| 13. | Marie-Olivier SYLVESTRE was born about 1624 (daughter of Roch SYLVESTRE); died on 10 Sep 1665 in Québec, Qc. Notes:
Marie was not a Huron as most of the references say...she was an Abenaki Native American on her father's side and on her mother's side she was an Outchibahabanoukaou. Both of these tribes are included in the Algonquin group of Indians.
As a young girl she had been baptized with the concent of her father, and given the christian name of Marie-Oliver Silvestre. She was one of three Indians that were adopted by Olivier Le Tardif, who was a translator for Champlain. Olivier was also her godfather, and that is where the Olivier comes from in her name. He evidently turned her over to the Ursuline sisters, under the direction of a Father Le Jeune, for her education. When Olivier died in November 1641 she was given to Marie Rollet, the wife of Guillaume Hubou. Marie Rollet was also the widow of Louis Hebert. When Marie married Martin Prevost in 1644, it was the first registered marriage between an European and a Native American.
Marie’s name "Manitou" is a very powerful nature spirit--her family very well could have been a line of Shamans. Sometimes you see her name written as Manitouabe8ich. This is from the "ou" sound from the French 8--huit--and I guess gave the correct pronunciation.
Notes:
This marriage is reportedly the first Fr anco marriage to a Native Indian woman. Source: from a passage in a ch apter of a book entitled "Portraits of Pioneer Families", Vol I, by R obert Prevost, Editions Libre Expression, Montreal, 1993. Here it is in p art. "Our sons will marry with your daughters and we will become one p eople;" thus said Samuel de Champlain to the native Indians in 1633. " You always say something to cheer us replied a feathered chief; "If thi s comes to be we will be very happy". But the first such marriage did n ot occur for 11 years, until November 3, 1644, when our ancestor, MARTI N PREVOST, married MARIE MANITOUABE8ICH, an indian. The number 8 in her n ame is not a printing error. In the first half of the 17th century, pr inters generally used "8" as a "w"; the letter "w" had not yet been bor rowed from the Germanic languages. Martin Prevost had been born at Mont reuil-Sous-Bois (in the outskirts of Paris) and was baptized on Jan 4, 1 611. He was the son of Pierre Prevost and Charlotte Vie or Wien. He was t he youngest of 5 boys. A sister who was born much later, married Gaston G uay from the same parish. One of their sons, Mathieu took the surname G astonguay. It is not known for sure when Martin Prevost arrived in New F rance, (Quebec), but it is certain that he was in Quebec in December of 1 639 as his signature is present on a marriage contract dated December 2 7, 1639. Did he cross the Atlantic at the same tie as the first Ursulin es and Hospitalieres, who are known to have arrived on August l, 1639? I t seems that this is very likely. the Company of 100 Associates, which h ad been established by Cardinal Richelieu to begin the colonization of Q uebec, had probably recruited him in France. On arrival in Quebec his j ob was that of Clerk or Agent at the stores run by the Company at Cape D iamond, below the cliffs of Quebec. At that time Algonquin and Montagn ais Indians often came to the installations at Cape Diamond. During th e Autumn of 1637 an Indian couple with a least one son and one daughter , in thier search for safe haven, came to pass the winter in the near v icinity of the French. The French Missionaries baptized the 2 children. T he boy was given the name of Francois, after Francois de Re, Sieur de G and, who was to be his godfather. The girl was given the name Marie. I t is not clear who her godfather was, but it is likely that it was Oliv ier Le Tardif who at the time, was Commissioner General of the Company o f 100 Associates. He subsequently adopted her as his daughter. Le Tard if entrusted Marie to a very fine home, that of Guillaume Hubou and Mar ie Rollet. Marie Rollet was the widow of Louis Hebert who was the este emed first colonist of Quebec. MARTIN PREVOST , no doubt was very much a ware of the exotic charm of MARIE-OLIVIER MANITOUABE8ICH, for he saw he r every day strolling by the Company store. Marie de L' Incarnation an d Madame de la Peltrie who were the founders and heads of the Ursuline C onvent, made certain that she continued her scholastic development. Sh e was considereed quite attractive; also the missionaries said of her b rother that he was a very fine child. On November 3, 1644 (Most genealo gy documente give the date of Jan 4, 1644), father Barthelemy Vimont co nsecrated the marriage of Martin and Marie in the presence of Olivier L e Tardif and Guillaume Couillard, son-in-law of Louis Hebert. Two year s earlier, in 1642, Vimont had celebrated the mass at the time of the e stablishment of the new colony at Montreal (Ville-Marie), Three months a fter their marriage, Martin obtained land located in the Seigneurie of B eauport, a little to the west of the Montmorency Falls, where today sta nds the church of Courville. The marriage lasted for 20 years. Marie d ied in 1665 and was widely mourned. They had 8 children, but only 4 su rvived through the marriage and establishment of families. These 4 wer e Louis, Jean, Jean-Baptiste and Therese. Louis married Francoise Gagno n in 1672 and then Marguerite Carreau in 1681. Jean who later took the n ame of his godfather, Paschal, married Francoise Cadieux in 1690. Jean- Baptiste married Marie-Anne Giroux in 1683 and then Genevieve Sedilot i n 1712. Finally Therese married Michel Giroux. Louis had 9 children in h is 2 marriages., Jean Paschal had one child, a boy who died the day of h is birth. Jean-Baptiste had 14 children in his first marriage and 11 mo re in his second. Therese had 12 children fom her marriage to Michel G iroux. As a widower with 4 children, Martin did not delay in remarryin g. On november 8 1665, he married Marie D' Abancourt who was widowed i n two previous marriages. First to Jean Jolliet and then to Geoffroy G uillot. SHE WAS THE MOTHER OF LOUIS JOLLIET, "THE" LOUIS JOLLIET, "EXPL ORER" who discovered the Mississippi River in 1683. It is not known exa ctly when Marie D' Abancourt died, but it is known that she dictated a w ill in December of 1678 and that she is not listed in the census of 168 1. Martin Prevost, without a doubt, worn out by a lifetime of labor, e ntered the Hotel-Dieu hospital in July of 1690 and again in January of 1 691. He participated in the successful defense of Quebec against the Br itish siege and invasion led by Admiral Phipps. Martin died January 27 , 1691 and was buried at Beauport the next day. Martin Prevost and Mari e Manitouabe8ich were the ancestors of a large proportion of the curren t day Prevosts and Provosts in North America. A Plaque dedicated to th eir memory was unveiled in 1983 in Paris, France by Quebec Premier , Re ne Levesque and erected on the baptistery of the church of St. Pierre e t St. Paul at Montreuil-sous-Bois. From Paris the Metro goes to Maireri e de Montreuil and the church is nearby the station. *Note:The reader s hould be aware that there are several other Prevost, Provost families f rom France whom were also pioneers of Quebec. These other branches are n ot related to Martin Prevost.
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