Louis  HÉBERT

Biography
Born in 1575, Hebert, the son of a doctor who moved in Paris' best social circles, dreamed of settling in America. After an unpromising initial experience in Acadia, he was persuaded by Samuel de Champlain to sell everything he owned in France and settle in Quebec. On March 11, 1617, he left Honfleur with his wife, Marie Rollet, along with his three children and his brother-in-law. The crossing was very difficult, with their ship tossed about near ice floes. Hebert's wife was so convinced that the drew would end up in 'the bellies of fish' that she asked to receive the last rites. But they arrived safe and sound! Hebert signed a two-year contract and brought with him a few seeds to cultivate the land. After the two years were over, he decided to stay, and he became a key figure in the young colony.
History of Quebec for Dummies by Eric Bedard, published by John Wiley & Sons, Canada, Ltd.

Biography
HÉBERT - alteration of HERBERT, from the Germanic name HARIBERTH, which comes from 'heri' which means 'glory' and 'berth' which means 'illustrious'. Louis Hébert, born in 1575 in Paris (France) and died on January 25, 1627 in Quebec (New France) is a French apothecary. He is best known as the first settler to settle in New France. Son of an apothecary and coming from a large family connected with the profession, he undertook studies for a period of five years in order to practice the same profession as his father in 1595. Between 1606 and 1613 he made two long stays in Acadia where his knowledge and his good relations with the Amerindians allow him to carry out a large inventory of the plants of the region. In 1617, he made a third trip to the New World, this time settling in the Quebec region at the invitation of Samuel de Champlain. He died on January 25, 1627 following a fall on the ice. His body is buried in the Récollets cemetery in Quebec. 2) Antoine Hébert was born around 1621...Read full story


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Biography
HÉBERT, LOUIS, apothecary, first officer of justice in New France, first Canadian settler to support himself from the soil, m. Marie Rollet; b. Paris 1575?; d. Quebec, January 1627.

According to his descendant, Couillard Després, he was the son of a Louis Hébert who was apothecary at the court of Catherine de Médicis. Documents more recently discovered in Paris indicate that his father was Nicolas Hébert, an apothecary, and that Louis was born in the Mortier d’Or, a house near the Louvre. The niece of Nicolas Hébert’s wife married Jean de Biencourt de Poutrincourt, in 1590. This relationship would explain Louis Hébert’s interest in the early settlements in Acadia and his presence in Du Gua de Monts’s expedition.

Lescarbot, in Port-Royal (Annapolis Royal, N.S.) in 1606, speaks with respect of his skill in healing and his pleasure in cultivating the soil, and, on his map of that region, indicates an island and a river named for Hébert. In the summer of 1606 Hébert sailed with...Read full story


Dictionary of Canadian Biography (www.biographi.ca)

1617 - Louis Hébert, an apothecary who had stayed at Port Royal twice, brings his wife and children to Québec, thus becoming the first true habitant (permanent settler supporting his family from the soil).

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In 1623, the viceroy of New France gave Louis Hebert a concession on the heights of Quebec, in the heart of the present-day old city.
The awarding of this noble fief was a form of recognition for services rendered to the colony. Starting in 1627, these fiefs were called seigneuries.
History of Quebec for Dummies by Eric Bedard, published by John Wiley & Sons, Canada, Ltd.