Jacques Menard-Deslauriers (Original Progenitor)

Life and times

General historical context. This section describes the times and places this person lived in. It is not documented fact about them; “likely” means just that.

Places

1. Saint-Aubin, Diocese of Nantes, Brittany, France ca. 1638-1665
2. Beauport, Quebec, New France (Canada) 1665-1716

What was happening

• 1665 Arrival of the Carignan-Salières Regiment in New France · Quebec, New France
  Arriving aboard the Saint-Sébastien as a soldier in Captain Duprat's company of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, Jacques would have likely been deployed to defend the fragile French colony and construct defensive forts along the Richelieu River. Source
• 1666 Expeditions of Marquis de Tracy against the Mohawk · Richelieu Valley and Mohawk Country, New France
  As an active soldier under Duprat, Jacques would have likely endured arduous winter marches and wilderness combat during royal expeditions that forced the Iroquois nations to negotiate peace. Source
• 1680 Settlement and Marriage in the Seigneurie of Beauport · Beauport, New France
  Choosing to settle permanently in Canada following his military discharge, Jacques would have likely cleared and cultivated his new seigneurial land concession in Beauport alongside his bride Marie-Madeleine Baugis. Source
• 1690 Battle of Quebec and English Amphibious Landing at Beauport · Beauport and Quebec, New France
  When English invasion forces disembarked on the flats of Beauport during Sir William Phips's siege, Jacques would have likely mobilized with the local militia to defend his home and farmland under heavy gunfire. Source
• 1701 Great Peace of Montreal · Montreal and New France
  Farming in Beauport with his family, Jacques would have likely celebrated the signing of this landmark treaty between New France and thirty-nine First Nations, which finally brought lasting peace from the Beaver Wars. Source
• 1711 Walker Expedition Threat and Naval Disaster · St. Lawrence River, New France
  In his elder years, Jacques would have likely experienced community panic followed by great relief when an immense British invasion armada wrecked on rocks in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, saving Quebec from attack. Source

In context

Jacques Ménard dit Deslauriers was a foundational pioneer in the early settlement of French Canada. Born around 1638 in Brittany in the Diocese of Nantes, he entered the military and enlisted in the prestigious Carignan-Salières Regiment. In May 1665, Jacques embarked aboard the Saint-Sébastien in Captain Duprat's company, arriving at Quebec in September to secure New France against the Iroquois Confederacy. He participated in arduous campaigns along the Richelieu River and into Mohawk territory, helping compel a vital peace treaty. When his regiment was disbanded in 1668, Jacques chose to remain in the colony as a permanent habitant rather than return to France. In November 1680, he married Marie-Madeleine Baugis in Beauport, clearing forested seigneurial acreage into productive farmland. During King William's War in 1690, his farm stood on the front lines when British forces under Sir William Phips landed amphibious troops at Beauport; Jacques helped repel the assault alongside the colonial militia. Living into his late seventies, Jacques died in Beauport on November 28, 1716, leaving a distinguished French-Canadian lineage.