Zacharie Cloutier
Encyclopedia
Zacharie Cloutier was a French
carpenter who emigrated to New France
in the first wave of the Percheron Immigration from the former province of Perche, in Normandy, to an area that today is part of Canada
. He settled in Beauport
and founded one of the foremost families of Quebec.
, France
. Cloutier was one of the nine children of Denis Cloutier and his first wife Renée Brière. The notary Mathurin Roussel of Mortagne called Cloutier the "family peacemaker," describing how Cloutier helped his father and brother solve a dispute involving inheritance. In the parish of his birth, Cloutier wedded Xainte Dupont of Feings
(also known as Sainte) in July of 1616. She had been born in 1596 to Paul-Michel and Perrine Dupont, and was the widow of Michel Lermusier.
In 1619 Henri II de Montmorency
purchased the New France colony from his brother-in-law Henry II of Bourbon. Included amongst the laborers hired to assist Samuel de Champlain
in “inhabiting, clearing, cultivating and planting” New France were the names of Zacharie and his father Denis. This group was not a group of settlers, but a group of laborers, who would return to France once their work had been completed. Several years later, however, Cloutier returned to Canada to help establish a new settlement at Beauport.
to expand the colony of New France by settling the Beauport area near Quebec City
. Cloutier arrived in 1634 (at the age of 44) and either arrived with or was soon followed by his family. This was an important addition to the colony's population which numbered about 100 prior to his arrival. Cloutier worked with fellow emigre Jean Guyon
du Buisson to construct Giffard's manor house (the oldest house in Canada) and other colonial buildings.
Cloutier and Guyon resisted for several years paying the fealty and homage owed to Giffard under the Seigneurial system of New France
until the Governor of New France
explicitly ordered them to do so. This was one of the first disputes against transplanting Old World hierarchy to the New World that would carry through the centuries even past the time of the British conquest.
In 1652 Cloutier received a grant of land from Governor Jean de Lauzon
in Château-Richer. The land on which Cloutier lived in Beauport was known as La Clouterie (or La Cloutièrerie). In 1670 Nicolas Dupont de Neuville purchased this land from Cloutier. This action resulted in disagreements between Cloutier himself and his neighbor Jean Guyon and with Giffard, his seigneur. It was not until that time that the Cloutier family relocated to Château-Richer.
Zacharie Cloutier died 17 September 1677 at the age of about 87. His wife died shortly after. The couple is buried together in Château-Richer.
.
Cloutier is a common ancestor of:
, the name of three kings in the Merovingian dynasty
of France. Others note that it may be an homage to Saint Cloud
, also of the Merovingian dynasty.
In 1984, a monument was erected in Beauport (which has since been merged into Quebec City
as of 2002) to commemorate the 350th anniversary of Cloutier's arrival.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
carpenter who emigrated to New France
New France
New France was the area colonized by France in North America during a period beginning with the exploration of the Saint Lawrence River by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Spain and Great Britain in 1763...
in the first wave of the Percheron Immigration from the former province of Perche, in Normandy, to an area that today is part of Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He settled in Beauport
Beauport, Quebec
Beauport is a borough of Quebec City, Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River.Beauport is a northeastern suburb of Quebec City. Manufactures include paint, construction materials, printers, and hospital supplies. Food transportation is important to the economy...
and founded one of the foremost families of Quebec.
Early life
Most sources state that Zacharie Cloutier was born in December of 1590 in the parish of Saint-Jean-Baptiste Mortagne-au-PercheMortagne-au-Perche
Mortagne-au-Perche is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France.-Heraldry:-Demographic evolution:* 1962: 3909* 1968: 4322* 1975: 4877* 1982: 4851* 1990: 4584* 1999: 45131962 population without double counting-People:...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. Cloutier was one of the nine children of Denis Cloutier and his first wife Renée Brière. The notary Mathurin Roussel of Mortagne called Cloutier the "family peacemaker," describing how Cloutier helped his father and brother solve a dispute involving inheritance. In the parish of his birth, Cloutier wedded Xainte Dupont of Feings
Feings, Orne
Feings is a commune in the Orne department in north-western France....
(also known as Sainte) in July of 1616. She had been born in 1596 to Paul-Michel and Perrine Dupont, and was the widow of Michel Lermusier.
In 1619 Henri II de Montmorency
Henri II de Montmorency
Henri II de Montmorency was a French nobleman and military commander.Born at Chantilly, Oise, he was the son of duke Henry I, whom he succeeded in 1614, having previously been made grand admiral...
purchased the New France colony from his brother-in-law Henry II of Bourbon. Included amongst the laborers hired to assist Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain
Samuel de Champlain , "The Father of New France", was a French navigator, cartographer, draughtsman, soldier, explorer, geographer, ethnologist, diplomat, and chronicler. He founded New France and Quebec City on July 3, 1608....
in “inhabiting, clearing, cultivating and planting” New France were the names of Zacharie and his father Denis. This group was not a group of settlers, but a group of laborers, who would return to France once their work had been completed. Several years later, however, Cloutier returned to Canada to help establish a new settlement at Beauport.
Life in New France
Cloutier was one of the first Frenchmen recruited by Robert Giffard de MoncelRobert Giffard de Moncel
Robert Giffard de Moncel was a French surgeon and apothecary who became a prestigious colonist and businessman and eventually a nobleman of New France....
to expand the colony of New France by settling the Beauport area near Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
. Cloutier arrived in 1634 (at the age of 44) and either arrived with or was soon followed by his family. This was an important addition to the colony's population which numbered about 100 prior to his arrival. Cloutier worked with fellow emigre Jean Guyon
Jean Guyon
Jean Guyon du Buisson was born at the Saint-Aubin parish in Tourouvre, Orne, France on September 18, 1592...
du Buisson to construct Giffard's manor house (the oldest house in Canada) and other colonial buildings.
Cloutier and Guyon resisted for several years paying the fealty and homage owed to Giffard under the Seigneurial system of New France
Seigneurial system of New France
The seigneurial system of New France was the semi-feudal system of land distribution used in the North American colonies of New France.-Introduction to New France:...
until the Governor of New France
Governor of New France
The Governor of New France was the viceroy of the King of France in North America. A French noble, he was appointed to govern the colonies of New France, which included Canada, Acadia and Louisiana. The residence of the Governor was at the Château St-Louis in the capital of Quebec City...
explicitly ordered them to do so. This was one of the first disputes against transplanting Old World hierarchy to the New World that would carry through the centuries even past the time of the British conquest.
In 1652 Cloutier received a grant of land from Governor Jean de Lauzon
Jean de Lauzon
Jean de Lauzon or de Lauson was the French Governor of New France from 1651 to 1657, one of the most challenging times for the colony....
in Château-Richer. The land on which Cloutier lived in Beauport was known as La Clouterie (or La Cloutièrerie). In 1670 Nicolas Dupont de Neuville purchased this land from Cloutier. This action resulted in disagreements between Cloutier himself and his neighbor Jean Guyon and with Giffard, his seigneur. It was not until that time that the Cloutier family relocated to Château-Richer.
Zacharie Cloutier died 17 September 1677 at the age of about 87. His wife died shortly after. The couple is buried together in Château-Richer.
Children
Together Zacharie and Xainte fathered six children, one of which died in childhood. The marriage of his daughter Anne to Robert Drouin is the oldest recorded marriage in Canada. In 1636 when her marriage contract was drawn, Anne was merely ten years of age. The religious sacrament of marriage was not performed until a year later on 12 July 1637. However, according to the contract drawn the year prior, the couple would only be allowed non-conjugal visits for the next two years.| Name | Birth | Death | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zacharie-Pierre | 16 August 1617 | 3 February 1708 | Married Marie-Madeleine Emard, 29 March 1648. |
| Jean | 13 May 1620 | 16 October 1690 | Married (1) Jeanne Duval, evidently prior to 1634 in France. Married (2) Marie-Anne Martin, 21 January 1648. |
| Marie-Xainte | 1 November 1622 | 19 September 1632 | Died in childhood. |
| Marie-Anne | 19 January 1626 | 2 February 1648 | Married Robert Drouin, 27 July 1636 (contract), 12 July 1637 (sacrament). |
| Charles | 3 May 1629 | 5 June 1709 | Married Marie-Louise Morin, 20 April 1659. |
| Marie-Louise | 18 March 1632 | 22 June 1699 | Married (1) François Marguerie, 26 October 1645. Married (2) Jean Migneault dit Châtillon, 10 November 1648. Married (3) Jean Matthieu, 3 February 1684. |
Notable descendants
Zacharie Cloutier is the common ancestor of the Cloutiers of North America, some with spelling variations. By 1800, Cloutier had 10,850 French-Canadian descendants, the most of any Quebec colonist, according to marriage records studied by the Historical Demography Research Program of the Université de MontréalUniversité de Montréal
The Université de Montréal is a public francophone research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It comprises thirteen faculties, more than sixty departments and two affiliated schools: the École Polytechnique and HEC Montréal...
.
Cloutier is a common ancestor of:
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Ancestry
Little is known about the Cloutier ancestors. Most genealogists agree that Zacharie Cloutier was the grandson of Nicolas Cloutier of Perche. The most common variation of the surname is Cloustier. Most sources state the surname was originally given to a person who crafted and sold nails, coming from the Latin word "clavus" meaning nail ("clou" in French). Some descendants of Cloutier who immigrated to the United States from Canada changed their surnames to Nailer in this respect. However, some have pointed out the strong etymological ties with ClotaireClotaire
Chlothar is a Germanic given name, which evolved into the later form Lothair . It is a combination of the words hlut = loud and heri = army, warrior....
, the name of three kings in the Merovingian dynasty
Merovingian dynasty
The Merovingians were a Salian Frankish dynasty that came to rule the Franks in a region largely corresponding to ancient Gaul from the middle of the 5th century. Their politics involved frequent civil warfare among branches of the family...
of France. Others note that it may be an homage to Saint Cloud
Clodoald
Saint Clodoald , better known as Cloud, was the son of King Chlodomer of Orleans.-Life:Clodoald was raised in Paris by his grandmother, Saint Clotilde. He was one of three brothers, all of whom were targeted for assassination by their uncle, Clotaire I...
, also of the Merovingian dynasty.
Honours
In 1972, a house originally built and lived in by Cloutier was reconstructed and named a provincial heritage site.In 1984, a monument was erected in Beauport (which has since been merged into Quebec City
Quebec City
Quebec , also Québec, Quebec City or Québec City is the capital of the Canadian province of Quebec and is located within the Capitale-Nationale region. It is the second most populous city in Quebec after Montreal, which is about to the southwest...
as of 2002) to commemorate the 350th anniversary of Cloutier's arrival.