Tranchemontagne: Jean Suliere dit Tranchemontagne
Jean Suliere dit Tranchemontagne
Birth: c. 1696, St-Jean, Île-d'Orléans, Québec
Death: October 7, 1766, L'Assomption, Quebec
Father: Nicolas Suliere Sustier dit Tranchemontagne
Mother: Marie Marguerite Leblanc (also recorded as Jolicoeur)
First Marriage: Marie Louise Lesage (1716)
Second Marriage: Marie-Joseph St-Jean dit Lagrange dit Lacage (1758)
Introduction
Jean Suliere, known by the dit name Tranchemontagne, lived a life that traced the expansion of French colonial settlement from the earliest parishes near Québec City to the fertile lands along the Rivière L'Assomption.
Born around 1696 on the Île-d'Orléans—one of the cradles of French Canadian civilization—Jean would eventually become a habitant in the growing region north of Montréal, where he raised a large family and established roots that continue to this day through his numerous descendants.
His story is documented through the meticulous parish registers of New France, notarial records, and the signatures (or declarations of inability to sign) that mark the milestones of colonial life: baptisms, marriages, land transactions, and burials. Through these records, we can reconstruct a life lived in an era of frontier settlement, where large families were both a blessing and a necessity, and where infant mortality cast its shadow over even the most fortunate households.
Origins and Family Background
Jean was the son of Nicolas Suliere Sustier dit Tranchemontagne and Marie Marguerite Leblanc. The Suliere family had been established in New France for a generation by the time of Jean's birth, and the dit name "Tranchemontagne" would become an identifying marker for this branch of the family, eventually being used interchangeably with Suliere and Souliere in the records.
The spelling variations in Jean's surname reflect the fluid orthography of the colonial era: Suliere, Souliere, Soulières, and Sustier all appear in different documents, sometimes even within the same parish register. These variations were common when priests and notaries recorded names phonetically, often without consulting previous entries.
PRDH Individual Record for Jean Suliere Tranchemontagne, showing his two marriages and parentage. Source: Programme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH-IGD).
First Marriage: Marie Louise Lesage (1716)
September 14, 1716 At approximately twenty years of age, Jean married Marie Louise Lesage at Notre-Dame-de-Québec, the mother church of French Canada. Marie Louise was the daughter of Jean Bernardin Lesage dit Lepiedmontois and Marie Barbe Sylvestre, a family well-established in the Québec region.
The marriage record documents that the banns were published on three consecutive Sundays (dimanches consécutifs), as required by Catholic canon law, and that no impediments to the marriage were discovered. The ceremony was performed with the customary nuptial blessing, in the presence of witnesses including Jean Odquin, Paul Quenel, Bazile Grégoire, and François Cochars, who declared they could not sign.
Parish register page from Notre-Dame-de-Québec, September 14, 1716.
Detail from the 1716 marriage record showing signatures.
Establishing a Homestead: The 1720 Land Concession
April 30, 1720 Four years after their marriage, Jean received a formal land concession from the Seminary of Montréal. Notarial Act No. 2591 records the concession of five arpents of frontage on the Rivière L'Assomption. This grant marked the family's permanent establishment in the L'Assomption region, where they would remain for the rest of their lives.
The concession was typical of the seigneurial system that governed land distribution in New France. Habitants like Jean received long, narrow strips of land with river frontage, which provided access to water for transportation, fishing, and irrigation. In exchange, they owed annual dues (cens et rentes) to the seigneur—in this case, the Seminary of Montréal.
Index entry for Notarial Act No. 2591, dated April 30, 1720: "Concession par le Séminaire de Montréal à Jean Sullières, de 5 arpents de terre de front sur le bord de la rivière L'Assomption."
Children of Jean Suliere and Marie Louise Lesage
Jean and Marie Louise's union produced twelve children between 1717 and 1737. The family's geographic trajectory is traced through the baptismal locations: from Québec and Pointe-aux-Trembles to Rivière-des-Prairies, St-Sulpice, and finally settling in L'Assomption, where the majority of the children were baptized.
Of these twelve children, seven survived to adulthood and marriage. The five who died in infancy—Marie-Geneviève, Marie-Thérèse, Marie-Louise, and Agathe—represent the harsh reality of child mortality in colonial New France, where roughly one in four children died before their first birthday.
PRDH Family Record for Jean Suliere Tranchemontagne and Marie Louise Lesage. Source: PRDH-IGD.
| Child | Birth | Death | Marriage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Jean Bernard | May 20, 1717Québec (Notre-Dame) | December 30, 1798Ste-Geneviève (Pierrefonds) | (a) Marguerite Payment dit Larivière, 1743 (b) Marie-Rose Végiard dit Labonté, 1748 |
| 2. Louis | February 28, 1720Montréal (Pointe-aux-Trembles) | November 8, 1760L'Assomption | Marie-Josèphe Botquin dit St-André, 1753 |
| 3. Marie-Jeanne-Anne | June 23, 1722Montréal (Rivière-des-Prairies) | November 19, 1754L'Assomption | Jean-Baptiste Pineau dit Deschâtelets, 1742 |
| 4. Marie-Geneviève | March 2, 1724St-Sulpice | June 18, 1724Repentigny | — died in infancy |
| 5. Marie-Josèphe | September 20, 1725L'Assomption | September 14, 1795L'Assomption | Noël Lajoie dit Quesnel, 1745 |
| 6. François | December 28, 1726L'Assomption | March 24, 1806St-Jacques-de-l'Achigan | Marie-Louise Botquin dit St-André, 1754 |
| 7. Marie-Thérèse | July 16, 1728L'Assomption | December 10, 1728L'Assomption | — died in infancy |
| 8. Marie-Louise | October 1, 1729L'Assomption | July 24, 1730L'Assomption | — died in infancy |
| 9. Marie-Gabrielle | October 1, 1729L'Assomption (twin) | August 25, 1784Terrebonne | Joseph-Marie Pineau dit Deschâtelets, 1752 |
| 10. Marie-Barbe | July 12, 1731L'Assomption | February 21, 1806Verchères | (a) Jacques Hamelin, 1749 (b) Pierre-Christophe Leboeuf Boutet dit Alboeuf |
| 11. Marie-Françoise | April 17, 1733L'Assomption | September 22, 1819St-Jacques-de-l'Achigan | (a) Jean-Baptiste Boutet dit Alboeuf, 1757 (b) François Joseph Morin, 1783 |
| 12. Agathe | June 22, 1737L'Assomption | January 7, 1738L'Assomption | — died in infancy |
Selected Baptismal Records
Jean Bernardin (1717)
The eldest child, Jean Bernardin, was baptized on May 21, 1717 at the Basilique Notre-Dame de Québec. His godfather was Jean Bernardin Lesage—his maternal grandfather—and his godmother was Anne Audet. The presence of the grandfather as godfather underscores the close family ties maintained despite the eventual move away from the Québec region.
Baptism record of Jean Bernardin Suliere, May 21, 1717, Basilique Notre-Dame de Québec. The godfather was Jean Bernardin Lesage, the child's maternal grandfather.
Louis (1720)
Louis was baptized on March 1, 1720 at the parish of St-Enfant-Jésus de la Pointe-aux-Trembles (near Montréal), indicating the family's westward migration. By this time, Jean had likely already received or was in the process of receiving his land concession on the Rivière L'Assomption.
Parish register from St-Enfant-Jésus de la Pointe-aux-Trembles showing the baptism of Louis Suliere, son of Jean Suliere and Marie Louise Le Sage.
Marie-Jeanne-Anne (1722)
Born June 23, 1722 at Rivière-des-Prairies, Marie-Jeanne-Anne's baptism record shows the family's continued presence in the Montréal region as they established their farm.
Baptism record of Marie-Jeanne-Anne Suliere, June 24, 1722, Rivière-des-Prairies (parish of St-Joseph).
Marie-Geneviève (1724)
Marie-Geneviève was baptized March 2, 1724 at St-Sulpice, but lived only three and a half months, dying June 18, 1724 at Repentigny. Her brief life is documented in the St-Sulpice registers.
Parish register page from St-Sulpice (1724) containing the baptism of Marie-Geneviève Suliere.
Marie-Josèphe (1725)
Marie-Josèphe was baptized September 20, 1725 at L'Assomption. The godfather was Louis Vaillant and the godmother was Marie Jeanne Suliere—likely an aunt or other family member. Marie-Josèphe would live to age 70, marrying Noël Lajoie dit Quesnel in 1745.
Parish register page from L'Assomption containing the baptism of Marie-Josèphe Suliere, September 20, 1725.
François (1726)
François was baptized on December 29, 1726 at L'Assomption. The record identifies his parents as "Jean Suliere et Marie Louise Le Sage son epouse habitant" (Jean Suliere and Marie Louise Le Sage his wife, habitants). The godfather was François De Marais and the godmother was Marie Jeanne La Franboise, who declared they could not sign.
Parish register page from L'Assomption containing the baptism of François Suliere, December 29, 1726.
Transcription of François's Baptism:
"L'an Mille Sept Cent vingt Six le vingt neufième De Decembre a esté Baptisé Francois né d'un jour fils de Jean Suliere et de Marie Louise Le Sage son epouse habitant. Le parain a esté Francois De Marais et la maraine Marie Jeanne La Franboise qui ont declaréz ne Sçavoir Signer de ce enquis Suivant l'ord."
Source: Parish registers of L'Assomption, 1726. Signed by "Le Sueur ptre" (priest).
Marie-Barbe (1731)
Marie-Barbe was baptized July 12, 1731 at St-Sulpice. She would live a long life of 74 years, marrying first Jacques Hamelin in 1749, and later Pierre-Christophe Leboeuf Boutet dit Alboeuf.
Parish register page from St-Sulpice containing the baptism of Marie-Barbe Suliere, July 12, 1731.
Marie-Françoise (1733)
Marie-Françoise was baptized April 17, 1733 at L'Assomption. She would live the longest of all the children—86 years—dying in 1819 at St-Jacques-de-l'Achigan. She married twice: first to Jean-Baptiste Boutet dit Alboeuf in 1757, and after his death, to François Joseph Morin in 1783.
Death of Marie Louise Lesage (1757)
Marie Louise Lesage died in 1757, after more than forty years of marriage to Jean. Her passing left Jean a widower at approximately sixty-one years of age, with several of their children already married and established in their own households.
Second Marriage: Marie-Joseph St-Jean dit Lagrange dit Lacage (1758)
October 30, 1758 A little more than a year after Marie Louise's death, Jean remarried. His second wife was Marie-Joseph St-Jean dit Lagrange dit Lacage, the daughter of Jean-Baptiste St-Jean dit Lagrange dit Lacage and Marie-Catherine Desautels dit Lapointe. Marie-Joseph was a widow herself, having been previously married to Pierre Gibeau dit Guilbault on November 14, 1735 in Sorel.
The marriage took place at L'Assomption, where Jean had been a habitant for nearly four decades. The record notes that after the publication of banns on three consecutive Sundays, with no impediments discovered, the undersigned priest ("curé missionaire de la ditte paroisse") received their mutual consent and gave them the nuptial blessing with the accustomed ceremonies.
Parish register page from L'Assomption, October 30, 1758.
Detail from the 1758 marriage record.
No children are recorded from this second marriage, which is not surprising given Jean's advanced age at the time (approximately sixty-two years old). The marriage appears to have been one of mutual support and companionship for two widowed individuals in their later years.
Death and Burial (1766)
October 7, 1766 Jean Suliere dit Tranchemontagne died at approximately seventy years of age, after fifty years as a habitant in the L'Assomption region. He had witnessed the growth of his family through two generations, seen seven of his twelve children survive to adulthood, and established a legacy that would continue through his many descendants.
Gravesite Details
Jean was originally buried in the defunct Ancien cimetière de L'Assomption. When this cemetery was closed, the remains were moved to a mass grave at the current cemetery location. This was a common practice when colonial-era cemeteries were decommissioned as parishes grew and land use changed.
Legacy
Jean Suliere dit Tranchemontagne's life spanned a formative period in French Canadian history. Born in the late seventeenth century on the Île-d'Orléans—within sight of Québec City—he participated in the expansion of settlement into the Montréal hinterland during the early eighteenth century. His story is one of countless French Canadian pioneers who cleared land, raised families, and established the agricultural communities that would define the province for generations to come.
Through his children who survived to adulthood—Jean-Bernard, Louis, Marie-Jeanne-Anne, Marie-Josèphe, François, Marie-Gabrielle, Marie-Barbe, and Marie-Françoise—Jean's descendants spread throughout the parishes of the L'Assomption region and beyond. The intermarriage of his children with families bearing names like Larivière, Botquin, Pineau (Deschâtelets), Lajoie (Quesnel), Hamelin, and Boutet created kinship networks that linked the Suliere/Souliere/Tranchemontagne family to the broader French Canadian population.
His eldest son Jean-Bernard would carry the family forward into the next generation, eventually settling at Ste-Geneviève-de-Pierrefonds where he lived to the remarkable age of 81—the subject of Episode 2 in this series.
Document Gallery
Primary sources documenting the life of Jean Suliere dit Tranchemontagne and Marie Louise Lesage. Click any image to enlarge.
Jean Suliere Tranchemontagne
Jean & Marie Louise
Jean & Marie Louise (Full)
Jean & Marie Louise (Detail)
Notarial Act No. 2591
Jean Bernardin
Louis
Marie-Jeanne-Anne
Marie-Geneviève
Marie-Josèphe
François
Marie-Barbe
Jean & Marie St-Jean (Full)
Jean & Marie St-Jean (Detail)
Marie-Françoise & François Morin
Marie-Françoise (age 86)
Storyline Genealogy
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