Jean Ronceray dit LeBreton
and Jeanne Servignan.

From Bretagne.

Jean Ronceray dit LeBreton was baptized in Église Saint-Sulpice de Fougères, Bretagne on 22 February 1642. His parents, Noël Ronceray and Jeanne Aubert, chose a nobleman, Jean Thomas, sieur du Tertre and Gabrielle Thomas dame de Villauré, as his parrain and marraine (godparents).

Situated close to the Château de Fougères, the church's stained glass windows illuminate its two carved granite medieval altarpieces. The parish was in the lower part of the town of Fougéres (the name means "fern") which was home to craftsmen including tanners, weavers and tin crafters along the Rue de la Pinterie. Italian glass makers made their way to the town beginning in the 16th century, attracted in part by the area's sandy soil needed for their craft.

New France.

Why Jean left France is unknown. Often young men who had a skill and who could help defend the colony were recruited for a period of about three years. Though some returned to France, others chose to stay after their term of service. The first mention of him is on the rolls of those confirmed in the Catholic church in Québec on 25 July 1665 . In October of that year, on the 6th, he contracted to marry the fille du roi Jeanne Servignan. They married in Notre-Dame-de-Québec on 13 October 1665.

According to the 1666 census Jean (23) and Jeanne (21) were living outside Québec in Charlesbourg, a part of the Notre-Dame-des-Anges seigneurie along the north side of la Riviére Saint-Charles. Here the parcels were set up in a star-shape pointing to the church, rather than strips along the river front. It was perhaps thought to be easier to defend if the habitants were not spread out.

A number of land transactions occurred over the next few years, as the couple made their way down the river ending up close to Montréal in Longueuil.

Home in Longueuil.

Jean appears in the Histoire de Longueuil among the list of the first colonists. On 12 March 1675 he acquired 20 arpens of land, 2 arpens wide along the river front.

We descend from two of their daughters who were both born in Longueuil: Jeanne-Françoise on 3 Dec 1674 and Marie-Anne on 7 October 1677.

Noted in the 1681 census in Longueuil are Jean Roncere, 38; Jeanne Servignan, 34; their daughters Marie, 13; Elisabeth, 9; and our ancestors Jeanne, 7; and Marie(-Anne), 4. They owned 1 fusil (a light flintlock musket); 2 bestes à cornes; and had 9 arpens terres en valeur (cultivated land). Our ancestor Charles Patenaude lived in the same village.

Jean-Françoise Servignan, 37, died 21 February 1683, shortly after the birth of her sixth child, a boy. Neither of their sons survived, but all four girls married. Regarding our ancestors: Jeanne-Françoise's first marriage occurred in 1692, and Marie-Anne Ronceray was married in Boucherville in 1697.

Jean Ronceray passed away sometime after 11 August 1715.

Use the right sidebar links to navigate to our ancestors Jeanne-Françoise or Marie-Anne's pages.