Last Testament of Jacques Poissant dit LaSaline
Present in person, the Monsieur Jacques Poissant living in this place - bedridden, but having full memory, judgment and understanding ... his exterior actions and gestures denoting a person advanced in age, without certainty about the hour of his death and not wanting to die before putting order in his temporal belongings toward his family so that when it will please God to dispose of his soul, he will leave peace and tranquillity among his children as told to the notary undersigned and serving as a witness the names of Jean Baptiste and Pierre Poissant his children, absent because they moved further away, have loaned him 40 bushels of wheat so that he and his wife could live because he is incapable of working and cannot evaluate his belongings due to his weakness. These 40 bushels of wheat the Monsieur Poissant, father, wishes in as much as God gives him life, that they remove some wheat from the present harvest and return it to her preferably to his wife so that he may own this portion that is due him, ... Monsieur Poissant, father, declares that to the Monsieur Jean Baptiste Poissant, his son, he leaves in his custody before he dies, a green blanket that cost 25 Livres that he bought and earned by his work for others, and that it would be listed as belonging to him personally and knowing and confessing that the Monsieur Poissant in front of those present, that the Monsieurs Jean Baptiste and Pierre both have two young steer and a horse belonging to them, that was left in their father’s and mother’s care before they took leave, and there is one that they bought with their money along with a horse that Monsieur Pierre Poissant bought with his own money and the other two steer, the mother and father Poissant gave and bequeathed to them to repay for the necessities that were given to them in merchandise and other things like Monsieur Poissant Father, declares that Monsieur Claude Poissant, his son, has always worked since the departure of his brothers for another place further North, to provide for the necessities in order to live, otherwise they would have had to depend on others, and so Monsieur Poissant with his wife wish that Monsieur Claude Poissant would take in payment for part of his work, a horse with gray hair belonging to them and after two months that they be paid a salary as good workers during harvest time in regards to Francois Poissant, their son, that the mother and father consent to dress him in new clothes from head to foot and for the work of the present harvest there would be no fixed salary nor anything betaken from the father and the mother who are working their interest and that everything that has been projected and mentioned above, according to one party or the other, that with their consent everything will be executed and accomplished in justice, for the sake of their children ... without any inconveniences, as it has been declared, that no one can go against what has been decided recently and taken place at La Prairie de la Madeleine, home of Monsieur Poissant, in the year of 1734, the fourteenth day of August, at noon, before the Monsieurs Rene Dupuy, Captain of the Militia of the place, and Francois Montreuil, witness living in the place, knowing that Monsieur Dupuy with the notary and Monsieur Poissant who could not sign this testament because of his sickness and Monsieur Montreuil, witness also, who did not sign, but knew that the paper was written order.
The fourteenth of August 1734.
G. Barette
Rene Dupuy