Pierre BLANCHET
Biography

Pierre Blanchet was the ancestor of all the Blanchets in America. He was born at Saint-Omer-de-Rosieres, Dioceseof Amiens, in the Province of Picardy. His father's first name was Noel and his mother was Madeleine Valet. Blanchet or Blanquet is the word for the absence of color, namely white.

THE IMMIGRANT
The twenty-five-year-old Pierre was a weaver by trade. He appears for the first time in New France in the census of1667. He lived as a paid domestic in the home of Simon Lefebre, located on a hillside nearby Notre-Dame-des-Anges, to the east of Quebec. We don't know any details about the term of his indenture, or the reasons that motivated him to come to Quebec about 1665.

AN ADVANTAGEOUS MARRIAGE
Simon Lefebre-Anger had a neighbor thirteen houses down the row, one Guillaume Fournier. Simon introduced his employee Pierre to the Fournier family, who soon cameto appreciate his fine qualities. Pierre, in his turn, appreciated their eldest daughter, Marie. To prove the worth of this aspirant for his daughter's hand, Guillaume Fournier entrusted Pierre with the development of a piece of land heowned not far from Charlesbourg. The trial period was successful and the Seigneur of Saint-Joseph gave his fourteen-year-old daughter in marriage. Marie, a flower of the countryside, was, on her mother's (Francoise) side, the great granddaughter of Louis Hebert, the first Canadian settler.

The marriage contract was signed on Sunday 13 October1669, in the home of the woodworker Jacques de la Roe, inthe presence of the Notary Pierre Duquet, as well as ther elatives and friends of the Fournier family. Pierre Blanchetdid not have any old friends from Picardy with him, but three neighbors and their wives came in from the Riviere-Saint-Charles to be his witnesses. Father Fournier gave his daughter a milk cow and to his newly acquired son-in-law he gave "a house that he owned near Saint Joseph." Pierre for his part took care of his bride's future with the assurance of 400 livres in case of his death and of 200 livres from his estate before any other partition.

The marriage took place in Notre-Dame de Quebec on17 February 1670, under the supervision of Father Henri de Bernieres. The newlyweds made their first home in the little cabin near Saint Charles which Pierre had furnished while still a bachelor.

THE HAND ON THE PLOW
The land his father-in-law had given him was not very large, but neither did he own any draft animals. After three years of working with axe and mattock, Pierre decided to leave his little home, his shed and his 4 arpents of cleared land.So on 130ctober 1671,hewent to Quebec and before Notary Romain Becquet he received a concession from Louis Couillard de Lespinay. The description: "26 arpents of fully wooded land, of which 3 arpents front on the Saint Lawrence River to a depth of 40 arpents." This grant was located in the seigneury de la Riviere-du-Sud, up to the Pointe-a-la-Caille, which today is Saint-Thomas de Mont-magny. The grant goes on to state that "the charges to the concessionnaire shall consist of 3 silver livres and 3 live capons in rent to the seigneur and one sol in 'cens' for all of the concession."

On 8 October 1671, Pierre gave a three-year lease on his property near Quebec to Etienne Potier. This farmer had to pay him "thirty bushels of good and salable wheat"delivered on the last day in October each year. However,the following autumn Blanchet sold this property to Louis Rouer for the sum of 200 livres, of which 100 was paid in cash.

AN UNWITTING BREECH
On 21 November 1674, Pierre Blanchet guaranteed to underwrite a payment of 21 livres, 7 sols, 6 deniers, owed by his father-in-law to Pierre Normand the toolmaker. In order to avoid seizure of his boat in settlement of the debt,old Fournier agreed to make payments in kind, i.e., four chairs. He defaulted on this too, and on 29 April 1675 the Sovereign Council ordered Pierre to pay the debt plus costs.

Pierre continued to slave away on his farm at Pointe-a-la-Caille, even to expanding his domain by 4 more arpents in frontage. Toward the end of the summer of 1681 the census-taker visited the family, by now consisting of Pierre,his wife and 5 children. Their possessions were recorded as one gun, a half-timbered house, 7 head of cattle and 8arpents of cultivatable land. His neighbors were Pierre Joncas and Jean Rolandeau (the ancestor of the Lauren-deau's). Later on Pierre obtained yet another concession near the river, 5 by 40 arpents, at Saint-Pierre de Montmagny.

But let's take a look at another involuntary breech of the law. To saw a good plank one needs a good log and Pierre was providing Quebec with many good logs. While enjoying the fruit of his silviculture, quite inadvertently one fine day,Pierre wandered onto his neighbor's land and cut some trees. This neighbor was the Seigneur Louis Couillard who lost no time taking Pierre before the Sovereign Council. Pierre pleaded ignorance and stated his willingness tor estore that which was not his. The Court ordered him to place in the hands of his accusor "a third of the lumber in question." All this seemed to have been too much for Pierre for the next thing we know he was turned into the Hotel-Dieu, the hospital of Quebec, with a heart attack.

A DECIMATED FAMILY
Today, it is difficult to assess the anguish and suffering brought about by the infant mortality of those times. Pierre and Marie brought 16 children into the world, but only seven survived: Pierre, Pierre-Guillaume, Marie-Madeleine,Jean, Francoise, Simon and Louis. During the one year of 1681, three of the children were taken to the cemetery at Cape Saint Ignace. Then Simon, a sickly unmarried man,disappeared in his thirties. It may be surmised that the Blanchet family did not enjoy good health. It may also be surmised that if our ancestors, like us, dreaded death, they also pinned their hope on life, and with what heroism!

THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM
Old Pierre Blanchet fell gravely ill on 10 April 1709. He sent for the Cure Mesnage, made his confession, received the last Sacraments and told his pastor his last wishes. Pierre, the old churchwarden, gave 6 arpents of land to the parish in order to help pay for the construction of the Church of Saint-Pierre. Then he gave an arpent of river frontage for the priestly instruction of his youngest son, Louis, age 8 years; however, his desires were not fulfilled.

The present Church of Saint-Pierre, built within a few miles of the setting of the first two, is still a magnificent cultural achievement. Canadian historian B. Collins states,'Thanks to its historic value, to the highly classified works of art it holds, it was accepted as a historic monument."

Upon the death of Pierre, the missionary wrote in the Montmagny parish register, 'This 12th day of the month of April in the year 1709 has been buried in the cemetery of the parish Saint Thomas of the Pointe-a-la-Caille by me the undersigned ... the 'bonhomme' Blanchet, age about 72years, after having received all the sacraments. A High Mass was sung for him." In the history book of the Blanchet family, they say he was 65 years old. Doubtless he had the appearance of an older man of 72?

The title "bonhomme" must be understood in the full sense of the word. Pierre Blanchet was an honest man, a hard worker who had more heart than learning—he knew not how to write—and a fervent Christian. It is in honor of Pierre Blanchet that the parish was placed under the protection of Saint Peter on 14 June 1713, because Our Ancestor had died at Saint-Pierre de Montmagny.

AN ACCOUNTING
At his death Pierre left no less than 64 arpents of usable land, of which 9 arpents were at Saint-Thomas and 55 at Saint-Pierre. The personal property left by him was valued at 810 livres, 10 sols and 6 deniers. He had 2 big oxen in the stable, one black and the other red; 7 cows; 5 pigs; 4 geese;7 chickens and a rooster. He had added a room of 40 square feet onto his old half-timbered house at Saint-Thomas,built of the stone of Saint-Pierre. (15) Unfortunately, there was a lien against his estate of 500 livres, owed to Sieur Lotbiniere. This sum was the remainder of a loan Pierre took out on 6 October 1696, in the amount of 1213 livres and 10 sols.

As for his wife Marie Fournier, she put her affairs in order and placed herself under the guardianship of her son Jean. Used up by hard work and the bearing of sixteen children,the lights of her life were extinguished at the age of 60years. She was buried in January of 1716 at Saint-Pierre...

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

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