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Joseph A. Lavoie
La Famille Lavoie au Canada de 1650 à 1921
Preface
de L'Hon. Thomas Chapais,
Senateur 35 Conseiller Legislatif
Québec
1922
Joseph A. Lavoie
The Lavoie Family in Canada from 1650 until 1921
Foreword by the Honorable Thomas Chapais, Senator and Legislative Councilor
Québec
1922
All rights reserved
To my brothers and sisters I dedicate this work as a memorial of my
great affection for them.
J. A. L.
THANKS
For the assistance which they lent me in the preparation of this
book, my thanks are due to the Messrs. priests of Saint Anne-de-la
Pocatière, Rivière-Ouelle (River Ouelle), Saint Denis, Saint Philippe
of Néri, Notre Dame ("Our Lady"), Mount Carmel, Saint Pascal,
Kamouraska, des Eboulements ("the Collapses"), the Bay Saint Paul,
and of Rimouski. For certain chapters, I more particularly owe thanks
to Mr. Louis Pelletier, from the Office of Protonotaire of the
Rivière du-Loup ("River of the Wolf), Kamouraska's judicial district.
I also express here my gratitude to many other persons who granted me
cooperation as obliging as generous.
J. A. L.
Québec, April 1922.
FOREWORD
Dear Mister Lavoie,
When you communicated me for the first time your intention to study
the genealogy of your family, especially the branches in our
Kamouraska's district, and your intention to join to your work a
historic sketch of the parishes of Saint-Denis, Saint Philippe and
Mount Carmel, you were able to convince me that it was profoundly
interesting. I have a very lively love for the corner of our province
where the good God created me, and nothing relating to it leaves me
indifferent. The announcement of your project was more than a
pleasant short piece of news.
Later, when you were kind enough to send me your manuscript, my
satisfaction increased. I went through these pages with interest and
found here and there more than a known name, where I greeted formerly
familiar figures. The part where you summarized in broad outline the
annals of my dear parish is naturally the one that captivated me
most. The humble and modest Saint-Denis has indeed for me all the
charms that are indicated and condensed in these words: "the small
homeland." These charms include recollections of childhood, our
always alive and friendly domestic home, the temple "witness of the
first wishes", the peaceful valley and the picturesque coast, and the
big St. Laurent river whose streams have for us accents so deep. I
shall not surprise you by saying that reading your sketch was full of
recollections and moving memories.
One has already uttered the wish, and I subscribe to it
wholeheartedly, that works such as yours multiply in our province.
The monographs of families and parishes form an excellent part of our
historic edifice. They constitute a precious contribution toward the
preservation of our traditions and aid in understanding the secret
conditions for our national survival. You set your stone - a solid
stone, and well cut - in this building. Please let me congratulate
you cordially and wish you all the success that your persevering
labor deserves.
Very cordially,
THOMAS CHAPAIS
Quebec, January 30, 1922.
FOREWORD
NORMANDY - FRANCE
The Lavoie family is native to Normandy. The geography teaches us
that tired Normandy is an ancient French province that corresponds
roughly to the current territory of the following five departments:
the Lower Seine, Eure, the Calvados, the Manche (or English Channel)
and the Orne. The region is classically divided into Upper Normandy
and Lower Normandy: the first extends about to the valley of Bresle
in that of Dives, and the second includes all the Norman countries
situated on the West by this river.
The Canadian - Frenchman who visits Normandy, may believes he is
crossing through the Province of Quebec, the resemblance is so
striking between these two provinces. Undulations of the land, woods,
rivers, mountains and valleys appear Quebecois, but rather they are
Norman. If we are arrogant about our majestic interminable Saint
Laurent, the Normans is not less proud of their river "Seine", which
crosses their country, and is lost in the tempestuous streams of the
Manche (The English Channel). The "hills of Normandy" are for the
Seine what the Laurentides are for the Saint Laurent.
The Norman climate owes much to the fact that it neighbors the sea--a
very big sweetness and one larger humidity. The physical aspect of
Normandy is characterized by the greenish general totality of the
countryside, and by the multiplicity of meadows strewed with trees,
especially with apple trees. The apple tree is really the national
tree of Normandy, and the most striking feature of its landscape. The
hills of Normandy owe to their woodlands that they carry the name
of "Norman-hedged farmland."
The Norman agriculture is very rich; the plains producing different
cereals; the Norman-hedged farmland on the contrary above all a
cattle-rearing area. The very ancient industry in Normandy is grouped
mainly around Rouen and in the western part of the department of the
Orne, to Flers notably. There are iron mines in the South of Caen.
Finally, fishing and navigation are an important resource for
Normandy.
The Norman population offers a mixture of the elements common to all
France, plus the contribution of "northmen" (Normans) who became
established in Normandy in the 9th and 10th centuries. The type of
these last ones is especially preserved in Cotentin. The population
is spread out in the areas of hedged farmlands, is grouped in the
agricultural plains of the Parisian basin, and is more agricultural
than fishing, contrary to what takes place in Brittany. The Norman
passes to be practical, rough with the profit (greedy), and
litigious. Local costumes and traditions are giving give way to the
uniformity of the modern life. Moreover, the penetration of Normandy
by French lifestyles and customs originated in the time of the
Capetians and especially the Valois, contrary to what took place for
Brittany. From the linguistic point of view, worth noting is that
many names of Norman villages are derived from Scandinavian dialects.
We learn from history, that in the Gallic time Normandy was occupied
by the tribes which carried the name Caletes, Veliocesses, Lexovii,
Aulerci, Eburovices, Sagii, Viducasses, Bodiocasses, Unelli, and
Abrincatui. They were made subject to Rome by Q. Titurius Sabinus,
lieutenant of Caesar. The gospel was preached there from the 3rd to
7th centuries by numerous apostles. In the Frankish era, current
Normandy was a part of Neustrie.
The Normans appeared in 841 at the mouth of the Seine and down to
Rouen. Rollon was boss of all the region of the lower Seine, when in
911 was signed at Saint Clair on Epte, the famous agreement by which
Charles le Simple granted him (under his suzerainty) the free
ownership of the country. Rollon, first Duke of Normandy, died in
931. His successors strengthened their authority by skillful
politics.
Guillaume II, the Illegitimate child or the Conqueror (William II,
known as the Bastard or Conqueror), attacked through his vassals and
the nearby princes who wanted to take advantage of the minority,
triumphed over all his enemies. In 1066, his power being at its
height, he began the conquest of England. Having crossed the Channel,
he met English King Harold in Hastings, beat him and killed him.
William was then crowned king at Westminster, on December 25, 1066.
The conquest of England was a cause of decline for the duchy of
Normandy. The last years of William's administration, where he was
torn between his English and Norman vassals, were rather unfortunate.
At his death (1087), William's possessions were divided between his
two elder sons, Robert Courte-Heuse ("Robert Short Plunger"), who had
Normandy, and Guillaume le Roux (or William the Red-haired), England.
The third son, Henri Beauclerc, skillfully maintained the differences
of opinion between his two brothers, and at Guillaume's death (1100),
having been crowned king of England, he attacked Robert repeatedly,
and finally beat him completely on September 28, 1106. This battle
insured the subjection of Normandy by England until 1204, when
Philippe-Auguste, King of France, succeeded in seizing the country.
The surrender of Rouen, in 1204, finished the conquest of Normandy.
Philippe-Auguste had the intelligence to economically organize the
country in a way corresponding to his interests by granting Normandy
numerous privileges. The same policy was followed by his successors.
In vain Henri III of England tried to resume control of Normandy.
Henry was forced to sign Abbeville's treaty in 1259, where he
renounced any rights to the province.
From 1259 until 1420, Normandy was often disturbed either by civil
war, or by wars with the English, who took control of it once again
in 1420 with the exception of the Mount Saint Michel. Henri V, King
of England, held a parliament in Rouen, made up in part by English
and Norman representatives, through which he forced recognition of
his brother, the Duke of Clarence, as lieutenant-general of the
country. Frenchmen resisted and did not let the invaders rest until
they had been pared out of France, in 1450. The English preserved
only the English - Norman islands (Channel Islands).
The Kings of France confirmed the privileges that Normandy had
received from the English. Louis XI decided at an Etats-Généraux
(States General) held in Tours (1468) that Normandy could be never
alienated from the royal domain. François I created the port of Havre
in 1509, and organized, in 1505, the parliament from Normandy in
Rouen, in the place of a chessboard which went back to 1436.
Normandy welcomed the Reformation, which was established initially in
Rouen. In 1562, the Protestants were even strong enough to seize this
last city and drive out the parliament. The Catholics tried, in vain,
to regain Rouen; they were only able to take back control of some
nearby places. The Protestant inhabitants appealed abroad; 3,000
English landed in Le Havre. King personally came to besiege Rouen
which was taken back by assault on October 29. The English were
driven out definitively from Le Havre on July 28.
After this terrible shock, Normandy was quiet; the last religious
wars, even Saint Barthélemy (Batholomew), had no repercussion in the
country. During the wars of the League, the country was divided, but
remained for the greater part favorable to the cause of the king. In
1588, Rouen rebelled against Henri III, submitted to Henri IV, after
he renounced Protestantism for the Catholicism.
In the 17th century, there is not much to announce about Normandy,
except the revolts of Nu-Nieds (Naked Nieds) around Avranches and
Coutances, and Bras-Nu (Barearmed) around Caen (1638-1639), caused by
the increase of assessments. During la Fronde (the Sling), some
regions of the country raised up against the authorities; it took
three weeks for the Count of Harcourt to calm them (1650). During the
17th and 18th centuries, the English attempted some incursions on the
coasts. They bombarded Havre, in 1694 and 1759, and occupied
Urville's handle, near Cherbourg, in 1758. In 1796, Le Havre was
again bombarded by the English, but the history of the province
merges, consequently, completely with the general history of France.
In 1911, Normandy brilliantly celebrated the thousandth anniversary
of the treaty of Saint Clair on Epte.
ROUEN
Rouen is where René de la Voye, my first ancestor in Canada, was born
in 1633. The city is the former capital of Normandy and today is the
administrative center of the department of the Lower Seine, home of
the third army corps, and the seat of an archbishopric, etc. It has
124,987 inhabitants, is situated well on the right bank of the Seine,
and remains one of the most interesting cities of France. In spite of
the numerous street improvements executed over the last 50 years, it
is still the richest in Gothic buildings, especially of the tertiary
time, with civil and religious examples; one can also see some old
wooden houses there. The city's industrial and commercial prosperity
is due above all to its cotton fabric factories ("rouenneries"),
whose production represents 2/3 of that of France and in its traffic
by the Seine (4,792,747 tons of goods in 1912).
Rouen is the Gallic Rotomagnus, administrative center of Véliocasses
since Auguste capital of the Second Lyonnaise, and since 260, site of
a bishop's palace.
Rouen's history is bound to that of Normandy. It is important,
however, to recall the fights among Catholic and Calvinist believers
that, by their duration and their cruelty, arrested for a long time
the prosperity of the city. During the revocation of the edict of
Nantes (1685), more than half of the population, which counted then
80,000 inhabitants, left the city. But thanks to their enterprising
mind, Rouennais knew how to come through all these disasters. From
December 5, 1870 to July 22, 1871, Rouen was occupied by the Germans.
Among those born here were Pierre Corneille (Pierre Crow) (1606-1684)
and his brother Thomas (1625-1709), Jean Jouvenet (1644-1717),
Fontenelle (1657-1757), Géricault (1791-1824), Boeldieu and Gustave
Flaubert.
The main artery of Rouen is the beautiful rue Jeanne-d'Arc (Joan of
Arc street) that, with la rue Verte (the Green street), connects the
station of the right bank with the quay of the stock exchange. At the
beginning of Joan of Arc street is Château-Fort (keep of the Castle)
built by Philippe-Auguste in 1207. It contains a small museum
containing documents relating to Jeanne d' Arc and the model of the
monument of Domremy by Antoine Mercier. Continuing to go down Joan of
Arc street, we see; in No. 102, a commemorative tablet reminding that
here rose the tower where Joan of Arc was a prisoner from December
25, 1430 until May 30, 1431, and whose base can still be seen in the
house.
Saint Romain (Roman), a church of the 17th and 18th centuries, is the
former chapel of the Carmelites. It is richly decorated inside, with
a dome containing frescoes relative to the saint located in a modern
tower (1877).
Further down Joan of Arc street, to the left we see the garden
Solférino and, behind, the museum. The street continues to the place
Verdrel, where the law court rises.
The law court, one of the most magnificent civil buildings, of
blazing style and to the glory of the city, was begun at the end of
the 15th century by the architects Roger Ango and Roulland LeRoux and
finished in the 16th century. The central building, in the middle of
which leans an octogonal turret, displays an extreme wealth of
ornamentation, with its pillars in the elegant niches, its windows
with rich frames, its large attic windows with pinaches, and the
surmounted gallery of statues. The interior decoration, of great
richness, is quite modern; however there remain some older rooms
deserving of attention. The room of the Prosecutors or the Lost Steps
is the oldest part of the building, completed in 1499. The immense
wooden vault is supported by no pillar. In this room, there is a
commemorative plate and a marble medallion, by A. Guilloux, which
recall the poet and great patriotic, Pierre Corneille, who was
attached as lawyer to this court.
By continuing to go lower down Joan of Arc street, one sees to the
left, withdrawn on the street of the Grosse-Horloge (Big Clock), a
group of buildings called the Big Clock, including a bell tower and
an arcade. The belfry, built from 1389 to 1398, has at its base a
fountain dating to 1733, with a niche where sees Alphée and Aréthuse;
a staircase of 200 steps leads at the top of where one has a sight
characteristic of the cathedral. The clock at the summit, built in
1385, is supposed to be the oldest in the world. The arcade, from
1527, contains a clock, which has two big sculptured dials; its under-surface has low reliefs representing the Good Pasteur.
Notre Dame (Our Lady), the cathedral, at the end of the street of the
Big Clock, is the largest religious Gothic building of Normandy,
built especially from 1202 until 1220, but finished only in the 16th
century. It is still opened partially in houses. The facade, built
from 1509 until 1530, is of a very great richness, but lacking in
main lines and unity. One notices there especially the large central
gate, whose tympanum is decorated with a beautiful tree of Jessé
(1520-1524). Of the two towers which flank the frontage, that of
left, the tower St-Romain (75 meters in height) is rather simple; its
lower part, built between 1145 to 1160, is the remainder of an older
church, destroyed by a fire in 1200; the higher part dates from the
15th century. The tower on the right-hand side (77 meters high) is
named Butter Tower, because it was built, as it is said, with the
product of the exemptions paid by believers wishing to make use of
butter during the Lent fast, goes back to 1497 until 1509; it is
proportionally much more richly ornamented, but without arrow.
There was until 1822 a stone tower with a beautiful arrow on the
crossing, but, after being destroyed by lightning, it was replaced
(1824 until 1876), by a spindly cast iron pyramid that rises to 151
meters. Both side gates, one started in 1280 and completed in the
first quarter of the 14th century, are beautiful, especially the
north portal known as the gate of the Booksellers. The side gate of
the south, or the gate of the calende, is named for a fantastic
animal, the Calende, symbol of the Christ, to whom the gate is
devoted. The subjects of the sculptures of the tympanum are drawn
from the history of Passion; the others are similar to those of the
gate of the Booksellers.
The inside of the building, largely in the Gothic style, is in shape
of cross; it measures 136 meters in length, 32 meters by 30 in width
in the nave, 51 meters by 60 in the transept, and 28 meters in
height. The axis of the building is appreciably tilted to the head.
The pillars of the nave are interconnected by arches and a small
gallery which surrounds it on columns. Higher, reigns a beautiful
triforium, at the cost of windows, which lack height. The three gates
are surmounted by pink roses of rich intention dating from the 14th,
16th and 19th centuries. A part of the invaluable stained glasses of
the other windows date from the 13th and 16th centuries. In the right
part of the building, one sees there magnificent paintings and tombs
with marble statues of the 13th and 14th centuries. In the southern
arm of the transept, the chapel of Joan of Arc was inaugurated in
summer 1911, including a statue of the heroine, marbles by Navone,
surrounded with allegorical statues and low-reliefs by Ganquié. The
choir contains 96 stalls executed from 1457 through 1469. In the
ambulatory, to the right of the choir, is a restored tomb that
contains the heart of Richard Coeur-de-Lion ("Richard the Lion
Hearted"), King of England, who died in 1199.
In Saint Romain (Roman) street, which skirts the north side of the
cathedral, are old picturesque houses. To the right beyond the gate
of the Booksellers are the remains of an old chapel and a
commemorative tablet about the lawsuit of Joan of Arc. The vast body
of building behind the church is the old archbishop's palace, of
which certain parts go back to the 15th century.
Saint Maclou, a beautiful small church with three naves, was built
from 1433 on Pierre Robin's plans and dedicated in 1521; it has on
the crossing an arrow of 88 meters. The gate, very rich, is preceded
by a porch (hallway) pentagon. There are two well preserved wooden
doors, with magnificent sculptures attributed to Jean Goujon
utilizing subjects taken from the Bible. Inside, it is especially
necessary to point out the Gothic staircase to the organ, dating from
1518 until 1520; stained glasses from the 15th and 16th centuries,
and woodworks.
The quays of Rouen, 6043 meters long, are interesting and very full
of life. The Seine here undergoes the influence of the tide, although
with 125 kilometers at its mouth, a good port forms here, thanks to
the improvements carried out nowadays. To give the water more depth,
the bed of the river has been dammed up and narrowed considerably.
Upstream, Lacroix Island is crossed by the beautiful Corneille (Crow)
bridge, oldest of Rouen, mentioned from 1024 as wooden bridge, and
from 1160 as stony bridge. On the island, in the elbow formed by the
bridge, rises a statue to Pierre Corneille, the great poet. Beyond
the bridge, to the left, the gate Guillaume-le-Lion ("William the
Lion") remains of the old surrounding wall, from 1749, with
sculptures by Claude LePrince.
The hotel of Bourgtheroulde, on the place of the Virgin which is
decorated with a fountain with a statue of Joan of Arc in Bellone,
was built by Guillaume LeRoux, Lord of Bourgtheroulde, between about
1486 and 1531. Of a blazing style, it is occupied by the Discount
bank of Rouen today. The outside facade is modernized, but the
courtyard still presents still very curious old parts. The bottom
building, which has a hexagonal turret on three floors, is quite
covered with sculptures, and two beautiful attic windows are
decorated with low-reliefs representing rural and pastoral scenes.
The left wing, more degraded, has another five low-reliefs
representing the interview of François I of France and Henri VIII of
England at the camp of Drap-d'Or ("Cloth of Gold, or Golden Sheet"),
in 1520, and six other reliefs consist of symbolic subjects.
At a little distance, north of the hotel of Bourgtheroulde, is the
place of the Old Man Market, where at the north-western angle of the
southern building of the market, inscriptions indicate the site of
where Joan of Arc was tied to the stake on May 30, 1431.
In Pierre Corneille street, is No. 4, the house of Corneille, where
were poet and his brother Thomas were born. Bought by the city in
1912, it is fitted out as a museum; with bust and commemorative
inscription.
The museum-library was built from 1877 to 1888. The entry is preceded
by the statues of the sculptor Mr. Augier (1612-1686) and the painter
N. Poussin (1594-1665), and two Norman illustrations. In the wall of
the building, on the right, is the monument of G. Flaubert, native of
Rouen (1821-1880).
The Museum of the Fine Art is very interesting and very instructive.
We admire masterpieces there. On the sides of the hallway, two rooms
contain sculptures; the right wing is dedicated to old painting, and
that of the left, with modern painting. On the first floor is an
important ceramic collection formed by André Pottier and the
continuation of pictures.
The public library occupies the western part of the museum. In the
hall, paintings of Paul Beaudoin represent the history of the Book.
The library counts 140,000 volumes, 500 incunabula, 4,500
manuscripts, 500 handwritten partitions, 3 collections of autographs,
1 series of historical prints and engravings, more than approximately
2,000 Norman portraits, and 1 collection of coins and old currencies.
I report also collections from China brought back by the admiral
Cécille.
Not far from the museum-library, is the Saint Laurent church, built
from 1444 to 1468, whose beautiful tower is the most curious part and
best preserved, containing since 1911 a museum of very interesting
Norman art. One can see sculptures and mouldings, reconstructions of
Norman interiors, household utensils, costumes, photographs, etc.
The Hôtel-de-Ville (Hotel-of-City or Town Hall) which dates the 18th
century is the former dormitory of an abbey on which the church
depended. There are beautiful staircases; in the hallway, statues of
Pierre Corneille and Joan of Arc are located. In the first floor, the
room of the sessions of the City Council is decorated with paintings
by Beaudoin (1896). On the city hall's place is Napoléon I's
magnificent equestrian statue.
Saint Ouen's old abbey church is one of the best creations of
secondary Gothic style. It was built largely from 1318 until 1339,
but possesses a cold and narrow-minded modern facade, with two tours
(towers) 86 meters in height, which harms the effect of the unit. On
the crossing, rises an elegant central tower of 82 meters flanked by
beautiful turrets. It has no arrow, but ends in an architectural
crown, known as the "crown of Normandy." The interior is more
remarkable by the size of the proportions, the regularity of the
unit, the harmony of the parts and the purity of the lines. It is in
the shape of a cross and measures 137 meters in length, 26 meters in
width in the nave, 42 meters in the transept, and 33 meters in
height. The pillars and the vaults are of a great lightness, and
walls are hardly a component because of the transoms for 135 windows
stocked with stained glasses which date mainly from the 15th and 16th
centuries. The slender and released air of the building is partly due
to the absence of foreign ornaments; it indeed contains few works of
art. While entering, we notice, as curiosity, that the church is
reflected in a large font or stoup.
Behind the church Saint Ouen and the city hall, there is a beautiful
public garden, which was formerly a part of the abbey. In the
entrance, a plate reminds us of the renunciation (abjuration) which
Joan of Arc underwent, on May 24, 1431, six days before her death.
Rouen should not be left without visiting the large Saint Marie
fountain, which goes out of a water tower surmounted of a statue of
the City, sitting on an ancient nave and surrounded by geniuses and
symbolic groups. On the left are the museum of antiquities and the
natural history museum.
J. A. L.
FIRST CHAPTER
Elie Godin and Esther Ramage, his wife, are converted to
Catholicism. - Their elder daughter marries René de la Voye, my
ancestor. - René de la Voye's birth. - Their religion. - Their
marriage. - Nobility of the family. - Pierre de la Voye, Knight of
Malta. - In Saint Anne de Beaupré. - In Saint Joachim. - Their
death. - Their children. – Census (inventory).
"About forty years after the foundation of Quebec, a Huguenot family
came to Quebec and became established in the seigneury of Beaupré
(meaning Bowsprit), near the picturesque hillsides where the basilica
to Saint Anne of the North has since risen.
(English editor's note: Bowsprit is a nautical term referring to a spar,
extending forward from the stem of a ship, to which the stays of the
foremast are fastened. Seigneury refers to the system of colonization
adopted by France during the early seventeenth century in North
America. "With a view to settling and profiting from this vast
addition to the royal lands, the French state took over a system that
had its origins in feudalism: the seigneurial regime, a land-share
system introduced in New France in 1629 by the Cardinal de Richelieu.
Inspired by feudalism, the seigneurial system entrusted the
development and populating of an estate to an individual, noble or
commoner, or to a religious community. Called a seigneurie, this
estate belonged to the seigneur who was required to deed it back if
he did not ensure its proper exploitation. To meet his commitment,
the seigneur hired and paid individuals capable of supporting him in
the building of his house, the mill and the fort. These hired
laborers lived in his house or in another until they became eligible
for an allocation of land. Because they shared the day-to-day life of
their censitaires, most seigneurs adopted a humane attitude when it
came to payments due from the censitaire.
"In the new context, however, the seigneur was transformed from a
feudal lord into a mere agent of the state in its relations with the
colonizers. In a territory where everything had to be built and
organized from nothing, the seigneurs' principal role was to act
as
promoters of colonization, as historian Marcel Trudel has called
them. Thus land was given to the seigneurs so that they might help
colonize New France. It was their duty to provide immigrants with
favorable conditions for the settlement and agricultural development
of a portion of the colony. The early seigneuries were all
established along the St. Lawrence River, around the town of
Québec
and the outposts at Trois Rivières [called Three Rivers by the
English] and Ville Marie [now Montreal]. Later, from 1670 onwards,
new seigneuries were granted with a view to starting settlement in
the Richelieu valley, Beauce and Lake Champlain regions. By the time
the French regime came to its close, a population of 65,000 was
spread over 250 seigneuries. The latter covered a territory extending
from La Malbaie [Murray Bay in English] to the borders of present-day
Ontario." Source:
http://www.vmnf.civilization.ca/popul/seigneurs/01-en.htm)
"Elie Godin and his wife, Esther Ramage, were soon converted to
Catholicism, and the Providence which drove them on these banks where
should burst forth so many miracles wanted to confirm their faith by
signal favors. (Editor's note: Ramage means song or warbling.)
"During year 1662, Esther Ramage, forty five years then old, suffered
for eighteen months from a painful disease. She was so bent over by
the violence of the evil that she could not stand up and was obliged
to get about using her stick (cane). She had lost any hope of power
to recover her health by human remedies when she remembered that her
husband had told her that in his presence, Louis Guimond had been
suddenly cured of a big pain of loins (kidneys) by placing, through
devotion, three stones within the foundations of Saint Anne's church
as it was beginning to be built. Then, poor disabled Esther earnestly
requested the saint to perform a miracle for her as she had earlier
done for this man. At that very moment, forgetting the stick (which
disappeared), Esther stood upright on her feet, walking with as much
facility and ease as she had ever.
"And quite amazed at so sudden a change, she began to return thanks
to Saint Anne for the blessing which she had just received, and
afterwards remained in perfect health.
"This miracle adds the chronic hurdy-gurdy chronicle where I borrowed
this touching story, doing much to confirm this family's faith
(in
Catholicism) after having for a long time lived in the tired reformed
religion.
"Two years after, in 1664, the 50-year old husband of Esther Ramage,
Elie Godin, became sick with hydropisie. The remedies proscribed
brought him no relief, so he thought of preparing for death. He
appealed to the missionary at Saint Anne, who was then abbot Thomas
Morel, and contributed money (to the church).
"The missionary advised his patient to seek recourse from the Virgin
and Saint Anne. After having made arrangements, the abbot went away
to the church and said the holy mass. Upon returning from communion,
the abbot was met by Elie Godin. With a serene face, he said,
`Sir, I
am cured. Allow me to raise me. While you were at church, as I said
my rosary, I gently fell asleep, and I saw during my sleep two worthy
ladies who approached me. One held in her hand a box which she
opened, where I saw an extremely long and very narrow path which led
to the sky. At this sight, I was filled with consolation and relieved
of my evil.'
"After his religious communion, Elie Godin returned thanks to God,
got up, went away to the church and before having finished his
neuvaine (religious devotion), was as fit to work as before he had
the disease.
(Editor's note: The hydropisy was one of the worst causes of
mortality in earlier centuries. People suffering from hydropisy have
their lungs slowly, but surely, filled up with their own body fluids.
The distinctive characteristic of the patient with hydropisy is that
the heart beats quickly, in an unstable and ineffective way. This
leads to an accumulation of blood in the vessels and fluid leaks into
surrounding tissues. Hydropisy is also associated with nephritides
kidney problems and cirrhoses of the liver.)
"Elie Godin lived another eight years after this supernatural cure.
His body rests in the Saint Anne's old cemetery, where he was buried
on January 5, 1672.
"Elie Godin had three children with his wife Esther Ramage (Editor's note:
actually there appear to be four. Despite the assertion below that Jacques was
the only male, another son, Pierre, died at age 22 in 1674 also without issue).
"Jacques Godin, their only son, born in 1658, dedicated himself in the
service of the Seminar of Quebec and died to Saint Joachim, on January 22, 1735.
With him died out this good and brave family name (Editor's note: meaning the
direct male line for Elie).
"Anne Godin, the elder daughter of Elie, married in Saint Anne de
Beaupré's church, on April 19, 1656, René de la Voye, who was
my
ancestor. It was R. P. Paul Ragueneau, Jesuit, who blessed the union
of René de la Voye and Anne Godin, in the presence of Etienne de
Lessart, on the ground where rises today the church of the great
miracle worker of Canada.
II
"A native of Saint Maclou parish of Rouen, René de la Voye was
born from the marriage of René de la Voye and Isabeau Boulanger in
1633. There is some evidence that he belonged, like his wife, to a
family with Huguenot background. Indeed, under the date of April 3,
1657, Father de Quen writes in le Journal des Jésuites (the
Newspaper of the Jesuits), that he renounced heresy in his room
(chamber). This ceremony occurred in the presence of Jobin and Pierre
du Val (Pierre of the Valley) and Father Chastelain, according to the
formula of the Council of Thirty, to known to Jobin called René
Voye.
"Here is René de la Voye's marriage certificate preserved in the
Register of Marriages at Notre Dame de Québec (Our Lady of Quebec):
"On April 19, 1656, having received exemption from publication of
banns and other ceremony for good and just reasons, R. P. Paul
Ragueneau, of the Society of Jesus, having the power to do so,
married René de la Voye, 25-years-old or about and the son of
René de la Voye and Isabeau Boulanger, Rouen, Saint Maclou's
parish, with Anne Godin, about 15 years old, daughter of Elie Godin
and Esther Ramage, father and mother of the girl, inhabitants of the
coast of Beaupré, in the presence of Estienne Lessar and Claude
Poulin."
"This exemption from all other ceremonies 'for good and just reasons'
credibly proves that René de la Voye was still at the time of the
reformed religion (Source: René de la Voye by J. F. Roy, p. 5).
However, it is wise to note in passing that René de la Voye's
family is of good and ancient lineage. Pierre de la Voye, according
the abbot Vertot's Histoire des Chevaliers de Malte (History of
the Knights of Malta), volume VII, p. 297, is counted among the
Knights of this illustrious order. He gives the list of the order
after that of Grand Priory of France, which was held authentically in
every priory. Now, he observes that to be received Chevalier (Knight), it was
necessary to prove by indisputable titles, to be of a legitimate
marriage, noble parents of names and weapons, on the paternal side as
well as on the maternal. These regulations required eight districts
of nobility in both lineages. Pierre of Voye was accepted knight in
1685. He carried for armorial bearings (coat of arms): "Of sand with
six besans of money (silver), 3.2 and 1."
I believe readers will be interested in reading the first two
articles of the Rules of the Knights of Malta or Hospital of Saint-
Jean-Baptiste of Jerusalem, whose first Grant Master the Brother
Raimond Dupuy was.
Rules of the Hospital and the Militia of Saint-Jean-Baptiste of
Jerusalem:
"Article 1. - In the name of the Lord, Amen. I, Raimond, servant of
the poor men of Jesus Christ, and Guard of the Hospital of Jerusalem,
with the Council of the Chapter of the Brothers, made the present
Regulations to be observed in the house of Saint-Jean-Baptiste's
hospital of Jerusalem. I want each Brother who will engage himself
with service to the poor with the defense of the Roman Catholic
Church, to maintain and observe, with the grace of God, the Three
things that they had him promise, which are chastity, obedience, that
is, that they will do exactly as the Grand Master commands (orders),
and to pass their life without possessing anything solely because God
will ask them to account for these three things in the day of
judgment."
Exercise of the Militia for Jesus Christ.
"Article 2. Our Order is endowed, increased and enriched since its
foundation, by the generosity, the assistance and the favor of the
Apostolic Holy See, of Kings, of Catholic Princes, and by the piety
of Faithful Believers, to the lands, the possessions, the rights of
Justice, graces, privileges and exemptions, so that the Knights who
have made this their profession, join the Militia with true charity,
which is the mother and solid foundation of all the virtues, and with
hospitality and sincere faith; and who occupy these two various
offices do not think to distinguish themselves by their merit. The
soldiers of Jesus Christ are only intended to fight for His glory, to
maintain His worship, and the Catholic Religion, to revere and
preserve justice, to support and defend those who are in oppression,
without neglecting the duties of the holy hospitality.
"Thus the Knights of Hospital, while discharging with piety one and
the other of these duties, should wear on their dress a Cross with
eight points, so that they remember to carry in their heart the Cross
of Jesus Christ, decorated with the eight virtues which accompany it;
and that after having made a quantity of alms (charities), they put
the sword in their hand to bring down Mohammedans, and all those who
abandon the true Religion.
"As soon as they are a foil (sharp sword) devoted to these holy
exercises, they must be like the example of the Jewish Maccabees,
those holy soldiers and martyrs (of the Old Testament), who fought so
gloriously to maintain their religion, who with a very small number
of troops often undid formidable armies with the assistance of the
Lord. They should again attach themselves to the exact promises they
made to God when joining the Order, of chastity, obedience and of
poverty, and to the practice of all other moral and theological
virtues. So once ignited by their charity, they are not afraid of
putting a sword to hand, or to expose themselves with prudence
(caution), temperance (total abstinence) and force when faced with
any sorts of dangers in defending the glory of Jesus Christ, and his
Holy Cross, for justice, for the widows and the orphans. One could
not mark any greater charity than that of giving up one's life
for his friends, i.e., for the Catholics. This is what their duty
consists of, their vocation, the way of life which they chose, their
justification and their sanctification, so that while going out of
the pilgrimage of this mortal life, they can reach the eternal reward
for which God created them.
"Those who are convinced to carry out their duties badly, to run
away, to blame, or to give up on the occasions where they could have
undertaken the war begun for the interests of the Christendom, the
chastisement of the miserable, and the relief of goods, will be
strictly punished according to Statutes and the Customs of the
Order."
III (To be continued)