subject: Voyageur Contract [print this page] Voyageur Contract Voyageur Contract
In 1749 New France, Jean Francois MAURICE DitLAFANTAISIE signed a contract. Before I get to this interesting document, let me introduce you to the man, the time, and the place.
The sobriquet or nom-de-guerre "La Fantaisie" attached to the family name MAURICE is unique though not exclusive to that family, and was passed down for many generations. My fascination with the name led to some research.
The name suggests an origin of horse training and dressage. In dressage, a horse that, momentarily, would not obey his master, as though making a break for freedom, was said to be having "a fantasy".
Jean Francois, born in 1712, and his wife, Madelaine LEDUC, whom he married in 1737, have thousands of descendants alive today The French of New France were embarrassingly, prodigiously, rapturously fertile.
In 1749, the king of France was Louis XV. He's the one who said Apres moi, le dluge "After me the deluge". He would take his pleasure as he found it and to hell with consequences for the future.
France was still powerful but after the war of the succession of Austria, crushed by debt, it had lost a lot of prestige along with some colonies.
Skirmishes and outright battles were a common feature of life in Montreal. When the colonists weren't fighting the natives, they were fighting the English.
This image is in the public domain - copyright has expired.
Francois BIGOT (1703-1778) was "Intendant", the head honcho in Montreal appointed by the king. He was notorious for throwing over-the-top banquets and balls that scandalized the clergy in young Canada. He was finally recalled to France in 1760, ostensibly for embezzlement, in fact perhaps for one banquet too many.
Sieur Francois could hardly have missed all this; in fact, he may have danced at a scandalous ball or two with the lovely Madeleine LeDuc.
Though his father's occupation is listed as master shoemaker after his retirement from the army, Jean Francois moved in a nice social circle. The contract below shows him as financier for a business venture and his relations included Jacques Joseph CHEVAL, husband to his wife's sister. Jacques Joseph was in a position of considerable authority and wealth; harbor master in Montreal in 1740 and then bailiff of the High Council in 1750 with an official residence in Montreal.
A few years before the signing of our Voyageur contract below, the British established Halifax, Nova Scotia as a counterbalance to the French settlement and Fort at Louisbourg.
A few years after that signing, in 1758, Louisbourg fell to the British. Quebec and Montreal went down in 1759 and 1760. The Treaty of Paris in 1763 established that New France had become part of British America.
Of course, one reason for this loss was that the French preferred the Caribbean possessions to Canada, maybe egged on by Voltaire who wrote that the country was nothing but "Quelques arpents de neige" ...a few acres of snow... he was a little mistaken.
A description of Canada of that time was given by Peter D. Kala, a Swedish (Norwegian) gentleman. He wrote that he saw no potatoes in any St. Lawrence Valley garden, neither white nor sweet. The Canadians didn't like them and preferred wheat, peas and Indian corn.
He said they also produced turnips, cabbage, lettuce, pumpkins, chicory, cucumbers, carrots, beets, radishes, onions, watermelons, gooseberries, apples, and red currents.
He thought the common Canadian more civilized and clever than in any other place he had visited. He was amazed at the good breeding and courteous manner in word and deed in New France. He wrote that there was scarcely a Canadian who was not a clever marksmen and who did not own a rifle.
Most of us don't carry rifles anymore but we're still polite.
He wrote: "Whereas many nations imitate the French customs, I notice that, here, it is the French who, in various respects, imitate the customs of the Indians with whom they are in daily contact. They smoke, in Indian pipes, tobacco prepared in the Native way; they wear shoes in Indian fashion, and garters and sashes like the Indians."
And just so could be described the voyageurs who adopted native dress, customs and knowledge; those legendary men who broke the wilderness of America with canoes and paddles and sweat and blood... which brings us to our contract, a document that has survived the centuries and paints a picture, in living color, of a voyageur adventure...an audacious, cocky plan...an everyday occurrence of New France.
Centre canadien d'architecture et Centre for Landscape Research (University of Toronto), 1996
The above is a rendering of Montreal in 1725. Notre Dame Street, where Jean Francois and Madeleine had their residence, is the one leading up to the church at the centre of the image.
In translating this voyageur contract from the French of the period, I have kept all capitalizations, punctuations and sentence structure as they are in the original as far as possible and bizarre as they seem:
June 6, 1749 Pledge
From andre mercille to
Sieur francois Maurice
La fantaisie
Notary: Francois Simonnet
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Paleographie: Marie-Josee Milord
INFORMATISATION : Lucienne Dalcourt
Francois Simonnet june 6 1749
1.Before The Royal Notaries
2.Of the city And Royal Jurisdiction of Montreal being resident undersigned
3.here Present andre mercill garcon
4.voyageur residing in Longueuil
5.And at present In this city
6.The which has Recognized And Confessed having Pledged by Those present
7.pledges to Sieur Francois Maurice La
8.fantaisie negotiator [broker/businessman] of this city
9.residing in his house six notre Dame street
10.herewith present and accepting
11.For his first requisition leaving from this city in a
12.Canoe Loaded with Merchandise helping to take it And Guide
13.up to the post of Missilima Kinac
14.All the way to that place and come back This present year
16.with His usual Convoys taking responsibility during all (the) Route.
