The father of all Beaudet in North America : Jean Baudet
Jean Baudet, son of Sébastien Baudet and Marie Beaudonnier, was born in 1650 in Blanzay, a small village of the Poitou, in France.
During the spring of 1664, at fourteen years of age, he leaves La Rochelle along with about fifty people, many hired like himself to work in New-France. Jean and the others cross the Atlantic on a small vessel of a hundred tonneaux named Le Noir, under the orders of captain Pierre de Filly, from Dieppe. Jeanne Mance, who founded l'Hôtel-Dieu of Montréal years before, also is onboard.
The 25th day of May,1664, after a long and difficult journey, the passengers finally arrive in Quebec City.
Jean Baudet is established as servant at Nicolas Gaudry , inhabitant of the Michaelmas coast, in suburbs of Quebec. (the ground of Nicolas Gaudry started at the place even where is today the input of the Belmont cemetery, in Sainte-Foy.)
On September 23rd, 1670, after having spent six years on the continent, Jean marries, at the Notre-Dame de Quebec, with Miss Marie Grandin, daughter of Michel Grandin and Marie Lejeune. The young Frenchwoman, who lost her father and recently arrived in New-France, was born in Sainte-Euverte, a parish of the town of Orléans.
That which Jean takes for wife is Fille of Roy : to allow the single people of this country to found a hearth there, the king of France, Louis XIV , by the royal treasure, contributes to travelling expenses and part of the cost of establishment in News-France of immigrant recruited in the motherland.
September 4 1672, Jean Beaudet signs a one 6 years duration lease with Noël Ringuet wire. He obtains in hiring, coast the Michaelmas, a ground of two arpents face on 30 arpents of depth. Approximately ten of these arpents are plowed, and are there also a house livable, a barn and a cattle shed. This farm would be located, today, between the path of the Four-Middle-class men and the street Frenière, in Sainte-Foy.
Five years later, October 30 1677, the Ancestor signs an agreement with the Lord Louis Chartier de Lotbinière :
" In presence of the notary Gilles Rageot, Rene-Louis Chartier, rider sior of Lotbinière, admits having rented as from today and for two years, in Jean Baudet, inhabitant of this country and remaining at the Michaelmas coast and present at this contract, the ground reserved for the manor seigneurial of Lotbinière. This ground is located on the edge of the St. Lawrence river.
The Lord of Lotbinière reserves the seigneuriaux rights on this property. Jean Baudet will be able to jouïr some as if it belonged to him and will have to occupy of it as a good father of [ family... ] "
Two years are passed. July 26 1679, Jean renews his contract with the Lord of Lotbinière :
" Rene-Louis Chartier recognizes, that it rented for three years with Jean Baudet, the principal manor of the ground and Seigneurie of Lotbinière , as all the buildings which dependent some, has the exception of a room in the manor [... ] the Lord also rents two cows, two oxes, a young bull and four small pigs [ to him... ] "
According to the historian Raymond Douville, it is plausible to believe that the manor in question was built by Jean Baudet during his the first two years of lease, as it is as probable as it is this residence which it occupied with his family.
March 2 1680, Jean obtains from the Lord his own concession, ten arpents by thirty, with the accesses of the St. Lawrence. N the other hand, it will have to pour with the Lord, as a land tax, the sum of thirty francs and a sum of money annually. This sum could be versed as follows :
" [... ] the value of six francs by means of six good hens and twenty-four other francs in grain coming from its ground whose quality will be at the discretion of the sior of Lotbinière. "
In addition to being a colonizer, clearer, builder and farmer, Jean also makes eel trade. It began this fishing as of its arrival with Lotbinière, but as from 1681, it makes a true trade of it. Thus let us find we it that year with City-Marie , to sell to Jean Milot, merchant, twenty eel barrels. During more than twenty years, it will sign from the contracts of this kind.
As the Ancestor must also deal with the delivery, it gets along later with Michel Boucher for the carriage of its goods.
" on May 10 1689, Michel Boucher of Lauzon commits himself transporting of Lotbinière to Montreal quanrante-cinq barrels of eels, which it takes with the residence of Jean Baudet. This market is made at a rate of eighteen books per barrel that Jean promised to pay. "
One speaks here about quarante-cinq barrels, at a rate of approximately 500 eels per barrel. This fish abounds fortunately in the area. The memories of the genealogical Company Canadian-Frenchwoman provide some information on this subject:
" fishing has eel was practised especially from Quebec, to Three-Rivers . There was no place more favorable than Sainte-Croix, Plato and Lotbinière. One took some in only one tide up to three thousand. The eel was a significant resource for the feeding of the first Canadians. "
The family of the Ancestor is very occupied in September and October, because it is the only season for this fishing. Jean and his sons must make the gathering, and all the family lends itself then to the salting.
On its arrival has Lotbinière, the family counted only three infants. They are now ten : Marie, Simone, Jean-Charles , Louise, Jeanne-Francoise, Jean-Baptiste, Marie-Josephe, Michel, Jacques and Marie-Madeleine.
The boys are established all in Lotbinière , while the girls, after their marriage, will leave the village for Saint-Anthony , Cape-Health, Saint Nicolas's Day and Sainte-Croix.
In 1708, Jean obtains another concession of the Lord of Lotbinière: it is located has the west of the village, covering about batches 101 to 124 of the current land register of Lotbinière. This ground counts fifteen arpents of face, along the river, by thirty of depth. By buying this concession, the Ancestor thinks of the installation of his sons, only one ground being insufficient for his four boys.
The couple Donkey-Grandin advances in age. March 25, 1714, Jean sells to his Michel son part of his second concession, are five arpents of face by thirty of depth. The remainder of this concession will return to Jean-Baptiste and to Jacques : they will have each one five arpents.
This contract of March 25, 1714 is the last which we have of the Ancestor. Four months later, July 13, 1714, Marie Grandin, then widowed of Jean Donkey, presents herself in front of the notary for the reading of the inventory of the goods of her husband. No document indicates to us however the exact date of the death of this last.
February 25, 1715, Marie yields to her son Jean-Charles the concession obtained into 1680. In return, it must take care of his mother by providing him home and food. It is committed moreover providing annually him a skirt of carisse, a fabric life jacket, two handkerchiefs and a pair of bottom, and every three years, a pair of French shoes. After its death, it will make say ten masses for the rest of its heart.
July 14, 1715, one year almost day for day after the reading of the inventory of Jean Baudet, Marie Grandin dies out with Hotel-God of Quebec .
But the Beaudet descendants will multiply many as well in Canada as in the United States...
