When I mentioned the name de Grondel, I wrote that he deserved a special chapter. As a matter of fact, there were three men who figured prominently in the colonization of American, and I shall discuss all three. But before I begin, I should take a moment to discuss the development of names.
Initially, people were known only by a given name. As the population grew, it became necessary to distinguish between poeple with the same given name by some designation; i.e. John's son (Johnson), Peter's son (Peterson) of John Underwood, or Peter Forest, etc. These distinguished names soon became family surnames.
To further distinguish themselves, the landed gentry gave names to their estates and attached these estate names behind their surnames, i.e. Delille Dupart, Morgane de la Valtrie, Bissot de la Rivere, etc. As these long names became cumbersome, records began to designate the bearer by a single name, which could either be the surname or the estate name. Thus members of the same family became divided into sub-groups. The Delille's of Europe became the Duparts of America. The Goujon's of France became Grondels in Louisiana.
Instead of continuing to trace our ancestry by going back generation by generation, I shall go back to the beginning of this line of ancestry and come forward. This should make it easier for the reader to develop a sense of continuity.
Le Premier Colon . Louis Hébert is considered by many to be the first permanent white wettler in Canada. He was most certainly the first to settle Quebec.
Known to many as "Father Abraham" and along with Samuel de Champlain as the "Father of New France," Hébert was born in France circa 1580.
I find a disparity in the history related by Lionel J. Bienvenue, Sr., in as much as he states that Louis Hébert's father served as apothecary to the court of Catherine de Medici 1
Louis was born during the rule of Henry IV, a Hugenot, who ruled France with some discord. Although he later beame a Catholic, he was assassinated by a fanatical Catholic. On his death, his eight year old son, Louis XIII became king. Because of his youth, his mother, Marie de Medici, became regent and ruled for him. Thus the elder Hébert served the court of Marie de Medici.
As a youth, Louis Hébert joined his father in his business located in a small shop on the Seine River in Paris. Bienvene writes:
In 1606, young Louis decided to join in an expedition to the New World. Pierre de Guast, Sieur de Monts, who had settled in Port Royal in 1604, was the leader of this expedition of fifty or more colonists. Samuel de Champlain was one of the exporers on this trip.
Hebert decided to remain in Port Royal to collect plants, make dedicines and treat the large number of Indians in the region. He provided medical treatment and advice to his fellow colonists. It is said Hébert became very interested in agriculture and truned into an excellent farmer.
Louis returned to Paris in the fall of 1607 and reopened his apothecary shop. He remained until 1617 when Champlain encouraged him to return to Canada. Their destination was Quebec.
Louis sold all his posssessions and took his wife Marie Rollet and their three children with him.
Champlain had given Hébert a small farm, described by some authors as being ten acres and by others as ten arpents (squared). An arpent is somewhat smaller than an acre. The plot was located near the site of Quebec City. He grew vegetables, corn, apples, and grapes. He also has the distinction of being the first settler to plant wheat in the New World.
Hébert was later honored by a royal grant of the Fief of St. Joseph and the title of Sieur D'Espinez.
Louis slipped on the ice and subsequently died from his injuries on 23 Jan 1627.
Louis' daughter, Guillemette, born in 1608, married Guillaume Couillard on 26 Aug 1621. Guillaume had been born in Normandy. His parents were Guillaume, Pére and Elizabeth de Vesins of Paris. Guillaume died 5 Mar 1663 and Guillemette died 20 Oct 1684. Both died at Hotel Dieu Hospital in Quebec.
Guillaume Chouillard and Guillemette Hébert had ten children. The fifth child, Marie, born 28 Feb 1633, married Francois Bissot, Sieur de la Rivere, in 1648. Francois Bissot had been born in 1613 in Normandy, France and died 26 July 1678 in Quebec. His parents were Jean Bissot, Sieur du Hommer and Marie Assour of Notre-Dame-des-Prés du Pont-Audener.
Francois Bissot and Marie Couillard had twelve children. The second, a girl, Louise was born and baptised on 15 Sep 1651 in Quebec. In 1673 she married Seraphin Margane, the son of Sebastian Morgane and Denyse Fonnot (also Tonnot).