Pierre Poupart and Marguerite Perras.


From Paris to the Colony.

Pierre Poupart came from Bobigny, outside of Paris. He was born about 1653, the son of Jean Poupart and Marguerite Frichet. He first appears in Canada in the 1666 census records as a domestique, or laborer, for the merchant Jacques Lemoyne and his wife Catherine Godé in Montréal. His reported age was 16, though he ages four years by the time of the 1667 census. He is still working for the Lemoyne family.

census

About 625 people lived in Montréal in 1666. In those days fur trading markets were held in June. Boutiques volante (pop-up shops) were set up in a common between rue Saint-Paul and the Saint-Laurent, and rue Saint-Pierre and Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours. Trading with the Indians was only allowed in the designated locations. In addition to furs, all sorts of goods were eagerly exchanged including fish-hooks, buttons and various tools.

Little has been found of Pierre's life. He likely worked as a farm hand on Lemoyne's 40 arpens of cultivated land, or participated in Lemoyne's mercantile business. But years later, he may be the Pierre Poupart involved in searching out copper.

Jean Talon, the first Intendant of New France was intent on the broadening the economy of New France beyond fur trading. Among his initiatives were the first commercial brewery, flax propagation (for linen) and lumber. A Jesuit brought back a sample of copper from around Lake Superior which greatly interested the Intendant. Simon-François Daumont de Saint-Lusson, was commissioned "to the country of the Ottawas, Amikwas, Illinois, and other Indian natives discovered and to be discovered in North America in the direction of Lake Superior or Freshwater Sea, in order to search out and discover mines of all kinds there, particularly copper mines . . . in addition to taking formal possession in the king's name of all the inhabited and uninhabited country. . . .". Nicolas Perot was engaged as interpreter for this venture. He formed a trading company with Jean Dupuis, Denis Masse, Pierre Poupart, Jean Guytard and Jacques Benoît before heading out with Saint-Lusson in 1670

Marriage.

It is known Poupart married the canadienne Marie-Marguerite Perras on 11 August 1682 in La Prairie. There the couple would have seven children, including our ancestor Jean-Baptiste Poupart, born on 22 September 1689.

Pierre, 46, died on 7 June 1699, three days after the death of his 12 year old son Pierre. Jean-Baptiste was 10 at the time.

His wife Marguerite Perras remarried Joseph Demers on 20 September 1699 in Montréal. She bore three more children: Marie-Angélique in 1703, François in 1704, and Marie-Joseph about 1705. Marguerite died 15 May 1708 in LaPrairie at age 42.

Our ancestor Jean-Baptiste's first marriage was in 1713.