Francis A. Thibadeau 2

This line is Grandpa Thibadeau's Grandmother's lineage. Click on it to make it larger. 

With this line, I'm heading all the way back to the 1600s, where the tree starts with Olivier LeTardif at the top. Seven of the sixteen names were born in France. All of the sixteen died in Quebec. Some, mostly those toward the top, were born in Quebec, including Marie Boucher (1644-1712). Marie's parents, Marin Boucher (1589-1671) and Perrine Mallet (1598-1687) were born in France. 

According to Wikipedia, "Marin Boucher was a pioneer of early New France and one of the most prolific ancestors of French Canada, being the ancestor of most of the Bouchers of North America, particularly in the Province of Quebec, Northern New Brunswick, Ontario and Western Canada. Estimates of the number of families in Canada and the United States descended from Marin Boucher run as high as 350,000, although most of them do not bear the name Boucher today because Marin's line produced more daughters than sons."

Marin and Perrine were part of the first settlers who established themselves in Quebec City. The Bouchers, including Gaspard Boucher, were stonemasons and carpenters. When I look at photos of the beautifully maintained 17th century architecture in Old Quebec, I wonder if Marin helped place some of those stones.

All of the first settlers of Quebec knew Samuel de Champlain. In fact, "because of some work done for Samuel de Champlain, the Founder of the colony, Marin Boucher was deeded Chaplain's clothes in his will when he died." 

This monument to Louis Hebert, considered to be the first European settler in Canada, has a plaque on the back with the names of the first settlers. Names from our lineage include Marin Boucher, Perrine Mallet, and Olivier Tardif.

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I'm thinking I need to add Quebec City to my list of places I would like to visit someday! It's amazing how many of our ancestors were first settlers, either in the U.S. or in Canada. Port Royal, from last week's post, was actually the first European settlement north of Florida. 

Next week, I'll share what I've found about Rev. John Moore (1619-1657), our 9th great-grandfather, and how he brought the word of God to the wilderness of Newtown, Long Island, New York, now commonly known as Queens. 






Other Sources:

"The Real First French Settlers of Quebec"

"They Walked with Champlain at Quebec"