René GERVAIS

(b. abt. 1650 , La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France d. 10 May 1694 , Québec, Canada, New France )

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René GERVAIS was born abt. 1650 in La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France

René GERVAIS was the child of ? and ?

René was an immigrant to Canada, arriving by 1669.

Immigration to New France: Shaping the Roots of Canada

Spouse(s)/Partner(s) and Child(ren):

René married Marie JOUSSELOT 10 November 1669 in Québec, Canada, New France . The couple had (at least) 6 children.
Marie JOUSSELOT was born abt. 1650 in La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France. Marie died 17 November 1704 in Charlesbourg, Québec, Québec, Canada (Bourg Royal). Marie was the child of Pierre JOUSSELOT and Ozanne DRAPEAU.

René GERVAIS died 10 May 1694 in Québec, Canada, New France .

son of Martin Gervais and Perrine Aucillon?

Details of the family tree of René appear below.

Occupation

René GERVAIS was a habitant.

Québec Généalogie - Over time, Québec has gone through a series of name changes
From its inception in the early 1600s until 1760, it was called Canada, New France.
1760 to 1763, it was simply Canada
1763 to 1791 - Province of Québec
1791 to 1867 - Lower Canada
1867 to present - Québec, Canada.

Thanks to Micheline Gadbois MacDonald for providing this information.

Québec Généalogie - The Seigneurial System (1627 - 1854)
The seigneurial system was a form of land settlement modeled on the French feudal system. It began in New France in 1627 with the formation of the Compagnie des Cent-Associés (or Company of 100 Associates), which was initially responsible for handing out land grants and seigneurial rights. The land was divided into five by 15 kilometer plots, usually along major rivers like the St. Lawrence. They were then further subdivided into narrow, but long lots for settlement. These lots were usually long enough to be suitable for faming, and they provided everyone who lived on them with equal access to neighbouring farms and the river. There were three main groups of people who lived off the land in this system: Seigneurs, Habitants and Engagés

René GERVAIS was a habitant.
Habitants were usually farmers or labourers who were initially brought over from France to live on this land. They had to pay rent and taxes to the seigneur, though they co-owned the land with the seigneur, and even had to work entirely for the benefit of the seigneur a few days each year.

Source: Canada in the Making (www.canadiana.ca/citm/index_e.html)

Habitants played an essential role in creating a permanent, settled population along the St. Lawrence River. But it was not an easy life...

Habitants had to clear the land, build a homestead, and plant and harvest a crop. The first task was never-ending, while the last one was annual. Building and repairing the house and barn were continual tasks. So were cutting and hauling firewood. The habitants had to be largely self-reliant in looking after all routine tasks such as cooking, baking, making furniture, and repairing tools. They had to attend to the educational and medical needs of the family. They had to endure the harsh physical climate and rough terrain, largely unaided by government support. The habitants had to pay taxes to the seigneurs and the church.

Canada: The Story of Our Heritage by Elspeth Deir, John Fielding, Nick Brune, Peter Grant, Stephanie Smith Abram; McGraw-Hill Ryerson School, 2000

Family and Children of René GERVAIS

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René GERVAIS married

Marie JOUSSELOT-- Date: 10 November 1669 Place: Québec, Canada, New France

See marriage record for René GERVAIS and Marie JOUSSELOT
Marie JOUSSELOT was the child of Pierre JOUSSELOT and Ozanne DRAPEAU

Notre-Dame-de-Quebec

Rene, son of Marin Gervais and Perette Auchon
Marie, daughter of Pierre Jousselot and Ranne Drapeau

Children of René GERVAIS and Marie JOUSSELOT:

Marguerite GERVAIS (b.3 July 1672, Québec, Canada, New France d. abt. 1681, Québec, Canada, New France )

Antoinette-Étiennette GERVAIS (b.24 November 1673 , Québec, Canada, New France d. 20 December 1708, Québec, Canada, New France )
m. Pierre FONTENEAU dit DESMOULINS 18 February 1697 in Charlesbourg, Québec, Québec, Canada (Bourg Royal)

Jacques GERVAIS (b.2 January 1676, L'Ancienne Lorette, Canada, New France d. 3 July 1754 , Charlesbourg, Québec, Canada, New France )
m. Marie-Madeleine DASSYLVA 15 November 1700 in Québec, Québec, Canada (Quebec City)

Jacques GERVAIS (b.February 1677, L'Ancienne Lorette, Canada, New France d. 7 November 1708, Montréal, Canada, New France )
m. Louise VANDANDAIGUE 17 November 1704 in Beauport, Québec, Québec, Canada (Notre-Dame-de-la-Nativité-de-Beauport)

Pierre GERVAIS (b.15 January 1679, Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France d. 1 August 1739, , Québec Province, Canada )

Jean-Baptiste GERVAIS (b.3 February 1683, Charlesbourg, Québec, Canada, New France d. 13 February 1750, La Prairie, Canada, New France )
m. Anne LEFEBVRE 1706 in La Prairie, Québec, Canada (St-Philippe) (St-Jean-François-Régis) (La Nativité)

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Discovering the Ancestry of René GERVAIS: Events, Photos & Historical Records

René GERVAIS - Title Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis

Title Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie
Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie, Cyprien Tanguay
Author Cyprien Tanguay
Published 1871
Original from Oxford University
Digitized Jun 9, 2006
Page 265

1656 - The pendulum clock is invented (Christiaan Huygens, Netherlands)

1666 - Isaac Newton discovers gravity

1669 Marriage / Partner
René GERVAIS and Marie JOUSSELOT 10 November 1669, Québec, Québec, Canada (Quebec City)

1672 Birth of Child
Marguerite GERVAIS was born 3 July 1672, Québec, Québec, Canada (Quebec City)

1673 Birth of Child
Antoinette-Étiennette GERVAIS was born 24 November 1673 , Québec, Québec, Canada (Quebec City)

1676 Birth of Child
Jacques GERVAIS was born 2 January 1676, L'Ancienne Lorette, Québec, Canada (Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation)

1677 Birth of Child
Jacques GERVAIS was born February 1677, L'Ancienne Lorette, Québec, Canada (Notre-Dame-de-l'Annonciation)

1679 Birth of Child
Pierre GERVAIS was born 15 January 1679, Saint-Laurent-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada

1681 Canadian Census Petite Auvergne
Rene Gervais, macon, 31
Marie Jousselot, sa femme, 31
enfants:
Antoinette, 8
Jacques, 6
Jacques, 4
Pierre, 2

Source: Histoire des Canadiens-Francais 1608-1880 by Benjamin Sulte, Montreal, 1882

1683 Birth of Child
Jean-Baptiste GERVAIS was born 3 February 1683, Charlesbourg, Québec, Québec, Canada (Bourg Royal)

1694 Death
Died at Hotel-Dieu de Quebec, Quebec, QC, Canada
Familysearch.org. Quebec Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection) (Mormon Genealogy Records).
The French In North America: 1500-1783

Added: - Updated: 3/4/2026 12:44:16 PM