Marin Boucher - Family History

Family History

Marin Boucher's sister, Jeanne Boucher, married Thomas Hayot (spellings vary: Hayot; Ayot; Ayotte, etc.) who was also an early settler and founder of a distinguished Québec family.

Gaspard Boucher was another close relation who emigrated to New France, believed by some researchers to have been Marin's brother, though more likely his cousin. Gaspard Boucher was father of Pierre Boucher Seigneur of Boucherville, and founder of the parish and township of Boucherville, across the Saint-Laurent River from Montreal. Pierre Boucher became Governor of Trois-Rivières and a Royal Judge, was ennobled, and settled on his seigneurie, where he founded a model seigneurie, village and Parish which is now a suburban satellite of Montreal.

The Bouchers arrived as part of the Percheron Immigration, a small group of families and some single men from the region of Perche, in the Province of Normandy, brought over to New France in 1634 to colonize Beauport, a seigneurie granted to Robert Giffard, physician to the colony. Marin Boucher and his son François migrated aboard the ship St-Jehan under the command of Captain Pierre Nesle, which arrived in Quebec on June 4, 1634. His wife and younger children arrived the following year.

The colonists were temporarily housed in the Habitation (Fort St-Louis), the fort and residence built by Samuel de Champlain at Quebec in 1608, before moving to their land concessions at Beauport, a short distance down river from Quebec.

Gaspard Boucher may have arrived with his family separately in 1635 according to the memoires of his son, Sieur Pierre Boucher de Boucherville.

Marin Boucher and his family subsequently moved to the South Shore where they were pioneers of the town of Rivière-Ouelle. The town was attacked during King William's War by a party led by Sir William Phips in October 1690, and Marin's son, Jean-Galleran was among the 39 "Heroes of Rivière-Ouelle" who defended the town. Phips, whose troops had been pillaging along the coast of the St-Laurent on their way to lay siege to Québec City, was repulsed by the ambush, and later was unsuccessful in his attack on Québec.