Page 15 - Fortier Family History

Translated from French: May have some grammar errors. ANTOINE FORTIER (1644-1707) Bio Son of Noel-Pierre Forestier (Fortier) & Marthe Golle From Dieppe, Normandy, France. Dieppe is a port city with shipping & fisheries. Normandy is the forest region of northern France.. Arrived in New France with his father around 1663 He married Marie-Madeleine Cadieu (Charles & Madeleine Maccard) in 1677. Marriage contract on November 21, 1677 in Beauport (notary Michel Fillion) They settled in St-Laurent, Île d'Orléans and had 12 children (10 boys, 2 girls) Antoine Fortier was born in Dieppe, at the wedding of Noël Fortier (note that the name Fortier only appears when they arrived in New France, in the archives of France, Noël and Antoine are known as Forestier) and Marie-Marthe Golle. His father was a ship-piercer, that is to say, a specialist in the perforation of the holes in which the various pieces of the frame of a ship are fixed. It was around 1663 that Antoine Fortier came to Canada, accompanied by his father. After a stay of a few years in Beauport, the Fortiers moved onto the island of Orleans, where Noël Fortier hoped to be able to use his skills as a ship piercer. The inhabitants of Île d'Orléans were beginning to realize that the fish-rich waters of the St. Lawrence contained a richness hitherto scorned. A new Canadian industry was born, the fishing industry. While his father built the boats for the fishermen, Antoine Fortier was engaged in fishing. Thanks to his skill, he soon became a master of a boat, that is to say, owner of a boat and his crew. An act exhumed from the minutes of the notary Rageot tells us that in 1667 Antoine Fortier made an agreement with four other fishermen. Louis Couillard, Francois James, Jacques Lozier and your ancestor agreed to separate also the profit from fishing for the sea wolves, which they intended to undertake "to Lisle red in the St. Lawrence River". The sea-lion was in fact particularly sought after, because it provided a good and clear oil, which had the advantage of not giving off a bad odor, like that of the porpoise. A barrel of this oil was easily sold from 50 to 55 pounds. When we know that it was normal to take in one fishery ten to fifteen sea-wolves providing nearly two barrels of oil, we will understand the interest that such a profit could arouse. Moreover, judging by his marriage, Antoine Fortier had to quickly make his fortune. In November, 1677, he married Marie-Madeleine Cadieu, and joined the largest and richest families in New France. Several representatives of the noble families of the time even did him the honor to be witnesses at his wedding. In short, your ancestor had acquired by his work and his entrepreneurial spirit a most enviable situation. (Reference: Drouin Genealogical Dictionary) 12 children are known to the Fortier-Cadieu couple. Of this number, 10 boys, 8 of whom ensured an offspring today spread across North America: