RACINE, Etienne

Other Events and Attributes:

• Differentiator: Among the first 47 families that settled Quebec City (New France); contemporaries and acquaintances of Samuel Champlain
• Birth: 11 May 1607, Fumichon, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France
• Death: 24 Apr 1689, Quebec (Urban Agglomeration), Quebec, Canada
• Death: 24 Apr 1689, Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, La Côte-de-Beaupré, Quebec, Canada

Notes:

HIGHLIGHTS:

Unlike many of his contemporaries, Étienne was educated and could both read and write, likely due to his time at a Jesuit college in Normandy.

Étienne arrived in Quebec as an indentured servant to Guillaume Hubou, a fellow Norman from nearby Mesnil-Durand. He had a 3-year contract

Étienne's marriage contract was drawn up with Marguerite Martin in 1637. She was the daughter of Abraham Martin (after whom the Plains of Abraham would be named) and Marguerite Langlois. Marguerite, born in Quebec in 1624, was merely 13 years old at the time. Due to her young age, the actual marriage ceremony was postponed until May 22, 1638, when Marguerite was 14 and Étienne about 32.

Etienne Racine travelled from 1644 to 1646, companion to the missionnaries Brébeuf and Lalemant (Société de Jésus) through out the Huron country. He returned for the birth of his daughter, baptized Marie-Madeleine Racine, on July 25, 1646, and sets out again one month later towards Lake Huron.

In October 1647, he goes to France with his friend Olivier Le Tardif, then on April 4, 1648, to La Rochelle before returning once again to New France.

In 1650, LeTardif granted Étienne a substantial property of 710 meters wide by 7200 meters deep in what would become Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. This grant makes Étienne the founder of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, a town that would later become famous as a pilgrimage site.

CONNECTIONS:

Etienne is Jim's 10th GGF on both the Dumas and Vermette/Gilbert branches.

LIFE STORY:

Étienne Racine, born around 1606 in Fumichon, Normandy, France, was the son of René Racine and Marie Loysel. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Étienne was educated and could both read and write, likely due to his time at a Jesuit college in Normandy. This education would serve him well in the New World and foster a lifelong connection with the Jesuit order.

In 1634, at about 28 years old, Étienne arrived in Quebec as an indentured servant to Guillaume Hubou, a fellow Norman from nearby Mesnil-Durand. This three-year contract brought Étienne to the shores of New France, where he would make his mark as a significant early settler.

On November 16, 1637, Étienne's marriage contract was drawn up with Marguerite Martin, daughter of Abraham Martin (after whom the Plains of Abraham would be named) and Marguerite Langlois. Marguerite, born in Quebec in 1624, was merely 13 years old at the time. Due to her young age, the actual marriage ceremony was postponed until May 22, 1638, when Marguerite was 14 and Étienne about 32.

Étienne's life in New France was marked by adventure and enterprise. From 1644 to 1646, he worked as a carpenter for the Jesuits at their mission in Huron territory, showcasing both his skills and his continued connection to the Jesuit order. In 1647, Étienne's knowledge of both New France and his native Normandy proved valuable when he accompanied Robert Giffard back to France to recruit new settlers. This trip, which saw him depart from and return to La Rochelle, demonstrated Étienne's commitment to the growth of the colony.

Upon his return in 1648, Étienne's efforts were rewarded by his friend Olivier LeTardif, co-seigneur of Beaupré. On March 27, 1650, LeTardif granted Étienne a substantial property of 710 meters wide by 7200 meters deep in what would become Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. This grant makes Étienne the founder of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, a town that would later become famous as a pilgrimage site.

Throughout their lives, Étienne and Marguerite raised a family of ten children - four boys and six girls - who would go on to play significant roles in the development of New France. Their daughters' marriages to men like Noël Simard, Jean Gagnon, and Jean Paré would establish family lines that continue to be prominent in French-Canadian genealogy.

Marguerite Martin passed away on November 25, 1679, at the age of 55. Étienne lived on for another decade, dying on April 24, 1689, at the impressive age of 83. Their lives spanned the crucial early decades of French settlement in Canada, and their legacy lives on through their numerous descendants and the town of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.

Etienne married MARTIN, Marguerite on 22 May 1638 in Quebec (Urban Agglomeration), Quebec, Canada. Marguerite (daughter of MARTIN, Abraham and LANGLOIS, Marguerite) was born on 4 Jan 1624 in Quebec (Urban Agglomeration), Quebec, Canada; died on 25 Nov 1679 in Chateau Richer, La Côte-de-Beaupré, Quebec, Canada. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

1. RACINE, Etienne was born on 3 Aug 1662 in Beaupré, La Côte-de-Beaupré, Quebec, Canada; died on 3 Jan 1722 in Beaupré, La Côte-de-Beaupré, Quebec, Canada.
2. RACINE, Jeanne was born on 12 Sep 1660 in Chateau Richer, La Côte-de-Beaupré, Quebec, Canada; died on 18 May 1703 in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, La Côte-de-Beaupré, Quebec, Canada.
3. RACINE, Francois was born on 16 Jul 1649 in Quebec (Urban Agglomeration), Quebec, Canada; died on 23 Feb 1714 in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada.
4. RACINE, Unknown was born in 1640; died in 1640.
5. RACINE, Noel was born on 26 Dec 1643 in Quebec (Urban Agglomeration), Quebec, Canada; died on 4 Mar 1728 in Montmorency, Quebec (Urban Agglomeration), Quebec, Canada.
6. RACINE, Louise was born on 2 Sep 1641; died on 5 Jan 1675.
7. RACINE, Madeleine was born on 25 Jul 1646; died on 3 Dec 1726.
8. RACINE, Marguerite was born on 8 Mar 1652; died on 17 Dec 1695.
9. RACINE, Pierre was born on 26 Oct 1654; died on 12 Mar 1729.
10. RACINE, Marie was born in 1657; died on 30 Jan 1736.

Rene married LOYSEL, Marie Marie was born about 1589 in Fumichon, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France; died on 21 May 1638 in Fumichon, Calvados, Basse-Normandie, France. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]