Gregoire's Ray + Tina

I am copying parts’ of he Gregoire Deblois chapter from “Our French-Canadian Ancestors” by Thomas J. Laforest. Very interesting story of my ancestors.

Gregoire Deblois

The name Deblois harks back to the time of the celebrated town in France--Blois, the glorious gateway to the chateaus of the Loire, and a saintly man, Charles de Blois, Duke of Brittany, writer and soldier, who died on the field of honor, nearby Sainte-Anne-d’Aurey, on the 29th of September, 1364.

Today we direct our attention to the ancestor, Gregoire Deblois, father of so many dignified descendants who bear either the name, GREGOIRE as well as DEBLOIS.

A DIFFICULT CROSSING

It was on 3 March 1657, at La Rochelle, that Gregoire Deblois indentured himself in order to get to Canada. Notary Pierre Moreau signed him into service of merchants Grigon,Gaigneux and Masse., for three years work as a prison guard for the assurance of 70 livres for each of the three years.



A ship named LES ARMES d’AMSTERDAM appeared in the harbor of La Rochelle, appeared in the harbor La Rochelle one fine day in mid April. This 250 ton Dutchman, armed with ten cannons and 6 blunderbusses, was chartered by her owner Jacob Gillensen, to the three merchants named above, who then signed on a French crew for the passage.

Captain Jean Guyonneau, underway about the 10th of April, set sail for new France ( Canada). Bad weather took charge; he lost his rudder and almost his ship as well. Steering by sail, stricken and belabored, he barely made it to port at Limerick, Ireland. After a month of refitting ,the ship put to sea again, but hardly 24 hours later her seams opened. With her hull filling fast, an anchorage was made at Quilmar. By June 28th repairs were once again completed; so for the third time these men set out to brave the North Atlantic. After 7 storm-tossed weeks on August 20th, the unlucky Dutch caravelle finally put into Quebec. For Gregoire Deblois, this year 1657 would be a start of a new life.




ESTABLISHMENT

It is possible that Gregoire Deblois was a prison guard at Quebec but there is no proff of it. The next news we have comes on 2 February 1660, at Chateau Richer, when his name appears on those confirmed by Mgr. de Laval. It is the feast day of the Purification of Mary that 173 people received the sacrament.: Gregoire was 17th in line: Louis Joliet, the future discoverer of the Mississippi, is mentioned as 132nd..


On 10 January 1661, Gregoire Deblois received a land grant from Seigneur Lauzon-Charnay, consisting of 3 arpents of river frontage in the Parish of Sainte-Famille, Ile d’Orleans. His neighbors were Jean Lehoux and Elie Joseph Gaultier. He planted his first crop that spring but on 25 July, he sold the land to Nicolas Gendron for 80 livres. Then in June the next year,1662,Gregoire obtained a concession of 3 arpents of river frontage from the widow d’Aillebout, who mistakenly though she was giving him a piece of land in Argentenay, Ile d’Orleans. On 23 June 1664 she was supposed to have cleared the title before a notary. Here Gregoire built himself a cabin by the river shore and the census of 1667 tells us he had 8 arpents of cleared land.

On 8 March 1668 , before notary Paul Vachon at Quebec, Mgr de Laval conceded 3 arpents of land to Francoise Rousseau, Francois Dupont and Gregoire Deblois. This was choice property, on the north coast of the Ile d’Orleans facing the Church of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre across the river. In the case of Deblois,it was the same land he was already farming; the grant merely confirmed his presence and finally gave him a clear and unencumbered title, We know that in 1681 he had 6 head of cattle and 18 arpents of land. According to the Villeneuve map in 1689, his neighbors were Francoise Dupont and Robert Coutard; Gregoire had built a house and two bards on his property.

After having spent five years getting the lay of the land,Gregoire thought it was high time he settle down to a solid and steady way of life. He courted Francoise, newly arrived in the country, the daughter of Robert viger. The Viger family was from the province of Anjou in France. The pair decided to get married but first the contract! The contract was signed on 3 August 1662. It was there they had 8 children,Joseph,Jean, Germaine, Jean-Baptiste, and Marie. The family suffered 2 bereavements Guillaume at age 13 and
Charles Francois at 19.

Departing Christian Souls

Work became more arduous for Gregoire. He was 73 years old and his hair white with age. Around him he could count 13 grandchildren, each a blessing to him.

Gregoire Deblois died in 1705 followed by his wife in 1712.

IMPRESSIVE HARVEST

Let us gather a few particulars about the impressive harvest of the Gregoire Deblois children. Pierre Deblois born in 1815, was a senator and as former mayor, left his name on a street in Beauport. His sister Josephine married The Honorable Rene Edouard Caron Lt Governor of Quebec.

Joseph Gregoire born at Saint Valentin in 1833 is known as the Father of Lake Superior. He constructed the first pier in Duluth Michigan and owned a shipyard and sawmill in Houghton where he built wood doors and frames.

Charles Deblois obtained a Doctorate in Medicine. He founded the Sanitorium Deblois in Three Rivers Canada and published many medical papers openly respected in Europe and the US.. In 1889 he built the Chateaux Deblois at Trois-Rivieres on the model of the great chateas of France.

Mother Leoni, Foundress of the Little Sister of the Holy Family was the daughter of Emilie Gregoire.

His Excellency, Paul Gregoire, Archbishop of Montreal is a direct descendant of Gregoire Deblois