MOREAU – Contraction of Morineau, nickname given to an individual with a more or less dark complexion, in reference to the Moorish people, encountered during the crusades. Also, from the Latin "Maurellus", from Maurus which means the Mauritanian, again the nickname of a dark-skinned individual. Finally, can come from the name of several localities in France.
Mathurin Moreau was baptized on April 9, 1641 in Champdeniers, Deux-Sèvres, France. Son of Louis Maureau and Jeanne Douineau-Laurence, he married the widow of Antoine Rouillard, Marie Girard, daughter of Michel and Charlotte Desnoyers, on May 8, 1667 in Sillery. The couple have 4 children. Arrived in 1664, he was confirmed in Quebec in 1665. He owned land in the region of Quebec, notably in Sillery. In 1670, he received property from the Rouillard estate which was disputed by his heirs and, in order to avoid a lawsuit, he ceded his rights to them in 1692. He died in Ste-Foy after August 1, 1712, the date on which his son contracts marriage.
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