Myth or Royalty?
Philibert COUILLAUD dit ROCBRUNE (1641 - 1701)
Relationship to Me
SEVENTH Great Grand-Father
SEVENTH Great Grand-Father
~
Is the
ancestor of the great majority of Larocques in Canada and the U.S., but he is
also the ancestor of Larock, Roquebrune, Rockburn etc. and also the Rock,
Roque and Célerier dit Roque. A lot has been written about Philibert Couillaud dit Roquebrune the ancestors of the Larocque dit Roquebrune. This page, without being revisionist, attempts to shed some light on what was usually claimed about Philibert Couillaud and what we have learned from him through known documents and to set aside many myths and legends that belongs to some wild fantasy. If you are interested in the history of your ancestor, I invite you to read his story. Hyperlinks will take you to references to read further into what is said on these pages.
Let's return to the fantastic stories
that were told in some publication. Some of you may have already read about it.
The two major sources of these stories were the article in Nova Francia and
Testament of my Youth written by Robert de Roquebrune. Both stories remain
without reliable source or facts and lack credibility.
The article in Nova Francia was published
in Paris in 1929. "The LaRoque's de Roquebrune in France and in
Canada" was signed by Pierre Gauthier. We know nothing of Pierre Gauthier
and I would tend to believe that it could be an Alias or Writer's name used by
Robert de Roquebrune or possibly an acquaintance he had in Paris. The last page
of this article revolves around the family of Robert de Roquebrune his parents
and his grandparents. De Roquebrune was a writer historian and an archivist
sent by the Canadian government to go after documents from various archives
relating to Canada when this country was still a colony of France.
In this article in Nova-Francia, we learn
that Philibert Couillaud de LaRoque de Roquebrune (sic) was the son of Bernard
de LaRoque descendant of a long lineage of Landlords in Gascony going back as
far a the XVth century. Philibert's mother, Marie de Marcilly, was a descendant
of the Counts of Champagne. On these two assertions there are no indications of
sources and is quite doubtful. I also found some errors in Robert de Roquebrune
ancestry in Canada which reinforces the obvious lack of seriousness of this
article.
The second document is the novel (or
Short Story) written by Robert de Roquebrune, "Testament of my Youth"
where he tells about his childhood spent at the manor of L'Assomption (Just
east of Montreal on the St-Lawrence River). The tittle is rather misleading.
Did Robert de Roquebrune relate to us a story that his father told him as a
child or did it came right from his imagination. Roquebrune was only 11 months
old when the manor of L'Assomption was sold. The family went to live elsewhere
and in 1893 they finally moved to the Square Saint-Louis in Montreal.
In the chapter titled " Out of the
Past" de Roquebrune recalls the evenings when his father talked about the
story of his ancestors. We have to remember here that what de Roquebrune wrote
here is a novel and in a novel one can write all kinds of....
"novelties". Among other things one can read that Philibert Couillaud
was from a noble family, once a Musketter of King Louis XIV and that during a
duel he mortally wounded a Mr. de Hauterive.
In a third book, Robert de Roquebrune
mentions Jean Francois de Larocque de
Roberval in the first chapter of his book "Canadians of Yesteryears",
Les Canadiens d'Autrefois and on page 99 and 101 he make a mention of La Roque
de Roquebrune (with no first name)
The two preceding documents have been
resumed in "Le Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français" Here is what is said about our ancestor
Philibert Couillaud dit Roquebrune in quite a flattering manner.
MYTH?
MYTH?
«The ascendance of Philibert Couillaud de La
Rocque de Roquebrune is truly astonishing. We be beleive that there are no
other (French) Canadian family that can claim such noble origins. Indeed, Marie
de Marcilly, the mother of your ancestor was the daughter of Pierre, lord of
Marcilly and of Charlotte Couillaud de Hauteclair. The latter was the daughter
of François de Couillaud de Hauteclair et de Suzanne de Lucé. The mother of
Suzanne was, Charlotte de Champagne belonged to the illustrious family of
Champagne. The Couillaud's de La Rocque de Roquebrune bore the following
crest. "Quarterly at 1 and 4 of
gules (red) and of the sable (black) chess tower; in 2 and 3 of sinople (green)
with three gold star." You can be pround to have amongst your ancestor
such illustrious people and a crest that can boast the honor the be one of the
most beautiful of Europe. »
This text is without doubt from what we
read in the article in Nova Francia where it says that the maternal grandmother
of Philibert Couillaud was Charlotte Couillaud de Hauteclair granddaughter of
Charlotte de Champagne. We also find the coat of arm on the left supposedly
belonging to our family. To know more about the so call nobility of our
ancestor click here about The nobility of Philibert Couillaud; Truth of Myth ?
Now, what do we really know about
Philibert Couillaud dit Roquebrune. Lately, two colleages have contributed to
the research about Philibert Couillaud. Michel Larocque went through the
Archives Nationales du Quebec (Montreal) and the bank of data of Notary Act
(Parchemin) with a fine comb to find contract and religious acts in P.R.D.H.
Marcel Larocque looked into the papers left by Robert de Roquebrune at the
National Archives in Ottawa hoping to find any lead that would start to explain
the writer's assertion that Philibert Couillaud was born in Gascony from a land
nobility family. This lead remain unfounded but on many of his notes Robert de
Roquebrune keeps asserting his noble past in the South of France. This remains
to be proven. During his life, he never felt ill-at-ease to embellish the
reality in order to raise his ego and prestige. A study about this author is a
must to understand his motives.
Carte
de Nivernais
Philibert Couillaud dit Roquebrune would
have been born in France around 1641 if we go by the census of 1681 because he
declared then to be 40 years old. In France he enrols in the French Régiment de
Carignan-Salières in the Company of Mr. de Contrecoeur. "In December 1664
the Régiment of Carignan, who was in Marsal in the French province of Lorraine (from
the book Le Régiment de Carignan page 23 by R. Roy et G. Malchelosse,),received
the order from the minister to go to one of the following port, Brouage or La
Rochelle, and embark in time juged necessary for service by Intendant Colbert
de Terron, that being the following April or May (1665)". In 1664, the Cabinet of the King decides to
send to Canada military troops to reassure the colonists and protect them
against the attacks from theIroquois.Also, to learn more about this illustrious
regiment you can visit this WEB site and
which talk about its history (in French), the company of Contrecoeur, those who
contributed with pictures, Marsal, the starting point going westward crossing
France toward La Rochelle, but come back here to read the rest.
The Harbour of La Rochelle
Wednesday, May 31st 1665, the two ships
"La Paix" and "L'Aigle d'Or" sailed toward Canada from La
Rochelle. The Company of Contrecoeur sailed onboard ship "La Paix".
"La Paix" was a royal store ship with a capacity of 300 tons. The
"Aigle d'Or" arrived at Quebec City on August 18th 1665 and the next
day "La Paix" with the company of Mr. de Contrecoeur followed
(Passenger list on La Paix). However,
after doing some research in the book of Régis Roy and Gérard Malchosse titled
"Le Régiment de Carignan, Officers and soldiers who remained in Canada
" (1925) this book makes no mention of our ancestor (See also this old
document in French ). Was it left out or omitted but in the Dictionnary of René
Jetté, he mentions that Philibert is a member of that famous Regiment.
While he was still in the Regiment of
Carignan we find Philibert Couillaud's name simply written Rocbrune on a notary
contract passed in the office of Benigne Basset with Urbain Boudreau and his
wife Mathurine Juillet and Pierre Pigeon for the sale of a property in Montreal
at "Côte St-Martin" on September 24 1667. He is said to be given the
right to plough (plow) about an acre (arpent) of land on this property along
with two other members of the Regiment of Carignan. We can read this on the
document.
It would appear that Philibert Couillaud
kept the right to farm a plot of land after the sale of this property to the
new owner for a period of three years, time that would have ended around 1670.
We can read this contract in its entirety by clicking on "Archives about
Philibert Couillaud" on the left of the screen.
Would our ancestor have been a soldier in
the Company of Mr. de Contrecoeur when his name is mentioned for his
confirmation at Fort Chambly? This was on May 21 1669. That fort was built
under the order of Mr de Tracy on September 2nd 1665 in order to stop the
Iroquois on their way to Montreal from Lake Champlain.
Our ancestor was then confirmed on May 21
1669 by Mgr. de Laval. It was the second time that Mgr. Laval was in Fort
Chambly, first called Fort St-Louis, to administer the sacrament of
confirmation to the habitants of the fort. On that day, eight adults were
confirmed. The document below with the name of the man confirmed can be found
at the Archives of the Archdiocese of Quebec City. Sixty-six adults were
confirmed the first time.
During the winter, the regiment would
then return to Montreal to spend the winter. It was probably at Côte-St-Martin
in Montreal that Philibert Couillaud spent the winter. The parents of his
future wife lived in Montreal. We find this family in the Montreal census of 1666. Jacques de
Laporte-Georges was born in the village of Nocé in the Perche region of France
in 1627 from Jacques and Marie Hamelin. Jacques Laporte St-Georges married
Nicole Duchesne in Montreal on September 3rd 1657. (See the genealogy of
Catherine Laporte ) Among the names on the marriage certificate (See link on
the line above) we note the name of Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve the founder of
Montreal. Their daughter Catherine was baptised on the 12th day of October 1663
and she married our ancestor Philibert Couillaud about 1676.
In the Issue of January 1949 of the
magazine Mémoire de la Société Généalogique (Vol. III no 3 page 208) we can
read this ...
The marriage certificate of Philibert
Couillaud dit Roquebrune with Catherine DeLaporte dit St-Georges has
disappeared. As for the marriage contract, we are not sure if it ever existed
(See Note). Among those confirmed at Fort Chambly May 21 1669, we find
«Philbert Couitteau, of Nevers». Of course we have to read «Couilleau, of the
diocese of Nevers». Philibert Couillaud was a soldier, and possibly in the well
known Regiment of Carignan. An article signed by Pierre Gauthier, was published
in Nova Francia (IV, pp, 330-341) about the La Roque de Roquebrune. The author
forgets to show how Philibert Couillaud, from Nevers, had been born in Gascony
(South of France). (A. G.)
Note: According to a trial in Oct
1728 between the brothers Philibert son
and Antoine Couillaud there was effectively a marriage contract between
Philibert Couillaud and his wife Catherine Laporte.
Catherine would have been only 12 or 13
years of age and he was 35. This marriage was probably celebrated in
Contrecoeur. The certificate was never found.
Even if Philibert and Jacques Laporte probably rubbed shoulders in
Montreal it is with no doubt that they knew each other in Contrecoeur and this
is where he found his wife Catherine Laporte dit Saint-Georges. Many clues tend
to point to the fact that the LaPorte's lived in Contrecoeur well before 1675.
A baptism certificate dated June 1675 shows that Nicole Duchesne (the wife of
Jacques Laporte) is the godmother of Seraphin Guibaut in Lavaltrie, just across
the St-Lawrence River at Contrecoeur. At the marriage of Mathieu Binet et
Marie-Anne LeRoy October 21 1670 in Boucherville Jacques de la Porte is a
witness and is living in Contrecoeur.
Philibert Couillaud also lives in Contrecoeur in 1675. The first of December
1675, he serves as witness in Contrecoeur for a "Trade between Anthoine
Emeri dit Codaire and Jean Duval master-carpenter, for the construction of a
church in Contrecoeur. We can also see the mark ( a cross ) of Philibert
Couillaud at the bottom of the notary act. This is contrary to what Robert de
Roquebrune put forward, Philibert was certainly unable to read or write. I
would like to point out here that on the 23 legal and religious documents where
the name of Philibert Couillaud is mentioned during his life (before 1701) the
name Laroque or Larocque is never used.
This name seems to have been used by his children suringing their lives.
More research on this subject is a must.
We can also mention that not only
Philibert's name appeared as witness or the godfather of a newborn. Catherine
his wife was the godmother of René Hilaire Cuillerier born on May 4 1690. By
this we can assume that the Philibert and Catherine Laporte couple must have
enjoyed a certain notoriety in their milieu.
CREDIT
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