But despite the setbacks that the family had received, there was still happiness in the Giroux home. On December 29th, 1669, a second daughter was born into the family. She was baptized on January 1st, 1670, and given the name Madeline. The baptism took place in the chapel at Beauport, and Monsignor Charles Lauzon performed the ceremony. After the family returned home from the church on this the first day of the new year, they kneeled around the fireplace where a cheery fire of maple wood was burning. Raphael, proud of his station as the eldest son, asked his father to give the blessing. Toussaint answered with a voice touched with emotion:
"My children, I bless you in the name of the father, and the son, and of the Holy Spirit"
Everyone received the wishes for a happy new year and a kiss from the parents.
Madeleine was the tenth child of Toussaint Giroux and Marie Godard. According to the magnanimous offering from the King of France, the family was now 300 pounds richer.
Each family that had 10 children was entitled to this amount; and when the family size reached 12 children, the amount was increased to 400 pounds. It was no wonder that the Giroux family celebrated on that New Year's Day!And again, our ancestor was more fortunate than any other dispossessed settlers. On August 20th, 1670, Joseph Giffard made another concession to him of 3 acres of land in St. Joseph village. Toussaint was obligated to build a house within one year and to cultivate the land. Why he felt that he needed more land than the place he had in Fargay is not known. Perhaps he thought he could have it ready for his son when he became of age, but Raphael was only 14 years old at that time.
Again, Toussaint had over extended himself. By the middle of next year, realizing he could not to fill his contract with Lord Gifford, and to avoid another sanction, he wrote a new contract:
"On November 16th, 1671, Toussaint Giroux and Marie Godard, sell to Pierre Parent, a 3 acre concession on the border of St. Joseph's village, with a pulled down trees. . . "
On March 1st, 1672, Barry Godard gave birth to another son. He was baptized the next day and given the name Toussaint. Already she had named two of her baby's spine is name, but they lay in the cemetery at Quebec. But this young Toussaint was destined to live. Again the Godfather, Paul Vashon, left the privilege of naming the boy to the mother. Godmother--Marie's Marsolet, wife of Jean, Guyon .It seems that Toussaint was never satisfied with what he had, he was always reaching for more. On March 27th, 1672, he purchased from Lord Gifford and his wife, Michele Nau, the following:
"a concession consisting of three and 5/ 6ths yards in the village of St. Michel. This land has no bushes or trees; it has a hut and shed with all that depends upon it. There is a tax of 3 Sols, and pounds, 15 Sols, with 3 living capons. This tax is due on Saint Martin's day. After paying the price any amount of 100 Tournois Pounds, with valid money, they can use the land that has no wood at this time. The land is ready to be sowed; the Lord and his wife keeps the right on the seed for this year only. . . "On the 28th of October of that year, the sellers acknowledged that they received from Toussaint Giroux, the amount of 120 Pounds., Witnessed by a notary. Therefore, the Lord and his wife released Toussaint Giroux and others from the debt. Evidently, the money that the true family was receiving from the King of France was being used to buy more land.Now that he was becoming prosperous, Toussaint decided it was time to give thoughts to his spiritual life. He joined with 11 other men of Beauport in buying and donating a considerable amount of ground around the parish church at Beauport. This church had been started in 1655 and finished in 1676. Lord Robert Gifford had donated the bell for the tower in 1666. This new edition of land was probably used for the cemetery. The entry in the registry of the church reads:
"A pure, simple and irrevocable donation with one condition--every year a low mass will be offered for the material and spiritual needs of the 12 givers, on the day following the nativity of the Virgin Mary, the name day of the parish. "
On April 7th, 1681, five of the children of Toussaint Giroux and Marie Godard received a sacrament of confirmation from the bishop of Laval. At about this time the village of Beauport had 420 houses, 600 families and six schools with 400 students in attendance. The census of 1681 shows Toussaint Giroux at the highest point in his life. He was 48 years old, his wife, Marie Godard, was 43. He now had several sons to help him or his land at Fargay, as well as his other two concessions. The census mentions three rifles, 11 horned animals, one horse and 53 acres were under, cultivation.The years from 1681 to 1683 were very enjoyable to Toussaint and his large family. They were busy improving their land and planting the seeds for bounteous harvest. Also, the family was growing. At the parish church on the first three Sundays in November 1681, the parishioners heard the proclamation of the betrothal of Raphael Giroux, oldest son of Toussaint, and Marie Madeleine Vachon, daughter of Paul Vachon, Royal Notary, and his wife Marguerite Langlois. Because no one objected, the parish priest, Father Martin, united them in marriage on November 26th, 1681. The list of witnesses was impressive:
Joseph Gifford, Lord of BeauportThere was great friendship between the Giroux and the Vachon families. This friendship was sealed again later when Monique, the youngest daughter of Toussaint, married Noel Vachon, a son of Paul.
Claude Berman de la Martiniere
Nicolas Juchereau, Lord of St Denis
Rene Remy
Michel Fillion, the Royal Notary
Paul Vachon. Royal Notary
Then in August of 1683, after the hay had been gathered, two more weddings occurred. The 18th of this month dawned bright and clear, just the right kind of day for wedding. Michel Giroux was marrying Therese Provost and Marie Anne-Giroux was marrying John Baptiste Provost. The brother and sister Provost were two of the nine children born to Martin Provost and the Savage(indian), Marie-Oliver Sylvester Manitouabewitch.After a double wedding, the tables were brought from the house and loaded with food. The violins were tuned, and on this beautiful summer day they ate, sang and danced in the great outdoors.
But next entry in the parish register is a sad one for Toussaint Giroux and his children:
"On November 22nd, 1684, Marie Godard, 46 years old, at wife of Toussaint Giroux, has been buried in the cemetery and Beauport. She died the day before, after receiving penitence sacrament and last sacrament, and after a good life. Present during the burial:Rene Remy
Paul Vachon
C. Martin, Cure
The night before, the neighbors had gathered to keep the vigil, saying prayers and tell the beads. There were long silences while they thought about Marie and her beginning in a new life. Some moved closer to the coffin in order to touch her cold hands. They admired the hands of this wonderful woman- of the hands -that rocked the cradle, that tucked in the bedclothes at night. The hands that made the bread and prepared the meals; the hands that could gently arrange a bouquet of flowers. A spouse, mother, devoted and tender, her beauty coming from within, from her soul.
Toussaint was heartbroken. He sat in silent sorrow, his youngest daughter, Monique, clasped in his arms. It would take a long time to heal the wounds of this final separation.
Soon after the dawn of the New Year of 1685, Jean, who was 21, married the first of what would be three wives. On the 19th of February, the ceremony of marriage between a Jean Giroux and Marie Dauphin, daughter of Etienne and Marie Morin Dauphin, was performed at the parish church in Beauport. A short seven months later, Marie Dauphin while on a trip to Quebec, was drowned at the River passage, in the parish of Quebec. She was brought back to the parish at Beauport and buried in the cemetery there on September 30th, 1685. She was only 17 years of age at the time.
According to the laws of the land, within a year of the death of the party to a marriage contract, and inventory had to be taken of the goods and real properties acquired by the couple over the years of the marriage. So it was that the family of Marie Godard Giroux, was gathered at what was her house, on the first day of November 1685. Present was Toussaint, her husband and father and guardian of Madeleine, 16; Raphael, Michel and Jean Baptiste Provost, husband of Marie Anne Giroux. Charles, who was of age but had not married, and Jean, will had so recently lost his wife and had no children, could not be considered in the division of the property.
On request would have been made by the children, asking that their father taking inventory of the goods mutually possessed by Toussaint Giroux and Marine Godard, and to share such goods with goodwill, transaction with softness; as the honor their father greatly, and respected his judgment. They had also asked that their father appoint 2 neighbors to help with the inventory and the estimation of the worth of the goods. Rene Remy, attorney and manager of the Jesuit business, and Jean de Rainville were the two men called upon.
First, contract of the land transactions were studied and found to be in order. A list was made of all the common goods of the household and farm yard. The cattle were counted and all else was found to be in order. Toussaint Giroux, the father, took charge of all the personal goods and the tools, and would divide them, amongst the children when they ask for them. The land was divided the thusly half to Toussaint Giroux and his minor children, the other half divided into eight equal pieces for the eight children of his married sons and daughters. All this business was settled amicably and the children returned to their homes.
And again at the beginning of the New Year 1686, more members were added to the Giroux clan. On January 21st, 1686, Madeleine Giroux, at the age 16, was married to Pierre Choret. From this union came 13 children.
Jean Giroux chose February 12th of the same year for his second wedding. After being a of a widower for five months, and married to Suzanne Belanger, daughter of Nicolas and Marie de Rainville Belanger
The more members added by marriage and birth, the less there were left in our ancestor's home. With the Father now was Charles, the bachelor, young Toussaint and pretty little Monique. The large house seemed empty.
"It is not good that man should be alone. "(Genesis 2:18)
Toussaint had been a widower for almost two years and a helpmate was sorely needed in the Giroux house. A short distance down the road lived Therese LaBlanc, the widow of Pierre Lavallee, mother of 10 children. Perhaps there could be a liaison formed between the two? After a short courtship, the couple traveled to Quebec City to have their marriage contract drawn up by the Royal Notary, Aubert. The date was October 24th, 1686. The contract stipulated that:
"The community property will be shared while both parties to the contract are alive, and will be divided among the children of the previous marriages of both parties. The children shall be clothed and cared for until the boys become 18 years of age and the girls until someone else takes care of them. " [marriage]
The difference in age between the couple had not been neglected. Toussaint was 18 years older than his future wife, and he stipulated that she was to get 600 Pounds at the time of his death. Although every situation seemed to be covered by the contract, no one could was foresee that the incompatible temperaments of these two would undermine any happiness that they might have had at the start, and drive them into a separation in less than five years.The wedding occurred on October 29th, 1686, in Beauport. The couple settled the down in the Giroux home with their 12 children, which was added to on February 14th, 1688. Marie Angelique was born to the couple on that day.
In 1690, the English troops from the Atlantic coast near Boston, launched and the attack against the French settlements of Quebec and Beauport. On the 18th of October, the invaders landed 1500 men with five cannon on the north shore of the St. Lawrence River above the Quebec. They then began to approach the settlements. Lord Juchereau of St. Denis rallied all the able-bodied men of Beauport to defend the village, and the English were repulsed. Four Frenchmen were killed and seven wounded in this attack.
The English soldiers went into camp near Beauport and harassed the villagers for three days, but they could not break down the defenses of the forts. In several skirmishes, the enemy burned six or seven farms, and took some cattle. Two more villagers were killed and 13 more wounded. All the time the English were camped near the settlements, they kept up the continual bombardment of Quebec with their cannon. Very little damage was done, however; the English became discouraged. During the night of the 21st, the English returned to their boats on their River and floated down to the Isle of Orleans which they tried to capture, but again were repulsed. On the 25th of October, the English turned in the direction of Boston, and disappeared down the river.
We can be certain that Toussaint Giroux and his older sons were active in this battle with the English. Duty to his courageous leadership during the attack, Lord Juchereau was awarded letters of nobility by the king of France. The French settlers returned to their daily routine with only the fear of Iroquois raids to mar their solitude.
The excitement of the English trade had pretty well been forgotten when, on November 14th, 1690, Toussaint, the younger, married Therese Dauphin, a daughter of Etienne and Marie Morin Dauphin, also a sister of her brother, Jean’s his first wife. Besides the usual gift of 400 Pounds., the parents of the bride gave to their daughter a house in the village of St Michel, situated between Jean Giroux’s and Guillaume Chevalier’s houses. Two years later, on December 21st, 1692, Toussaint, Jr., received a concession from Lord Joseph Giffard near the same location.
On the 21st of December 1690, the first hint of trouble between Toussaint and his wife, Therese LaBlanc, came to light. Toussaint was called to Quebec City by some of the merchants of the town. They informed him that he had debts totaling a hundred and 38 Pounds. These debts had been previously unknown to him, so it was rather a shock to learn that his wife had been to Quebec and charged this amount of merchandise. He promised the merchants that he would pay the bills in two equal installments: 1 in October of 1691 the other in October of 1692. Dark clouds were beginning to show through the silver lining of this marriage.
By April 12, 1691, the rupture was complete. An agreement was reached for a legal separation of the couple. The agreement, concluded before a notary, gave some of the reasons for the separation: they were incompatible, there had been infidelity, and the love had turned to hate. At the conclusion it said:
"In order to let her subsist, Giroux, the husband, gives her two work oxen. They will sow together this year only, under the condition that LaBlanc, the wife, will give him one of her sons to help him . . . "
"And because they have common debts toward Sir Pashot, a civilian merchant in Quebec, in order to pay the amount, LaBlanc promises to give one of her sons for two weeks, to help Giroux to bring the wood to Quebec--one week next winter, the other week, winter after next in 1692. "
"And since they have a little girl, Giroux promises to take her with him, as it is convenient . . . "
The next year Toussaint suffered from a sickness that put him in a hospital for a month. The register of the sick reports:
"Toussaint Giroux, from Reveillon, in Perche, France, in-patient from July 1st until a July 31st, 1692. "
We do not know what the sickness was, but Toussaint recovered sufficiently to continue with his work, and time passed. Monique, the youngest child of Toussaint and Marie Godard, married to Noel Vachon, son of Paul Vachon, and Marie Marguerite Langlois. They were married on October 24th, 1695. She was widowed four years later, and probably moved into Toussaint ' s home with her two children until she remarried.Marie Angelique, the only child of Toussaint Giroux and Therese LaBlanc, was married to Vincent Rodrigue on January 21st, 1707. This left Toussaint without any children to care for. He spent the rest of his life in the home of Raphael, his grandson. Soon he decided to rid himself of any in encumbrances during his declining years; so he had a notary draw up a declaration:
"This sale of a land located in Beauport, by Toussaint Giroux to Raphael Giroux [this is the grandson, son of Raphael and Madeleine Vachon, born October 1686] will remain valid under one condition: Raphael Giroux promises to feed and to give it to the donor all that he needs, until his death. He will take care of the burial and pray to God for him. He will also pay to all his children, after the death, the amount of 105 pounds, 5 Sols. "Therese LaBlanc was again heard from whence this donation was announced. She evidently felt that she was entitled to a portion of the land that Toussaint had donated to his grandson. Because of her objection, the case was judged before the Royal council at Quebec. The verdict is written in the registry:
"To Toussaint and Giroux, who appeared before us in order to ask, in spite of the blanks request, that this sale land to his grandson, be declared a good and valid. Toussaint Giroux also asks that the land he sold be free of mortgage and any pretensions that Therese LaBlanc behalf on it, because of the advantage she gave her in a wedding contract.
Because she had left hand over 20 years ago, and because of the powers of along, she has no right to interfere in this transfer of land. Toussaint Giroux had many rights on his side and he could have used them. He showed us receipts where he had paid debts for her; and she did not appear before us to defend her position; so we conclude that the bill of sale of August 25, 1711 gives Toussaint Giroux the right to do with it as he pleases; and will be free from any rights or mortgage that Therese LaBlanc might feel she has a right. "
Raphael, the grandson upon whom Toussaint seemed to depend, remained a bachelor until the age of 30. This was an unusual circumstance, as the children were usually encouraged by their parents to marry an early age. In fact, the King of France added his persuasion and to an early marriage by presenting the gift of 50 Pounds to unmarried couple said plus 20 Pounds if the groom was under 21, and 24 Pounds if the bride was younger than 17. The parents of the bully who was not married by the age of 20, or girl at 16, were called before the clerk of their jurisdiction and questioned as to their inability to get their children married.
Although Toussaint had been separated from his wife for many years, it is doubtful that he was too lonely in his later life. In each year from 1686 to 1715, 628 new baptisms and members to the Giroux clan. At the time of his death, his for living sons and four daughters. Had given him over 70 grandchildren, plus numerous great grandchildren. For Toussaint, the words of the priest at the wedding mass so many years before had been fulfilled:
"And ye shall see the children ought to the third and fourth generations. "
The year of 1715 was not a good year for the inhabitants lived in and around the area of Beauport. The sickness Cambridge and took 10 lives from January 27th to April 17th, including two members of the Giroux family.
"On February 11, 1715, died Raphael Giroux, age 60. "
"On 16 February 17th 15, Toussaint Giroux, inhabitant, about 80, deceased the day after receiving necessary sacraments. "
"On August 6, 1715, Died Michael Giroux, age 55. "
"On September 26, 1715, died Madeleine Vachon, widow of Raphael, age 50. "
So ends story Toussaint Giroux, immigrant, pioneer, husband. Beloved by his first wife, scorned by his second; he never became famous, but he has left a prosperity that spans the North American continent from east to west and north to south. The far-flung migration of the Giroux clan indicates that the spirit of adventure and discovery has been passed on to the younger generations.
