1. JEAN

m. 17 Nov. 1635 Quebec, ANNE MARTIN (bur. 4 Dec. 1684 Quebec). Anne was NOT the daughter of Abraham Martin, however, she could have been his sister.
bur. 28 Mar. 1661 Notre Dame de Quebec

Jean Côté presumably came from Perche, France. He was recruited by Robert Giffard (the first lord of Beauport) in 1634 with the fleet "Le St-Jean" of Duplessis-Bouchart and Capt. Pierre de Nesle.

After the Kirke brothers sacked New France in 1632, only six French households remained plus five interpreters who lived with the Indians. Robert Giffard was in France preparing to return to this new country where he had already lived for several years. During the winter of 1633-1634, he visited various regions of Perche, vigorously recruiting settlers for Canada. He knew that he would be a Seigneur and doubtlessly he envisioned all of these habitants rendering him homage and rents. The first people he recruited were Jean Guyon, Marin Boucher, Sebastien Dodier, Zacharie Cloutier, Guillaume Isabel and a few others. For the most part, they came to Canada alone but a few did bring their families. Was Jean Cote in this first contingent of Percheron colonists in 1634? Certain historians think so, while others, including Benjamin Sulte, think he arrived a year later.

We know nothing about either the early life of Jean or Jehan, Côté or Coste or his preceding life. It seems most likely that, he came from Perche but he is one of the rare settlers about whom tireless researchers, such as Pierre Montagne and his wife, have discovered nothing in the archives of this French province. Without a doubt, it is for this reason that, they do not mention him in the Percheron Cahiers, nor in Tourouvre et les Juchereau.

The folks from Perche arrived in Québec after a voyage of approximately two months with about 75 people among them physician Robert Giffard, architect Pierre Clust, surgeon Simon Baron, master Jean Coste, Robert LeCorq, Jean Bourdon and Marin Boucher and his family. The payment for the voyage to be paid at Québec in beaver skins was 9 "livres pesant" or French pounds, 50 "livres pesant" to return to France, and 30 "livres pesant" to return to Canada.

Jean worked for Charles Huault de Montmagny in Québec, who became governor after Champlain's death in December 1635.

He was married to Anne Martin on November 11, 1635 at Québec by Father Charles Lelemant, a Jesuit priest, and witnessed by Guillaume Couillard and Robert Giffard. His was one of the first families to settle on Île d'Orléans in the present parish of St. Pierre.

He first settled at Québec, where he owned a house on the corner of rue Tresor and rue Baude (where you can buy a painting from one of the local artists today) on land 150 ft. frontage by 60 ft. in depth next to the Notre Dame-de Roucouvrance Church. He offered this land as dowry to his daughter Simone when she married in 1649. The house had a value of 450 livres but the newlyweds paid 300 livres and the balance of 150 livres as their wedding gift. He also owned land between "la Grande-Allee" and the St. Lawrence River of one acre frontage and depth to the St. Lawrence River — total 6 acres — then on the outskirts of Québec which he received on August 27, 1636 from Governor Montmagny and ratified on April 5, 1639. This was sold to Antoine Leboesme dit Lalime on 8-11-1652 for 300 livres with which Jean bought merchandise for at the store "Compagnie des Habitants".(Ct. Vachon) On 24 Dec. 1652, he confirmed his title deeds along with Robert Giffard in Beauport. On 3 Feb. 1653 (Ct. Audouard) he settled his debt of 30 livres from son-in-law-Pierre Soumande and also the same sum to Louis LeSage.

On July 21, 1641 "La Compagnie de Nouvelle France" gave Jean and associate Noel Langlois compensation for work done at "Seigneurie de Beauport"; the arrangements were made with Robert Giffard. He sold 500 boots of peasant wheat (16-18 lbs.) valued at 80 pounds, for which he bought a horse and cows. (This is actually quite unlikely as it is currently thought that horses were not generally practicable or even perhaps available and so this might mean that he only purchased livestock or other animals for agricultural purposes.)

In 1642, Jean obtained permission from Robert Giffard to graze his animals on the Beauport prairies for three years. He worked for Robert Giffard in return for working one day a year per animal not counting the yearlings. In turn, he would gather hay for lodging of cattle.

On February 5, 1645 he finally received a concession on the banks of fleuve for three acres of frontage #126 in Beauport on the St. Lawrence River, surveyed lot #342-350 and to the depth of the Seigneury of Beauport between the lands of Zacharie Cloutier and Noel Langlois, who feared the Iroquois. From the time of the first settlements, the Iroquois were relentlessly at war with the French and with their Indian allies. The colonists were never sure of spending a day in peace without being exposed to raids from bands of Iroquois. It was a matter of not going far from each other in order to meet any eventuality. Nöel Langlois was a neighbor of Jean Côté and, to ensure mutual protection, he invited Jean to lodge near him. To this end, he gave him a small portion of land in order to build a habitation on it. During an interlude in hostilities, Jean Côté returned to the Île d'Orléans where he had moved his family and left the the homestead next to Langlois on which he had built a cabin. This property was abandoned by the negligence of those supposed to keep it up. Noel Langlois had given a small portion of his land next door for his homestead at a rent of five sols per year which was cleared by Noel Langlois on 6-7-1681 for all of Jean's unpaid rent.

"Having become a widower, Nöel Langlois divided his property on June 10, 1683. After the division, Jean Langlois, Sieur de Saint-Jean, sold to Jean Baugy three-fourths of an arpent in a contract dated May 15, 1686. It bordered that of the Sieur Traversy, a son of Nöel Langlois also named Nöel, to the northeast. To the southeast was Jean Pelletier, heir to a fourth of an arpent. After these sales, a quarter in the southwest remained, adjoining the Côté homestead. On July 12, 1696, the heirs of Jean Côté sold their father's homestead, as well as the small piece of land which Nöel Langlois had given Jean Côté, to their brother-in-law, Andre Parent. "Parent encroached on the land of Jean Baugy and opened quarries. Then, he sued Baugy, who had protested this encroachment. The Provost rendered a decision, on February 26, 1697, permitting Parent to continue his work. However, this decision was not enforced.

"Nöel Vachon dit Pamerlaux acquired the four parts of Nöel Langlois' land which constituted the remaining arpent in addition to the three quarters of an arpent bought by Baugy which contained the old cabin of Côté. Then, he bought the remainder of the old Côté land from Andre Parent. The widow Pamerlaux kept this contract a secret and began to work the quarry on Baugy's land. This contract was finally located in the property inventory of the said widow Pamerlaux.

In 1652 he obtained a parcel of land of five acres, 79 perches x 10 acres depth "au bourg" Du Fargy near the Beauport River and north of the church. Because of Iroquois hostilities, Jean left Beauport and returned to Île d'Orléans. Upon Jean's death none of his sons were married. Jean died at his home in 1661 and is buried in the church of Notre Dame de Québec.

Anne survived Jean by more than 20 years, however, she is not listed in the 1681 census as she was likely living with one of her children.

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