Damien BERUBE
Biography

Damien Berube does not know the words of the song: "Will I ever again see my Normandy?" It is because we all have Norman blood in our veins. More than 1300 men and women from Normandy crossed the Atlantic in order to conquer Canada, not to mention the 43 Jesuits of whom 4 earned the halo of sainthood and martyrdom.

Damien Berube came from Normandy. His ancestors had their roots among the Scandinavian adventurers under Rolland the Conquerer, who in 911, subjugated parts of Normandy: Talou, the regions of Caux and of Roumois.

Damien Berube came from the town of Rocquefort, a suburb of Fauville-en-Caux. Arrondissement of Yvetot, De- partment of Seine-Maritime. His baptismal certificate, dated 2 February 1647, reads "Damien Berrube son of Robert and of Catherine Ferrocog." His godfather was Jean-Baptiste Deschamps, Sieur of Boishebert, Seigneur of Costecoste, of Montaubert, and of Landres; father ofthe future Seigneur of Riviere-Ouelle. As for the godmother, she was named Catherine Henry (?), and was not married to the godfather, whose wife was Elizabeth Debin.

OCCUPATION STONEMASON
Jean-Baptiste Deschamps, Sieur de la Bouteillerie, had obtained permission from the Sun King to go out and clear the land between Trois-Rivieres and Montreal up to the limit of a thousand arpents. The SAINT-JEAN-BAPTISTE, a ship of 300 tons, departed toward the end of July 1671. She carried on board a cargo of about 100 men, of whom two were masons; Damien Berube and Jacques Miville dit Deschenes, and two were carpenters; Robert Leveque and J. Thomas Thiboutot. The supercargo consisted of 26 women from Paris, 10 mules, 50 sheep and several items useful for trading. The Seigneur Deschamps, because of the Iroquois menace, did not take up his original land grant. Instead he directed his efforts toward Riviere- Ouelle, there to take up a new concession obtained on 29 October 1672, from the King's representative Jean Talon.

Initially Damien helped his seigneur build a manor house on the land where today the parish church stands. Then, in 1679, he built a little mill on a nearby brook. It was the first windmill, the EVENTAIL, in New France. The seigneur then had him build five more in different spots on the estate.

On 27 September 1676, Damien received a significant concession of his own, "12 arpents fronting on the river Ouelle, to a depth of 40 arpents, bordered on one side by the land taken back from Thiboutot, and on the other by that part ofthe land not granted in 1672." In spite of all the work he was doing on building stone walls, Damien still found time to clear 10 arpents of land and get it under cultivation. According to the census of 1681, he also had 6 head of cattle and one good gun for self defense, but more often used to hunt those marvellous game birds and animals that abounded in the vicinity.

In 1684, de la Bouteillerie gave a piece of land for the construction of a humble chapel. Jacques Miville and Damien Berube did the work on the stone foundations. Father Thomas Morel blessed this modest temple, dedicated to Our-Lady-of-Liesse, on her Feast Day in the year 1685.

FATHER OF A FAMILY
After eight years of looking around the countryside, Damien finally found himself a companion to suit his taste. Her name was Jeanne Sauvenier (Savonet or Latour dit Simonet). This orphan, born in Paris in 1646, was the daughter of Jacques and Antoinette Babilotte, widow of Jean Soucy dit Lavigne, and inhabitant of the Ile-aux- Oies and mother of four children by Soucy: Anne, Pierre, Marie-Anne and Guillaume. When one truly loves it seems one does not lack courage, even to wedding a 32-year-old woman with 4 children. The marriage was blessed on the Island on 22 August 1679 by the missionary priest Morel. Assisting at the ceremony were Father Paul Dupuy, Squire Noel Langlois, who was also Seigneur of the Ile-aux-Oies, Guillaume Lemieux and Jean Peltier.

The Berube couple brought 7 children into the world, of whom 3 died at an early age. Pierre, Ignace and Mathurin married into the families Dancause, Ouellet and Miville respectively. Jeanne-Marguerite married Rene Plourde on 26 August 1697.

PREMATURE DEPARTURE
Our Ancestor Berube was laid low by an illness during the prime of life. His head full of grand dreams, his home full of beautiful children; to them he made his goodbyes and left for Heaven at the age of 41. He was buried at Riviere- Ouelle on 7 March 1688. In the space of just a few years he had cleared 20 arpents of land on his vast domain, provided for the 4 children of his wife, fathered 7 offspring of his own, but did not live to see his baby son Mathurin, who was born after his death. He opened the way for the Berube line of descendents, both numerous and respectable. He is the progenitor of all the Berube's both in Canada and the United States.

The cause of the death of Our Ancestor calls for a word of explanation. Paul-Henri Hudon, author of a parish mono- graph of Riviere Ouelle, puts his finger on it: "There was in that year (1688) in New France some epidemics of influen- za, of measles and of all sorts of fevers." The following day, 8 March, the two little Berube girls, 2-year-old Therese and 5-year-old Marie, were both buried at the same place as their father.

THE KING'S FAVORITE
The mother house of the Misericorde, founded at Paris in 1624 by President Seguier, was destined to receive 100 orphans—those without either a father or a mother. These girls, educated according to the principles ofthe Catholic religion, were schooled in arts and letters as well. From time to time they were called upon to put on recitations and plays at Court. Was Jeanne Sauvenier one of those protected by the King? No doubt about it since she was educated and proved her abililty to read and write before a notary. One must point out the clever arrangements she made in the agreement to provide for the 4 children of her first husband, as well as those of her second. In 1689, her daughter Anne Soucy married Jean Lebel. Then for a third time, Jeanne married on 7 November 1692 at Riviere- Ouelle, to Francois Miville. He was the widower of Marie Langlois, father of five children, of whom Joseph, Jacques and Charles were minors still under their father's care. In order to add to this menage, Jeanne had one last child to give to Miville: Marie-Francoise, baptised in 1694, later married to Prisque Boucher, and mother of fourteen children. So we see that Jeanne Sauvenier had 12 children in all: 4 by Soucy, 7 by Berube and 1 by Miville.

Her contract with Francois Miville stipulated "to hold no property in common between them, notwithstanding cus- tom and usage ...." Jeanne set about to inventory her belongings with the help of Guillaume Lizotte and Rene Ouelette, in the presence of Robert Leveque. Then it came time to carry out the provisions for inheritance fairly and judiciously. Oft times such occasions are made for quarrel- ing and bickering, but nothing of the sort took place. Jeanne signed a donation before the Cure Bernard de Roqueleyne, sent by the Intendent for this purpose. By this act, she gave the inheritance from Damien Berube back to his children in 4 equal parts. As for the livestock, they were divided in two lots, one for the Berube children, the other for the Soucys. Then the last child, Francoise, whose father was still living, renounced her part of the inheritance in favor of her half brothers and sisters. Jeanne and her husband retained the right of occupancy during their lifetime. Pierre Berube, who inherited the piece of property with the house on it, accepted the guardianship of his mother and her husband, Francois Miville. This act was recorded by the notary Janneau on 15 November 1708.

PERSONAL AND REAL ESTATE
The land, 12X24 arpents, contained an old house, a shed, an old stable, a pigsty, 5 head of cattle, 3 horses, 7 pigs, 7 sheep, 12 chickens, a rooster and 2 turkeys. The inventory listed more than five dozen articles of personal effects, some of which had belonged to Jean Soucy. The debts to be paid off came to more than 437 livres.

A LIFETIME LEASE
In return for the early assignment of their inheritance, the children were required to furnish the parents each year: 2 bushels of wheat, 10 pounds of good and salable lard, etc. She and her husband could even make maple sugar in the springtime for their personal use. This lifetime lease was to continue for one year after the death of Jeanne in order to pay for her funeral and to have 25 Masses celebrated for the repose of her soul.

UNTO THEIR GLORY
Jeanne Sauvenier passed on in 1721 at the age of about 74 years. Her funeral took place at Riviere-Ouelle on the 21st of March, 10 years after the death of her third husband, Francois Miville.

Among her descendants, Octave Soucy was born at Saint Andre de Kamouraska on 13 March 1841, son of
Benjamin and Marie Genevieve Paradis. A sixth-genera- tional Canadian, he was the first priest to bear the name of Soucy. Jean-Francois, born at Trois-Pistoles on 27 July 1827, also of the sixth generation, the son of Felix and of Thecle Cote, became the first Berube priest in 1855.

It would be appropriate here to pay particular attention to the life of this not-so-ordinary wife. This occasion is a good time to highlight the irreplaceable work of these strong women who played such a large part in the foundation of our country. Let us give honor to Our Ancestors and honor to their wives!

Laforest, Thomas J., Our French Canadian Ancestors, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre, 1984

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