Born ‎± ABT. 1590 Tourouvre, France, died ‎estimated EST. WFT, 1640-1682‎, approximately 92 years
[2024wft.FTW]

!BIRTH-MARRIAGE: Renee Jette, "Dictionnaire Genealogique des Familles duQuebec"
1983, University of Montreal, Page 987.

!COMMENT-LIFESTORY: Laforest's, "Our French-Canadian Ancestors", Chapter20,
Entitled Nicolas Rivard, Sieur de la Vigne, Page 215 to 221.
"It was on a Friday, 6 March 1648 when Nicolas knocked on the door ofnotary
Chouaiseau in Tourouvre. He was there to sign a contract to work inCanada. He
had been recruited by Pierre Juchereau, Sieur des Moulineaux, on behalfof his
brother Noel Juchereau Sieur des Chastellees, living in Quebec, "for atime of
three years to begin the day of embarkation which will be this year fromla
Rochelle." Rivard was promised free passage to and from Canada, includingmeals
and 66 livres "tournois" as an annual wage. He was also advanced 15livres,
deducted from his first years pay. A normal livre was worth 25% less thana
livre tournois at the time. As early as 27 February 1649, Nicolasappeared as a
Godfather in the parish registry of Trois-Rivieres. In 1651, he was named
Captiam of the Militia in Cap-de-la-Madeleine and later in Batiscan."This was
an honorary position and held without monetary compensation. The captianof the
militia was, in fact the administrator of the seigeury. He trained thetroops,
led them into battle, carried out the orders of the Intendant, and wasalso the
governor's agent. When the seigneur lived outside the seigneury, thecaptian
had the first pew in church, on the left side of the main isle. He wasusaully
referred to as "Sieur" and most often, at his demise, he was buried in the
crypt of the church." He worked at his duty until old age overtook him.On June
6, 1649, he recieved a land grant from the Jesuits, measuring two arpentsin
frontage on the river by twenty arpents in depth.
The date of marriage of Nicolas Rivard is not exectly known. Somegenealogists
say the ceremony took place on 25 November 1652; others opt for June 21,1653.
Whichever it is, we do know that on 25 November 1652, Nicolas and his
brother-in-law Pierre Guillet dit Lajeunesse took part in a sale to Gilles
Trottier, of lands belonging to the late Mathurin Guillet and his wife,
Catherine de Sainte-Pere. Mathurin was the brother of Pierre and had been
killed by the Iroquois during that sad sortie organized by the governor,in
August 1652. Later, Nicolas Rivard, baptised on 10 June 1617 atSaint-Antoine
de Tourouvre, son of Pierre Rivard and of Jeanne Mullard, was married to
Catherine de Saint-Pere. She was baptised on 26 August, 1634, atSaint-Jean
d'Angely de Tourouvre, and was the daughter of Etienne de Saint-Pere andof
Neomie Coutaud, and was widow of Mathurin Guillet. Nicolas was 35 andCatherine
18: Their first child was born on 1 February 1654, a son named Nicolaslike his
father.
On March 7, 1661, notary Claude Herlin drew up a most unusua contract. It
concerned the purchase of a chapel by the literate and well respectedNicolas
Rivard from Governor Pierre Boucher. The deed read in part "A chapelwhich he
(Boucher) had built in his yard, 20 feet long by 20 feet wide," would be
disassembled piece by piece, transported to the Cap and reassembled. Itwas
erected on the prcise spot where the second church which still exists, is
located.