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Ancestor is complete! immigrant flag male ancestor  Pierre  BLAIS (BLAYE)

Born
29 November 1639 ,  Hanc, Deux-Sèvres, Poitou-Charentes, France
Died
16 February 1700 ,  Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France
Pierre  married  Anne PERRAULT (PERROT) 12 October 1669 in Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France .  The couple had (at least) 9 children.
Anne PERRAULT (PERROT)  was born 17 November 1647 in St-Sulpice, Paris, France.  Anne died 29 June 1688 in Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France . 
Pierre  married  Elisabeth-Isabelle ROYER 5 June 1689 in Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France .  The couple had (at least) 5 children.
Elisabeth-Isabelle ROYER  was born 14 September 1669 in Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France .  Elisabeth-Isabelle died 22 June 1715 in Montréal, Canada, New France .  Elisabeth-Isabelle was the child of Jean ROYER and Marie TARGER .
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Parents & Family of Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE)

Parents of Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE)

Father
Not yet recorded
Mother
Not yet recorded

Grandparents of Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE)

Paternal grandparents
Paternal grandfather not yet recorded Paternal grandmother not yet recorded
Maternal grandparents
Maternal grandfather not yet recorded Maternal grandmother not yet recorded

Pierre was an immigrant to Canada, arriving by 1669.
Immigration to New France: Shaping the Roots of Canada


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

Pierre  married  Anne PERRAULT (PERROT) 12 October 1669 in Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France .  The couple had (at least) 9 children.
Anne PERRAULT (PERROT)  was born 17 November 1647 in St-Sulpice, Paris, France.  Anne died 29 June 1688 in Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France . 

Pierre  married  (2) Elisabeth-Isabelle ROYER 5 June 1689 in Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France .  The couple had (at least) 5 children.
Elisabeth-Isabelle ROYER  was born 14 September 1669 in Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France .  Elisabeth-Isabelle died 22 June 1715 in Montréal, Canada, New France .  Elisabeth-Isabelle was the child of Jean ROYER and Marie TARGER.




son of Mathurin Blais and Françoise Pénigaut who married 30 avril 1634
Melleran, Deux-Sèvres, France
WORK & OCCUPATION

Occupation

Recorded occupation: Habitant

Did You Know? 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

Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE) 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)

What is a Habitant? 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
RELATED READING

Historical context and research guides selected from this person's time and place.

Spouses, Marriages & Children of Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE)

Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE) married immigrant Fille du Roi flag  Anne PERRAULT (PERROT)
Marriage date: 12 October 1669
Marriage place: Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France
View ImageSee marriage record for Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE) and Anne PERRAULT (PERROT)
Marriage notes:
Source: Our French-Canadian Ancestors by Thomas J. Laforest, Volume I, page 25
Sainte-Famille-de-L'Isle-d'Orleans, QC, Canada
Pierre Blais, son of Mathurin Blais and Francoise Denigaut?
Anne Perrot, daughter of Jean Perrot and Jeanne Nalt
"Pierre Blais married Anne Perrot (Perrault) on 12 October 1669, at the church of Sainte-Famille on the island. Anne, originally from Saint-Sulpice in Paris, was the daughter of Jean and Jeanne Valta. She was a King's Daughter and brought a dowry into the family estimated at 300 livres. From this first union, ten children were born - eight boys and two girls, of whom four died at an early age."
Thomas J. Laforest
Our French-Canadian Ancestors : Volume I, Page 42

Children of Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE) and Anne PERRAULT (PERROT)


Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE) married flag female ancestor Elisabeth-Isabelle ROYER
Marriage date: 5 June 1689
Marriage place: Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France
View ImageSee marriage record for Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE) and Elisabeth-Isabelle ROYER
Elisabeth-Isabelle ROYER was the child of Jean ROYER and Marie TARGER

Marriage notes:
"Pierre remained a widower with tow young infants... Pierre sought to reorganize his life, so on 18 April 1689 before Notary Paul Vachon, he nominated a guardian for his children, and had an inventory made of his possessions. On the following 5th of June, he married Elizabeth Royer at Saint-Jean. She was the daughter of Jean and Marie Targer."
Thomas J. Laforest
Our French-Canadian Ancestors : Volume I, Page 44

Children of Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE) and Elisabeth-Isabelle ROYER


RESEARCH CONTEXT

Québec Genealogy Notes

Helpful background for understanding names and places that may appear in Pierre's Québec records.

Québec Place Names Through History

Québec has been described by several names during different periods of its history. Knowing the period name can make older records easier to recognize.

Early 1600s–1760
Canada, New France
1760–1763
Canada
1763–1791
Province of Québec
1791–1867
Lower Canada
1867–present
Québec, Canada

Thanks to Micheline Gadbois MacDonald for providing this information.


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Life & Records

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Biography
'Pierre Blais probably left France from the port of La Rochell in the Province of Aunis in 1664, destination Canada. The Dutch ship, Noir, under the command of Captain Pierre Filly of Dieppe, had at least fifty men aboard. The twenty-four-year-old Pierre is mentioned on the crew manifest as coming from Chef-Boutonne, capital of the the Canton of Deux-Sevres. Pierre was the son of Mathurin Blais and Francoise Penigaut.'

Thomas J. Laforest
Our French-Canadian Ancestors : Volume I, Page 41
BirthBirth — 1639
29 November 1639
Hanc, Deux-Sèvres, Poitou-Charentes, France
Biography
BLAIS - variant of BLAISE, which comes from saint Blaise, martyr of the 4th century, from the Latin name 'Blasius'. Pierre Blais was born around 1640 in France (Angoulême). Son of Mathurin Blais and Françoise Pénigault, he married Anne Perreault, daughter of Jean Perreault and Jeanne Valta, on October 12, 1669 in Sainte-Famille, Île d'Orléans. From their union were born 10 children. Widowed, he married, in second marriage, Élisabeth Royer (19), daughter of Jean Royer and Marie Targer, on June 5, 1689 in Saint-Jean, Île d'Orléans. From their union were born 5 children. He arrived in the country aboard the ship 'Le Noir de Hollande' in Quebec on May 24, 1664. In 1681, he owned 4 cattle and 15 arpents of cultivated land. He died suddenly on February 16, 1700 in St-Jean.
Source / record details
Quebec Genealogy on Facebook
Invention 1656 - The pendulum clock is invented (Christiaan Huygens, Netherlands)
Invention 1666 - Isaac Newton discovers gravity
'In the census of 1667 in New France, Pierre Blais is mentioned for the first time as living on the Ile d'Orleans and having been born about 1640, occupation laborer.'

Thomas J. Laforest
Our French-Canadian Ancestors : Volume I, Page 42
marriage1669 Marriage / Partner
Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE) and Anne PERRAULT (PERROT) 12 October 1669, Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada

He was 29 years old.
1670 Birth of Child
Martin BLAIS was born 27 August 1670, Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada

Pierre was 30 years old.
1672 Birth of Child
Pierre BLAIS was born 4 March 1672, Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada

Pierre was 32 years old.
1673 Birth of Child
Pierre BLAIS was born 2 February 1673, Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada

Pierre was 33 years old.
1675 Birth of Child
Marie-Anne BLAIS was born 19 May 1675, Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada

Pierre was 35 years old.
1677 Birth of Child
Antoine BLAIS was born 21 February 1677, Sainte-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada

Pierre was 37 years old.
1681 Canadian Census Comte de St.-Laurent
Pierre Bele (Blais), 40
Anne Perrot, sa femme, 35
enfants:
Pierre, 8
Marie, 6
Antoine, 4
Joseph, 3

Source: Histoire des Canadiens-Francais 1608-1880 by Benjamin Sulte, Montreal, 1882
1682 Birth of Child
Jacques BLAIS was born 6 April 1682, Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada (Saint-Jean)

Pierre was 42 years old.
1685 Birth of Child
Jean-Baptiste BLAIS was born 29 June 1685, Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada (Saint-Jean)

Pierre was 45 years old.
1688 Birth of Child
Marguerite BLAIS was born 29 June 1688, Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada (Saint-Jean)

Pierre was 48 years old.
1688 Death of Spouse/Partner
Anne PERRAULT (PERROT) died 29 June 1688, Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada (Saint-Jean)
marriage1689 Marriage / Partner
Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE) and Elisabeth-Isabelle ROYER 5 June 1689, Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada (Saint-Jean)

He was 49 years old.
Pierre BLAIS (BLAYE) - 1689 map St-Jean-de-lÎle-dOrléans, Québec, showing Pierre Blayes residence by ROBERT DE VILLENEUVE Québec : Société de généalogie de Québe
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1689 map
St-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Québec, showing Pierre Blaye's residence
by ROBERT DE VILLENEUVE
Québec : Société de généalogie de Québec, 1976

1691 Birth of Child
François BLAIS was born 27 May 1691, Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada (Saint-Jean)

Pierre was 51 years old.
1693 Birth of Child
Alexis BLAIS was born 8 April 1693, Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada (Saint-Jean)

Pierre was 53 years old.
marriage1695 Marriage of Child
Marie-Anne BLAIS married 7 October 1695, , Québec Province, Canada to Jean-Baptiste GUILLEMET
marriage1695 Marriage of Child
Pierre BLAIS married 9 November 1695, Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Canada, New France to Françoise BEAUDOIN
1697 Birth of Child
Louis-Charles BLAIS was born 6 March 1697, Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada (Saint-Jean)

Pierre was 57 years old.
Invention 1698 - The steam engine is invented (Thomas Savery, England)
1699 Birth of Child
Gabriel BLAIS was born 27 February 1699, Saint-Jean-de-l'Île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada (Saint-Jean)

Pierre was 59 years old.
1700 Death
'Pierre Blais died suddenly on 16 February 1700 at about 60 years of age...'

Source: Our French-Canadian Ancestors by Thomas J. Laforest, Volume I, page 26
RECORD HISTORY

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Last updated 3/22/2026 1:03:40 PM
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