Paul Jean Bertrand dit St-Arnaud
and
Gabrielle Baribeau

Their Children

• Elisabeth St.Arnaud dit Bertrand was born on 15 Mar 1698 in Batiscan , PQ. She is baptized in Batiscan and receives the name of Elisabeth, probably because of her godmother, Elisabeth Moreau; the godfather is the brother of Gabrielle, Pierre Baribeau dit Beaupre of nearly 17 years of age. Note that this Pierre Baribeau-Beaupre will settle some years later not far from Paul Bertrand on the north side of the Batiscan river.


When the eldest of the family gets married (May 1718)

From 1715 there is no doubt that Elisabeth, the eldest of the Bertrand family, considers to take husband seriously. She most likely threw her devotion on one of the fifteen boys of Jean Baril, near neighbor of the St-Arnous. In fact, it is rather a strong man of  about thirty - François Dessureaux - that knew how to captivate her heart. This one lives on a small (10 arpents) farm on the Batiscan river, on the concession that he reclaims and cultivates since 1710. His neighbors, on the North, are François and Jacques Baril; while on the South, since July 1717, the widow of Juineau Augustin dit Latulippe (of which Paul Bertrand son. the brother of Elisabeth, will marry the girl in 1725) as well as Jean Papillau dit Perigny.

For reasons that are unknown to us, the visits between Francois Desureaux and Elisabeth Bertrand were dragging in length. This kind of situation is not always favorable for good morals, as we know. It came thus that which would come. In the autumn of 1717 it became more and more evident that Elisabeth was carrying a child. Noted is the fact that on March 30, 1718, the registers of Batiscan signaled the baptism of Marie-Francois, daughter of Francois Dessureau and of Lisabeth St Arnou, and that the godfather was the Sieur Jean Baril and the godmother was Dame Marie-Magdeleine Guillet, widow of Robert Rivard-Loranger. This is that the 16 May following that they had the marriage in good and due form. But at the registers of Batiscan the cure Gervais Lefebvre wrote: "I undersigned priest cure of this parish, have married them and have legitimized Marie-Francoise their daughter, born before their marriage, according to the form and terms of our mother holy Church catholic, apostolic and roman, in presence of the Sieurs Jean Baril..., de Jacques Baril friend of the wife...and of Paul Bertrand, father of the girl, Jean La Rieux friend of the husband and of Jean Baribeau cousin (uncle!) of the wife." 

The signature on the marriage contract was made on the eve of the church marriage, on May 15, 1718. This contract furnishes us with certain details which are not without interest. So Francois Dessureaux, to suspend all legal actions made against him because of reasons of carnal copulation that he had had with Eilsabeth Bertrand...who became pregnant with a girl named Marie-Francoise and also that he should desire and waited the experience of marriage declared that would have flattered Bertrand, declared that the said Marie-Francoise belonged to him, as she was issued from his act; the precise contract to go on "is that girl was named of his name and entered in the succession to fall due to the property said Francois Dessureaux and the said Elisabeth Bertrand; that girl, the said Dessureaux of his part adopted as his legitimate child, to be named in his future succession; in consequence of that the said parties promised by their presence to take by name and of marriage to make solemn in the face of our mother Holy Church in the shortest time that they can..." We see that Francois Dessureaux fully assumed in this affair the consequences of his actions and did not look to exonerate himself. 

        As for Elisabeth, she had the consolation to celebrate her marriage, in front of holy mother  Church, in the church in stone constructed about 1707 in Batiscan. This church was, to hear the ancients that saw it, a reproduction more or less exact of the present sanctuary in Cap-de Madeleine, whose construction was nearly at the same time. It is also in this church that were baptized the first six children of the Bertrand-Dessureaux couple, whose total offsprings we understand to the be six girls and four sons. The four last will be however baptized, after 1727, in St.Genevieve of Batiscan. At present, those that inhabit the River-Batiscan are obliged to walk more than a mile and half to the present church of Batiscan. The situation would not last indefinitely.

On 18 March 1732 Elizabeth's husband, Francois Dessereaux, sells to his brother-in-law Paul, Elizabeths inherited land of Paul/Gabrielle's farm and that which was purchased from Francois Bellec for the sum of  225 pounds. Elizabeth St.Arnaud and Francois Dessureaux farm a piece of land on the south shore of the Batiscan River just north of the St.Arnaud farm, between the Baril and Latulippe homesteads. 
 

•  Gabrielle St-Arnaud was born on 13 Mar 1700 in St.Francois-Xavier, Batiscan, PQ.  She died at the age of 2 on 2 Dec 1702 in St-Francois-Xavier, Batiscan, PQ.   Gabrielle, is also carried on baptismal record of Batiscan February first, 1700. This time it is Mathurin Rivard dit Feuilleverte and the girl of the notary François Trotain, Marie Jeanne, who will be godfather and godmother of the child. The Trotains and the Rivard-Feuillevertes are immediate neighbors of the land of Paul Bertrand, as indicated the Plan of Catalonia.

 
• Marie-Paule St.Arnaud was born on 12 Mar 1702 in St.Francois-Xavier, Batiscan, PQ.  She died a day later on 13 Mar 1702 in St.Francois-Xavier , Champlain , PQ.  As godfather they had chosen this time François Trotain himself, the neighbor that Paul Bertrand seems to have had great confidence, because he will be during more than thirty years the notary of the family.

 
•  Paul-Francois St.Arnaud. was born on 22 Mar 1703 in St-Francois-Xavier, Batiscan, PQ.  He died on 10 Dec 1784 in St-Francois-Xavier, Batiscan, PQ. He was married to Marie-Josephe (Latulippe) Juineau on 17 Sep 1725 in St-Francois Xavier de Batiscan.
  (More details)

 
•  Marie-Jeanne St.Arnaud was born on 6 Apr 1707 in Ste. Genevieve de Batiscan PQ.  She died on 26 Mar 1791 in Ste. Genevieve de Batiscan PQ.   The Bertrands dit St.Arnou will have three girls again: Marie-Jeanne, baptized April 6, 1707, as well as Marie-Joseph, baptized October 6, 1709, and that will have for godmother married to Jean Baribeau, Marguerite Cosset, and for godfather the step brother of Gabrielle Baribeau, Jean Germain dit Magny. On 11 April 1730 Marie-Jeanne sells her part of the inherited family farm to her brother Paul for the sum of 60 pounds.

 
•  Marie-Josephte St.Arnaud was born on 6 Oct 1709 in Ste. Genevieve de Batiscan PQ.  She died on 30 Jul 1791 in Ste.Anne de la Perade , PQ.   Marie-Josephe sells her part of the inherited family farm to her brother Paul on Oct 19, 1738 for the sum of 75 pounds.

 
• Marie-Marguerite St.Arnaud was born on 14 Feb 1712 in Ste.Genevieve de Batiscan.   Marie-Maguerite, the last of the family, it is François Bellec, her maternal brother now aged himself 20 years, that will serve as godfather February 14, 1712, in the church of Batiscan. Marie-Marguerite sells he part of the inherited family farm to her brother Paul on Mar 12,1736 for the sum of 108 pounds.

 
• Jean-Baptiste St-Arnaud was born on 16 May 1705 in Batiscan PQ.  He was born on 16 May 1705 in Batiscan , PQ.  He was in 1758 in Elected Churchwarden of Ste Genevieve.  He died on 25 May 1768 in Ste. Genevieve de Batiscan PQ. 
  (More details)

(*) Excerpts from the "La Famille St-Arnaud à la Rivière Batiscan, 1695-1770"
by P. René Bacon, O.J.M. Book available from the St-Arnaud Association

(Computer translation from French with corrections made by the late Richard "Dick" St-Arnauld and Jacques L'Heureux)

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