Biography
AMIOT (Amyot), JEAN, interpreter and indentured employee of the Jesuits among the Hurons; son of Philippe Amiot and of Anne Convent, who came from the neighbourhood of Soissons around 1635, and brother of Mathieu and Charles Amiot, who were also associated with the Jesuit missionaries; b. probably in France about 1625; d. 1648.
Jean Amiot spent several years in the Huron country, and seems to have lived at Trois-Rivières from 1645 on. The Indians called him “Antaïok.” In 1647 he outran and captured an Iroquois who had taken part in the martyrdom of Father Isaac Jogues. He was a remarkable athlete; in a tournament at Quebec he beat all the young Indians who tried to race against him, either on foot or on snowshoes. On 23 May 1648, when he was about to get married, Jean Amiot was drowned off Trois-Rivières with a companion, François Marguerie. His body was carried down by the current and recovered on 10 June opposite the Saint-Joseph de Sillery mission, where the burial took place.
Jean Amiot spent several years in the Huron country, and seems to have lived at Trois-Rivières from 1645 on. The Indians called him “Antaïok.” In 1647 he outran and captured an Iroquois who had taken part in the martyrdom of Father Isaac Jogues. He was a remarkable athlete; in a tournament at Quebec he beat all the young Indians who tried to race against him, either on foot or on snowshoes. On 23 May 1648, when he was about to get married, Jean Amiot was drowned off Trois-Rivières with a companion, François Marguerie. His body was carried down by the current and recovered on 10 June opposite the Saint-Joseph de Sillery mission, where the burial took place.
Source / record details
Dictionary of Canadian Biography (www.biographi.ca)
Dictionary of Canadian Biography (www.biographi.ca)
Questions, Corrections & New Information
Ask a question or share a correction, source, or new detail about Jean AMYOT (AMIOT).
When possible, include names, dates, places, and sources so the information is easier to verify.