Étienne CHAREST

(b. 15 April 1635 , Poitiers, France d. 5 May 1699 , Lauzon, Lévis, Canada, New France )

Am I Your Ancestor?
CHAREST Family Tree – Connecting the Past to the Present!

What started out as our family is now your’s too!

Étienne CHAREST was born 15 April 1635 in Poitiers, France

Étienne CHAREST was the child of ? and ?

Étienne was an immigrant to Canada, arriving by 1670.

Immigration to New France: Shaping the Roots of Canada

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

Étienne married Catherine BISSOT 27 November 1670 in Québec, Canada, New France . The couple had (at least) 3 children.
Catherine BISSOT was born 6 March 1655 in Québec, Québec, Canada (Quebec City). Catherine died abt. 1694 in Lauzon, Lévis, Québec, Canada (Saint-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-de-Lévy). Catherine was the child of François BISSOT DE LA RIVIÈRE and Marie COUILLARD DE L'ESPINAY.

Étienne CHAREST died 5 May 1699 in Lauzon, Lévis, Canada, New France .

son of Pierre Charest and Renée Merle

Details of the family tree of Étienne appear below.

Occupation

Étienne CHAREST was a Habitant et tanneur.
A tanneur, or tanner, prepared the skins of animals with tan or tannin (tree bark powder), in order to produce leather by hand. A tannery was where the tanner worked. Tanning was considered a noxious or 'odoriferous trade' and relegated to the outskirts of town and near a river or stream, usually amongst the poor. In other words, tanneries smelled horrible.
Source: tfcq.ca

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

Étienne CHAREST 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