Pedigree
Nicolas Hebert
Louis Hebert <
/
Jacqueline
Pajot
Hebert, Guillaume
\
Marie Rollet
<
Born:
1604
Paris, Ile-de-France, France
Died:
23 September 1639
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Buried: abt. 25 September
1639
Quebec, Canada
Father: Louis Hebert
Mother: Marie Rollet
Siblings: Anne
b. abt. 1606 -
d. unknown
Marie-Guillemette
b. abt. 1608 - d. unknown
Spouse: Helene Desportes
Married: 1 October 1634
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Children:
Joseph
b. 3 November 1636 -
d. abt. 1663
Francoise
b. 23 January 1638 - d. 16 March 1716
Angelique
b. 2 August 1639 -
d. 1639
Notes:
Arrived in Quebec with his parents in 1617.
Photos:
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Nicolas Hebert <
/
Hebert, Louis
\
Simon Pajot
Jacqueline Pajot
<
Jeanne Guerineau
Born:
1575
Paris, Ile-de-France, France
Died:
23 January 1627
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Buried: 25 January 1627
Quebec City, Quebec, Canada
Father: Nicolas Hebert
Mother: Jacqueline Pajot
Siblings: unknown
Spouse: Marie Rollet
Married: 1602
Paris, Ile-de-France, France
Children: Guillaume
b. 1604 - d. 23 September 1639
Anne
b. abt. 1606 - d. unknown
Marie-Guillemette
b. abt. 1608 - d. unknown
Notes:
Louis' father Nicolas was the royal apothecary to Queen Catherine de Medici
of
France. Louis followed in his father's profession, and was
trained in medical arts
and science, and became a specialist in pharmacology. From
this he developed an
interest in plants and gardening. By 1600, Louis was established
in Paris as an
apothecary and spice merchant.
In 1604, Louis' cousin, Pierre de Gua, Sieur de Monts, led an expedition
to
L'lle Sainte-Croix in Acadia. In 1606, Louis joined the expedition,
which had
relocated at Port-Royal, present day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.
He participated
in the construction of a grist mill on the Allain River, looked after
the health of the
pioneers, and cultivated native drug plants introduced to him by
the Micmas Indians.
Louis returned to France in 1607.
In 1610, Louis returned to Port Royal with Jean de Biencourt. A
few months later,
Marie joined him and became one of the first French women to come
to New France.
Louis continued his agricultural interests, sowing wheat and planting
vines and as
apothocary, treated both French and Indian patients. But in 1613,
the colony at Port
Royal was destroyed by the English coming up from Virginia. The
French colonists
returned to France, and Louis established a medical practice and
apothecary shop in
Paris.
At this time, Quebec was a settlement of about 50 white men who were
all transient
soldiers, fur trappers, or missionaries. The economy of the
settlement was dependent
on approximately 20,000 beaver pelts that were shipped annually to
French merchants,
the "Compagnie de Canada", in exchange for supplies.
French explorer Samuel Champlain, who founded Quebec in 1608, made
an offer to
Louis in 1616 to serve as a paid physician in the Quebec settlement
and establish
farming there. His yearly salary of 600 livre would be paid
by the "Compagnie de
Canada". They would also grant him 10 acres of land on which
to build his house and
establish his own farm. Louis accepted, signed a 3 year contract,
and proceeded to sell
his practice and home in Paris. He traveled with his
family to the port of Honfleur.
When they arrived, Louis was told by the ship's master that his instructions
from the
"Compagnie de Canada" were to allow Louis and his family to board
the ship only if
Louis signed a new contract with the company. The new
terms reduced his salary to
300 livre per year, required him to serve as physician and surgeon
at the settlement,
and required him to farm the 10 acres of land and give the company
exclusive right to
buy all his agricultural products. Having already sold his
house and practice in Paris,
Louis reluctantly accepted the new terms and signed the contract.
On 11 April 1617, the Hebert family left Honfleur. That year,
Louis became the first
private individual to receive a land grant in the New World from
the French government.
The 10 acres that he chose were on a site that today is located in
the city of Quebec
between Ste. Famille and Couillard Streets on the grounds of the
Seminary of Quebec
and Basilica of Notre Dame. He built the first permanent house
on Canadian soil.
Louis is credited with being the first permanent settler, that is,
the first to plant crops in
Canada. By 1620, Louis' work was finally recognized as having
been of great service
to the colony: for being the first physician and surgeon, for being
its principal provider of
food, and for having promoted good relationships with the natives.
He was appointed
Procurator to the King, which allowed him to personally intervene
in matters in the name
of the King.
In 1623, Louis became the first "Seigneur" of New France when he
was granted the
noble fief of "Sault-au-Matelot". In 1626, he was further
granted "le fief de la riviere
S.Charles" in recognition of his meritorious service.
Louis died from injuries suffered from slipping on ice. There
is a monument to Louis,
his wife Marie and their son-in-law Guillaume Couillard in "Parc Montmorency"
in
Quebec City behind the Notre-Dame de Quebec basilica. The monument
depicts Louis
offering his first sheaf of wheat to God. There is also a memorial
plaque on the house in
Paris where he was born at 129 rue S. Honore.
Photos:
The monument to Louis, his wife Marie, and their son-in-law.
Louis atop the monument offering his first wheat to God.
This plaque is on the back of the monument listing 47 families who
are recognized as
the first colonists of Quebec City.
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<
/
Rollet, Marie
\
<
Born:
1588
Paris, Ile-de-France, France
Died:
27 May 1649
Quebec, Canada
Buried: abt. 29 May
1649
Quebec, Canada
Father: unknown
Mother: unknown
Siblings: unknown
Spouse: Louis Hebert
Married: 1602
Paris, Ile-de-France, France
Children: Guillaume
b. 1604 - d. 23 September 1639
Anne
b. abt. 1606 - d. unknown
Marie-Guillemette
b. abt. 1608 - d. unknown
Notes: Marie
was married to Canada's first permanent settler, Louis Hebert. In 1617,
Marie
traveled with her husband and 3 children from Paris to Quebec, where
she found
starvation, illness, and the threat of Indian attacks. Marie
assisted her husband in caring
for the sick and took particular interest in working with the
natives. She took on the
task of educating the Indian children. As a result of her relationship
with the Indians,
her name is recorded often as godmother at the baptism of converted
natives.
Two years after the death of Louis, she married Guillaume Hubou. She
and her family
remained in Quebec during the English occupation. After the
return of the French in
1632, her house was given to the Jesuits and became a home for Indian
girls.
There is a monument in Quebec City honoring Marie, her husband Louis,
and their
son-in-law Guillaume Couillard. Marie is shown seated with her
3 children around her.
Photos:
The monument to Marie located in "Parc Montmorency" in Quebec City.
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