Jacques Têtu dit Larivière.

A Soldier's Journey.

Jacques Têtu dit Larivière was the son of Sebastien Têtu and Marguerite Le Thuillier (or perhaps Moulin). He was baptized 19 July 1641 in Saint-Philbert in Mesnil-sous-Jumièges, a farming community tucked in a curve of the Seine River to the west of Rouen.

Some sources include the young man as a member of Antoine de Laubias company of soldiers who were part of the Carignan-Salières Régiment sent to New France by King Louis XIV to protect the colony. He was 24 when he boarded le Justice. The group was assigned to Trois-Rivières.

Marriage.

Once his service was complete Jacques opted to stay. He made his way into Montréal where he met the young canadienne, Marguerite Beauvais. She had been promised to another soldier, Joseph Denis in 1672, but perhaps due to her young age (she was 14) the contract was broken the following year. And so it was that Marguerite (now 17) was free to marry Jacques (34) on 9 October 1675 in Montréal.

There were 9, 677 settlers living in Quebec in 1681 (compared to about 151,500 living in the British Colonies to the south). Jacques Testu, 38 and his wife Marguerite Beauvais, 25 lived in La Prairie. He had two fusils or guns and 4 animals. Ten arpens of land were cultivated. Our ancestors Pierre Perras and Pierre Roy were neighbors.

Though the couple had thirteen children, only a few lived to marry. We descend from two of their daughters. Anne born 13 November 1684, married Pierre Surprenant dit Sansoucy in 1702 and Catherine born 11 December 1689, who married Pierre Deniger dit Sansoucy in 1705.

Jacques died 3 July 1712 at the age of 70. His wife Marguerite Beauvais was 56 when she passed on 28 June 1715.

Use the right sidebar links to navigate to our ancestors Anne and Catherine's pages.