René LEPAGE dit STE-CLAIRE

(b. 10 April 1656 , France d. 4 August 1718 , Rimouski, Canada, New France )

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LEPAGE dit STE-CLAIRE Family Tree – Connecting the Past to the Present!

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René LEPAGE dit STE-CLAIRE was born 10 April 1656 in France

René LEPAGE dit STE-CLAIRE was the child of ? and ?

René was an immigrant to Canada, arriving by 1686.

Immigration to New France: Shaping the Roots of Canada

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

René married Marie-Madeleine GAGNON 10 June 1686 in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, Canada, New France . The couple had (at least) 4 children.
Marie-Madeleine GAGNON was born 28 March 1671 in Château-Richer, Québec, Canada (La Visitation-de-Notre-Dame de Chateau-Richer). Marie-Madeleine died 31 January 1744 in Rimouski, Québec, Canada (Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Coeur) (Saint-Germain) (Le Bic). Marie-Madeleine was the child of Pierre GAGNON and Barbe FORTIN dite BELLEFONTAINE.

René LEPAGE dit STE-CLAIRE died 4 August 1718 in Rimouski, Canada, New France .

son of Germain Lepage and Renee Lory

Details of the family tree of René appear below.

Occupation

René LEPAGE dit STE-CLAIRE was a Seigneur de Rimouski.

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 - What is a 'dit/dite' name? When the first settlers came to Québec from France it was a custom to add a 'dit' nickname to the surname. The English translation of 'dit' is 'said'. The Colonists of Nouvelle France added 'dit' names as distinguishers. A settler might have wanted to differentiate their family from their siblings by taking a 'dit' name that described the locale to which they had relocated. The acquiring of a 'dit' name might also be the result of a casual adoption, whereby the person wanted to honor the family who had raised them. Another reason was also to distinguish themselves by taking as a 'dit' name the town or village in France from which they originated. This custom ended around 1900 when people began using only one name, either the 'dit' nickname or their original surname.

Source: American-French Genealogical Society, Woonsocket, Rhode Island (www.afgs.org/ditnames/index1.html)

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 LEPAGE dit STE-CLAIRE was a seigneur.
Seigneurs were the most important colonists, as they were usually in the military or aristocracy prior to being a settler. These seigneurs then were charged with the task of subdividing large parcels of land into five by 15 kilometer concessions, then renting this land to a habitant. Under regulations set up by the French government in France, the seigneur could also set up a court of law, set up a mill on his land and organize a commune.

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

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