I have discovered new Information that has yet to be (to my knowledge) researched or discussed by genealogists and David family researchers. Can this potential lead be followed up by others?
Guillaume David and Marie Armand have an interesting history as shown by his several court appearances, and his numerous residences in New France (Quebec, Trois Rivière and Sorel) during the years 1657 to 1678 as well as their frequent trips to New Netherland (New York) via the Hudson Valley.
However, after 1679 they appear to have fallen off the face of the world and their residences are only alluded to by the residence of their children in Kingston, Newton, Philipsburg Manor, and Tarrytown. The last encounter we can be certain of was in 1679 when Guillaume met Rene Poupart dit Lafleur on the shores of Lake Champlain described in a letter by Poupart (references for all the above can be obtained from the 2 articles published by the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record 1991 and 1992).
While searching the Internet, I came across a reference to Jacques David, Guillaume’s eldest son. The search led me to an article called Lot no.23, Ile du Fort. The site describes the owners of the Lot 23 in the St. Francois-du-lac region of Quebec. There is a reference there to the arrest of Jacques David and René Faure (who owned Lot. No. 23) for smuggling furs to New Netherland. http://saint-francois-du-lac.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Lot-23.pdf?d8e5da . This is a new site to the Internet dated December 21, 2015.
The author provides some illuminating information (in French) on Jacques and his troubles with the civil authority but also has a passing reference to Guillaume David:
<<Guillaume David était à la Martinique en 1680 avec la Compagnie du Sieur Roy, capitaine du quartier du Prêcheur. « 59. Caze de Guillaume David 63 ans, Marie Hermant (Herman) sa femme 61 ans, Marie David fille 12 ans, 3 nègres de 21 à 46 ans, 2 négresses de 61 à 70 ans>>
Page 278, chapitre "Rolle et Dénombrement de la Compagnie de Sieur Roy capitaine du Cartier du Prescheur 1680, extrait de l'ouvrage Personnes et familles à la Martinique au XVIIe siècle d'après recensements et terriers nominatifs, tome I, par Jacques Petit-Jean Roget et Eugénie Bruneau-Latouche, Éditions Desormeaux Books, Paris, 2000.
I translate this as such:
<<Guillaume David was in Martinique in 1680 with the Company of Sieur Roy, Captain of the Le Prescheur Quarter : Lot #59 of Guillaume David 63, years and Marie Hermant ( Herman) his wife of 61 years, Marie David , daughter, 12 years old, 3 negro men between 21 and 46 years of age, 2 negro women 61 and 70 years old. >>
The above information is form the Census of 1680 of the island of Martinique which can be found on page 282 https://books.google.ca/books?id=3a0wWQohwHIC&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false
I also searched the Parish Registers of Le Prescheur from 1680 to 1720 and found one reference of note. Marie’s death is noted in the Parish Register of 7 June 1698:
« Marie Harman, femme de Guillaume David 70 âgé de 70 ans, décédé le 7 juin 1698 et a été enterre dans l’église. A. Chartier, jésuite. «
My translation: Marie Harman, wife of Guillaume David aged 70 years, deceased the 7 of June 1698 and was buried in the church A. Chartier, Jesuit.
http://anom.archivesnationales.culture.gouv.fr/caomec2/resultats.php?tri=annee&territoire=MARTINIQUE&commune=LE+PRECHEUR&typeacte=AC_DE&theme=&annee=&debut=&fin=&vue=&rpp=20&page=2
These findings lead to question I would appreciate the help of professional and amateur genealogists to help answer.
- Are we speaking about the same Guillaume and Marie who lived in New France and New Netherland and New York? So far no one seems to have found their whereabouts after 1679 other than a cryptic notarial contract reference that in 1711 they were “of La Rochelle” (Ct 26-10-1711 LePailleur) . “Of La Rochelle” could mean he was born there or he was residing there.
- Guillaume was a known adventurer with his travels in the Hudson Valley, and as a guide and interpreter with Capitaine De Lusigny when he safely escorted English captives to Fort Orange in 1678. The 1679 reference of his meeting with Rene Poupart dit Lafleur is also intriguing because it says that Guillaume reported that French men were being deported to the Caribbeans by the new English governors. Were Guillaume and Marie deported? Or did they take the next big step in their lives and decide to move to Martinique which was according to certain records mainly populated with French Huguenots, and a with a growing slave trade that could make them rich for once in their lives.
- The ages given for Guillaume and Marie in the 1680 census are problematical. In 1680 Guillaume is noted as being 61 (b. 1617) and Marie as 61 (born in 1619). They would seem too old to be our Guillaume and Marie, however at her death her age is noted as 70 meaning she was born circa 1628 and not 1619. If given Guillaume is given the same age difference, he was born 9 years later than the census noted or in 1626 which is within the age range that is generally accepted (In 1659 at his Confirmation in Quebec his age is listed as 23 i.e. b. 1636). A birth year of 1626 seems more reasonable than 1636 if his bother Claude was born in 1621 and his purported bother Jacques born in 1631.
