General Notes:

"Robert Drouin was buried 1 Jun 1685 at Château-Richer. An inventory of his estate revealed goods worth 732 livres. However, after deducting 8 livres for funeral costs, 15 for the church at Château-Richer, 9 livres for the cost of the inventory, 65 livres of dower and 266 livres for half of the selling price of the house (which went to Marie), there was only 152 livres to divide among five inheritors, who brought many suits and appeals before the courts dealing with the inheritance. But Robert Drouin's real legacy is in his contribution to the French-Canadian race. 'It is almost impossible to trace any French-Canadian genealogy without encountering Robert Drouin among the earliest ancestors. That would seem... to be his greatest claim to fame.'" Peter J. Gagné, Fille à Marier, page 84-85 with quote from Honorious Provost, Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol 1. pg. 281.

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ROBERT DROUIN from " Our French-Canadian Ancestors " by Thomas J. Laforest

Those who live in the Saint Lawrence River Valley in the United States or in the Canadian Provinces under the name of Drouin, Drouyn, Derouin, Droin or even Drovin are descended from one unique source, Robert Drouin and Marie Chapelier.

Our Ancestor was born in the parish of Saint-Barthelemy in a small town of no distinction, Pin-la-Garenne, a Community in the Department of the Orne, District of Mortagne, Canton of Pervencheres in the ancient and honorable Province of Perche. He was baptized on August 6, 1607, the son of Robert and Marie Dubois. He grew to manhood in the same house, which still exists, the Tuileries. There is no relationship between this small modest stone house and the royal playhouse at Versailles exept the name; derived from the ornamental tile and brick used to decorate the walls and chimneys of homes of that period. It was there that Robert Drouin learned the abc's of his trade.

In 1634, Seigneur Robert Giffard recruited many Percherons for the unknown life in Canada. Among these were the families Cloutier, Boucher, Giroux and others. A year later, in 1635, Robert Drouin joined with François Aubert, Philippe Amyot, Jean Côté and Mathurin Grouvel who left from the port of Dieppe in their turn, to go out to the colony. The conditions of employment, which Robert accepted, were undoubtedly established the year before by Robert Giffard and Zacharie Cloutier before their departure.

FIRST MARRIAGE CONTRACT IN NEW FRANCE
Robert Drouin disembarked at Québec in the summer of 1635. According to the historian Benjamin Sulte, he was among the first to clear land in New France. Be that as it may, we find him living in Giffard's seigneurie, in the home of Zacharie Cloutier making bricks. He contributed materially to the building of houses and out buildings of those first settlers who could not live indefinitely in makeshift shelters nearby the manor house of the seigneur.

As the friendship of the 29 year old Robert and the Cloutier family grew stronger, he sought the hand in marriage of the 10 year old daughter of his employer. Anne Cloutier was born in Perche on January 19, 1626. She was the daughter of Zacharie and Sainte Dupont. The Notary Jean Guyon came to prepare the first marriage contract in Canada. It was done in the house of Seigneur Giffard before the principals concerned and a number of witnesses. The marriage was to take place as soon as possible; however, the newlyweds were to continue to live in the Cloutier home for a period of three years and the bride agreed to be "conseillee " by her parents. In this expression, one may observe the prudence of the parents who indicated the desire that their child not be confronted with marital responsibilities too soon.

Their marriage was celebrated, on July 12, 1637, in the church of Notre-Dame de Québec but, their first child, Agnes, did not come into the world until January 25, 1641, well after those years of parental surveillance.

MASTER BRICKMAKER
Robert knew the art of the brickmaker. A contract from Notary Piraude, dated March 25, 1640, tells us that Ancestor Drouin sold 7000 bricks to the nursing order of the Dames Hospitalieres. He contracted to deliver them about the 15th of the following June "on the shore of the river near Beauport just opposite his workyard " for a price of "two poinsons of wheat." A poinson is a measure of volume, equivalent to 39 Canadian ( Imperial ) gallons.

On October 14, 1645, Robert promised to "lease to Grouvel 200 bricks." During this period, our man was always busy with many other activities. He made planks, dry-docked the launch of Grouvel and sowed the fields of his friends. In spite of all this, Robert never abandoned his trade as a brickmaker. As proof, on July 27, 1682, on the occasion of the marriage of Étienne, his son from his marriage to Marie Chapelier, the father invited the son to come around in his spare time to "make some bricks." The boy would get to keep half the profits.

A COLONIST AT CHATEAU-RICHER
In 1641, the surveyor, Jean Bourdon, drew a map of the Beaupré Coast on which we can locate the land of Robert Drouin. It was situated between the properties of Jacques Boissel and Claude Estienne, to the west of Rivière-aux-Chiens. By that time, Robert had cleared a plot of land and put a small cabin on it. The couple must also have established a home at Beauport. In 1642, Robert and some people of Beauport were accused of having plotted to kill Jacques Bourguignon, who sued them in the Criminal Court of Québec. The affair was not prosecuted. On April 17, 1646, a land grant was made by Olivier Le Tardif in favor of Drouin and signed by Notary Morel. This land was 6 arpents of frontage by 126 in depth.

The Drouins had daughters. Agnes, who died in 1641, Geneviève and Jeanne. Genevieve had Jean Gagnon for a godfather and had been privately baptized by Mathurin Gagnon, family friends, who lived at Château-Richer. Jeanne was baptized, on February 5, 1647 by Father Jean Le Sueur, "in the house of Robert Drouin" at Rivière-aux-Chiens.

A sad event occured in 1648! Anne Cloutier died at Chandeleur and was buried at Québec on February 4. The Jesuit Journal tells us about the arrival of the body at the Hospital of Québec, where vespers were said before the interment. The question arises: how did they transport the body from Château-Richer to Québec in the dead of winter? This Anne Cloutier who was a native of Mortagne, in Perche, had arrived in Canada on the 4th of June 1634, exactly 100 years, to the day, after Jacques Cartier.

Wrapped in his grief, Robert decided to leave the area. He gave his in-laws temporary custody of his two orphan daughters, Geneviève and Jeanne. He rented his land to Julien Perrault, who agreed to allow an arpent of land to return to nature each year but to take good care of the two cows, the heifer, the ox and the four pigs.

A SECOND MARRIAGE
The next year, on November 26, 1649, Robert penned his mark at the bottom line of his second marriage contract. Marie Chapelier, widow of Pierre Petit, a native of Compte-Robert-en-Brie, and daughter of Jean and Marguerite Dodier, accepted him as her husband. Drouin promised to "take a residence close to Quebec." The following Monday, on November 29, the religious ceremony took place at Québec. The marriage contract, perhaps a bit complicated, was adjusted, on July 25, 1664.

AT CAP-DE-LA-MADELEINE
Marie Chapelier had a cousin, one Robert Hache, a clerk in a store in Québec in 1649, who was present at the signing of her marriage contract. This Jesuit layman had lived at Trois-Rivières. Could it have been he, who gave his cousin the idea of going to live at the Cap? The Drouins had a little daughter, Marie, who was baptized at Trois-Rivières in the autumn of 1650.

Old Zacharie Cloutier did not trust stepmother Chapelier, "He feared that the said children were mistreated by this new woman." Therefore, he took custody of his two grandchildren during the time his son-inlaw lived at Trois-Rivières.

On June 6, 1651, the Jesuits granted a plot of land to the Drouin couple, not far from that of Sebastien Dodier, a relative of Marie Chapelier. This grant of 2 arpents in frontage on the river to a depth of 20 arpents was located on the Cap between the properties of Jean Lanqueteau and Jean Poisson.

While Robert was busy making bricks, the fur trade did not leave him indifferent. He was seen selling a certain quantity of pelts at the Trois-Rivières market. He may have received them in payment for bricks. On September 18, 1650, Marie, their first child, was baptized at this second home of the Drouins but, by January of 1652, they were back in Québec where Nicolas was baptized in a private ceremony at Québec. The boy had already been conditionally baptized on January 8 by Nicolas Giffard.

AT THE RIVIERES-AUX-CHIENS
Father Paul Ragueneau, S.J., baptized Marguerite Drouin on December 27, 1655 at the home of Étienne Racine, a resident of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. Thus, we see that the family had returned to the Rivière-aux-Chiens, no doubt back to the land of 1641. But their return to Sainte-Anne parish was not all that happy. The Cloutiers did not like Marie Chapelier so, out of concern for their granddaughters, Geneviève and Jeanne, they were able to obtain permanent custody. These two daughters of Anne Cloutier, would be, during the life of their father and even after his death, the center of judicial property due from their father and mother.

Robert and Marie loved their children very much and did all they could to help them, especially on the occasion of their marriages. For instance, when daughter Marie married, they gave her a milk cow, some clothing, some linens and dishes, plus 100 livres in cash. The Drouins also boarded Geneviève and Marguerite with the Ursuline nuns at Québec.

In 1667, Robert owned 6 head of cattle and 10 arpents of cleared land. He sold a half arpent of his river frontage in 1668 to François Lacroix for 100 livres. The next year, he granted a slice off the back section of his land, 2 arpents, 3.5 perches, to Francois Branliac. Enough land still remained for his sons, Nicolas and Étienne. In 1681, Robert Drouin was yet himself cultivating 20 arpents of land. On October 4 of that year, he accepted the 14 year old Charles Balarneau for a three year indenture.

THE DROUIN FAMILY AND SAINTE-ANNE-DE-BEAUPRE
The good Sainte-Anne did something special to recognize the faith of the founding Drouin family. It has been recorded that Nicolas, the 12 year old son of Robert, "being afflicted by a falling sickness ( epilepsy ), and who was in danger of dying in a fire or in the water and who often fell down as if dead wherever he found himself, vowed to Sainte-Anne and started a novena in her honor ... and ( as a result ) recovered his health," on the feast of Sainte-Anne, July 26, 1662. His recovery was complete. "He continued all the years with his parents, to give thanks to Sainte-Anne, on her feast day, at the church of the little cape."

Marie Chapelier had eight children by Robert Drouin. Roger A. Drouin and the Society of the Drouins of America tell us that of all these children, Nicolas and Étienne were the only ones to have perpetuated the name of their father. They married two sisters, Marie and Catherine Loignan, daughters of Pierre and Françoise Roussin, originally from Tourouvre, in Perche; therefore, the Drouin family is doubly attached to this ancient province.

In 1664, Madame Drouin made an offering of a livre to the church of Sainte-Anne. That same year, an unfortunate event hit the family rather hard. Their daughter, Marie, married, on November 28, 1662 at Château-Richer to Nicolas Lebel, son of Clement and Françoise Lagnel, drowned at Rivière-aux-Chiens " coming to Sainte-Anne to hear the Holy Mass ... and with the intention of making her devotions." She was buried at Château-Richer on May 2, 1664.

LEST WE FORGET
Robert Drouin at age 77, father of fourteen children, died, on June 1, 1685, at Château-Richer " after having received the sacraments of penance, holy eucharist and extreme unction." Father Guillaume Gauthier presided at the funeral. On the 11, 16 and 17th of June, an inventory was made of his possessions, by the Notary Étienne Jacob.

His widow, Marie Chapelier, is without a doubt, the woman listed at the Hôtel-Dieu Québec under the name of Marie Chapeliez. She died, on March 15, 1697 at the Hôtel-Dieu and was buried three days later.

Étienne and Nicolas Drouin took care that there were many descendants. "Je Me Souviens " is the motto that every family should adopt in order to keep alive the memory of those pioneers who made this country, Canada.

THE CHILDREN OF ROBERT DROUIN AND ANNE CLOUTIER
1) Agnes was born, on January 16, 1641, at Beauport and baptized, on January 21, at Québec. She died, on January 31, 1641.
2) Geneviève was born, on October 19, 1643, at Québec. She married Romain Trepanier, son of Charles and Marie-Marette, on April 24, 1656, at Beauport. The contract was notarized by Badeau, on February 27 of the same year. This couple had six boys and six girls. Geneviève had Jean Gagnon for a godfather and was baptized privately by Mathurin Gagnon. Jean and Mathurin were family friends, who also lived at Château-Richer.
3) Jeanne was born, on May 2, 1647, at Québec. She married Pierre Maheu, son of Jean and Michelle Chauvin, on November 10, 1659, at Québec. They had five children, two boys and three girls.
Three unnamed infants were born and died the same day, on November 8, 1641, November 22, 1642 and in 1645.

THE CHILDREN OF ROBERT DROUIN AND MARIE CHAPELIER
1) Marie was baptized on September 18, 1650, at Trois-Rivières. She married Nicolas Lebel, son of Clement and Francoise Lagnel, on November 28, 1662, at Château-Richer. The contract was notarized on November 27 by Aubert. Marie was buried on May 2, 1664, at Château-Richer. They had no children. Nicolas married for a second time to Thérèse Mignault, daughter of Jean and Louise Cloutier, on April 2, 1665, at Château-Richer. They had four children, three boys and a girl.
2) Nicolas was born on January 7, 1652 and baptized on February 1, 1652. He married Marie Loignon, daughter of Pierre and Françoise Roussin, on November 6, 1674, at Québec. The contract was notarized by Becquet, on October 31 of the same year. This couple assured the continuation of the Drouin name through the birth of eight boys and seven girls.
3) Pierre was baptized on November 30, 1653, at Quèbec. He died between 1666 and 1667.
4) Marguerite was born on December 23, 1655 and baptized on December 27, 1655. She married Jean Gagnon, son of Jean and Marguerite Cauchon, on October 26, 1670, at Château-Richer. The contract was notarized, on the 25th of November, by Auber. They had eight children, five boys and three girls. Jean was buried on December 7, 1687, at Château-Richer. Marguerite married on April 19, 1689 at Château-Richer, Antoine Darde, son of Antoine and Anne Gernes. They had two daughters, Anne and Thérèse.
5) Étienne was born between 1656 and 1658. He married Catherine Loignon, daughter of Pierre and Françoise Roussin and sister of Marie, who was married to Nicolas, on November 3, 1682, at Sainte-Famille, Île d'Orlèans. Notary Duquet notarized the contract on July 27, 1682. This couple had eleven children,six boys and five girls. Catherine was buried, on March 13, 1703, at Château-Richer. Etienne then married Jeanne Baret, daughter of Jean and Jeanne Bitouset and widow of Martin Poulin, on April 13, 1711, at Beaupré. The contract was notarized by Vachon on April 10. No children were born of this second marriage.
6) Catherine was born on January 2, 1660 and baptized, on January 5, 1660, at Québec. She married Michel Roulois, son of Michel and Jeanne Maline, on November 24, 1676, at Château-Richer. The contract was notarized by Vachon, on October 20, of the same year.They had six children, one boy and five girls. Michel died, on February 15, 1686 and was buried the next day, at Château-Richer. Catherine married for a second time to Guillaume Simon, son of Hubert and Marie Vie, on November 17, 1688, at Château-Richer. Catherine and Guillaume had one boy followed by nine girls.
7) Jean-Baptiste was born on February 13, 1662 and baptized, on February 14, 1662, at Château-Richer. He died on February 3, 1665.
8) Marie-Madeleine was born on November 26, 1664 and baptized, on November 27th, at Château-Richer. She died on February 3, 1665.

FAMILY NAME VARIATIONS
Boucher, Derouin, De Rouin, Derouen, DeRouen, Droin, Drovin and Drowin

This biography was taken from " Our French-Canadian Ancestors " by Thomas J. Laforest; Volume 2-Chapter 9-Page 77 [3-5-98 by James Gagne, www.jamesgagne.net]

Other Information:

• Occupation: Brick maker.

Robert married Anne Cloutier, daughter of Zacharie Cloutier and Xainte Dupont, on 12 Jul 1637 in Québec City, Québec, Québec, Canada.^{1 2}(Anne Cloutier was born on 19 Jan 1626 in St-Jean de Mortagne, ev. Sees, Perche, France,¹ died on 4 Feb 1648 in Québec City, Québec, Québec, Canada ¹ and was buried on 5 Feb 1648 in Québec City, Québec, Québec, Canada ¹.)

Robert next married Marie Chapelier, daughter of Jean Chapelier and Marguerite Dodier, on 29 Nov 1649 in Québec City, Québec, Québec, Canada.^{1 2 3} (Marie Chapelier was born in 1625 in St-Étienne, Brie-Comte-Robert, Champagne, France ³ and died on 18 Mar 1697 in Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, Québec, Canada ¹.)

Marriage Events:

• Marriage Contract: Notary Audouart, 26 Nov 1649, Québec City, Québec, Québec, Canada. ³ Marie Chapelier signed the contract, but her husband could not. Her cousin Robert Hache, a donné of the Jesuits and clerk of the storehouse at Québec City, was present at the contract. A clause in the the contract specified that within a year, Robert Drouin had to find a place for the couple to live that was closer to Québec City than his current residence at the Rivière-aux-Chiens in Beauport.

Marriage Notes:

Marie and Robert had 311 descendants by 31 Dec 1729.

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