Jean
Origin
Gilles and Jean are sons of Jehan Gautreau le jeune and of Marie Rouer
of La Flotte-en-Ré. Both children were baptized in the Church of Sainte-Catherine in Flotte.
, Gilles in 1644 and John in 1649. They
both spent their youth on Île-Blanche, close to Larochelle, their port
of departure for the new world.
Settlement
Jean Gautreau took foot in what was to become Canada in 1667. He is
hired as a laborer by Nicolas LeRoy, his future father in law. In 1673
and 1674, Jean purchases two lots at the Pointe-aux-foins on Ile
d'Orléan, lots that he will leave to finally settle in 1675 at
Cap-Saint-Ignace in the Seigneurie de Vincelot from witch he becomes
the fifth concession owner, as a neighbor to Jacques Bernier and
Pierre Richard. On july the 31st, 1679, he marries Marie LeRoy,
daughter of Nicolas and Jeanne LeLièvre, from La Durantaye on the
south shore, near Québec City. Three children will be born: Charles,
Jean-Baptiste and a girl, Marie-Anne, who will dye very young. Jean
Gaudreau dyes in his thirties, in the winter of 1684-85. Marie LeRoy
will remarry to Jean Fournier. We have an interesting inventory of
Jean Gaudreau's belongings, established in 1701.
1681 census
In the Seignerie of Vincelotte, Jean is declared as being 27 years old
(in fact 32) and owning a gun and six acres of land.
Inventory
On the 25th of june 1701, Marie LeRoy had an inventory made of Jean's
belongings drawn up in the presence of his brother Gilles Gaudreau.
The document describes his house and its dependences, list of heard,
and different objects. Jean was also a sabot maker and had four tools
of that trade and about 50 pares of sabots.