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René Lavoie & Anne Godin

Discover the story of René Lavoie from Rouen and Anne Godin from La Rochelle, who each emigrated to New France in the 17th century before meeting and settling on the Beaupré coast. Their journey, shaped by faith, challenges, and miracles, reflects the experiences of Huguenot families in the colony.

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René Lavoie & Anne Godin

From Huguenot Exile to Catholic New France

 

René Lavoie (or Delavoye), son of René Delavoye and Isabeau Bellenger, was baptized on November 28, 1628, in the parish of Saint-Maclou in Rouen, Normandy, France. His godparents were Pierre Hedon and Marie Caillaulx. [His mother’s surname has also appeared as Bélanger and Béranger.]

1628 Baptism of René Lavoie (Archives de la Seine-Maritime)

Location of Rouen in France (Mapcarta)

Rouen in 1660 (" Roan" in Dutch), engraving by Hendrick Focken (Bibliothèque nationale de France)

Church of Saint-Maclou in Rouen, undated postcard (Geneanet)

The Church of Saint-Maclou in Rouen, where René was baptized, is a prime example of Flamboyant Gothic architecture. Built between 1437 and 1517, it stands near Rouen Cathedral in the historic city center and is renowned for its ornate façade. Although damaged during World War II, the church has been carefully restored. Today, it remains a significant architectural and historical landmark, reflecting Rouen’s medieval and religious heritage.

Rouen, now home to approximately 114,000 residents, is located in the department of Seine-Maritime. The city lies 120 kilometres northwest of Paris and about 50 kilometres south of Dieppe.

The exact date of René’s arrival in New France is unknown. However, he married in April 1656, before seasonal navigation had begun, indicating that he was already in Canada by 1655.

Anne Godin (or Gaudin), daughter of Élie Godin and Marie Esther Ramage, was baptized on October 18, 1639, in the Calvinist (Protestant) temple of La Villeneuve in La Rochelle, Aunis, France. Her godparents were Jean Alamand and Anne Letan, with only the godfather able to sign the baptismal record.

1639 baptism of Anne Godin (Archives départementales de la Charente-Maritime)

 

Temple de la Villeneuve

The Temple de la Villeneuve in La Rochelle was one of the Protestant places of worship serving the city's large Huguenot population in the 17th century. Located outside the medieval walls, it was built to accommodate the growing Protestant community during La Rochelle’s peak as a Huguenot stronghold. Like other Calvinist temples, it likely had a simple, functional design, reflecting Reformed principles that avoided elaborate ornamentation.

Following the fall of La Rochelle in 1628, when the city surrendered to Louis XIII after a prolonged siege, many Protestant churches were either closed or converted into Catholic places of worship. The Temple de la Villeneuve was eventually dismantled after the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, which outlawed Protestantism in France.

Location of La Rochelle in France (Mapcarta)

La Rochelle is a historic port city in the Charente-Maritime department. Today, it has a population of approximately 78,000 and remains an important maritime centre. In the 17th century, La Rochelle was a major hub for trade, exploration, and emigration, playing a crucial role in France’s expansion to the New World. As one of the primary departure points for settlers, it was instrumental in the colonization of New France. Many of the men and women who helped establish the colony—including soldiers, artisans, farmers, and Filles du roi—set sail from its port. Despite its large Huguenot population, which faced persecution following the siege of 1627–1628 and the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685, La Rochelle remained central to France’s colonial ambitions.

A contemporary view of La Rochelle (©The French-Canadian Genealogist)

A New Start in New France

The Godin family left La Rochelle for Canada around 1654, when Anne was about 15 years old. They settled on the côte de Beaupré.  

René Lavoie and Anne Godin were married on April 14, 1656, in the parish of Notre-Dame in Québec. René was 27 years old, while Anne was 16. Her parents were present at the ceremony. The marriage record states: dispense ayant esté donnée de publicaon de banes et de toute autre Ceremonie pour bonnes et Justes raisons ("dispensation having been given for the publication of the banns and for all other ceremony for good and just reasons”).

1656 marriage of René Lavoie and Anne Godin (Généalogie Québec)

Though the details of the dispensation are unknown, the remark in the marriage record was most likely related to religion. Although René had been baptized a Catholic, it appears that he had become a Huguenot (Protestant). On April 3, 1657, a year after his marriage, Father Jean de Quen wrote in the Journal des Jésuites that René abjured his Protestant faith:

 

Je fis faire abjuration d'heresie en ma chambre en presence de Jobin & Pierre du Val et du P. Chastelain selon la formule du concile de Trente, à un garçon appartenant au dit Jobin, appellé René Voie (“I made an abjuration of heresy in my chamber in the presence of Jobin and Pierre du Val and Father Chastelain according to the formula of the Council of Trent, to a boy belonging to the said Jobin, called René Voie”)

 

From this note, we also know that in 1657, René was working for Jean Jobin. 

Just a few months after his marriage, on 18 August 1656, René obtained a three-year lease from Louis d’Aillebout, the seigneur of Coullonges and Argentenay, in the name of Marguerite Rosée, the widow of Pierre Gagné. The lease included land on the côte de Beaupré measuring three arpents of frontage along the St. Lawrence River, along with a cabin and a farm for grain cultivation. In exchange, René agreed to pay three and a half poinçons of wheat for the first year. For the following two years, he would owe a poinçon and a half of wheat, a poinçon of peas and three livres. [The term poinçon referred to an old measure of capacity for liquids and solids. Some researchers estimate that a poinçon was equivalent to about 40 Canadian gallons.] Today, this land would be located within the limits of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré. [The original record from notary Audouart no longer exists.]

René and Anne settled on the côte de Beaupré, where they had at least eight children:

  1. René (ca. 1657–1731)

  2. Jean François (ca. 1661–?)

  3. Anne (1664–1686)

  4. Pierre (1666–1736)

  5. Jacques (1669–1752)

  6. Marie Madeleine (1672–1743)

  7. Marie Brigitte (1675–1748)

  8. Joseph (1678–?)

1665 land concession to René Lavoie (FamilySearch)

On October 7, 1665, René officially received the three arpents of land he had previously leased as a concession from co-seigneur Charles Aubert de Lachesnay. The record, penned by notary Michel Fillion, states that René had been living on this land in the seigneurie of Beaupré for about eight years. Under the terms of the concession, René agreed to pay his seigneur an annual rente of 20 sols per arpent of frontage and two live capons, plus three sols in cens. He also pledged to have his grain ground exclusively at the seigneurial mill.

 

Miracles at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré

Since its very founding, the church of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, now a Basilica, has been synonymous with miracles. This legacy dates back to 1658, when a group of Breton immigrants encountered a fierce storm on the St. Lawrence River. In their desperation, they implored Saint Anne, venerated in Bretagne as Jesus' grandmother, for protection, vowing to build a sanctuary in her honour if spared. Miraculously, by dawn, the tempest had subsided, and their ship safely reached shore. True to their word, they erected the first chapel dedicated to Saint Anne on that very spot. Since then, numerous miracles have been attributed to this sacred site.

 

Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in 2022 (©The French-Canadian Genealogist)

 

René, Anne and their family were witnesses to these very miracles. In 1662, Anne’s mother, Esther, was healed of a debilitating illness.

 

“She had spent the last eighteen months completely hunched over, unable to stand upright, and dragging herself about only with the help of a cane. Despairing of ever recovering her health by human remedies, Marie remembered what her husband had once told her about a certain Louis Guimond. Guimond, also of the parish of Sainte-Anne-du-Petit-Cap, had spontaneously been cured of a great back pain while placing three stones on the foundation of the church during the course of its construction back in 1658. With Guimond in mind, Marie invoked Saint Anne, praying that Anne perform a miracle on her behalf just as she had done for that man. At that very moment, Marie was astonished to find herself on her feet completely upright, able to walk more easily than ever before. She gave thanks to Anne for her remarkable recovery and remained in perfect health ever after. This miracle, we are told, a beaucoup servi à confirmer dans la foy toute cette famille qui avait longtemps vécu dans la religion prétendue reformée [‘served to confirm the faith of this entire family, which had long lived under the so-called Reformed religion’].”

 
 

Just two years later, Anne’s father, Élie, was said to have been miraculously cured of dropsy. As there was no medical cure for the disease, the priest at Sainte-Anne advised Élie to pray to Blessed Saint Anne. At his next communion, Élie reportedly told the priest:

 

“Sir, I am cured. Let me stand up. When you were in church, I fell asleep while saying my rosary. During my sleep, I saw two venerable Ladies who came to me. One of them had in hand a box, which she opened and I saw a very long and narrow road leading to Heaven. At this sight, I was filled with consolation and relieved of my ailment.”   

 
 

Today, the Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré draws over a million visitors annually, some to marvel at a beautiful and historic place of worship, while others seek healing and salvation.   

 

A pillar at the entrance of the Basilica. These crutches and canes have been left by pilgrims, reportedly healed by their visit (©The French-Canadian Genealogist)

 
 

In 1666, René and Anne were enumerated in the census of New France living in Beaupré with their three children.

1666 census for the household of René “de la Roy” (Library and Archives Canada)

A year later, another census was undertaken. René and Anne were still living in the seigneurie of Beaupré with their four children. René had only cleared four arpents of land and didn’t own any farm animals.

1667 census for the household of René “de Lavoy” (Library and Archives Canada)

Between 1662 and 1679, parish records indicate that René took on various small jobs at the Church of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré in exchange for cash and household goods such as candles. He accumulated several debts and, at times, had to repay his creditors through manual labour. It appears that René was not well-suited for farming beyond subsistence agriculture and preferred to take on miscellaneous work. Financially, he struggled, and it is likely that the family lived in poverty.   

Death of Anne Godin

Anne Godin died at the young age of 38 on February 26, 1678, forty days after the birth of her last child, Joseph. She was buried the following day in the parish cemetery of Sainte-Anne in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.

1678 burial of Anne Godin (Généalogie Québec)

On August 24, 1686, René sold a portion of his land in the seigneurie of Beaupré to his son-in-law Pierre Allard for 400 livres. A cooper by trade, Pierre had married Anne Lavoie three years earlier. The land measured an arpent and a half in frontage by 30½ arpents in depth. In return, Pierre agreed to provide food, housing, and care for his father-in-law for the rest of his life, as well as to arrange for his burial upon his death. He also committed to supporting his sisters-in-law, Marie and Brigitte, until they married.

Last page of 1686 sale, showing René Lavoie’s signature (FamilySearch)

Death of René Lavoie

Artificial intelligence image created by the author with Dall-E (February 2025)

René Lavoie died at the age of 67 on March 11, 1696. The burial records reads that he was “mort subitement en chemin quil avait commencé de venir a La Ste messe dans lEglise de cette parroisse" (“died suddenly on the way to attending holy mass in the church of this parish”). He was buried the following day in the parish cemetery of La-Visitation-de-Notre-Dame in Château-Richer.

1696 burial of René Lavoie (Généalogie Québec)

Legacy

Commemorative plaque installed at Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré by the Association des familles Lavoie (©The French-Canadian Genealogist)

Today, the descendants of René Lavoie and Anne Godin are found across Québec, Canada, and the United States, bearing a variety of surnames, including De Lavoye, Delouvois, Lauvway, Lavair, Lavia, Lavitt, Lavoice, La Voiere, Lavois, La Voise, Lavoire, Lavoix, Lavore, Lavoy, Lavoye, Levoy, Levoye, and many others. According to the Institut de la statistique du Québec, Lavoie was the eighth most common surname in Québec in 2006.

 
 
 
 
René Lavoie & Anne Godin (article in PDF format)
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