Charles Saint-Étienne de La Tour (bef. 1663 - 1731)

Born before 2 Mar 1663 in Cap Sable, Acadie, Nouvelle-France [uncertain]

Ancestors

Died 11 Aug 1731 after age 68 in Louisbourg, Isle Royale, Acadie, Nouvelle-France

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Biography

Charles Saint-Étienne de La Tour was born before 2 Mar 1663 in Cap Sable, Acadie, Nouvelle-France, son of Gouverneur Charles (De Latour) Saint-Étienne de La Tour (abt. 1593–abt. 1664) and Jeanne Motin (abt. 1615–bef. 1663).^[1]. Charles was born before March 2, 1663, and the same date was given for his mothers death. If not the same day, his birth and her death must have been close together. His father died a year later, in 1664. So Charles was a young child without parents. Who raised him?

On July 23, 1685, Charles made a deposition against James Taylor of Boston, who came and stole from him and others from Port Royal.^[2] He was also mentioned as an employer of Jean LeRoy dit Laliberté in his deposition of July 30, 1684.^[3]

In 1686, at Cap de Sable, Charles LATOUR [recte Saint-Étienne de La Tour], aged 22, was living alone with 2 guns. He had no land or livestock listed.^[4]

He was recorded again at Cap-Sable, age 30. He owned 1 gun and a small amount of land to sow.^[5]

Charles (36) married Jeanne Angélique Loreau (19) (born about 1680 in Paris, France) in 1700.^[1]

With his knowledge of the Mi'kmaw language and of the waters of Acadia and New England gained through years of trade, he was awarded the position of ensign at the garrison at Port Royal in 1703.^[6]

Around that same time, the fort at Port Royal was being rebuilt under the direction of Pierre-Paul Delabat. The new construction displaced 14 landowners, including Charles St. Etienne de La Tour who shared a home with his sister, Madame de Belleisle. Charles unsuccessfully tried to persuade the Minister of the Marine to exempt his property and gardens, and failing that, he requested compensation for comparable property, allowing him to maintain his status "always having lived as a gentleman".^[6]

In the June 1707 attack on Port Royal, led by Colonel John March of Massachusetts, A ship belonging to Charles, which was under construction, but almost completed, was burned by the English. The masts and riggings for the ship had been provided by the French Crown as compensation for the land near the fort, which had been expropriated from him. Charles claimed the attack ruined him.^[6]

After the French lost Acadia permanently in 1713, soldiers and non-commissioned officers who had been stationed at Port Royal, including Charles de St-Etienne de La Tour, were moved to the new French colony of Ile Royale (Cape Breton).^[6]

By 1716, the family was living at Port-Dauphin, Ile Royale. There were 2 children in the household.^[1] The following year, only one child was counted in the family home at Port-Dauphin. ^[1]

He died on 11 Aug 1731, and was buried the same day at Louisbourg, Ile Royale, Acadie.^[1][7]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Stephen A. White,, Patrice Gallant, and Hector-J Hébert. Dictionnaire Généalogique Des Familles Acadiennes. Moncton, N.-B.: Centre D'études Acadiennes, Université De Moncton, 1999, Print, p. 1434, 1438

   Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour, (Charles & Jeanne Motin de Reux), born before 2 March 1663. (cites "Rc Cap-Sable 1686 22a, 1693 30a"). Seigneur of part of Acadie; trader; officer in the troops of La Marine; chevalier de St-Louis. Married Jeanne-Angélique Loreau (parents unknown) around 1700. Died on 11 August 1731, buried the same day in Louisbourg, about age 72 [sic]"

2. ↑ Déposition du 23 juillet 1684... ,France, Archives du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Correspondance politique Angleterre, 1683-1685, MG 5, A 1, vol. 151 Folios 170r
3. ↑ Déposition de juillet 1684... ,France, Archives du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères, Correspondance politique Angleterre, 1683-1685, MG 5, A 1, vol. 151 Folios 170r-v
4. ↑ Tim Hebert; Transcription of the 1686 Acadian Census, at Port-Royal, Acadie 1686 Census Transcribed. The original census can be found at Acadian Census microfilm C-2572 of the Library and Archives Canada “Acadie Recensements 1671 – 1752,” Images 15-60;

   at Cap de Sable: Charles LATOUR; 2 guns. In the original 1686 census at Cap de Sable, Charles Saint-Étienne de La Tour was listed as Charles la Tour and transcribed as Charles LATOUR.

5. ↑ Tim Hebert; Transcription of the 1693 Acadian Census at Port-Royal, Acadie 1693 Census Transcribed. The original census can be found at Acadian Census microfilm C-2572 of the Library and Archives Canada “Acadie Recensements 1671 – 1752,” Images 62-108;

   Sr. Charles de LATOUR (the son) 30, 1 gun

6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} Brenda Dunn: "A History of Port Royal / Annapolis Royal 1605-1800": Copyright The Historical Association 0f Annapolis Royal , 2004, 2009: Nimbus Publishing limited, Halifax, Nova Scotia: ISBN 978-1-55109-740-4
7. ↑ Archives de la Nouvelle-France, Item : Nouvelle-France, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Acadie, Louisiane (nouvelle-france.org: accessed 10 Dec 2023), item #4 (database #30843), "Isle Royale, Louisbourg registers 1722-1738," page 8, folio 29v, Burial Charles de St-Étienne, seigneur de La Tour; Archives nationales d'outre-mer (France), reference: COL G1 406/118p. CABAC_PIAF_6530_CABAC_PIAF_6530