025), declaration by Marie Priau in favour of de Lafontaine, 13 Oct 1684, image 988 of 3049 ; citing original data: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
"Actes de notaire, 1677-1696 // Claude Maugue," digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS5F-93WV-C?cat=427707&i=1064&lang=en : consulted 9 Sep 2025), employment contract of Jean Jeoffrion by Marie Priot and Pierre Jeoffrion, to Catherine Primot and Charles Lemoyne de Longueil, 27 Oct 1684, images 1065-1066 of 3150; citing original data: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
"Actes de notaire, 1657-1699 // Bénigne Basset," digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CS5F-HWHM-Q?cat=426906&i=420&lang=en : consulted 9 Sep 2025), employment contract as labourers of Pierre Jofrion and Simon Piton dit Toulouse, to Jean Deslandes dit Champigny and Charles Perineau dit Lamarche, 20 Jul 1692, image 421 of 3143; citing original data: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
"Actes de notaire, 1668-1714 // Antoine Adhémar," digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSTC-MWFB-6?cat=541271&i=2775&lang=en : consulted 9 Sep 2025), sale of land by Pierre Geofrion and Marie Priau, to Pierre Guertin, 4 Feb 1698, images 2776-2778 of 2856; citing original data: Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec.
Parchemin, notarial database of ancient Quebec (1626-1801), Société de recherche historique Archiv-Histo, (https://archiv-histo.com : consulted 9 Sep 2025), "Concession of land located at Verchères; by ? ?, seigneur of Verchères, to Pierre Geoffrion, of Verchères," [date unknown], notary A. Adhémar de Saint-Martin.
Parchemin, notarial database of ancient Quebec (1626-1801), Société de recherche historique Archiv-Histo, (https://archiv-histo.com : consulted 9 Sep 2025), "Exchange of concessions located in the seigneurie of Verchères between Pierre Jofrion, of the seigneurie of Verchères, and ? Ponse, of the seigneurie of Verchères," document filed between 22 Jul 1680 and 25 Nov 1681, private deed.
"Canada Census, 1667," digital images, Library and Archives Canada (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/CollectionSearch/Pages/record.aspx?app=fonandcol&IdNumber=2318857&new=-8585951843764033676 : consulted 9 Sep 2025), household of Jean Aubuchon, 1667, Montreal, page 165 (of PDF), finding aid MSS0446, Item 2318857; citing original data: Centre des archives d'outre-mer (France) vol. 460.
"Canada Census made by intendant Du Chesneau," digital images, Library and Archives Canada (https://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/CollectionSearch/Pages/record.aspx?app=fonandcol&IdNumber=2318858&new=-8585855146497784530 : consulted 9 Sep 2025), household of Pierre Geoffrion, 14 Nov 1681, Verchères, page 195-196 (of PDF), finding aid MSS0446, MIKAN 2318858; citing original data: Centre des archives d'outre-mer (France) vol. 460.
"Fonds Juridiction royale de Montréal - Archives nationales à Montréal," digital images, Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (https://advitam.banq.qc.ca/notice/697295 : consulted 9 Sep 2025), "Trial against Marie Madeleine Gibault, accused of having abandoned her newborn in a pile of manure in front of the barn of Claude Robillard, butcher," 12 Jul 1697–10 Sep 1697, reference TL4,S1,D216, Id 697295.
Université de Montréal, database of the Programme de recherche en démographie historique (https://www-prdh-igd.com/Membership/en/PRDH/Famille/2702 : consulted 9 Sep 2025), entry for Pierre GEOFFRION and Marie BRIAULT (couple 2702).
Peter Gagné, Kings Daughters & Founding Mothers: the Filles du Roi, 1663-1673, Volume Two (Orange Park, Florida : Quintin Publications, 2001), 472.