Philibert Couillaud dit Roquebrune
This research file documents the six converging evidence lines used to reconstruct Philibert Couillaud's life across a 14.5-year documentary void. It includes every primary source image consulted, complete transcriptions of the most significant documents, the fraudulent noble pedigree examined and rejected, and the legal aftermath — three proceedings spanning 1701 to 1728 — that paradoxically preserved more biographical detail than most of the evidence created during his lifetime. He left no birth record, no marriage record, and no death record. He signed every document with an X. What follows is the full account of what can be established, and how.
Researcher's Lineage — 10 Generations
Document Preview
What's Included in the Complete Research File
Document Inventory — 67 Records Across 17 Research Categories
| Identity & Overview | ||
| PRDH Individual record — Philibert Couillaud dit Larocque et Rocquebrune | 1 image | PRDH-IGD |
| FrancoGene Individual Record [16026] | 1 image | francogene.com |
| PRDH Family Record #4480 | 1 image | PRDH-IGD |
| Early Presence in New France | ||
| 1667 Basset land sale — page 1 (soldiers of the Company of Contrecoeur) | 1 image | BAnQ-Montréal |
| 1667 Basset land sale — page 2 ("Aux Nommés Rocbrune, le Vallon") | 1 image | BAnQ-Montréal |
| 1667 Basset land sale — page 3 (payment terms, 470 livres tournois) | 1 image | BAnQ-Montréal |
| Origin Confirmed | ||
| 1669 Chambly confirmation register — "Philbert Couilliau de Nevers" | 1 image | PRDH #403509 |
| 1669 Chambly confirmation — PRDH structured card | 1 image | PRDH-IGD |
| Settlement in Contrecoeur — Community Presence 1675–1680 | ||
| 1675 church construction contract — Contrecoeur's first chapel | 1 image | BAnQ |
| 8 Sep 1679 annulment witness — Notary Pierre Mesnard, "Philibert Coulliaud dit Roquebrune, habitant de Contrecoeur" | 1 image | Pierre Mesnard notarial records, BAnQ |
| 12 Feb 1680 land concession — typed transcription, certified copy (Prothonotary Massicotte, 1942) | 1 image | Adhémar No. 481, BAnQ |
| 12 Feb 1680 land concession — original manuscript, "Laroque" name variant pointed by arrow | 1 image | Adhémar No. 481, BAnQ |
| 14 Feb 1680 transport witness — "Phillibert Couillaud dit Roquebrune de Contrecoeur," mark of the said Couillaud | 1 image | Pierre Mesnard notarial records, BAnQ |
| The 1681 Census — Three Formats | ||
| 1681 Census — bound-volume open-book photograph (LAC archive) | 1 image | Library & Archives Canada |
| 1681 Census — LAC microfilm / digital scan (standard online format) | 1 image | LAC, Microfilm M-2330 |
| 1681 Census — PRDH structured card #98944 | 1 image | PRDH-IGD |
| The 1688 Maugue Obligation — Key Document | ||
| 1688 Maugue obligation — page 1 (debt, property location, witnesses) | 1 image | ANQ, Montréal |
| 1688 Maugue obligation — page 2 (X mark, illiteracy notation, signatures) | 1 image | ANQ, Montréal |
| The Register Gap — Documentary Evidence of the Void | ||
| Contrecoeur register — volume cover page (years covered and missing) | 1 image | ANQ; FamilySearch |
| Contrecoeur register — lacune index ("1687 en partie…1701 manquent") | 1 image | ANQ; FamilySearch |
| Contrecoeur register — compiler's note (fire at Jean Bouvet's home) | 1 image | ANQ; FamilySearch |
| Children's Baptism Records — Five Surviving | ||
| Jean-Baptiste (1677, Sorel) — register page | 1 image | FamilySearch |
| Marie-Anne (1681, Contrecoeur) — register page (Dégâts d'eau) | 1 image | FamilySearch |
| Marie-Anne — PRDH baptism card #89942 | 1 image | PRDH-IGD |
| Antoine (1683, Boucherville) — PRDH baptism card #2223 | 1 image | PRDH-IGD |
| Catherine (1685, Contrecoeur) — register page (p. 104) | 1 image | FamilySearch |
| Catherine — PRDH baptism card #90008 | 1 image | PRDH-IGD |
| François (1686, Contrecoeur) — register page (Erreur en numération) | 1 image | FamilySearch |
| François — PRDH baptism card #90038 (last record before gap) | 1 image | PRDH-IGD |
| PRDH Individual Records — All 11 Children | ||
| PRDH cards: Jean (c.1676), Jean-Baptiste (#38748), Louis (#38856), Marie-Anne (#32586) | 4 images | PRDH-IGD |
| PRDH cards: Antoine (#38645), Catherine (#5592), François (#38855) | 3 images | PRDH-IGD |
| PRDH cards: Michel, Marie Hilaire (#38859), Philibert fils (#38858), Marie Barbe (#74820) | 4 images | PRDH-IGD |
| Death and Legal Cascade — 1701 to 1728 | ||
| Aubuchon lawsuit — page 1 (death terminus: veuve de deffunt, 8 March 1701) | 1 image | BAnQ TL4,S1,D480 |
| Aubuchon lawsuit — pages 2–3 (proceedings before Deschambault) | 2 images | BAnQ TL4,S1,D480 |
| Aubuchon lawsuit — page 4 (Antoine Couillaud signs; concluded 1707) | 1 image | BAnQ TL4,S1,D480 |
| 1711 land auction judicial file — complete 16-page PDF (all 6 sequential events) | 16 pp. PDF | BAnQ TL4,S1,D1280 |
| 1728 dower dispute (marriage contract terms recovered: 15 livres/year × 30 years) | 1 image | Archives du District de Montréal |
| Examined & Excluded — BCG Transparency | ||
| Fraudulent Bernard de Laroque noble pedigree — origin claim and rejection documentation | 1 image | Cataloged per BCG |
| Analytical Research | ||
| Birth date analysis — PRDH standard (11-child) version with gap highlighted | 1 image | Larocque family archive |
| Birth date analysis — preferred inter-birth interval version | 1 image | Larocque family archive |
| Lineage | ||
| Lineage chart: Philibert Couillaud to the researcher (10 generations) | 1 image | FamilySearch |
| TOTAL | 54 images + 16-pp. PDF | |
Open Research Questions
- Who were Philibert's parents? No birth record has been found in French archives. Nivernais parish registers for the period c. 1635–1645 have not been systematically searched.
- Why was Antoine baptized at Boucherville (1683) when Contrecoeur's chapel was fully operational? The Boucherville godparents (Antoine Laporte and Angélique Laporte) suggest a Laporte family connection in Boucherville that may explain the anomaly.
- What is the correct birth year for Louis I? The PRDH's c. 1679 date produces an implausible 37-year-old at first marriage; c. 1689 fits the inter-birth interval pattern better. No baptism record exists to resolve this.
- Are there additional children born during the 14.5-year register gap? The PRDH census card reads a five-year-old son in 1681 as "Jean" — distinct from Jean-Baptiste (age three) — suggesting a first child not currently counted in the standard reconstruction.
- What was the exact date of Philibert's death? The terminus ante quem is 8 March 1701; the terminus post quem is the last surviving Contrecoeur register entry, December 1686.
- What was the nature of the dit-name etymology? Was Rocbrune toponymic (a place near Nevers), military (a regimental nickname), or descriptive? Primary research in Nivernais archives may clarify.
Access the Complete Research File
Choose how you'd like to view the full document inventory
Are You a Descendant of Philibert Couillaud dit Roquebrune?
Research analyst Michel Larocque estimates that approximately 80% of all Larocques currently living in North America trace their descent through Philibert. If your ancestry passes through the Larocque, Larock, Rock, Rockburn, Roque, or Roquebrune surnames — or through the related lines of Couillaud, Couillau, Couilleat, or Caillou — you may well be descended from this illiterate pioneer who signed his name with an X and left half a million descendants. Get in touch — we'd love to hear your family's story.
About This Research
This research file represents the complete evidentiary foundation for the Philibert Couillaud dit Roquebrune case study and documentary biography. The research follows BCG (Board for Certification of Genealogists) evidence standards throughout. Six converging evidence lines are documented: the 1667 Basset land sale (first appearance, dit name established), the 1669 Chambly confirmation (only contemporaneous origin statement), the 1675 church construction contract (permanent settlement confirmed), the 1681 census (household snapshot), the 1688 Maugue obligation (property, witnesses, illiteracy, and the X mark), and the three-part legal cascade of 1701–1728 (death terminus, surviving debts, and lost marriage contract terms recovered).
The fraudulent Bernard de Laroque noble pedigree is documented with full rejection rationale, per BCG standards for transparent evidence evaluation. The 14.5-year Contrecoeur register gap (1687–1701) is documented in three independent archival components. Open research questions are identified rather than papered over. Read the full methodology →