PIERRE MARCOUX (ALSO MARCOU) (1631-1699)
and
MARTHE DE RAINVILLE (1647-1721)
Pierre Marcoux and Marthe de Rainville are among our
interesting ancestors, 6th
great grandparents to
According to information currently available (see http://home.earthlink.net/~douglasjgraham/Lineages.html
and the database eMarcoux.net), all the living Marcou(x)
of North America are descended from only two distinct lineages (note however that there are over
1000 "orphan lineages" of unknown origin
so there are many surprises still to uncover!).
Pierre Marcou(x),
b. 1631, Champagne, France
Jean Marcoux, b. abt 1722, Normandy, France
Other lines, without any
known living Marcou(x) descendents
By
far the main line of Marcoux in
Thanks to Patrick Marcoux
(Communiqué No 16, 2002), we have an extract of
several pages on the life of Pierre Marcou in
The study provides historical information on events
in that area and leads her to suggest the circumstances under which
Pierre Marcoux built about 1670
the ancestral "Maison Marcoux",
transmitted from generation to generation of Marcoux
until 1990 and now an important historical site in
The genealogist and historian Michel Langlois wrote a chapter on Pierre Marcoux
for his 1984 book on the founding families of Beauport, Les Ancêtres Beauportois
(1634-1760), published in Canada by the author in 1984; ASIN: 2980030503.
The original text can also be consulted at the French version of Douglas J.
Graham’s excellent Marcoux website. Below he provides
an abridged translation:
Although it has not been found, it was undoubtedly
through a three-year work contract [with the Seigneur Robert Giffard, grantee of
Robert Giffard had established
a commons for the grazing of livestock for his "habitants" for which
in return they had to provide him several days of work per year. On
Although he had occupied his land at least since
1655, it was granted to him officially on
Relatively few contracts have been recorded with the
name of Pierre Marcou, but on those he was able to
sign his own name. We find for example his signature [reproduced in the book by
Langlois] on his own marriage contract, the
By the census of 1667, the Marcou
lived on the same land at
Already in 1682, Louise, their oldest daughter, is of
an age to marry [15], and contracts her marriage to Joachim Gagné.
The marriage contract includes some very specific clauses in which Pierre and Marthe promise for a period of exactly three years to look
after the newlyweds as if they were their own children, providing room and
board and clothes. Pierre and Marthe also promise to
pay them 300 pounds at the end of the three years. In return, Joachim Gagné and Louise promise to work for the profit of her
parents.
The following year,
The years go by with little of note other than the
marriages of their children and the births of their grandchildren. The
Pierre, wishing to make sure all his affairs are in
order, on 15 February 1699 pays off his 300 pound obligation to his daughter
Louise (from her wedding contract), then a widow of Joachim Gagné.
Four months later, Pierre Marcoux died at
His widow survived him another 22 years. The
inventory of goods at his death provided a total of 1,655 pounds of which half
was to go to Marthe and the other half to his other
heirs. A new inventory of goods was done after Marthe’s
death. A total of 887 pounds is divided between her heirs.
NOTE: On page 410 Tanguay,
Volume 1, the spelling is Marcoux. The Jetté notes he was 78 at his death but
this must be an error because from other census
dates we know he was born about 1731. Birthplace is also
listed as Saint-Julien de Croy, Avallon, Comte de Tonnerre, France.
Again,
highly recommended for further review is www.emarcoux.net and http://home.earthlink.net/~douglasjgraham/Lineages.html
and the main page at http://home.earthlink.net/~douglasjgraham/eMarcouxHome.html
where there is much further information on Pierre Marcoux
and his lines.
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