Simon Chapacou
and Marie-Vincente Pacaud.

Néré, a rural community where grape vines and an assortment of cereal crops grew in Saintes, France, was home to Simon Chapacou and Marie-Vincente Pacaud. Four children were baptized in l'église Saint-Pierre-es-Liens between 1652 and 1658.

The couple migrated to Canada by 1663. Son Louis was confirmed in Notre-Dame on 23 March 1664. He was one of only two of the children who were born in France mentioned in the 1666 recensement of côte Saint-Michel de Sillery. The little settlement was just south of ville de Québec. Simon was said to be 40 and Marie 42, Louis 12, Marie 8. The following census year Marie-Agathe, 20 months, was mentioned. Our ancestor Marie-Angélique was born on 22 March 1668 and baptized two days later in Notre-Dame de Québec. She was one of four children the couple bore on the 8 arpens of land they cultivated (an arpen is slightly smaller than an acre).

Simon and Marie made their mark on the community, though for interesting reasons. It appears they were involved in a number of nefarious activities.

Tried and Convicted.

The couple was accused of theft of property from Hôtel-Dieu de Québec (the hospital administered by nuns), and she of being a pimp. Simon Raymond dit Deslauriers was thought to be the head of the operation, though the purloined items were found in the hands of the Chapacous. They were tried along with a fourth man in late summer (July, August) of 1675 and convicted. Their accomplice Raymond made an ill-fated decision to run and escaped from jail only to be recaptured. His short lived freedom resulted in him being sentenced to be strangled on a gallows. "Strangled" was meant quite literally. Gallows in that era were not equipped with a trap door to immediately snap the neck; the condemned would struggle against death for some time before succumbing.

Our Simon was mute, and could not read or write (though many lacked those particular skills). Marie-Vincente handled most of their transactions. He was unflatteringly described in notarial acts as «un homme muet, incapable de stipuler et faire aucun acte de justice» (a dumb man, incapable of stipulating and doing any act of justice), and was thus not punished for the crime.

For her role Marie-Vincente Pacaud was condemned to be beaten "with ten rods at each of the ordinary crossroads of this city,… having a note on the forehead which will be written, Maquerelle" (French slang for a woman running a brothel), and was obligated to pay a fine of twenty livres. Perhaps to drive home the point, she was further required "to attend at the foot of the gallows during the execution" of the other thieves.

Their Family.

Prior to the conviction, on 11 February 1675, the couple sold their parcel of land to Louis Lavergne. The property, which had 2 arpens along the river and was 40 arpens deep, went for 350 livres.

Their daughter Marie-Agathe became a domestique or servant, and a daughter of Providence working with the nuns at Notre-Dame in Montréal. She was just 21 when she died. Their youngest son, Jean-Joseph went into the fur trade, traveling to the west.

Simon went to live with his son Louis in Berthier in 1685. Our ancestor Marie-Angélique married for the first time the following year and moved to Longueuil where Simon's death record was found on 3 June 1690. He was 64. Found at Hôtel-Dieu de Québec on 1 April 1696, Marie, 65, she later made a donation recorded by the notary Genaple on 13 August 1699. This is the last mention of her.