Brochus’ Ancestors:
the first three generations settling in North America :
an historical and genealogical outline.

   First generation

In the village of Montaigu, in the region of Vendée-Poitou in western France was baptised Jean Brochu on the 27 December 1640
in the parish of St Jean Baptiste. He was the son of Louis Brochu, trader, and Renée known as Louise Guichet. Today this department
is known as Vienne and Deux-Sèvres.

Jean was then enrolled in the Régiment de Carignan-Salière: then from Larochelle his ship, La Paix, sailed to Nouvelle-France on 13 May
1665 only to reach her destination on the 18 August. Shortly after his arrival in New France Jean was discharged from his military duties.
Indeed on the 1666 census, he is registered on Île d'Orleans near Quebec City as farmer. As stipulated by an official contract signed by
notary public Romain Becquet, Jean Brochu becomes the rightful owner of a piece of land located on what is today Saint-Laurent parish.

However he was not to hold on this land very long. On 2 June 1667 Mgr Laval grants him a new land this one located at St.Jean of
île d’Orléans. There he will definitely settled. Today this particular region is known as the ancestral home of the Brochus of North America.

Later Jean Brochu weds 19 year old Nicole Saulnier. Nicole is the daughter of Pierre Saulnier, cooper, and Jeanne Chevillart. She was
born in the parish of St Christophe in Paris; however the parish has not survived the passage of time. St Christophe then neighboured,br> Notre Dame de Paris.

As an orphan Nicole found her way in La Salpêtrière, one of Paris several general hospitals. There many helpless and needy young girls
and women found refuge. These hospitals constituted a vast recruiting pool from which many Filles du Roi (literally King’s Daughters) were
sent to New France, indeed as much as 770 it is believed. Nicole Saulnier was among a group of 132 women who landed in Québec city
on 30 June 1669 : they had left Dieppe several weeks earlier.

The Brochus’marriage contract was signed by notary Romain Becquet on 7 October 1669 before 8 witnesses: among them were Barbe
de Boulongne, Louis D’Ailleboust’s widow, former New France Governor, and Anne Gasnier, Jean Bourdon’s widow. Bourdon was the King’s
former Public attorney and the very first engineer of the country. These very good ladies were very active in recruiting the Filles du roi.

On 28 October a church wedding is held for the new couple at Ste-Famille de l’île d’Orléans. On the same day in the same parish two other
marriages were held: Catherine Bureau and Marie Arcular, equally Filles du roi, respectively married Étienne Corriveau and Claude Lefebvre,
known as, Boulanger.

The Brochu spouses will have 4 children: Jean born in 1672, Marie in 1675, Anne in 1678 and Mathurin in 1682.

Jean Brochu, the eldest, died at the age of 64 in 1705. His passing is officially recorded on the 27 Febuary 1705. He will be buried
the following day at St. Jean Île d’Orléans.

The first three children will eventually settled in the seigneurie (township) de la Durantaye. Mathurin, together with his mother, will continue
to live on his father land in St Jean, île d’Orléans. Mathurin’s untimely death in 1709 forces his mother Nicole to transfer land and belongings
to her eldest son Jean. All this again duly officialised by notary Louis Chambalon (14-10-1709). On 2 November 1714, Nicole dies at age 63.
The cause of death is officially recorded as “measles or rheumatism”. She too is buried at St-Jean île d’Orléans, on 3 November 1714.

   

Second génération