Sainte-Famille de Boucherville: Pierre Boucher's Church on the River
Old Boucherville, Montérégie, Québec
Sainte-Famille de Boucherville
On October 31, 1672, a Carignan-Salières Regiment veteran named François Séguin dit Ladéroute married Jeanne Petit in the wooden chapel at Boucherville. He was among the earliest settlers of Pierre Boucher's seigneury on the south shore of the St. Lawrence—a soldier who traded his musket for a plough. Over the next fifty-two years, two generations of Séguins would fill the parish registers with baptisms, marriages, and burials—sixteen sacraments recorded beneath the same roof where 336 souls would eventually rest in the crypt below.
The Séguin Family at Sainte-Famille — Key Events
L'église Sainte-Famille et l'ancien couvent de la Congrégation de Notre-Dame, seen from the Îles-de-Boucherville National Park across the St. Lawrence River. This infrared photograph captures the visual dominance of the church and convent complex over Old Boucherville—a view that has defined this stretch of the river for over three centuries. Photo: Steve Troletti.
Sainte-Famille de Boucherville is one of the oldest parishes in Québec, founded on land donated by Pierre Boucher himself—soldier, governor of Trois-Rivières, and author of the first published description of New France. When François Séguin dit Ladéroute married Jeanne Petit in the original wooden chapel in 1672, Boucherville was barely five years old. The parish would not be formally erected by Bishop François de Laval until 1678. But the registers were already filling with the names of the soldiers, settlers, and their families who were building a new world along the south shore of the St. Lawrence.
For the Guilbault Line, Boucherville is a critical anchor point. François Séguin dit Ladéroute—a veteran of the Carignan-Salières Regiment—settled here after military service and raised his family within sight of the river. His son Jean-Baptiste, our direct ancestor, was baptized in this church on November 12, 1688, married here in 1710, and had nine more children baptized at Sainte-Famille before becoming the first settler of Vaudreuil Township. His younger brother Joseph carried the family name to Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit as a fur trader—a westward trajectory that the Guilbault voyageurs would follow a century later. The Séguin records at Sainte-Famille span two full generations and fifty-two years: two marriages, fifteen baptisms, and two infant burials between 1672 and 1724.
A Church Built on Pierre Boucher's Land
The original 1670 chapel stood on the exact site where the current stone church stands today. Pierre Boucher, who founded Boucherville in 1667, donated the land for the church. It is the third building on these premises—wooden chapel (1670), brick church (1712), stone church (1801)—and has been classified as a historical monument since 1964.
Including four of Boucherville's five hereditary seigneurs and their families, parish priests, and various parishioners. The last burial in the crypt dates to 1954. The fifth seigneur—considered anticlerical—was buried on his own land instead.
Boucherville: Pierre Boucher's Seigneury
Boucherville sits on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, directly across from Montréal and the Îles-de-Boucherville archipelago. Founded in 1667 by Pierre Boucher—one of the most remarkable figures in early New France—the settlement grew rapidly from 179 residents in 1681 to over 400 by the early 1700s. Boucher had served as governor of Trois-Rivières and was the author of Histoire véritable et naturelle des mœurs et productions du pays de la Nouvelle-France (1664), the first published description of the colony.
The church of Sainte-Famille dominates the Place de l'église in Old Boucherville, flanked by the former convent of the Congrégation de Notre-Dame (1888, now a senior residence) and the former presbytery (1832, now the Mgr-Poissant Center). Together they form a heritage ensemble that has been the heart of the village for over three centuries.
Sainte-Famille Church, Old Boucherville. The current stone structure was built in 1801, gutted by fire in 1843, and rebuilt using the original stone walls with interior designs by architect Louis-Thomas Berlinguet in 1845. The golden statue of the Sacred Heart stands before the entrance.
Three Churches, One Site
The church at Boucherville has been rebuilt twice on the same foundations, each iteration reflecting the growing ambitions of the parish. The first wooden chapel of 1670—a modest colombage or half-timbered structure typical of early New France—served the initial settlers led by Pierre Boucher. By 1712, population growth demanded a more durable brick building. And in 1801, the current monumental stone church was erected, designed by the influential priest-architect Father Pierre Conefroy—the same man whose plan was used for the church of Saint-Paul-de-Joliette where the Guilbault family baptisms took place.
A devastating fire in 1843 gutted the interior, but the stone walls survived. The church was rebuilt in 1845 with interior designs by architect Louis-Thomas Berlinguet, whose barrel vault extending into the nave—inspired by the Louis XVI style—features double arches and moldings that evoke the excavations at Pompeii. Angel heads sculpted by Berlinguet adorn the transepts and choir, their beauty preserved for nearly two centuries.
The Organ: 1,597 Pipes and Five Tons
The organ at Sainte-Famille is one of the oldest preserved in Québec. The original instrument dates from 1847, housed in a magnificent buffet designed by Berlinguet in 1846. In 1995, a new organ was handmade by Casavant Frères of Saint-Hyacinthe—installed inside the original buffet—retaining two stops from the old instrument. The current organ weighs five tons and contains approximately 25 stops totalling nearly 1,600 pipes.
The organ buffet itself is a work of art: a monumental wooden case that was built to receive the instrument originally constructed by the Montreal factor Samuel Warren. Together, the historic case and modern mechanism represent 175 years of continuous musical heritage.
The Casavant organ pipes at Sainte-Famille, housed within the 1846 Berlinguet buffet. The instrument was handmade in 1995 by Casavant Frères of Saint-Hyacinthe and contains nearly 1,600 pipes across 25 stops, retaining two original stops from the 1847 Warren organ.
Timeline: Sainte-Famille de Boucherville
The Séguin Family at Boucherville
François Séguin dit Ladéroute arrived in New France as a soldier of the Carignan-Salières Regiment and settled at Boucherville after demobilization. His marriage to Jeanne Petit on October 31, 1672, was among the earliest recorded at the parish. Together they raised a family that filled the registers of Sainte-Famille across two decades—six children baptized, two buried in infancy. Their son Jean-Baptiste, our direct ancestor, would marry at this same church in 1710 and have nine more children baptized here before becoming the first settler of Vaudreuil Township. His younger brother Joseph carried the Séguin name westward into the fur trade at Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit.
François Séguin dit Ladéroute & Jeanne Petit
Location: Boucherville (Sainte-Famille)
Groom: François Séguin dit Ladéroute, veteran of the Carignan-Salières Regiment
Bride: Jeanne Petit
Children of François Séguin dit Ladéroute & Jeanne Petit
| # | Name | Baptized | Key Life Events |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pierre | 24 Aug 1682 | Baptized at Boucherville |
| 2 | Catherine | 21 Nov 1686 | Baptized at Boucherville. Died in infancy |
| 3 | Jean-Baptiste OUR LINE | 12 Nov 1688 | Baptized at Boucherville. Married Geneviève Barbot dite Boisdoré here 1710; nine children baptized at Sainte-Famille; first settler of Vaudreuil Township |
| 4 | Geneviève | 9 Apr 1691 | Baptized at Boucherville. Died 19 Jul 1691, age 3 months. Buried at Boucherville |
| 5 | Joseph (first) | c. Aug 1692 | Died 30 Aug 1692, age 20 days. Buried at Boucherville |
| 6 | Joseph (second) | 13 Sep 1694 | Named for his deceased brother. Fur trader at Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit |
The Second Generation: Jean-Baptiste at Sainte-Famille
Jean-Baptiste Séguin did not follow his younger brother Joseph into the fur trade. He stayed at Boucherville and, on June 7, 1710, married Geneviève Barbot dite Boisdoré at Sainte-Famille—the same church where he had been baptized twenty-two years earlier. The marriage record notes that his father François is already "deffunt"—deceased. The ceremony was performed by Father Pierre Rodolphe de la Saudrays, the same priest who had baptized Jean-Baptiste as an infant in 1688.
Jean-Baptiste Séguin & Geneviève Barbot dite Boisdoré
Location: Boucherville (Sainte-Famille)
Groom: Jean-Baptiste Séguin, age 22, son of the late François Séguin dit Ladéroute and Jeanne Petit, living at Boucherville
Bride: Geneviève Barbot dite Boisdoré, age 21, daughter of Sieur Jean Barbot dit Boisdoré and Marie de Noyon, inhabitants of Boucherville
Witnesses: Sieur Boisdoré (father of the bride), Mr. La Baume (surgeon and royal notary), Mr. Tétro (schoolmaster), Nicolas du Bray
Officiant: Father Pierre Rodolphe de la Saudrays — the same priest who baptized Jean-Baptiste in 1688
Over the next fourteen years, Jean-Baptiste and Geneviève had nine children baptized at Sainte-Famille—making the Séguin name one of the most frequently recorded in the parish registers of the early eighteenth century. By 1725, Jean-Baptiste was recorded in the first census of Vaudreuil as Concession #15 de l'Anse—the oldest family in the township. He and Geneviève moved to Chambly by 1725–1726, where their tenth and last child, Marie-Françoise-Agathe, was born and baptized at Saint-Joseph de Chambly in 1726.
While Jean-Baptiste was growing up at Boucherville, his older brother François (named for their father) was caught up in one of colonial New France's most dramatic episodes. In 1704, a crisis over the price of salt—essential for preserving meat and fish through the harsh winters—led to a public protest. François was arrested, interrogated, and ultimately convicted of "holding seditious speeches." He was fined 30 livres, a punishment considered light; under the previous governor, he might have been sent to the king's galleys. Jean-Baptiste was sixteen years old at the time—old enough to understand what his brother had risked for the good of the community.
Jean-Baptiste died on May 13, 1728, at the hospital in Montréal, at about age 45. He was buried the next day in the cemetery at Notre-Dame de Montréal. The burial record identifies him as "Jean Baptiste La Deroute, habitant de la paroisse de Chambly." As one of François and Jeanne's five sons who survived to adulthood, and with six sons of his own, Jean-Baptiste left the greatest number of Séguin descendants of any member of his generation—a calculation confirmed by the Association des Séguin d'Amérique.
Two Generations, One Church
Between 1672 and 1724, the Séguin family recorded at least sixteen sacraments at Sainte-Famille de Boucherville: one marriage and six baptisms in the first generation (François and Jeanne), followed by one marriage and nine baptisms in the second generation (Jean-Baptiste and Geneviève)—plus two infant burials. The same priest, Father de la Saudrays, both baptized Jean-Baptiste in 1688 and married him in 1710.
Two of Jean-Baptiste and Geneviève's sons married into Indigenous families at L'Annonciation d'Oka—the same mission church where Gabriel Guilbault would marry Marie Josephte Abitakijikokwe in 1801. Louis Séguin (b. 1712, Boucherville) married Marie Anne Raizenne Shoentakouani in 1736 at Oka, and Jean-Baptiste fils (b. 1714, Boucherville) married her sister Marie Catherine Raizenne Shoentakouani in 1742. Their father-in-law, Ignace Raizenne Shoentakouani, and mother-in-law, Marie Élisabeth Nimbs Touatogouach, were part of the mission community at the Lake of Two Mountains. The Séguin and Guilbault families thus share not only Sainte-Famille de Boucherville as a parish of origin but also L'Annonciation d'Oka as the church where their lines intersected with Indigenous heritage—decades apart, but in the same sacred space.
The Church Today
Sainte-Famille Church today, facing the Place de l'église in Old Boucherville. The Museum of Sacred Art, inaugurated in 2017, is housed within the church and can be visited on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
Sainte-Famille de Boucherville continues to serve as both a place of worship and a cultural center. The Museum of Sacred Art, inaugurated in March 2017, displays the parish's collection of worship objects spanning over 350 years. Modern LED lighting allows the interior to adapt for cultural events including Longueuil Symphony Orchestra performances. The Place de l'église remains the heart of Old Boucherville—as it has been since Pierre Boucher donated the land for the first chapel in 1670.
The church is part of the St. Lawrence River shrines circuit, and its heritage ensemble—church, convent, and presbytery—continues to define the visual identity of Boucherville from across the river, just as it did when François Séguin and Jeanne Petit walked through its doors more than three centuries ago.
Visiting the Site
Church Address: 560 Boulevard Marie-Victorin, Boucherville, QC J4B 1W9, Canada
Heritage Status: Classified historical monument (1964); National Heritage Award (1976)
Features: 1801 stone church (rebuilt interior 1845); Berlinguet barrel vault and sculptures; Casavant organ (1995) in 1846 buffet; 336-person crypt; Museum of Sacred Art (2017)
Museum Hours: Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays, 1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Architect: Father Pierre Conefroy (1801 church); Louis-Thomas Berlinguet (1845 interior)
Part of: St. Lawrence River Shrines Circuit
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