ÉTIENNE RACINE (1607-1689) and MARGUERITE MARTIN (1624-1679)
Here's another story about our ancestors,
Étienne Racine married to
Marguerite Martin, 7th Great-Grandparents to Valoie and her brothers and sisters--so
again you can figure out how you link up. Our line comes down through their
daughter, Marie Madeleine Racine (1646-1725) who married Noel Simard (1637-1715). Their son, also named Noel Simard (1664-1726) married Anne Dodier
(1671-1728). Through that Simard line we eventually
come to a marriage between Elisabeth Simard
(b. 1820) and Theophile Lavoie (b. 1806) and
the merging of Lavoie and Parent.
This commemorative plaque was placed by
La Famille Racine/Racine’s Families Association on
the outside wall of the chapel of Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré,
Quebec,
Canada
as a tribute to our
ancestors, Étienne
Racine
and his wife Marguerite Martin. They lived and died at Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré.
Origins
Beginning in the 17th century, many Racines chose America as their promised land. There were at
least twenty Racines that decided to come and live in this
new continent. They came mostly from France, Switzerland, as well as many other European
countries. This document will focus on the most illustrious and the best known
of the large Racine family, Étienne
Racine, the ancestor shared by the majority of Racines in America.
Étienne Racine was born around 1606 in Fumichon, Normandy, France. He was the son of Rene Racine and Marie
Loysel. He had three brothers: Jean, Pierre, and Marguerin, as well as one sister, Marguerite.
Étienne's family was the only Racine family in the commune. It is believed
that he was related to the Racines located in the villages of Morainville and Neuville sur Authou. Étienne's brother, Marguerin
Racine, will found a family and his descendance
perpetuate to the 20th century. Unlike his brothers, Étienne was educated in that he could sign his name and knew how to
write. We also believe that Étienne's close relationship with the Jesuits of
New France originated from the bonds he developed during his earlier days spent
at one of the Jesuit college's in Normandy.
Settlement
Étienne Racine arrived in Quebec around 1634 after having been hired for
three years in France as an indentured servant for Guillaume Hubou, a resident of Quebec. Hubou was
originally from the village of Mesnil-Durand, which is located near the commune of Fumichon, Normandy.
Étienne Racine
On November 16, 1637, Étienne's marriage contract was drawn up by the
notary Guilet. Étienne's future spouse, Marguerite Martin, age
13, at the time, was born in Quebec in 1624 and baptized January 4, 1624 by the Récollect Father
Paul Huet. Her godfather was Thierri
Dedamy and godmother Marguerite Le Sage. Marguerite Martin was the daughter of Abraham Martin (a
ship captain) and Marguerite Langlois. Because of
Marguerite’s young age, Étienne and she married one year later on May 22, 1638. The couple had ten children, 4 boys and
6 girls, who produced numerous descendants. Among the girls, Marie Madelaine Martin married Noel Simard, who is the ancestor to the Simard
family in America. Marguerite Martin married Jean Gagnon
and Jeanne Martin married Jean Pare, both of whom are ancestors to numerous
Gagnon and Pare families in America.
Étienne left the Quebec area for two years (1644-1646) and
worked as a carpenter for the Jesuits at St. Marie-Hurons.
In 1647, he returned to France with Robert Giffard
in order to recruit new settlers. He landed at La Rochelle, France and returned to Quebec the following spring. For his
participation in this recruitment effort, his friend, Oliver LeTardif, Co-lord of Beaupre, on March
27, 1650 granted
him a large property, 710 meters wide and 7200 meters deep. The land was
located in Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré. Because this land was the first to be granted
and cultivated, Étienne could rightfully claim the title of
"Founder" of the city of Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré. This would eventually become a famous
site for many pilgrimages. Marguerite Martin died on November
25, 1679 and Étienne Racine died on April
24, 1689 at the
age of 83.
Descendants
Étienne Racine divided his land among his four
male heirs. Here are some genealogical notes:
Noël Racine married Marguerite Gravelle in 1667 at Chateau Richer. They had 10 children.
His descendants can be found mostly in Quebec, British Colombia, and the United States.
In Quebec, his descendants can be found in the
regions of Quebec, Cote de Beaupre, Charlevoix, Saguenary, Lac St. Jean, La Monteregie,
L'Estrie, Beauce Amiante, and Mauricie-Bois
Francs.
In the United-States his descendants can
be found mostly in the states of Wisconsin, New-Hampshire, Maine and Massachusetts
François Racine married Marie Bauchet dit Morency
in 1676 at St. Famille, Ile
d'Orleans. They had 12 children. His descendants can
be found in Quebec and the United States.
In Quebec his descendants can be found in the
regions of Quebec, Cote de Beaupre, Montreal, Charlevoix, Lac St. Jean, Abitibi - Temiscamingue, Outaouais, Monteregie, Mauricie-Bois Francs, Beauce, and
Lanaudiere.
In the United-States his descendants can
be found mostly in the states of Michigan, Rhode-Island, New-York, Vermont,
Montana, Nebraska, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Illinois.and
California
Pierre Racine married Louise Guyon in 1683 at St. Famille, Ile d'Orleans. They had nine
children. His descendants are primarily found in Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the United States. These Quebec descendants can be found in Montreal, Monterigie,
and Lanaudiere. In Ontario, his descendants can be found in the
communities of Russell, Stormont, Prescott, Cornwall, and Ottawa.
In the United-States his descendants can
be found mostly in the states of Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Massachusetts, Rhode-Island, New-York and Vermont.
Étienne Racine (son) married Catherine Guyon in 1683 at St. Famille, Ile d'Orleans and had 13
children. His descendants are primarily in Quebec, Ontario, and the United States. These Quebec descendants can be found in the regions
of Quebec, Cote de Beaupre,
Montreal, Laval, Laurentides, Lanaudiere, Mauricie-Bois Francs,
Beauce, Monteregie, Outaouais, Lac St. Jean, Abitibi,
and Bas St. Laurent. His Ontario descendants can be found especially in
the communities of Welland and Ottawa.
In the United-States his descendants can
be found mostly in the states of Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
General notes
Today in America, there are at least 100,000 descendants
of Étienne Racine and Marguerite Martin.
Of this number, there are approximately
15,000 who carry the Racine name, and 8,500 who are in Quebec.
In the Canadian phone directories we find
3000 Racine inscriptions comparatively with 2,000 in
United-States
In 1993 and 1998, the Quebec Commission
of Topography designated two hilltops in the Cote de Beaupre
vicinity as Mount Étienne Racine and the Marguerite Martin summit.
They forever memorialize the Racine family name.
These new geographical entities are part
of the Laurentian Mountain range and are located on Seminary
of Quebec lands, at the limits of Chateau-Richer and Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré
cities.
A memorial plaque to Étienne and Marguerite is located at the chapel
of Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, Quebec, Canada
History
This commemorative plaque placed on the
outside wall of the chapel is a tribute to our ancestor, Étienne Racine and his wife, Marguerite Martin.
They lived and died at Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré. The plaque was unveiled in 1988 by Alexandre and Adrien Racine, long
time farmers of the town. The ceremony took place in the presence of many Racine family members, and other guests who
attended the mass in the Basilica to celebrate the first Racine Family
Association reunion.
The actual memorial chapel, also named
commemorative or old church, was built in 1877 with demolished materials from
the third church (1676-1876).
It is worth remembering that the first
church, built in 1658, the second one (1661-1672), and the third one
(1676-1876) were successively the places of worship of our ancestor Étienne Racine and his family.
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THE
HISTORY OF THE RACINES
IN EUROPE
Origins
It is virtually impossible to be precise
in locating the origins of the Racine family in Europe, particularly in France. This is due in part to the absence of
civil records prior to the 17th century. Therefore, we must be satisfied with
drawing conclusions from the documents which are available.
With respect to the meaning of the Racine name, Albert Dauzat,
author of the Etymologique Dictionary of names and
surnames of France offers this explanation and provides us
with information on the origins of the Racine name.
According to the author it is a surname
describing a country peasant with a stubborn attachment to the land. The other
interpretation, not from Dauzat, bears Frankish
origins and recalls the Racineburgs, who were known
to be wise and assisted the Counts of Carolingian, the people in charge of
administering justice throughout the land. These affirmations seem to fit of
our ancestors who greatly enjoyed working the land and also, in the old days,
many Racines were educated and were in the practice
of law, in the surroundings of the great families of the kingdom of France.
The Racine surname is mentioned for the first time
when the Knight Ponce de Racines, Lord of the Racine manor, married at Pameron
de Briel, located in the Champagne area between the villages of Troyes and Auxerre.
He served the King of France, (Louis the VII) in the 2nd Crusade which ended in
1149 with the disastrous siege of Damas.
This illustrious family who had direct
descendants in Champagne until the 14th century carries the following Coat of
Arms: Azure three left hands appaumée Or.
Descendants
From the 15th to the 17th century, the
descendants of this family appear to have perpetuated with the Racine Nobles of
Forgirard and Villegomblain , located in the Loire Valley. Louis Racine, "grand maître des eaux et forêts" of Blois city and his son, Francois Racine
(1530-1619) governor of Blois city carried the same Coat of Arms.
It should also be noted that in the 17th
century, the Noble Racines du
Tremblay from Neuville-sur-Authou, Normandy have
descendants which can be found in Thiberville and Blangy le Chateau (Calvados) and the neighboring villages
carried a similar coat of arms but with a silver color. Is this family related
to the family of Étienne Racine of Fumichon, Normandy, ancestor of the Racines in America? It is possible, but at the present time
we are not sure.
We find the Racine origins particularly important in the
north of France and also in other countries. Here is a
partial listing:
Normandie:
Guillaume and Tubold
Racine became established in the village of Castillon en Aube during the period (1225-1270) and left
descendants in the area.
Guillaume Racine, who can be traced as
far back as 1255 in Falaise, left an important descendance, in the area. Louise Racine great-great-grand
mother of Edith Gassion (Édith
Piaf), who is a world renown
celebrated singer, is probably part of his descendants.
Guillaume Racine, who was a surgeon for
the King of France, (Good John the Second) during his captivity in London,
(1357 - 1359) left descendants who practiced law and medicine in Liseux, Normandy. They later became (18th century) Lords of
Boscherville (Eure) and
minted coins in Rouen for the King.
Simon Racine de Morainville
1579-1599 married Marthe Cauvin
and Jacques Racine married Marguerite Mingot in 1640.
Their descendants can be traced for two centuries later.
Nicolas Racine of Rouen 1674-1715 left a very important descendance. He is most likely related to Jean Racine, the
sculptor of the cathedral in Rouen and Pierre Racine of Saumur, an
architect.
Pierre Racine D'Anveville
(1620-1698) who married Madeleine Le Prince around 1660, left important descendance in Anveville, Yvetôt, Belmesnil, Dieppe, Rouen,
and St. Basile de Madawaska, New Brunswick, Canada.
René
Racine, of Fumichon, married Marie Loysel around 1590 and left descendance
in neighboring communities. His son, Étienne,
born in Fumichon in 1606 (THAT IS OUR MAN) is the
common ancestor to the majority of Racines
found in North America.
Brittany, Picardy and the Franche-Comté:
The Racines,
Guillaume and Nicolas Racine of Rennes, Lords of Galisson
(who were related) were lawyers, advisors and solicitors of the Rennes Parliament, Senechal of Fougeres and Crepy en Valois during the 15th century. Several Racine families in Brittany were originally from the villages of Baguermorvan and Bonnemain.
Nicolas Racine of Crepy
of Valois (1617-1694) - the King's Sheriff produced
some famous descendants in Paris. His family was related to the poet Jean Racine of La Ferte - Milon. His uncles were
responsible for the salt lofts in that area. In the 17th
century, the cities of Abberville, St. Riquier and Brucamps (Picardy) where the origin of
several important Racine families.
Léogard Racine was born in 1580 at Provencheres (Doubs) and left many descendants in Franche-Comte. Today we find their descendants in Paris, Marseille, Metz, Besancon and Dijon.
General notes
During the religion wars, several Racines sought refuge in neighboring countries,
i.e., Switzerland, Britain, Germany, and other European countries.
This explains the significant presence of
the Racines at Chaux de Fonds (Canton de Neuchatel) at Tramelan and Lamboing (Canton de
Berne) in Switzerland. Among these important families were
censed at least ten Racine names from 1665 to 1825, who
practiced the professions of notary and justiciary, in
the cantons of Neuchatel or Berne.
Mount Racine, (elevation: 1439 meters), near Le Locle, Canton de Neuchâtel, will
always be a reminder of their historical presence.
Today there are more than 1600 Racines residing in France, 800 in Switzerland, and more than 100 in a number of others
European countries.
The information above is found in THE
HISTORY OF THE RACINES IN AMERICA from the highly recommended Racine's Families Association webpage at http://www.genealogie.org/famille/racine/racaamerique.html.
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