Nicolas Sylvestre dit Champagne: Carignan-Salières Regiment
Nicolas Sylvestre dit Champagne
Quick Facts
Pont-sur-Seine, France — A village of roughly 1,000 inhabitants nestled along the Seine, located 8 km from Nogent-sur-Seine on the road between Paris and Troyes. Nicolas Sylvestre was born here around 1642.
Nicolas Sylvestre dit Champagne was born around 1642 in Pont-sur-Seine, in the French province of Champagne—a town along the gentle curve of the Seine southeast of Paris. His parents, Nicolas Sevestre and Tanche Colson, both died by 1652, leaving the boy orphaned at roughly ten years of age. What became of him in those lost years between orphanhood and military enrollment, no record tells us. But by 1665, this young man from Champagne had joined the most consequential military expedition in the history of New France: the Carignan-Salières Regiment.
His story is one of transformation—from nameless orphan to professional soldier, from soldier to settler, from settler to patriarch of one of the most prolific families in French-Canadian history, with descendants numbering between 1.82 and 2.24 million today. And it begins, as so many stories of New France do, with a ship crossing the Atlantic.
The Soldier Years: Carignan-Salières Regiment (1665–1668)
A 17th-century French naval vessel of the type that carried the Carignan-Salières Regiment to New France. Nicolas sailed aboard L'Aigle d'Or (The Golden Eagle), arriving at Quebec on 18 August 1665.
Nicolas was assigned to the Company of Grandfontaine, commanded by Captain Hector d'Andigné de Grandfontaine, a Knight of Malta and noble from Anjou. The Grandfontaine company was one of 20 initial companies of the Carignan-Salières Regiment—the first regular French military unit sent to North America.
The company sailed aboard L'Aigle d'Or (The Golden Eagle), arriving at Quebec on 18 August 1665 after a difficult Atlantic crossing. Three other companies traveled on the same ship: La Fredière, La Motte, and Salières—the Colonel's own company. Together, these men carried the weight of an entire colony's survival on their shoulders.
The regiment's mission was urgent and clear: defend New France and suppress the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) raids that had brought the colony to the brink of collapse.
Fort Duty on the Richelieu River
Plan des forts faicts par le Regiment Carignan Salières—the chain of forts along the Richelieu River, New France's most vulnerable invasion corridor. Fort Sainte-Thérèse, which Nicolas helped build, is visible in the center.
In late 1665, the Grandfontaine company was tasked with constructing a road and defensive works along the Richelieu River—the invasion corridor used by Iroquois war parties coming north from present-day New York. They helped build Fort Sainte-Thérèse and the road connecting it to Fort Saint-Louis (modern-day Chambly).
Nicolas's duties would have included clearing land, building palisades, digging ditches, standing watch along river corridors, and conducting patrols between forts. This was grueling physical labor mixed with constant military readiness. Unlike European warfare, these soldiers had to adapt quickly: enduring harsh Canadian winters in cramped forts, learning to move on snowshoes, and adapting to woodland warfare against an enemy who knew the terrain intimately.
In 1666, the company participated in the major winter and autumn expeditions led by Governor Courcelle and Lieutenant General Tracy against the Mohawk villages to the south. Villages were burned. Crops were destroyed. The campaign, though brutal, forced a lasting peace treaty that would hold for nearly two decades. Nicolas Sylvestre was there—part of the first successful military defense of the colony.
The Meaning of "Champagne"
The Champagne Region — The province that gave Nicolas his dit name, stretching east of Paris across the Marne and Aube departments.
Why did Nicolas bear the surname dit Champagne? In French-Canadian genealogy, the term dit translates to "called" or "said" and was used to attach a nickname or alias to a family's original surname. For soldiers, these noms de guerre (war names) served a practical purpose: since many men shared common first and last names, the aliases helped captains and colonial administrators distinguish individuals for record-keeping and payroll.
Nicolas's dit name came from his province of origin—Champagne, the rolling countryside east of Paris. He was originally born with the surname Sevestre; in New France, it evolved into the Latinized form Sylvestre (from silvester, meaning "of the forest" or "wild"). By combining his evolved surname with his military moniker, he became known as Sylvestre dit Champagne.
In 17th-century Quebec, these names were legally interchangeable. Nicolas or his descendants might appear in records as "Nicolas Sylvestre," "Nicolas Champagne," or the full "Sylvestre dit Champagne." Over generations, some branches kept "Sylvestre" while others dropped it entirely in favor of "Champagne"—which is why modern families bearing that surname often trace their lineage back to this soldier from Pont-sur-Seine.
From Soldier to Settler
Québec, 1658—the basse-ville and haute-ville as seen from the mouth of the Rivière St-Charles. Nicolas would have first glimpsed this skyline from the deck of L'Aigle d'Or in August 1665.
When the Carignan-Salières Regiment was officially disbanded in 1667–1668, approximately 800 soldiers returned to France. The remaining 400 chose to stay—a strategic move encouraged by King Louis XIV to increase the colony's population and provide a permanent "soldier-farmer" defense force along the St. Lawrence River. Officers were promised seigneuries; their troops were promised concessions of land within those fiefs.
Nicolas Sylvestre was among those who stayed. On 20 March 1667, shortly before his marriage, he received a land concession from Jean Bourdon in the seigneurie of Dombourg—later renamed Neuville. The grant placed him along the north shore of the St. Lawrence, in a community that would become home to his family for generations.
His captain, Hector d'Andigné de Grandfontaine, went on to become the first French Governor of Acadia (1670–1673) following the British return of the territory under the Treaty of Breda. He established the capital of Acadia at Fort Pentagouet (modern-day Castine, Maine). The soldier and his captain had both found their destinies in the New World—one as a governor of a province, the other as the patriarch of a parish.
Barbe Neveu: A Woman of Complicated Origins
On the twentieth of August, 1667, in the parish church of Notre-Dame de Québec, Nicolas Sylvestre married Barbe Neveu. The bishop, Monseigneur l'Évesque, had granted a dispensation from the publication of banns "for good and just reasons"—a notation suggesting urgency, distance, or circumstances requiring discretion.
Barbe was the daughter of Jean Neveu and Anne Ledet. But her story carried a shadow: the PRDH database records her status as "Born out of wedlock." A note explains that because her parents' marriage was annulled due to bigamy, she technically became an illegitimate child. This was no fault of Barbe's, but in 17th-century Quebec, such a designation carried social and legal weight. It may explain the bishop's dispensation—a quiet act of pastoral mercy to smooth the path for a young woman whose legitimacy had been stripped from her through no action of her own.
Barbe had been baptized on 3 December 1653 at Notre-Dame de Québec. She was roughly thirteen or fourteen years old at the time of her marriage—young even by the standards of New France, but not uncommon in a colony desperate for population growth. The marriage record names the witnesses: the Sieurs Jean Bourdon, Simon Lefebvre Angers, and Ignace Legardeur du Ponceaux—prominent men of the colony whose presence lent weight and respectability to the union.
Her Mother's Story: Anne Ledet, Fille du Roi
Barbe's mother, Anne Ledet, was among the earliest women recruited to populate New France. Her story—and the bigamy scandal that complicated her daughter's life—will be told in a future documentary biography in this series.
Building at Neuville
Les concessions de la seigneurie de Neuville. The seigneury covered the lands of modern-day Neuville, Pont-Rouge, and parts of Saint-Basile and Cap-Santé. Nicolas's concession was in the first row of lots along the St. Lawrence.
Nicolas and Barbe settled into the hard work of building a life on the St. Lawrence frontier. The seigneurie of Dombourg (Neuville) was granted originally to Jean-François Bourdon in 1653, but during the settlement push of 1667–1668, many soldiers from various companies were conceded land here.
By the census of 1681, Nicolas had developed 20 arpents of land—a substantial holding carved from the Canadian wilderness. He possessed one firearm (fusil) and owned four horned beasts (cattle). For a man who had arrived with nothing but his soldier's kit, this represented real achievement: cleared land, livestock, a home, and a growing family.
The children came steadily. Sixteen in all—six sons and ten daughters—born between 1669 and 1699. It was a common custom to reuse names when children died young. Nicolas and Barbe named a son Nicolas in 1669; when that Nicolas died in April 1699, they named another newborn son Nicolas just three months later, on 8 July 1699, to carry on the name. Such was the rhythm of life and death in colonial Quebec—grief and hope bound together in the same baptismal font.
The Sylvestre Family: Sixteen Children
1680 Darlington Map showing the St. Lawrence River valley during the seigneurial system. Pointe-aux-Trembles ("P. aux Moineux") is visible northwest of Quebec—the parish where Nicolas's children were baptized. Darlington Map Collection, University of Pittsburgh.
The complete family of Nicolas Sylvestre and Barbe Neveu, as documented in parish registers and the Genealogy of French in North America database:
1. Nicolas "L'Aîné" Sylvestre (1669–1699) — Born 7 July 1669, baptized at Sillery. Married Jeanne Labadie at Neuville, 23 November 1694. Died 26 October 1699.
2. Marie Barbe Sylvestre (1671–1759) — Born 22 April 1671, baptized at Notre-Dame de Québec. Married Jean Bernardin Lesage dit Lepiedmontois at Neuville, 8 January 1686. Buried at L'Assomption, 6 April 1759. Our direct ancestor through the Soulière Line.
3. Louis Sylvestre (1673–1699) — Born 23 March 1673, baptized at Notre-Dame de Québec. Died 26 October 1699. Married Élisabeth Labadie at Neuville, 24 November 1698.
4. Pierre Sylvestre (1675–1744) — Baptized 2 June 1675 at Notre-Dame de Québec. Buried at Neuville, 25 December 1744. Married Marie Anne Labadie at Neuville, 8 November 1700.
5. Marie Anne Sylvestre (1678–?) — Born 23 October 1678, baptized 31 October 1678 at Notre-Dame de Québec. Married Pierre Dupré Lamusette Piché Pichet at Neuville, 4 November 1697; second marriage to François Biron at Cap-Santé, 28 February 1718.
6. Élisabeth (1681–1681) — Born 23 March 1681, baptized at Neuville (St-François-de-Sales). Buried at Neuville, 16 April 1681. Died in infancy at 24 days.
7. Françoise Sylvestre (1682–?) — Born 21 February 1682. Married Laurent Matte at Neuville, 12 August 1702; second marriage to Simon Pleau at Cap-Santé, 11 November 1720.
8. François Sylvestre (1684–1740) — Born 30 August 1684, baptized 31 August 1684 at Neuville. Buried at Sainte-Croix de Lotbinière, 23 September 1740. Married Marie Anne Noël dit Champagne at Québec, 6 April 1717; second marriage to Angélique Houde dit Gervais at Sainte-Croix de Lotbinière, 15 February 1733.
9. Marie Jeanne Sylvestre (1686–1772) — Born 2 May 1686, baptized 5 May 1686 at Neuville. Died 31 July 1772, buried at Ste-Marie-de-Beauce. Married four times: Jean François Fontaine Lafontaine (1709), Augustin Latour Ballard (1714), Nicolas Petit (1727), and Vincent Houdard (1733). Lived to age 86.
10. Jean Sylvestre (1688–1732) — Born 15 June 1688, baptized 17 June 1688 at Neuville. Died 23 April 1732, buried at Neuville. Married Marie Anne Benoît Abel at Deschambault (St-Joseph), 11 November 1715. He inherited the family land at Neuville via the 1714 donation contract.
11. Marie Madeleine (1690–?) — Born 3 September 1690. Baptized 5 September 1690 at Neuville.
12. Marie Anne (1692–1732) — Born 11 August 1692, baptized 13 August 1692 at Neuville. Died 20 March 1732, Champlain. Married André Contant at Neuville, 18 October 1712.
13. Marie Thérèse (1694–1695) — Born 18 June 1694. Buried at Neuville, 30 January 1695. Died in infancy.
14. Anonyme — Buried at Neuville, 16 November 1695. Stillborn or died at birth.
15. Marie Élisabeth Isabelle Sylvestre (1697–1762) — Born 11 June 1697, baptized 12 June 1697 at Neuville. Died 11 September 1762, buried at Berthierville (Ste-Geneviève-de-Berthier). Married Pierre Doucet at Neuville, 3 February 1716.
16. Nicolas Sylvestre (1699–1750) — Born 8 July 1699, baptized at Neuville. Buried 13 April 1750 at L'Île-Dupas (La Visitation). Named for his deceased elder brother. Married Marie Élisabeth Isabelle Laporte at Saint-Sulpice (L'Assomption), 16 February 1721.
Marie Barbe Sylvestre: Our Ancestor
Marie Barbe Sylvestre was the eldest daughter, born 22 April 1671 and baptized three days later at Notre-Dame de Québec—the same church where her parents had married four years earlier. The baptism record, penned in the flowing hand of Father Henri de Bernières, reads: "Marie Barbe fille de Nicolas Silvestre... habitant de Dombourg."
On 8 January 1686, at just fourteen years of age, she married Jean Bernardin Lesage dit Lepiedmontois at Neuville. Her husband was an Italian immigrant—a soldier from the Piedmont region who had arrived in New France with the Troupes de la Marine (a different military force than her father's Carignan-Salières Regiment). His Italian origins would earn him the dit name "Lepiedmontois"—"the Piedmontese."
Like her father, Marie Barbe was known for remarkable longevity. She lived to approximately 87 years of age, dying at L'Assomption, where she was buried on 6 April 1759. Her story—and that of her Italian husband—will be told in a separate documentary biography in this series.
The Twenty-Fourth Hour
In 1714, at roughly 70 years old, Nicolas signed a donation contract with his son Jean. In exchange for the family land, Jean was legally obligated to "feed, house, and maintain" both Nicolas and his wife Barbe in health and illness for the rest of their lives. This was the retirement plan of New France—a formal, notarized agreement between generations, binding children to their aging parents with the weight of law.
Nicolas Sylvestre dit Champagne died on approximately 10 March 1729 and was buried in the cemetery of Neuville (Saint-François-de-Sales), originally part of the parish of Pointe-aux-Trembles. The burial record, signed by Curé Frémont, records that Nicolas Sylvestre was aged "environ quatre vingt cinq ans"—approximately eighty-five years. An exceptional age for the 18th century. The curé noted that he had been given "toutes les marques d'un bon chrétien"—all the marks of a good Christian.
Just thirty-nine days later, Barbe Neveu followed her husband. She was buried at Neuville on 18 April 1729—the same church, the same cemetery, the same curé. After sixty-two years of marriage, they were separated by barely more than a month.
They had crossed an ocean, survived a frontier, raised sixteen children, and built a life in the Canadian wilderness. And in the end, they departed this world as they had lived in it—together.
Key Dates
Connection to The Soulière Line
Primary Source Documents
Maps & Places
Census Record
Database Records
Marriage Documents
Children's Baptism Records
Children's Individual Records (PRDH)
Baptism of Barbe Neveu
Burial Records
Sources & Citations
Primary Sources
- Marriage Record (1667): Notre-Dame de Québec Parish, 20 August 1667. Registres photographiques au Greffe de Québec.
- Marriage Banns (1667): Dispensation by Monseigneur l'Évesque, Notre-Dame de Québec. "Pour bonnes et justes raisons."
- Baptism, Barbe Neveu (1653): Notre-Dame de Québec Parish, 3 December 1653.
- Baptism, Nicolas Sevestre fils (1669): Sillery Parish, 10 July 1669.
- Baptism, Marie Barbe Sylvestre (1671): Notre-Dame de Québec Parish, 25 April 1671.
- Baptism, Louis Sylvestre (1673): Notre-Dame de Québec Parish, 26 March 1673.
- Baptism, Pierre Sylvestre (1675): Notre-Dame de Québec Parish, 2 June 1675.
- Baptism, Marie Anne Sylvestre (1678): Notre-Dame de Québec Parish, 31 October 1678.
- Baptism, Élisabeth Sylvestre (1681): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 23 March 1681.
- Baptism, François Sylvestre (1684): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 31 August 1684.
- Baptism, Marie Jeanne Sylvestre (1686): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 5 May 1686.
- Baptism, Jean Sylvestre (1688): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 17 June 1688.
- Baptism, Marie Madeleine Sylvestre (1690): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 5 September 1690.
- Baptism, Marie Anne Sylvestre (1692): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 13 August 1692.
- Baptism, Marie Thérèse Sylvestre (1694): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 19 June 1694.
- Burial, Anonyme Sylvestre (1695): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 16 November 1695. Stillborn.
- Baptism, Marie Élisabeth Isabelle Sylvestre (1697): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 12 June 1697.
- Baptism, Nicolas Sylvestre fils (1699): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 8 July 1699.
- Census (1681): Recensement de la Nouvelle-France, Seigneurie de Dombourg (Neuville). Library and Archives Canada.
- Burial, Nicolas Sylvestre (1729): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 10 March 1729. Curé Frémont.
- Burial, Barbe Neveu (1729): Neuville (St-François-de-Sales) Parish, 18 April 1729. Curé Frémont.
Secondary Sources
- Beauregard, Denis. "Genealogy of French in North America." Family Sheet [1197]. © 2005–2026. Between 1,820,000 and 2,240,000 descendants.
- PRDH-IGD. Individual #68664 (Nicolas), Individual #57593 (Barbe), Couple #2257, Individual #49863 (Marie Barbe), and children's records. Université de Montréal.
- Jetté, René. Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec. Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 1983.
- Darlington Map Collection (1680). University of Pittsburgh.
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