| Notes |
- The first to bear the name "Cloutier" were drop-forgers who specialized in the manufacturing of nails (clous), but the name became a true patronym in 1590, when Zacharie Cloutier was born in the parish of Notre-Dame de Mortagne, in Perche. He is the ancestor of all the Cloutiers in North America. His father, Denis, became a widower in May, 1608, then remarried Jeanne Gaultier (or Rahir) the following November. This second marriage brought four more children to the Cloutier family, for a grand total of 8.
On July 18, 1616, master carpenter Zacharie Cloutier married Sainte Dupont, a widow 6 years younger than himself. They had 6 children together before leaving for New France in 1634. Born and baptized in Saint-Jean de Mortagne, five of the children accompanied their parents on this adventure to the New World: Zacharie, born in 1617; Jean, in 1620; Anne, born in 1626; Charles in 1629; and Louise, in 1632. Sainte, born in 1622, had died at the age of 10.
While this family could have enjoyed the comfortable life of trades people, they were suddenly intrigued by the adventures awaiting in New France. Robert Giffard, the new seigneur to whom colonial authorities had granted the Beauport seigneury, was in charge of populating this land. For this man from Perche, nothing was more pressing than to recruit men known to be hard-working and highly-skilled.
Zacharie Cloutier, along with Jean Guyon, the future Sieur du Buisson and father of the Dion family, signed a contract drawn up on March 14, 1634 before notary Mathurin Roussel in Mortagne. The master mason and the master carpenter signed up to leave for Canada, each with one of their children. The four were provided with room and board for a period of three years, beginning June 24, 1634. After two years, the men could send for the rest of their families, the travel expenses to be paid by the seigneur of Beauport. Giffard guaranteed the men excellent benefits, for over and above the several head of livestock he agreed to provide them, he also built them a house on the 1,000 arpents of land they had been granted.
In March, 1634, several recruits bid farewell to Mortagne and Perche. T he future settlers were not leaving alone. Robert Giffard, Marin and Gaspard Boucher, Jean Guyon and Zacharie Cloutier all left with their wives and children. There were some unwed men and women among them as well, such as Thomas Giroux, François Bélanger, Claire Morin and Jeanne Mercier. In Dieppe, 8 more people joined this group of 35. Finally, on May 31, 1634, their vessel reached Tadoussac, and the following June 4, they landed in Québec. Three years later, on February 3, 1637, the Guyons and Cloutiers officially took possession of their fiefs, one of which was named "du Buisson", and the other "La Clouterie". In December of that same year, the land was officially divided into two equal concessions of 1,000 arpents each. This is one of the first times we see Cloutier's mark, as he "signs" by drawing "the shape of a harrow or flail."
From that moment, Cloutier was free to work where he pleased and he was contracted to "build the roof framework and attic for half of the building and community of the (nursing) Sisters" in Québec. The next year, he worked on the construction of Guillaume Couillard's house and in 1643, with Noël Langlois, he supplied boards for the Company of One Hundred Associates. The Cloutier family life became a little more eventful, beginning with Anne's marriage to Robert Drouin. Their contract, which was drawn up in the home of Giffard on July 27, 1636, was the first to be signed in Canada. In 1645, Louis Cloutier married the interpreter, François Marguerie and, after his death, she married Jean Mignault dit Chatillon on November 10, 1648. She married for the third time in 1648, this time to Jean Matteau. In 1648, Jean Cloutier married Marie Martin, daughter of Abraham Martin and Anne Langlois. Anne Cloutier died on February 4, and her two daughters, Jeanne and Geneviève, were raised by Jean Cloutier and his wife. At that time, Zacharie Le Jeune was in France, along with Olivier Le Tardif and others. On March 29, 1648, in La Rochelle, Zacharie signed a contract to marry Madeleine Esmard and their wedding was held in La Rochelle on April 4, 1648. In 1659, Charles Cloutier followed suit by marrying Louise Morin. Discovered among the Racine family documents was a letter written in 1669 by Father Paul Ragueneau, who speaks highly of the Cloutier family. He wrote to Marguerite Martin: "Jean Cloutier and your dear sister always lived according to their consciences and maintained a peaceful home, and I would be utterly surprised if they deviated from their ways (...). These good people of Beauport will not be forgotten, neither Zacharie, not Xaintes, not Charles Cloutier and his dear wife Louise, nor their little granddaughters Geneviève and Jeanne Drouin."
Zacharie Cloutier died in Château-Richer on September 17, 1677 and was buried the next day. Sainte Dupont died on July 13, 1680 and was buried with Zacharie the following day.
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- See also:
https://www.tfcg.ca/zacharie-cloutier-sainte-dupont
https://www.perche-quebec.com/perche/individus/cloutier-zacharie-en.htm
http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/cloutier_zacharie_1E.html
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Genealogy of the Bryan and Martin Families
1590 - 1677 (87 years)
