Jean-Joseph Néron (March 19, 1736

JEAN-JOSEPH NÉRON (1736 - 1798) and MARIE-ÉLISABETH BOUCHARD (1742- aft. 1779)

Naval Officer, Merchant, and Notary

In France

The grandfather of the ancestor Jean-Joseph Néron was called Pierre Néron. Pierre's wife was Jeanne Gachet. They were of the parish of Ste-Pétronille in the town of the Gironde in the Gironde region (formerly called Guyenne) if one trusts the certificate of birth of Michel Néron, the father of our ancestor. Michel was baptized on 5 August 1707 in the parish of Ste-Pétronille in Gironde. He was the sixth of a family of six children. His father Pierre remarried about 1715 to Jeanne Descomes. Pierre had a child of this second marriage in 1719 called Jacques Néron.

The Néron family moved to the town of Bordeaux at the beginning of the 18th century since the continuation of events occurs in Bordeaux.

Michel Néron, the father of our ancestor, became engaged on 30 January 1734 to Anne Fauquet (also, Fauguet) in the parish of Ste-Colombe ("Dove") in Bordeaux in the Gironde region. Anne Fauquet was born on 14 November 1712. She was baptized the 16th of the same month in the St-André Cathedral in Bordeaux. Anne is the daughter of Jean Fauquet, master tailor (maître tailleur), born on 17 August 1687, and of Marie Espiet, born on 25 October 1693 and deceased on 5 April 1740. Jean and Marie married in Bordeaux on 26 January 1712. Anne also had a brother called Guillaume born on 25 August 1719.

The marriage of Michel and Anne took place with the church of Ste-Colombe in Bordeaux on 23 February 1734. The first child from this marriage is a girl called Marie Néron. She was born on 31 January 1735 and baptized in St-André Cathedral in Bordeaux on 1 February 1735 since at that time baptisms were not performed at Ste-Colombe. The second child is Jean-Joseph, our ancestor, born on 19 March 1736 and baptized the following day in the church of St-André Cathedral in Bordeaux. The baptismal register still exists and states: "Tuesday March 20th, 1736, baptized legitimate Jean-Joseph son of Michel Néron ship captain and Anne Fauquet parish Ste-Colombe; godfather Jean Néron uncle of baptized, godmother Louise Fauquet aunt, was born here at five o'clock in the evening, the father absent."

Jean-Joseph is the last child of this couple since Anne dies on 8 June 1737. She was only 24 years and buried at Ste-Colombe in Bordeaux. In 1747 Michel remarried in to Marie Pellé. They have another child, also called Jean Néron, who is born on 20 September 1749 in Ste-Colombe and baptized the following day in St-André Cathedral. Michel, the father of Jean-Joseph, dies between September 1749 when he appears to be alive with the birth of his son and 1753 since one can find a notarized record by his widow that year.

Our ancestor Jean-Joseph thus lost his mother at only one year of age and became an orphan sometime between 13 and 17 years of age.

In New-France

Concerning his arrival and establishment in New-France, besides his sister Marie and half-brother, Jean Joseph did not have many attachments to keep him in France.

He arrived in New-France in the last years of French domination in Canada. Jean Néron left at the end of February 1758 to arrive at New-France during the summer of 1758 on a king's naval vessel called l'Aigle ("the Eagle"). This ship arrived with 9 other ships engaged in transporting food and soldiers. We also learn that Jean Néron was "a Naval officer".

We know something of this ship. According to J. F. Bosher "Traders and commercial ships with Canada of 1660 to 1760," p. 133/ J. F. Bosher <<Négociants et navires du commerce avec le Canada de 1660 à 1760>>, p. 133: "Eagle, of Bordeaux, 300-340 barrels; made the crossing Bordeaux-Quebec in 1758 with Captain Jean Douteau and 53 men for David Gradis; transported soldiers, salted ox and bacon; the Garonne left about February 28, 1758 with nine other ships charged to Cadet (responsible for the King's munitions) and arrived without encumbrances (we are in times of war) in Québec." Not long after, in 1759 Québec was permanently lost to the British.

Bosher's sources for this information included the: Library of the Arsenal (Paris), manuscript 5769, folio 300-301; Departmental records of the Gironde, 6 B 102, 20 February 1758, 6 B 413, 15 February 1758. Bibliothèque de l'Arsenal (Paris), manuscrit 5769, folio 300-301 ; Archives départementales de la Gironde, 6 B 102, 20 février 1758, 6 B 413, 15 février 1758.

Whether he couldn't return because his ship was sunk, or through travel difficulties because of the change in regime, or because he simply liked the country, Jean decides to remain in Québec. It should be noted that all the information found about him in Canada speaks about Jean rather than Jean-Joseph. The first trace one can find of him staying is related to his marriage contract. The following is an "Extract of the Report of the Archivist of the Province of Québec, 1951-1952," p. 92 (Testimonies of freedom to marry)/<<Extrait du Rapport de l'Archiviste de la Province de Québec, 1951-1952>>, p. 92 (Témoignages de liberté au mariage):

"Jean Néron native of Bordeaux 24 years old (two in Canada) naval officer in the king's vessel l'Aigle ("the Eagle") lost in the river produces these testimonies for his freedom to marry 1) Barthelemi Bagnieres native of Pau in Bearn working at present in the general hospital affirmed to me by oath his assurance that Néron says he is not married in France, knows his family, and Néron is in Canada permanently 2) Pierre d'escot Marin native of Bordeaux affirmed by oath that Néron says he is not married, has knowm him for approximately ten years. They state what they affirmed is very true. Bagnieres, signed with us present at the General Hospital, 28 July 1760."

On 26 August 1760 Jean Néron married Marie-Élisabeth Bouchard, generally referred to as Élisabeth Bouchard. She was a daughter of Jean-Baptiste-Noël Bouchard and Catherine Tremblay, inhabitants of the row of homes in Mare-à-la-Truite ("Pond-with-the-Trout") in Baie-St-Paul ("St-Paul Bay"). A missionary wrote the marriage contract but it is the notary Michel Lavoie who signed it. One surprise of reading in this act is that it states Jean Néron "did not know how to write his signature". In fact, Jean Néron could write and moreover had very beautiful penmanship. One should not always trust the gratuitous assertions which one finds in the old registers. Considerable numbers of ancestors, while they did not always comply with grammatical rules, could however sign their name. They sometimes were absent at the time of the transcription of the contract and missionaries escaped from the difficulty by writing that the witnesses could not sign their names.

From 1760 to 1768, Jean Néron was a merchant. This is the title which was given to him in the few notarial acts that one finds in the first years after his arrival in New-France. In these contracts, he makes several real estate purchases. For example, in May 1761, Jean buys half of a plot of ground with François-Xavier Lavoie in Baie-St-Paul. In June of the same year, in Baie St-Paul, he buys another lot from Dorothée Lavoie and then exchanged properties with Thomas Côté. In August 1763, Jean purchases another piece of land in Baie St-Paul with Joseph-Marie Perron. Then he concludes another land deal close to the coast of Beaupré ("Bowsprit") which he acquires in 1764 from the Séminaire de Québec ("Seminary of Quebec").

In 1768, Jean Néron becomes a notary and works in this trade until his death. In all, Jean wrote more than 1997 notarial acts of all kind. He died in Baie-St-Paul on 16 July 1798 at 62 years of age. M. Lelièvre, the priest, presided at his memorial observances.

Jean Néron and Marie-Élisabeth Bouchard had 11 children, all born in Baie-St-Paul. First Marie-Reine was baptized 5 June 1761. Then Marie-Anne was baptized on 10 January 10, 1763. The third child, Marie-Élisabeth, was baptized on 9 January 1765. The fourth child was their first boy, Jean-Baptist, who was baptized on 18 August 1766. Next came Marie-Louise, baptized on 26 August 1768. Then their second son, Augustin, was born on 5 December 1770. The seventh child, Joseph-Marie, was baptized on 4 March 1773 but died at 18 years. Then there two other girls: Marie, baptized on 8 December 1774; and Marie-Catherine, who arrived on 6 October 1776. The tenth and eleventh children were twins, Guillaume and Étienne, baptized together on 14 March 1779. All the marriages of the children were celebrated in the surroundings of Baie-St-Paul, except for the twins who married in Châteauguay close to Montréal. The majority of descendents of Jean Néron come especially from Jean-Baptist and Augustin. However, our family derives from Marie (b. Dec 1774) through her marriage to Paschal de LaVoye (Paschal Lavoie) born on 8 April 1771. They are second great grandparents to Vernon Parent and his brothers/sisters.

Source: A free translation from the French information on http://pages.infinit.net/badie/genealog/jneron/histoire.htm and
http://pages.infinit.net/badie/genealog/jneron/du_nouveau.htm
Source: http://pages.infinit.net/badie/genealog/jneron/registre/baptjean.htm

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