b.c.1643 Grisy, Normandie
m. 4 Nov. 1670 Quebec, MARIE CRETE (m.2. 21 Apr.1687 Jean Brideault, 3. 9 Jan. 1706 Quebec, Pierre Jourdain dit Bellerose, d. 1723), d. of Jean Crete of St. Aubin de Tourouvre, Perche, and Marguerite Gaulin of St. Martin de Vieux Belesme, Perche
d. 1686

"On 29 June 1669, Paul Vachon brought together in the town of Fargy, in the seigneurie of Beauport, the interested parties to this future union: Jehan Creste, master wheelwright, and his wife Marguerite Gaulin, both inhabitants of Fargy, representing their daughter Marie, baptized in Qu�bec on 10 October 1657. She was not yet 12 years old; this was probably the reason why the groom must wait until autumn of the following year to lead his fianc�e to the altar. Marie's witnesses were her brother Louis, Pierre Gaulin and Jacquette Lauvergnat, Fran�ois Gaulin, Marie Rocheron, and others.

For his part, Robert P�pin inhabitant of Beauport, was said to be the son of the late Jean P�pin and Jeanne Dumont, from the parish of Grisy, diocese of S�es in Normandy. His witnesses were Brother Joseph Boursier, a Jesuit from the Collage of Qu�bec; Denis Avisse, a tanner, and his wife Jeanne Crevier; Pierre Mourier, the flour merchant Joseph Langlois, as well as relatives and friends living in the seigneurie of Beauport.

Jehan Creste and Marguerite Gaulin proved to be very generous regarding the future couple. They promised to give them a three year old bull, a cow, 2 suckling pigs, a suit of clothes made to measure, 2 blankets, 2 sheets, a bolster stuffed with feathers, 2 tablecloths and 4 napkins. In addition, they committed themselves to feed and shelter their daughter for two years after her marriage. Jacques, the eldest son, was not born before 1674; therefore it is possible that during these two additional years in which Marie remained with her family, the marriage was not consummated. Besides offering food and lodging to their daughter, the Crestes added to her trousseau a platter and 2 plates and the bailiff, Paul de Rainville went there with his contribution, a valuable pistol.

Finally, the future husband and wife made each other irrevocable gifts, devolving to the survivor of the two, of all their furniture, rent, and real estate, that they may acquire or gain in whatever place they may find themselves. Robert P�pin, Jehan Creste, Louis Creste, Joseph Boursier, Denis Avisse, Jean Gibaut, Paul de Rainville, Jean Crevier and Paul Vachon placed their signatures at the bottom of the document, the others stating they did not know how to write their names.

The nuptial ceremony took place about a year and a half later, more exactly, on 4 November 1670 and this act was entered in the parish records of Qu�bec. By then Marie Creste had completed her 13th year; she was still only a child but at that time it was not rare to see young girls of her age determined to launch themselves into matrimony and to raise numerous offspring. All the children of Robert and Marie were baptized in Quebec, with the exception of Fran�ois, born in 1680, whose baptism and death notice were found in Beauport."(1)

Robert was a master roofer and worked mostly in slate, however, he also put the cedar shingles on the roof of the Beauport church. He did the roofs for the Jesuits, the Ursulines, the Hotel Dieu, the church of La Nativite de Notre Dame de Beauport and the Recollets. On 20 Jan. 1669 he acquires a piece of land in Beauport where he and Marie lived until 1679 when on 20 Mar. they buy a house in Quebec city near the Hotel Dieu.

"Working principally at his trade of roofer, P�pin concluded many transactions whose details are found in the records of notaries Romain Becquet, Pierre Duquet, Michel Fillion, Gilles Rageot and Fran�ois Genaple. He did business with, among others, the Ursulines of Qu�bec(3), and the Fabrique Notre-Dame-des-Anges of Beauport.(4)

On 12 December 1674(5), Robert received a land grant from the Ursalines; on 20 December 1682(6), he worked for the R�collets. He also did business with several of his contemporaries: Elie Jean, Henri Delaunay, No�l Boissel, Mathieu Ranuyer, Nicolas Brouillon, Adrien S�dillot dit Brisval, Fran�ois Hazeur, Jean Gibaut, Pierre Dron, Philippe Gaultier de Comport�, and others.

In 1681, the census taker(7) placed the P�pin family in the upper town of Qu�bec. The roofer was then 38 years old and his wife was 24; they had 2 sons: Jean and Robert. Living with them also was servant named Nicolas, age 35 years. It probably was Nicolas Brouillon whose indenture dated from 14 October 1670, but for reasons of which we are unaware, Nicolas remained close to the family."(2)

"On 14 August 1686, we learn that Robert had died, but we do not know exactly when or where or in what manner. On that date, notary Gilles Rageot drew up an inventory of property for the heirs.(8) On the following 6 October, notary Genaple drew up a marriage contract between Marie Creste and Jean Bridault, a native of Paris. The second nuptial engagement of Marie took place in Qu�bec on 24 April 1687.

Jean Bridault, carpenter, about 30 years old, was nearly the same age as Marie, and was the son of Jean Bridault from the town of Montmorency, and the late Marthe du Clos. The ceremony took place in the presence of Jehan Creste, Marie's father; Henri Delaunay, her brother-in-law; Jean Lefebvre, senior; and Thomas Gubillon. To the seven children whom she had with Robert P�pin, Marie added 5 more from her second union.

Marie Creste lived nearly 35 years longer than her first husband. After the death of Jean Bridault, she was married in Qu�bec on 9 January 1706 to another Parisian, one Pierre Jourdain, son of Pierre and Catherine Depuis, from the parish of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie. Marie and Pierre lived together more than 16 years but they had no children. On 10 November 1722, the widow of Robert P�pin was buried in her turn at Qu�bec at the age of 65. Several months later, Pierre Jourdain was married at Pointe-aux-Trembles (Neuville) to a 20 year old girl, Marie-Catherine Aide-Cr�qui; she gave him several children."(9)

Ref:

(1) Our French Canadian Ancestors- Thomas J. LaForest- Lisi Press, Palm Harbor, Fla, 1983- Vol. I.
(2) Ibid
(3) Romain Becquet- act of 27 Dec. 1671
(4) Francois Fillion- act of 18 Jan. 1678
(5) Romain Becquet- act of 12 Dec. 1682
(6) Francois Genaple- act of 20 Dec. 1682
(7) Benjamin Sulte- HCF- Vol. IV, p. 56
(8) Gilles Rageot- act of 14 Aug. 1686
(9) Our French Canadian Ancestors- Thomas J. LaForest- Lisi Press, Palm Harbor, Fla, 1983- Vol. I.

m.1. 16 Nov. 1700 St. Jean, IO, ELIZABETH ROYER (bpt. 14 Sept. 1669 Ste. Famille, IO, m.1. 5 June 1689 St. Jean, IO, Pierre Blais (bpt. 29 Nov. 1639 Chef Boutonne, Niort, Poitou, m.1. 12 Oct. 1669 Ste. Famille, IO, Anne Perrot/Perrault, bur. 18 Feb. 1700 St. Jean, IO), bur. 22 June 1715 Montreal)
2. 15 Sept. 1715 Montreal, Marie Anne Delasse
bur. 12 May 1754 Ste. Genevieve

Issue- first seven children by Elizabeth, last seven by Marie Anne.