2008

himself as a Récollet priest. “faisant les fonctions curiales de la paroisse de Malpec.“

These entries indicate two things:

l. That Malpec was established as a separate parish on Île Saint-Jean sometime before mid-l745. not in the early 1750s. as has been popularly believed.

E.)

That Malpec had a priest. probany resident in the community. some years before Father Dosque settled there in 1753.

The marriage which Father Riou of Malpec perfonned at Saint—Pierre—du- Nord on August 15, 1745 united Simon Billard and Marie Charpentier. Though there i5 no hint of it in the register. there is an interesting story behind this marriage. Simon Billard was born in France and was a soldier in the gamson which in 1744 and 1745 was stationed at Saint-Pierre-du-Nord rather than at Port— LaJoye. He was also a gunsmith and had some skills as a blacksmith. While at Saint-Pierre-du—Nord he obviously fell in love with the local Acadian girl, Marie Charpentier. Rather than evacuate to Quebec with his troop, following the fall of Louisbourg to the British in the summer of 1745, Billard chose t0 become a deserter and 2 ‘/2 weeks later wedding bells were ringing at the church of Saint- Pierre—du—Nord A few years later when French administrative and military oñîcials returned to the Island, Simon Billard as a deserter was in trouble. However, a petition by the local inhabitants, emphasizing the valuable services that Billard had performed as a

blacksmith. appcars to have successfully extricated him.3 l'lc and Marie raiscd a famin at Saint-Picrrcælu—Nord and in latc 1758 l‘ound thcmselvcs in France, among the deportees from Île Saint-Jean.

Several other entries of intercst touk place during the pcriod when Britain and France were at war. On Novembcr Il, 1747 there is recorded an adult baptism ol‘ Dorothe’e. “ne’gresse domestique" (tif Monsieur de la Borde. This is confirmation that there were blacks on the lsland under the French regimc, a fact wc know from other documents. Jean Pierre Roma at Trois-Rivières had black slaves and a black “domestique” of Commandant Villejouin was deported with him from Port LaJoye in I758.

After the war the first priest at Saint— Pierre—du—Nord was Charles de la Goudalie. who came here in 175| at the age of 72. having had many years experience in Quebec and Acadia. The outpost of Saint-Pierre-du-Nord must have been a challenging assignment for a man of his age and he left within a couple of months. The next priest t0 practise at Saint-Pierre—du—Nord was Father Jacques Girard. who up until now has been associated only with the parish of Pointe- Prime. He came from the parish of Cobequid (now Truro), and was at Saint- Pierre-du—Nord for four months in the summer of 1752.

Girard was succeeded at Saint—Pierre-du- Nord by Father Jean Marc Perronnel whose first entry was on Christmas day in 1752. ln an entry two weeks later he signed himself “curé missionnaire de St Louis du Nord Est et de St Pierre du Nord.” The parish of Saint—Louis—du—

3 Archives Nationales (Paris), Archives des Colonies, Série Cl 1C. Vol.8, pp. 191-192. “lnhabitants‘ [of Saim—Pienvmx-Nord] petition to Monsieur Benoit.“ The document is undated, but from its context can be deter-

miner! m have been wrinen in September or October 1748.

PAGE 1|

ÿ /?

\\