Jean-Baptiste-Louis  FRANQUELIN

Biography
FRANQUELIN, JEAN-BAPTISTE-LOUIS, cartographer, king’s hydrographer at Quebec; b. c. 1651 at Saint-Michel de Villebernin (Indre), came to Canada in 1671; d. in France after 1712.

Franquelin came to Canada to trade, and says that he was quite successful in his first three years. In fact, he seems to have made sufficient profits to keep himself for the following nine years – unless his host, Jean Juchereau* de La Ferté, was supporting him. In 1674, the governor, Buade* de Frontenac, persuaded him to give up trading in order to devote his time to mapmaking. Louis Jolliet* had returned to Quebec after his exploration of the Mississippi River, and had drawn a map of his route from memory. The governor wished to have a larger, more polished and complete map to send to Paris. So from 1674 to 1693, Franquelin drew maps to accompany the dispatches to France of the governors and intendants. Among these were the largest and most artistic maps made in Canada in the 17th century. It is likely...Read full story


Dictionary of Canadian Biography, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003