Louisiana death, needs help to identify his date and exact place of death

Question

Robert Germain / Germaine died in Louisiane before July 1728, the land he had as a concession being taken back by the seigneurs of Portneuf due to no activity for many years on it.  The ordinance does not say more than that Robert died in Louisiane, no date specified.

Can someone from Louisiana project take a look and see if they can find exact date and place please?  No evidence he ever married.

Answer 1

Hi Danielle, I monitor for Louisiana on Mon/Tues so took a look at the sources I have--very meager for this time period. I found nothing in volume 1, New Orleans Sacramental Records 1718-1750 for Robert. Diocese of Quebec might have something. On page 114 is an entry for a Pierre Germain, son of Jacques Germain and Dimanche [surname omitted], native of Larbe in Dauphine, Diocese of Grenoble, widower of Anne Gelain, dec. at Point Coupee, m. Marie Anne Cheval, Jan. 2, 1742. Maduell's Census of Louisiana 1699-1732 has entries for 3 Germains but not enough identifying information. Pointe Coupee book I have didn't have anything useful to this case. DeVille's booklet of Louisiana Troops 1720-1770 has a Jean Germain and an Etienne Germain. Sorry, I couldn't be of more help. Perhaps Joyce Rivette can find something.

Comments

hi Jacqueline,

Thanks for looking, none of the ones you find fit him.  Québec diocese has nothing for him.

Answer 2

Hi Danielle,

I took another look at the New Orleans Archdiocese records, hunting for name variations. Name spellings are notoriously inaccurate in the early records. Also, "Robert" isn't super-common during that period, so I browsed for that name also. 

I found one possibility to consider, a Robert GUILLAIN or GUILLEIM, from Cambrai, master shoemaker, about 34 yrs old, buried 20 Jul 1727. This Robert's inferred birth would be about 1693, so it's a few years off, and the birth location doesn't fit. But birth info is not reliable on burial records, especially if there were no family members to provide the information. The main reason he caught my eye is that your Robert's father was also a shoemaker per his profile. Anyway, something to consider.

You can see this volume online in PDF form here: Volume 1 (1718-1750), page 125. It cites the archives in Paris, so perhaps if it's available online you could access it there to review the handwritten record, noting that it wouldn't be the original, but a copy of an extract.

If you decide to use this in the profile, I can provide a citation for you. Just let me know. Hope this helps!

Comments

The handwritten copy can be viewed here at the ANOM site:

Louisiane NOUVELLE-ORLEANS 1727, image #7

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thanks Joyce, although he is cobbler like my man's father, he is given the age of 34 in 1727, so makes him much too young, my man was born in 1680.  Origin also off by a continent.    Priests tended to overestimate ages, not under.

Thanks for looking, guess I'll never know what date he died.

Answer 3

Danielle, 

Does this document list his death ? ( July 14, 1728 Hotel Quebec ) and Witnessed ? 

https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/archives/52327/3309691?docref=XzHw2sLwQ6dzZ9Owz-CmCw

Baptism ? 

Drouin Institute: Baptism: 9 September 1680 - Robert Germaine, born this day, son of Robert Germaine & Marie Coignard; sponsors: Louis de L'Isle & Claude Laual, wife of Louis Bonnedeau; at the parish of St-Francois-de-Sales, Neuville. - www.genealogiequebec.com.

Comments

Hi Gerry, the document is from the Intendant rendering a decision to return the land he had as concession back to the seigneurs, because Robert didn't work it, going off to Louisiana instead, and having died there.  No date of death for him given.

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Hello Danielle,

 I understand the attestation, proceeding and subject.

What is "hotel a Quebec" referring too. It is on the fourth page, the line before signatures. Is that a reference to the Catholic Hospital in Montreal, Nouvelle France Canada ?

Merci

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''done in our hotel in Québec'' is how that translates, ie in his residence.  Manors, family mansions and official residences often get called hotels back then.  For example ''Hôtel de Rambouillet'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B4tel_de_Rambouillet

official documents such as this get a ''date and place'' where they were done included.

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Thank You Danielle ! .. I didn't know that ! 

That is very helpful to know. That solves a mystery in another case I'm researching. 

Thank You Always   

P.S. I haven't found anything new for Robert in Louisiana records, Detroit records, published books and voyageur records. One family tree and Germaine family member anecdotally reports his death as 1715 in Quebec. (no sources)  

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lol, they are probably going by Jetté, who lists him as having died ''After'' 1715 due to having been engageur ouest.

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C'est Bon ! lol