Main ancestors

In the 17th century, people with the surname “Levasseur” left France, their homeland, to come to New France. Jean, Pierre and Laurent Levasseur settled and were the first to build up in their new homeland. Other Levasseur came to perform duties for a given period in the country and returned to their country of origin.

In the 19th and 20th centuries, people bearing the name Levasseur distinguished themselves and were noticed, either at the level of a profession or at the political level. Levasseurs have also pioneered in the different regions of Quebec, Canada and the United States.

We want to make these people known.

This information and associated references are extracted from the genealogical dictionaries “Genealogical dictionary of the descendants of Laurent Levasseur 1666 – 2008” and “Genealogical dictionary of the descendants of Jean and Pierre Levasseur 1645-2008“.

Pierre Levasseur (1629-1694)
and Jeanne de Chanverlange

Pierre, his brother Jean and their sister Jeanne came to New France and settled in Québec in the mid 17 th century. They were the children of Noël Levasseur and Genevieve Gaugé. Their father was a master carpenter. Pierre was baptized in 1629 in the Saint-Leu-et-Saint-Gilles Parish in Paris.

Pierre’s name is first noted on August 13, 1654 in the Québec Parish’s registers for the christening of his nephew Pierre Drolet, his sister Jeanne‘s son. Pierre was the child’s godfather.

Like his father, Pierre is a master carpenter. He married Jeanne Chanverlange in Québec at the Notre-Dame Church on October 23, 1655. Jeanne was Antoine Chanverlange and Marthe Guérin’s daughter. She was originally from Saint-Ursin, Bishopric of Bourges.

Land was granted to Pierre Levasseur on March 4, 1657 in the Seigneurie of Argentenay on l’Île d’Orléans. He cultivated this land but never obtained the title for that property. He sold it for 140 pounds to Vincent Chrétien for the work he had done on it on August 26, 1663.

On June 27, 1659, Governor d’Argenson granted to our ancestor Pierre a piece of land to build in the Upper Town of Québec between the Grande Allée and the Chemin du Fort. This land is located in proximity of the Fort and the Château Saint-Louis. Pierre had a home built there and spent most of his life with his family.

The Jesuit Fathers granted him on August 26, 1663 land on the Seigneurie of Sillery. He kept this land until his death and it was given to his heirs. François, his youngest son, settled there.

During his life time, Pierre worked as a carpenter. He did a variety of jobs for different individuals and worked for the Québec Fort. In 1674, he also worked on the construction of the Beauport Church.

Pierre Levasseur and Jeanne Chanverlange had seven children, four girls and three boys. At his first son’s christening in 1658, Pierre, who is the ancestor, is known as Pierre Levasseur dit Lespérance. Among his sons, Pierre is the only one who had descendants. The ancestor Pierre died on March 12, 1694 at l’Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, at the age of 67. His wife, Jeanne de Chanverlange died prior to him, probably between the years 1679 to 1681.

2 nd generation. Pierre Levasseur, Son

Pierre Levasseur, son, was born on April 30, 1661, in Québec. Master carpenter like his father, he first married Madeleine Chapeau, in the Notre-Dame Church in Québec on November 28, 1686. They had three children, one of which is Pierre-Noël (1690-1770) who became a «master sculptor».

His second marriage was with Anne Mesnage, on March 18, 1696, in the Notre- Dame Church in Québec. Sixteen children were born from this union, ten boys and six girls. Among them:

  • François Levasseur dit Chaverlange is a master carpenter in Québec.
  • Pierre-Jacques Levasseur dit Carmel is a carpenter and merchant and eventually establishes himself in Boucherville. His descendants adopted the name “Carmel”.
  • François-Louis-Borgia Levasseur lived in Québec. He was a carter. His descendants used the name Levasseur dit Borgia but eventually retained only the name Borgia.
  • François-Ignace Levasseur became a priest. He was the parish priest in Champlain and in L’Ancienne-Lorette.
  • Denis-Joseph, carpenter, settled in Trois-Rivières and had descendants who settled in the Mauricie and Bois-Francs regions.

Signature of Pierre Levasseur, our ancestor (1)

_____________________

Sources consulted :

– LANGLOIS, Michel. Dictionnaire biographique des ancêtres québécois (1608-1700), Sillery, La Maison des ancêtres, 2007, tome 3, p. 287.

– LEVASSEUR, J.-F.-Adrien. Pierre Levasseur dit Lespérance et La première génération en NouvelleFrance, Longueuil, Qc, 1989, 103p.

– MORISSET, Gérard. « Pierre Levasseur, dit L’Espérance », Dictionnaire biographique du Canada, Québec, Les Presses de l’Université Laval, 1967, vol. 1, p. 484-485.

– PRDH. Programme de recherche en démographie historique, [http://www.genealogie.umontreal.ca/fr/].

– SAINTONGE, Jacques. « Jean et Pierre Levasseur », Revue Sainte-Anne, novembre 2000, p. 468-471.

(1) Michel LANGLOIS, Dictionnaire biographique des ancêtres québécois (1608-1700), Sillery, La Maison des ancêtres québécois, 2000, tome 3, p. 327.

Laurent Levasseur (circa 1647-1726)
and Marie Marchand

In the 17 th century, many Normans sailed to New France. Among them was Laurent Levasseur, the ancestor of the greatest number of American Levasseurs. He was the son of Jean Levasseur and Marguerite Maheu, and was born around 1648, most likely in Bois-Guillaume(1) in Normandy.

Arrival

Laurent Levasseur was first mentioned in colony records during the 1666 Census. He stated that he was eighteen years of age and was an “employee” (10) of Guillemette Hébert, widow of Guillaume Couillard and daughter of an earlier Canadian colonist, Louis Hébert. Laurent probably took the initiative to work the land and go eel fishing. We cannot find any trace of Laurent Levasseur from the 1667 Census. That may indicate that his “employment of 36 months” was finished and he was therefore free to explore his new land.

Laurent could have easily been one of the “employees” who arrived in the country in September 1663. He would have been about fifteen years old. The following year, in 1664, the Sovereign Council complained to the King that the “majority of the recruits of 1663 were young people, clerks, schoolboys and most of them had never worked before”. It is quite possible that Laurent was among this group of young people. Between 1667 and 1669, Laurent did not leave any trace.

Establishment

“On April 5, 1669 the King signed a document to fine anyone who did not have intention of marriage at an early age.” (11) Laurent understood the message. It became time for him to acquire land in his new country and to get married. After thinking about it, he decided to establish himself on the coast of Lauzon located on the edge of the Saint Lawrence River almost in front of Québec. On September 22, 1669 he rented from Henri Brau(12), sieur de Pominville a 3 by 40 acre tract of land, with “fishing,” for three years.(13)

The civil registries are lacking between 1642 et 1667 in Bois-Guillaume.

At the beginning of the colony, the private ship-owners transporting furs to France had committed themselves to transporting a number of immigrants to New France. They were reimbursed for their travel expenses by the farmers already established in the country that needed help. The farmers were in turn compensated by 3 years of service from their “employee”.

Farming Lease between Henri Brau de Pomaiville et Laurent Levasseur, clerk’s office of Pierre Duquet de Lachenaye, September 22, 1669, in Parchemin.

According to Adrien Levasseur, this is not the land occupied by the descendants of Laurent Levasseur until 1925 as it was previously confirmed by J. Edmond Roy.

Marriage

Laurent was now able to think of getting married and he seems to have found his soul mate. Thus, on November 19, 1669, he signed a marriage contract before the notary Romain Becquet with Marie Marchand, daughter of Louis Marchand and Françoise Morineau from Saint-Martin on the Île de Ré. He got married in Québec at Notre-Dame Church on April 30, 1670. The couple had fourteen children. Among them, three sons and a daughter had families, two other daughters became Ursuline lay nuns, five children died at a young age and another daughter, who was handicapped, was placed in the Québec General Hospital after the death of her mother. Laurent ensured a pension for his daughters who became nuns and the one who lived at the hospital.

In 1709, according to the chart of Gédéon de Catalogne, Laurent owned three pieces of land along the river. In his lifetime, Laurent owned five pieces of land on the coast of Lauzon, in addition to the one he rented for three years in 1669. He was seemingly an enterprizing man. According to Adrien Levasseur, “the land he owned was fourteen acres wide by fourty acres deep, which was much bigger than most”(6). In addition to cultivating the land, Laurent liked to go fishing and hunting, as can be noted in some notarized documents. According to the Jesuit Charlevoix, “fishing and hunting provide abundantly for those who put in the effort. We fish in the Saint Lawrence River an extraordinary quantity of large eels”.(7)

At the end of a full life, Laurent passed away in Québec on December 26, 1726 and was buried the next day at Notre-Dame de Québec Church. His wife passed away 10 years before him. Laurent’s descendants can be found in all parts of Québec, but the majority are in the Bas Saint-Laurent region. Many families of this ancestor also immigrated to the United States and to other provinces of Canada, particularly New-Brunswick and Ontario.

Lastly, contrary to many of his compatriots, Laurent Levasseur could sign his name, a rare thing for his time.

Signature of Laurent Levasseur(8)

  1. The civil registries are lacking between 1642 et 1667 in Bois-Guillaume.
  2. At the beginning of the colony, the private ship-owners transporting furs to France had committed themselves to transporting a number of immigrants to New France. They were reimbursed for their travel expenses by the farmers already established in the country that needed help. The farmers were in turn compensated by 3 years of service from their “employee”.
  3. Jacques LACOURSIÈRE, Histoire populaire du Québec des origines à 1791, Québec, Septentrion, 1995, p. 127.
  4. Farming Lease between Henri Brau de Pomainville et Laurent Levasseur, clerk’s office of Pierre Duquet de Lachenaye, September 22, 1669, in Parchemin.
  5. According to Adrien Levasseur, this is not the land occupied by the descendants of Laurent Levasseur until 1925 as it was previously confirmed by J. Edmond Roy.
  6. J.-F. Adrien LEVASSEUR, Laurent Levasseur. Origine et Histoire et la première génération en Nouvelle-France, Longueuil, QC, 1988, p. 29.
  7. Ibid., p. 30.
  8. Michel LANGLOIS, Dictionnaire biographique des ancêtres québécois (1608-1700) Sillery, Maison des ancêtres québécois, 2000, tome 3, p. 327.

Jean Levasseur dit Lavigne (1622-1686)
and Marguerite Richard

Jean was the son of Noël Levasseur, master carpenter, and of Geneviève Gaugé, of the Saint-Leu-et-Saint-Gilles Parish in Paris. According to the Census data of 1666, Jean was born around 162210 , possibly in Paris.

He was married in Paris before the notaries Le Cat and Le Semelier, on Monday, April 23, 1645, with Marguerite Richard the daughter of master cutter engraver Nicolas Richard and Jeanne Bonnet11 . Jean and Marguerite had eleven children.

A desire for adventure and a better life are probably the factors that prompted them to venture across the Atlantic with their first child Louis and to settle in New France, specifically in Québec. They arrived some time in 1651.

Jean Levasseur’s name in the Colony is first listed in the civil registries of the NotreDame Parish of Québec on July 22, 1652 for the christening of his daughter Anne. The godparents were the Governor of New France, Jean de Lauzon, and his spouse, Anne Després.

Marguerite Richard, his spouse, owned various possessions in Paris. On August 18, 1658, Jean was given a power of attorney by his wife and went to France. This notarized document enabled Marguerite to inherit her share of her deceased father’s estate. He owned a home on Guérin Boisseau Street in Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs, Paris. The home was recognizable by a sign representing the image of Sainte-Anne and Sainte-Barbe. After having spent the winter in France, Jean returns to the country the following year. On October 18, 1659, his wife Marguerite Richard ratifies the transactions he undertook with Françoise Gogé, the widow of Nicolas Richard. In the fall of 1660, Jean returns to France with a power of attorney, similar to the first one he had, to sell two more homes that were part of his father in law’s estate.

For a master carpenter there was a lot of work in the young colony. Jean’s talents contributed significantly to satisfy the needs of a population growing from day to day. “On August 13, 1654, he contracted with the Notre-Dame de Québec Parish. The churchwardens entrusted him with the church’s upkeep at a salary of 30 sols per day”. He also carried out many real-estate transactions that are noted in multiple notarized deeds that may be consulted in the Archives nationales de Québec. Being very close to the government of New France he was given many interesting carpentry contracts. Also, Jean Levasseur is one of the founders of the Sainte-Anne Brotherhood, a group of carpenters who had a particular devotion for this patron saint.

In addition to his work as a carpenter, Jean was bailiff of the Sovereign Council of New France, a task attributed to him on April 22, 1664. Later in 1681, he became bailiff for the ”Prévôté“of Québec.

According to Sergine Desjardins, in her historical novel Marie Major, Jean Levasseur dit Lavigne and his wife Marguerite Richard greeted many Filles du roi (Daughters of the King) in their large home on Saint-Louis Street between 1665 and 1673. Many among them, namely Marie Major, were married in their home according to a notarized marriage contract.

After a very active life in the young colony, Jean Levasseur dit Lavigne passed away in Québec on August 31, 1686 and was buried there the next day.

His wife, Marguerite Richard, died much later on April 23, 1708 in L’Ancienne-Lorette at the age of 78.

Jean Levasseur’s male descendance is ensured by his son Noël who is the father of Noël Levasseur, the master sculptor. Also his son Charles may have contributed to the exploration voyages of Robert Cavelier de La Salle and of Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville. He was given the title of Major in the army . The direct descendants of Jean are only a few families. The descendants on the female side are much more important.

Jean Levasseur was Pierre Levasseur dit Lespérance’s brother. Pierre was married to Jeanne Chaverlange. His sister was Jeanne Levasseur, spouse of Christophe Drolet.

Signature of Jean Levasseur

Note: for references to this biography, refer to this document available from our association: Dictionnaire généalogique des descendants de Jean et Pierre Levasseur 2e édition 1666 – 2008

Levasseurs in America prior to 1800

  • Jean Levasseur dit Lavigne (circa 1622-1686)
    • Jean was originally from the Parish Saint-Leu-et-Saint-Gilles in Paris. He married Marguerite Richard, according to a marriage contract before the notaries Le Cat and Le Semelier, on April 23, 1645. The couple arrived in New France with their son Louis around 1651. Jean was a master builder and became first bailiff to the Sovereign Council. Jean’s descendants are believed to be approximately 340 persons.
  • Pierre Levasseur dit Lespérance (circa 1627-1694)
    • Pierre, like his brother Jean, is originally from the Parish Saint-Leu-et-Saint-Gilles in Paris. He married Jeanne Chaverlange, on October 1655 in Québec. His descendants are estimated at 6,359 persons. Pierre is also the ancestor of the Borgia family and a group of descendants whose name is Carmel.
  • Jeanne Levasseur
    • Jeanne, Jean and Pierre Levasseur’s sister, also came to New France. She was already married to Christophe Drolet when she arrived. In 1654, their son Pierre was baptized in Québec. Jeanne and Christophe returned to France in 1672. Their son remained in Canada and is at the origin of all the Drolet’s in America.
  • Laurent Levasseur (circa 1648-1726)
    • Laurent was from the Parish Sainte-Trinité de Bois-Guillaume, archdiocese of Rouen in Normandie. His name appears for the first time in the 1666 Census. He is employed by Guillemette Hébert, Guillaume Couillard’s widow. Laurent married Marie Marchand, on April 30, 1670 in Québec. His descendants are estimated at 8,245 persons.
  • Louis Levasseur sieur de Lespérance (circa 1636-1690)
    • Louis is from Saint-Jacques de Paris. He married Marguerite Bélanger, on December 13, 1666 at Château-Richer, Montmorency, QC. He died in Québec in 1690. His descendants are estimated at 13 persons.
  • Henri Lamarre dit Belisle (circa 1669-1740) ancestor to the Levasseur dit Belisle
    • Henri is from Saint-Michel-la-Palud, Angers, Maine-et-Loire, in France. He is the son of Antoine Lamarre and Marguerite Levasseur. He is a master surgeon. He first married under the name Henri Lamarre dit Belisle, to Catherine Demosny, on June 26, 1690 in Québec. He then adopted the name Henri Belisle. His second marriage was with Françoise Perinne Dandonneau, on November 26, 1705, in Champlain. His third marriage was with Jeanne Archambault, on August 25, 1712, at Pointe-aux-Trembles, Montréal. The descendants of this third marriage adopted the family name Levasseur dit Belisle. Henri is the ancestor to the Levasseur dit Belisle.
  • Charles-René Vassor dit Lafraicheur (circa 1724-1781)
    • Charles-René was from the Parish Saint-André-des-Arts in Paris. He first married Geneviève Grosnier on January 13, 1750, in Québec. In his marriage contract he is identified as a soldier with the Compagnie de Saint-Vincent. He was then married to Josephte Bouteiller on April 4, 1758 in Rivière-des-Prairies. His third marriage was with Amable Poudret dit Lavigne on October 12, 1761 at Rivière-des-Prairies. After 1772, when his children were baptized he adopted the Levasseur name. His descendants are estimated at 201 persons.
  • Jacques Levasseur de Neré (circa 1662-circa 1723)
    • Jacques was from de Paris. He married Marie Françoise Achille Chaveneau, circa 1694, in France. He arrived in New France in 1694, As a military engineer to the king. He returned to France and his descendants are estimated at 14 persons.
  • Pierre Levasseur dit Saint-Pierre (circa 1719-1774)
    • Pierre was from Notre-Dame de Peronne, Picardie. He was married to Marie-Louise Durbois dit Léonard, on August 31, 1750 at Fort Frédéric, Beauharnois. He returned to France and his descendants are estimated at 10 persons.
  • Jean LeVasseur (circa 1683-prior to November 3, 1734)
    • Jean was from Saint-Jacques, Dieppe, in Normandie. In New France, he was a marine soldier with the Dumesnil Company. He married Barbe Chevalier, on March 14, 1713 in Montréal. He had one daughter as a descendant.
  • René-Nicolas Levasseur (circa 1707–1784)
    • René-Nicolas was born at Rochefort. He was chief of the royal naval construction and inspector of the woods and forests in Canada. In 1738, the king sent him to Quebec to establish naval construction sites. He arrived with his wife Angéline Juste and his daughters Marie-Françoise-Renée and Marie-Anne. Marie Françoise married Barthélemy Martin on August 31, 1752, in Québec and Marie-Anne married Alexandre Robert on September 21, 1760, at the Notre-Dame Church in Montréal. René-Nicolas and his family returned to France in 1760.
  • Michel Levasseur
    • Michel was a goldsmith and resided in New France from 1699 to about 1712. He was married to Madeleine Villers. The couple baptized seven children in Québec between the years 1700 and 1710. Three died at a young age. The last one died on February 8, 1712 in L’Ancienne-Lorette. Michel taught the goldsmith trade to the apprentices Pierre Gauvreau and Jacques Pagé dit Carcy. We could believe that he returned to France after 1712.
  • François Vavasseur
    • François was born circa 1702. He was from Orléans, in France. He married Marguerite Chaille, in Québec in 1732. Four children were baptized in Québec.
  • Jeanne Levasseur (1631-1673)
    • Jeanne is a «Fille du Roi» (King’s daughter), from Rouen (St-Éloi). She was the daughter of Nicolas Levasseur and Catherine Leforestier. She married Barthélemy Tesson in Québec, on October 24, 1667. She died in France on May 29, 1673.
  • Sieur Le Vasseur
    • In 1542, a Sieur Le Vasseur drowned while on an exploration trip on the Saguenay River. He was a passenger on Sieur Jean-François de La Rocque de Roberval voyage to New France.
  • Jacques Levasseur
    • Jacques was from the archdiocese of Lisieux, in France. According to the 1666 Census, he is a hired hand for Marie Bourdon, widow of Jean Gloria. He is 33 years old.
  • Jean Levasseur
    • On the 1666 Census Jean, aged 20, is a hired hand for Jacques Bilodeau, a farmer on l’Île d’Orléans.
  • Jean Levasseur
    • On the 1667 census, Jean, aged 28, is a hired hand for Jean Primont, a farmer on l’Île d’Orléans.
  • Guillaume Levasseur
    • In 1601, Guillaume Levasseur, influential European cartographer drew the Atlantic Ocean map. This represents, amongst others, the geography of Eastern Canada. The golf and the Saint Lawrence River were drawn. The names of QUEBECQ, 3 RIVIERES, HOCHELAGA, TADOUSSAC are inscribed. Guillaume Levasseur was from Dieppe in Normandy. At the time, cartographers worked with the explorers and the fishermen who explored the coasts. They would provide information about their voyages. Cartographers would then draw their maps. Did Guillaume Levasseur, he come to New France? We do not know.
  • Note : The estimate for the number of descendants is according to the data in the Levasseur data bank as of March 26, 2008.

Consulted sources:

– Dictionnaire biographique du Canada en ligne, [www.biographi.ca/FR/index.html].

– La Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie et la Fédération française de généalogie. Fichier Origine, [www.fichierorigine.com].

– France Guide. Découvrez vos ancêtres Français, [http://ca.franceguide.com/].

– LANGLOIS, Michel. Dictionnaire biographique des ancêtres québécois (1608-1700), Sillery, La Maison des Ancêtres, 1998-2001, 4 v.

– LITALIEN, Raymonde, Jean-François PALOMINO et Denis VAUGEOIS. La mesure d’un continent. Atlas historique de l’Amérique du Nord 1492-1814, Sillery (Québec), Les Éditions du Septentrion; Paris, Presses de l’Université Paris-Sorbonne, 2007, 598 p.

– PRDH. Programme de recherche en démographie historique, [www.genealogie.umontreal.ca/].

Our ancestors throughout history

  • 1535 French explorer Jacques Cartier discovers Canada.
  • 1608 Samuel de Champlain, founder of Québec.
  • 1617 Louis Hébert is the first farmer to establish himself in Quebec. His farm is where the Latin quarters are presently located.
  • 1635 Foundation of the Jesuit College in Québec.
  • 1639 The arrival of the Ursulines and the Augustines Sisters in Québec.
  • 1651 Jean Levasseur returns with his wife. He is a Master Carpenter.
  • 1654 Arrival of Pierre Levasseur (1627-1694) to Québec. He is a Master Carpenter.
  • 1663 Arrival of Laurent Levasseur,  (1648-1726).He is hired by Guillemette Hébert during six years. Laurent is only 14 when he arrives to Canada.
  • 1663 Jean Levasseur is named bailiff of the Sovereign Council.
  • 1663 Mgr François de Laval is the founder of the Québec seminary.
  • 1666 On the 1666 census, Laurent Levasseur is listed as being hired by Guillemette Hébert. He is 18 years old.
  • 1669 Laurent Levasseur rents a home on Côte de Lauzon. He marries two months later.
  • 1681 On the 1681 census, Jean Levasseur is with the Royal provost ship of Quebec. He is the bailiff.
  • 1681 According to the 1681 census, Pierre Levasseur lives in the  Haute-Ville de Québec.
  • 1681 On the 1681 census, Laurent Levasseur lives on the Côte de Lauzon.
  • 1685 Inauguration of the first palace of the intendant.
  • 1686 Death of Jean Levasseur.
  • 1694 Death of Pierre Levasseur at l’Hôtel-Dieu de Québec.
  • 1726 Death of Laurent Levasseur.
  • 1759 Battle of the Plaines of Abraham. England defeats France. Death of the Captains, Wolfe and Montcalm.
  • 1834 Destruction by fire of the Château Saint-Louis, governors’ residence.
  • 1852 Foundation of Laval University, first French University in America.
  • 1871 Departure of the last British troops in Québec.
  • 1877-1886 Construction of the present Parliament.
  • 1893 Inauguration of the Château Frontenac.
  • 1943-1944 Winston Churchill, Prime-Minister of Great Britain and Franklin D. Roosevelt, president of the United States participate at the Québec Conferences.
  • 1985 Quebec historical surrounding is listed as UNESCO’s World Heritage site.
  • 2008 400th anniversary of the foundation of Québec.