Thirteenth Generation

5290. André DEMERS (DUMAIS) (DENIERS) was baptized on 3 February 1628 in Dieppe (St-Jacques) (Seine-Maritime) (Normandie Region), France.^1,2943 He appeared in the census in 1666 with his wife, Marie Chefdeville, and six children (Marie, Nicolas, André, Jean Baptiste, Michel, Barbe). He appeared in the census in 1667 in Montréal (Québec Province), Canada with his wife, Marie Chefdeville, six children (Marie, Nicolas, André, Jean Baptiste, Michel, Barbe), and two domestics. The family owned 6 beasts and 12 aprents under cultivation. In the spring of 1667, Jean Talon, the first Intendant of New France, made a census of I’île de Montréal. He then went through the dwellings to inquire into the needs and grievances of each inhabitant. While doing so, he received complaints from several colonists about a captain of the Carignan-Salières regiment who was in garrison at Villemarie and had terrorized the population. Complaints were received from Jean Beaudoin, Mathurin Marsta, André Demers, Claude Jaudoin, Anne Thomas (Jaudouin's wife), and Marie Anne Hardy (wife of Pierre Malet). A superior officer in the troops and nephew of Colonel de Salières, Sieur de la La Frédière took advantage of his authority to try to annoy the weak and to appease his shameful passions. In love with Claude Jaudouin's wife, Anne Thomas, La Frédière had unjustly imposed on Jaudouin a 19-day duty to keep him away from his home to allow Frédière to have a free field for his criminal desires with Anne Thomas. On another occasion he had imprisoned and put in irons an inhabitant called André Demers, then condemned him to undergo the torture of a wooden horse with one hundred and twenty pound weights. The 'crime' committed by Demers was that he prevented La Frédière from hunting through his corn field and ruining his harvest. La Frédière was openly dealing brandy with the Indians, and commiting theft in defiance of the laws by adding a considerable proportion of water to the alcohol he exchanged for the Indian's pellets. Some of the other officiers who were not satisifed with only selling the Indians liquor in their settlements, followed them to their hunting fields, so that they continuously drank and remained in a drunken stupor which dramatically reduced the number of skins brought back by the Indians to the habitants. Since the habitants of Montréal had gone to great expense in advancing the Indians on credit, arms, powder, and provisions, the habitants were suffering greatly from the lack of return from the Indians on their investment. Father Dollier de Casson stated that if things did not change, the country would be ruined. In his 1667 account, he stated that "it is impossible that it (the country) can hold together if individuals have not the wherewith to buy utensils, linen, clothes, in a country where wheat has no value. Owing to the cupidity of the officiers, the inhabitants, not having any peltry for exchange, are forced to sell their arms to provide the wherewith to cover themselves, and having only their feet and arms to defend themselves, they will become prey of the Iroquois, should they wish to begin to war again." After the facts were brought to Talon's attention regarding the acts of tyranny, injustice, and immorality commited by Sieur de la Frédière, Talon's sense of justice did not allow him to be intimidated by the rank and high position of the culprit. "Indignant at such atrocious conduct," writes Étienne-Michel Faillon (“Histoire de la colonie française en Canada“), "and desirous of rescuing the colony of such a dangerous man, M. Talon expounded his grievances to M. de Tracy, who, in his capacity as head of the army, ordered the Sieur de la Frédière to return to France." This order was signed at Quebec by MM. de Tracy, de Courcelle, and Talon on 27 August 1667. La Frédière wanted to take recourse via his superior officier, who happened to be his uncle, Colonel de Salières. The latter, who believed that the order was an encroachment on his authority, wrote a letter on the 12th of September to the Intendant in which he complained bitterly of the proceedings of Monsieurs Tracy and Courcelle. He diplomatically omitted Monsieur Talon, and attacked only the Lieutenant-General and the Governor, no doubt because he believed they had acted as military leaders. According to Salières, they had no right to take such actions against one of his officers and, outside France, he alone as colonel could, under the express orders of the King, judge offenses of this nature. On receipt of this letter, Talon, who wanted to show the fairness of the actions taken against the unworthy officer, ordered a judicial investigation on 1 September 1667 into the charges against Sieur de la Frédière so that everything would be documented legally. The evidence presented on the 17th through 19th of September was overwhelming as can be seen from the notarial archives of Montréal. In spite of the intervention of his colonel/uncle, La Frédière had to embark, still very happy, however, that he did not have to suffer a more severe punishment. On 29 October 1667, Talon, writing to Jean-Baptiste Colbert on the subject of this captain, said: "He would not obey, supported by M. de Salières, his uncle, who, by his grief and his bad humor, gives us here a lot of and the obstacles to the establishments you order me to do in favor of the officers and soldiers .... Of the judgment that the king will bear on this officer (La Frédière) depends the safety and the maintenance of Canada and the maintenance the authority of the superiors who are in such distant countries." Luckily, justice was served and Sieur de la Frédière was, indeed, banished to France. ^3105,3016 André and his wife, Marie, lived their life together in Montréal. They lived near their good friends - the family of Urbain Jetté and his wife, Catherine Charles. Eventually, six children of André and Marie married into the family of Urbain Jetté. At some point in time, however, the relationship between the two couples appeared to sour. This became apparent on 5 August 1686 when André père and Marie filed a formal opposition before the notary Hilaire Bourgine to son André's impending marriage to Anne Jetté, threatening that if he went through with the marriage, they would disinherit him and revoke a donation they made to him to start a forge. The problem, it seems, was with Anne's mother, Catherine Charles. Since the marriage of their son Nicolas to Marie-Barbe Jetté in 1679, Catherine Charles allegedly called them "the most atrocious things that one can say against the reputation of a family. . .calling each to them 'Old Devil,' 'Old Wolf,' 'Warlock,' 'Magician' and other injurious words." At that time, accusing another of witchcraft, including having power over wolves, was a serious allegation that, if borne out, could ruin one's reputation. Nevertheless, André fils, at 27 years old, chose to go ahead with the marriage, claiming that he had no knowledge of any slanders made by his future mother-in-law, Catherine Charles, but that if she referred to his parents by atrocious names, they called her some as well and he felt that the whole problem was not his business but theirs.³¹⁰⁷ André was buried on 17 July 1711 in Montréal (Nôtre Dame)(Québec Province), Canada.^1,2391 Marie CHEFDEVILLE and André DEMERS (DUMAIS) (DENIERS) were married on 7 January 1654 in Montréal (Nôtre Dame)(Québec Province), Canada.^1,2392

5291. Marie CHEFDEVILLE was baptized on 5 June 1631 in Villers-sous-St-Leu (St-Denis) (Oise) (Picardie Region), France.^1,2393 She was a "filles à marier" (marriageable girl) who emigrated to New France representing one quarter of all the single girls arriving in New France through 1673. The "filles à marier" women arrived between 1634 and 1662 and only numbered 262. These young women, often poor, were recruited and chaperoned by religious groups or individuals who had to assure and account for their good conduct. To be considered a "filles à marier", the women must have been between the ages of 12-45, not accompanied by BOTH parents or a husband and must have signed an enlistment contract, one marriage contract or gotten married in the colony. Due to their arrival in the very early stages of the formation of New France, these 262 women played a significant role in populating the colony. She appeared in the census in 1666 with her husband, André Demay (sic), and six children (Marie, Nicolas, André, Jean Baptiste, Michel, Barbe). She appeared in the census in 1667 in Montréal (Québec Province), Canada with her husband, André Demers, six children (Marie, Nicolas, André, Jean Baptiste, Michel, Barbe), and two domestics. The family owned 6 beasts and 12 aprents under cultivation. Marie was buried on 23 November 1708 in Montréal (Nôtre Dame)(Québec Province), Canada.^1,2141

Children were: