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 Zacharie Cloutier & Sainte Dupont

Canada’s most prolific immigrants

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Zacharie Cloutier and Sainte Dupont were one of the most important couples to come to New France to help settle and populate what would become Québec. In fact, if you have French-Canadian roots, chances are you’ll eventually find them in your family tree, perhaps even multiple times. Among the first colonists to arrive in New France, the couple had six children, five of which lived to adulthood and had their own families. By the turn of the 19th century, parish registers in Québec showed marriages for 10,850 of their descendants, far more than any other early colonists.

Humble Beginnings in Mortagne-au-Perche, Normandy

Zacharie Cloutier (sometimes spelled “Cloustier” or “Clouthier”), the son of Denis Cloutier and Renée Brière, was born circa 1590 in Mortagne-au-Perche, Perche, France (present-day Mortagne-au-Perche, Orne, Normandie, France), one of 9 children. His father Denis was probably a joiner and ropemaker. Sainte (sometimes spelled “Xainte”) Dupont, the daughter of Paul-Michel Dupont and Perrine (maiden name unknown), was born circa 1596 also in Mortagne-au-Perche. We also know the names of Sainte’s paternal grandparents: Denis Dupont and Xainte Aubry.

Zacharie was Sainte’s second husband. She married her first husband, Michel Lermusier, in the parish of St-Jean in Mortagne-au-Perche on 26 Feb 1612. She was 16 years old. The couple did not have any children, as Lermusier died prematurely shortly after their wedding.

Zacharie and Sainte were married in the same parish on 18 Jul 1616. He was 26 years old; she was 20. Together they had 6 children in Mortagne-au-Perche: Zacharie (born 16 Aug 1617), Jean (born 13 May 1620), Sainte (born 1 Nov 1622, buried 19 Sep 1632), Anne (born 19 Jan 1626), Charles (born 3 May 1629) and Marie-Louise (born 18 Mar 1632).

Voyage to the New World

Zacharie’s Canadian story starts in March of 1634. Along with fellow Frenchman Jean Guyon du Buisson, Zacharie signs a contract with Robert Giffard, seigneur of Beauport, to go to New France and work as a master carpenter and land clearer for a period of 3 years. At this time, Zacharie was considered the best carpenter in Mortagne so Giffard sought his skills to help build Samuel de Champlain’s colony in the New World. It must have been a difficult and courageous decision, as Zacharie likely knew he would never return to French soil.

The contract signed with Giffard stipulated that Zacharie, Jean and both of their eldest sons would be entitled to half the land they cleared on the Beauport seigneurie, would be fed and their general needs met, along with those of their family members. Giffard also promised to give them each 2 cows if he had more than 4, and to build each man a house. The Cloutiers would receive 1,000 arpents (342 hectares) of land as a fief called the “Clousterie” (also called “La Clouterie” and “La Cloutièrerie”). Guyon’s land was dubbed “du Buisson”. Both men were given the right to hunt, fish and trade with the sauvages (a derogatory term, no longer used, to describe the Indigenous people), a rarity in contracts at the time. The contract also stipulated that Giffard had the right to demand fealty from Zacharie and Jean—something that would later become problematic in their relationship.

Zacharie was one of several Frenchmen recruited by Giffard to settle land on the Beauport River. Before the arrival of Giffard’s recruits, the colony of New France numbered less than 100. Attracting more settlers was crucial to the survival of the remote French outpost.

As their sailing departure point was Dieppe, the Cloutier family had to travel a distance of over 200 kilometres from Mortagne-au-Perche, probably in a horse-drawn cart, filled with furniture, household items, supplies and any other personal items they wanted to bring with them to their new home.

Zacharie Cloutier and Jean Guyon sailed from Dieppe with their families, alongside Robert Giffard and his family. Over a month later, they disembarked at Québec on 4 Jun 1634 and were welcomed by Samuel de Champlain himself, relieved to finally see a French contingent arrive. The new colonists’ first stop after setting foot on land was a visit to the Notre Dame de Recouvrance church in order to give thanks for their safe passage. The newcomers were then hosted by Québec families in their homes, but not for long. Before month’s end, Giffard’s recruits were already at work on his Beauport seigneurie, clearing the land and building houses for the colonists. Zacharie and Jean were then charged with building Giffard’s beautiful manor, located near the Notre-Dame river.

Once their contract obligations were fulfilled, both Cloutier and Guyon took official possession of their lands at Beauport on 3 Feb 1637. They lived here for several years, as demonstrated by the numerous notarial documents that bear their names. Even though he was illiterate and could not sign his name, Zacharie always insisted on formalizing any agreements he took part in. Throughout his life, he would draw something similar to an axe as his mark on documents, symbolizing his carpentry trade. An example of his mark from a contract is below. [Note: This 1636 marriage contract between Zacharie’s 10-year old daughter Anne to Robert Drouin is said to be the first marriage contract signed in Canada. Even though we know that girls in New France were married at a very young age, Anne was exceedingly so. The contract stipulated that her marriage to the 30-year Drouin would not be consummated until a year later.]

At first, the Cloutier and Guyon families lived together under the same roof. After some time, Zacharie built his own home on the Clousterie. His skills as a carpenter were much sought-after: Zacharie helped to build the Château St-Louis (official residence of the Governor of New France), a Jesuit presbytery, a redoubt with battery on the quays of Québec’s lower town, and many colonists’ homes. Zacharie and Sainte continued to live in Beauport for some time; over the years, each of their children married and left the family home.

In 1646, a curious and rather inexplicable argument occurred between Giffard and his recruits Cloutier and Guyon. Probably long-forgotten by the two men, Giffard attempted to exercise his right to demand fealty (in French, “foy et hommage”, or “faith and homage”), a clause he had included in their engagement contract. We don’t know why Giffard insisted on this, years after all three men crossed the ocean together. Ancient protocol meant that Zacharie and Jean would’ve had to go to Giffard’s manor, impeccably dressed, and kneel before him, repeating three times “I pledge to you faith and homage”. Zacharie, refusing to be humiliated in such a manner, before a man he considered an equal, rejected this request. Guyon followed suit. Giffard also claimed that the men owed him payment for cens et rentes (annual duties due to the seigneur). When Zacharie and Jean refused this second request, Giffard asked the governor to intervene. Unfortunately for the recruits, the governor sided with his friend Giffard. Jean, not wanting to drag the conflict out any longer, finally did pledge fealty and paid the duties. Zacharie still refused to kneel but did pay once he was compelled to by another court decision. This tension between Giffard and his two recruits was far from over, however. Giffard took them to court over and over again, seemingly for trivial issues. One complaint drawn up in 1659 stated that the men’s farm animals were trespassing and grazing on Giffard’s property (although Giffard did allow other colonists’ animals to roam his property without issue). Historians have not been able to determine the reason for Giffard’s unwavering campaign of maliciousness against Zacharie and Jean.

By the end of 1659, Zacharie and Sainte had an empty nest, following the departure of their youngest son Charles. Zacharie, although he was still taking on carpentry work, left the more arduous farm work to his son-in-law Jean Mignot. In 1666, the first-ever census of New France shows the Cloutier couple living in Château-Richer, about 20 kilometres northeast of Beauport. Zacharie, an habitant, was 76 years old and Sainte was 70. The record also shows that the couple had 2 horned beasts (probably cows). We don’t know exactly when they moved to Château-Richer, but Zacharie had been granted a plot of land there by Governor Jean de Lauzon back in 1652. His sons had also settled in Château-Richer. Zacharie finally sold his land at Beauport to Nicolas Dupont de Neuville in 1670.

In 1669, Zacharie and Sainte went before a notary to sign an Act of Donation to their eldest son Zacharie and his wife Madeleine Esmard (or “Émard”), who lived on a large farm in Château-Richer. In this document, they donate their land, goods, furniture and all other possessions to their son and daughter-in-law. In return, Zacharie and Madeleine must provide them with a home, food, clothing, shoes, linens and ensure to their health and well-being.

Zacharie Cloutier died at the age of 87 on 17 Sep 1677 in Château-Richer, where he was buried in the church cemetery a day later. Sainte Dupont died at the age of 84 on 14 Jul 1680 in Château-Richer, where she was also buried in the parish cemetery the following day.

An Important Legacy

Zachary and Sainte are known as the most prolific immigrants to come to Canada. Zacharie is said to be the unique ancestor of all Cloutiers of New France and is an ancestor to many famous persons including Céline Dion, Jack Kerouac, Madonna, Justin Trudeau, Camilla Parker-Bowles and many more. The “Zacharie Cloutier” is even the name of a sheep’s milk cheese produced by Fromagerie Nouvelle France.

There are several locations within Québec that commemorate Zacharie Cloutier:

• The Zacharie-Cloutier Park is located in Beauport on a piece of land that used to be part of Zacharie’s fief. A plaque created in his honour by the Association des Cloutier d’Amérique is also located there.

• The Zacharie-Cloutier Bridge spans the Sault-à-la-Puce river in Château-Richer, its source being near Zacharie’s ancestral land.

• Zacharie-Cloutier Street is located in Beauport.

Château-Richer itself is considered the Canadian homeland of the Cloutier family, where at least 10 generations have lived since 1641.

Another interesting fact: though the Cloutier/Cloustier name was relatively common in 16th- and 17th century Perche, today the name is absent in the entirety of the Orne department of France.

Commemorative plaques displayed in Mortagne-au-Perche (© Association Perche-Canada; photos used with permission)

Inherited Medical Condition?

Oculopharyngeal muscular dystrophy (OPMD) is a genetic disorder characterized by slowly progressing muscle disease (myopathy) affecting the muscles of the upper eyelids and the throat. Onset is typically during adulthood, most often between 40 and 60 years of age. Symptoms can include eyelid drooping (ptosis), arm and leg weakness, and difficulty swallowing (dysphagia). The disease is most often found in French Canadians, where it is estimated to affect 1 in 1,000 people. OPMD patients with French-Canadian ancestry can usually find a common ancestral couple in their tree: Zacharie Cloutier and Sainte Dupont. Researchers have further narrowed down the carriers of the affected gene to Zacharie Cloutier Jr. and Madeleine Esmard (or Émard). Treatment depends on the symptoms presented and can sometimes include surgery. If you have any of these symptoms and have the Cloutier-Esmard couple in your family tree, you may want to mention it to your doctor.

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Sources:

• "Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967,” digital images, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca), burial entry for Zacharie Cloutier, 18 Sep 1677, Château-Richer, Québec; citing original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.

• "Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1967,” digital images, Ancestry.ca (http://www.ancestry.ca), burial entry for Sainte Dupont, 14 Jul 1680, Château-Richer, Québec; citing original data: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin.

• Raoul Clouthier, Les CLOUTIER de Mortagne-au-Perche en France et leurs descendants au Canada, 1973, digitized 2002 by Pierre Cloutier (https://dubuc-landry.ca/autres/Cloutier%20Zacharie%20-%20Xainte%20Dupont-TNG.pdf).

• Jan Gregoire Combs, Our Tangled French Canadian Roots: A History of the People who Were Part of Our Gregoire, Adam, Martel, and Beaudry Lines, (Canada, self-published, 2009), 197, digitized on Google Books (https://books.google.ca/).

• Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie, Fichier Origine online database (http://www.fichierorigine.com), entry for Zacharie Cloutier (person #240944), updated on 13 Sep 2015.

• Fédération québécoise des sociétés de généalogie, Fichier Origine online database (http://www.fichierorigine.com), entry for Sainte Dupont (person #241403), updated on 13 Sep 2015. 

• Honorius Provost, “CLOUTIER, ZACHARIE,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003 (http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/cloutier_zacharie_1E.html).

• Jacques Saintonge, Nos Ancêtres volume 5 (Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, Éditions Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré, 1983), “Zacharie Cloutier”, 31-36.

• Marcel Trudel, Catalogue des Immigrants, 1632-1662 (Montréal: Éditions Hurtubise HMH, 1983), “Zacharie Cloutier”, 34.

• Université de Montréal, Programme de recherche en démographie historique (https://www.prdh-igd.com), "Les Pionniers".

• Ville de Québec, “Toponymie : Fiche Zacharie-Cloutier” (https://www.ville.quebec.qc.ca/citoyens/patrimoine/toponymie/fiche.aspx?idFiche=4882).