On 17 April 1708, Louis Renaud and Marie-Magdeleine Bedard welcomed their 10th child into the world. Of those ten, three had already died; two of which were boys. Charles-Jacques barely made it past his first birthday. The second male, also named Charles, did not make it past the age of four. Yet despite this experience, Louis and Marie-Magdeleine persisted in naming their 10th child Charles. Again, death would soon follow but this time it was not their child who died. When the newborn Charles was barely 8 months old, his grandmother Marie Delamare died and then a month later his grandfather, Guillaume Renaud followed. The founding generation was gone and despite Louis’ best efforts to continue the male lineage, its survival was not a given. Though Charles’ did live a long life and continue La Ligne it was a close call.
Charles’ life spanned most of the 18th Century which was a pivotal one for Canada as it reached its most successful days as a French colony only to suffer its greatest defeat and arguably its abandonment by the French Monarchy. In the aftermath of the Seven Years War (1756-1763) Charles and his fellow Quebecois became subjects of the British Empire. Charles would live to be 82, quite an advanced age for his day and he would be the last of this branch of the Renaud family to live and die in Quebec.
The paper trail of Charles’ life is heavily weighted to the earlier period under French rule. The records I was able to uncover in the latter half of his life are sparse and large periods of his later life are largely undocumented.
Charles was born and baptized on 18 April 1708 to “Louis Regnault habitant de St. Antoine et Magdeleine Bedard sa femme” his godfather was “Charles Boismé, habitant de Charlesbourg” and his godmother was “Jeanne francoyse huppé, femme de Thomas Bedard”. While Charles Boismé could not sign his name, Jeanne Françoise Huppé could notably using the cédille and the letter “i” rather than the “y” in her signature.[i]
The specific character of Charles’ childhood is largely unknown. The home life was marked by the addition of 8 siblings (3 brothers and 5 sisters) between 1710 and 1721. The 1720s would see him become the eldest surviving male as his two older brothers François and Pierre would die in 1721 and 1726 respectively.
Charles got an unusually early start to acquiring land on 7 February 1725, 2 months before his 17th birthday, when he acquired a concession, an irregular parcel of land, from the Jesuits in the seigneury of Saint Gabriel. The concession was “fourteen arpents and one perche long.” The exact location is difficult to pin point as it is described by references to the land held by others. The conditions under which he held the land are routine for the time as he was
“…to give and pay to the
reverend fathers in their College in Quebec one
sou for each square arpent which the said
land contains, two good live turkeys for a
total and two sous marqués of cost, all
in the coin of France, the whole payable
each year on the day and feast of St. Martin
the eleventh of November, of which the first
payment will be and fall due on the eleventh of
November of the present year and the payment to continue
each year on the same day in
perpetuity, to inhabit the said land
by himself or by others. He will carry or send
His grains to be milled in the mill of the said
Lordship without being able to take them to be milled
elsewhere only if he pays the miller of the said
mill the milling fee for
them. Will be held and maintained by them on the said
Land the roads which will be judged necessary
by the said lords or their officers for
Public convenience, will thin the woods
which shade and harm the
grains and fruits of the [female] neighbors and will enhance
The value of the lands.”[ii]
Charles must have been busy carrying out these requirements as there appears to be no public record of his activities for six years until his marriage to Elisabeth Garneau on 29 October 1731.[iii]
Marriage of Charles Renaud and Elisabeth Garneau
Elisabeth Garneau was the daughter of Jean Garneau and Louise Huot. She was born and baptized on 6 June 1709 along with her twin brother Joseph. She was the ninth offspring but several of her siblings died before she was born.[iv]
Jean Garneau was born in L’Ange-Gardien 09 October 1675. The Garneau family was one of the pioneers of L’Ange-Gardien. Jean’s parents were Louis Garneau and Marie Mazouer. Louis was born in La Grimaudiere, Poitou, France. He is believed to have arrived in Canada in 1656.[v]
Louise Huot was also born in L’Ange-Gardien four years after Jean Garneau on 20 December 1679. Louise was the daughter of Mathurin Huot (1643-1707) and Marie LeTarte (1655-1716). Mathurin was from Marans (St.-Serge) (Maine-et-Loire). His parents were René Huot and Renée Poirier. Marie Letarte was the daughter of Rene LeTarte and Louise Goulet.[vi]
The surnames Garneau and Renaud share common roots. Whereas Renaud comes from the Germanic “ragin” (consel) and “wald” (rule or to govern), Garneau is a pet form of “Warin” (guard) and “wald.” The French “aud” and “eau” share the same root origins. The surname Garneau is known to have been derived from the seigneury of Garneau in Poitou which matches the birth place of Elizabeth’s grandfather Louis Garneau.[vii]
After Charles’ marriage to Elizabeth, he disappears from the public record as far as I can tell. While his father and grandfather were soon producing offspring, there is no record that I could find providing evidence of children within the next few years. When Charles’ father Louis died 21 January 1735, Charles had produced no grandchildren despite over three years of marriage. The continuation of La Ligne was by no means a sure thing.
As the eldest surviving son of Louis Regnault, Charles was responsible for settling his father’s affairs even though his mother was still alive. It was a long process as it was still ongoing as of 31 October 1736 nearly two years later. Charles was formally appointed by the Provost Judge Jacques Pinquet as guardian for the 6 minor children of his father and mother.[viii] Charles was unable to attend perhaps because he was expecting his first child shortly. Finally on 4 November 1736, Charles and Elisabeth welcomed a baby boy, Jean-Charles Renaud. He was baptized the following day. His godfather was his uncle Jean-Baptiste Garneau and his godmother was his aunt Elisabeth Renaud.
Baptism of Jean-Charles Renaud
Two weeks later, the godparents would shortly be married on November 19 furthering the family ties between the Renaud and Garneau families.[ix] The day after his son was baptized, Charles appeared before the judge to formally accept his role as the guardian of his younger siblings.[x]
Charles’ next appearance in the public record is incidental, as he is mentioned in a document describing the work of the Royal Arpenteur, Noel Beaupré, from the 25th and 26th of February 1737. According to the notes of the archivist, the “document indirectly concerns neighboring owners: Charles Regneau (Regnaud, Renaud); the man named Lauzé; Michel Voir (Voyer).”[xi]
A month later, Charles has a more prominent role in the final accounting of the inventory of Louis Renaud and Marie Magdeleine Bedard, a full two years after Louis’ death. Marie would live another 10 years. The document records the agreement of the two guardians of the minor children, Charles Renaud, and Thomas Bedard, before the Provost Judge with the accounting and distribution of the estate. While Charles could not sign his name, Thomas did. Unfortunately, I could not locate the inventory documenting all the possessions from the marriage of Louis Renaud and Marie-Magdeleine.[xii]
Charles disappears from the public records for the following two years until the birth and baptism of his second child and first daughter, Marie-Magdeleine Renaud on 26 April 1739. The godfather was Jean Garneau, Charles’ father-in-law, and the godmother and namesake was Charles’ mother, Marie-Magdeleine Bedard.[xiii]
Nearly another two years would pass before we see evidence of Charles again as his wife gave birth to their third child, another daughter Marie-Josephe on 22 February 1741. The godfather was Charles’ brother Jacques Regnault and the godmother was Marie-Joseph Pasquet.[xiv]
The parade of daughters continued a year and a half later when Elisabeth gave birth to her and Charles’ their third daughter, Marie-Louise, on 8 October 1742. She was baptized the following day. Her uncle Louis, Charles’ brother, served as the godfather and the godmother was Marie-Magdeleine Garneau, Elisabeth’s sister.[xv]
Nearly two years later, Charles and Elisabeth produced yet another daughter, Marie-Elisabeth on the 19th of May 1744. She was baptized the following day. Pierre Soularde (son of Jean Soularde) was the godfather and Marie Madeleine Bedart (daughter of Etienne Bedard) was the godmother. Marie Madeleine was able to sign her name while the godfather declared he could not sign his name.[xvi]
The following year, Charles was involved in a legal proceeding against Pierre Savard who lived upstream from Charles on the stream of Ste. Barbe. The complaint was that Savard’s animals were polluting the water of the stream which was Charles’ source of water. This case went on for nearly a year from November 1745 until November 1746. Charles was victorious in the initial decision however; Savard appealed the decision.[xvii]
Savard’s appeal was not well received by the judge who chastised Savard for his “ill-considered” appeal. The judge continued to lecture Savard
“Today, the appellant, badly
advised, decides to contravene it to the prejudice of
the respondent. It is certain that the animals such as those
that the appellant placed on a common stream can only
spoil the water of the stream.”[xvii]
A few months prior to this decision, Charles and Marie-Elisabeth welcomed another daughter, Marie, born on 23 June 1746. Marie was baptized by the vicaire of Charlesbourg rather than the usual curé. The godfather was André Geneste (son of André Geneste) and the godmother was Louise Falardeau the daughter of Pierre Falardeau.[ixx]
The following year appears to be uneventful but 1748 was a turning point for Charles as his wife died. She was buried on 6 April 1748 just two months shy of her 39th birthday. In their sixteen years they were together she and Charles had brought 6 children into the world, 1 son and 5 daughters.[xx]
Inhumation of Elisabeth Garneau
Later that month on the 24th of April, the Treaty of Aix-La-Chappelle. While this Treaty concluded a war fought mostly in Europe it did return Fort Louisbourg on Île Royale to French control. But perhaps more importantly, the treaty set the stage for the next war that would transform the world in which Charles and his descendants would live.
End Notes
[i] Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Image is available on Ancestry.com here.
[ii] Acte de concession d'une terre située à la côte Saint-Jacques dans la seigneurie Saint-Gabriel, par les Révérends Pères Jésuites à Charles Renaud (Regnault), fils de Louis Renaud (Regnault), par-devant Jean-Étienne Dubreuil, notaire royal, 7 février 1725, BAnQ Québec, Fonds Ministère des Terres et Forêts, (03Q, E21, S64, SS5, SSS6, D333). Transcription from the translation by Christine Reno. https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/archives/52327/3151747
[iii] Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Source image available from Ancestry.com here. The entry is difficult to read in places. Elisabeth’s mother, Louise, was deceased. The document names some attendees such as Loüis Regnault, Francis and Etienne Bedard, Jean Garneau, and Jean Trudelle. I could not make out the last surname but the given name was Pierre.
[iv] Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. There are two records in Drouin for Elisabeth’s baptism. See here and here.
[v]Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Source image available from Ancestry.com here.
[vi] Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Source image available from Ancestry.com here.
[vii] French: from the ancient Germanic personal name Warinwald composed of the elements warin ‘protection shelter’ or ‘guard’ + wald ‘power authority.’ Compare Garno. Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022.
[viii] Manuscript Acte de tutelle concernant les six enfants mineurs de Marie-Madeleine Bédard et du défunt Louis Renaud, Charles Renaud (absent), frère desdits enfants mineurs, étant nommé tuteur et Thomas Bédard, leur oncle du côté maternel, étant nommé subrogé tuteur D 31 octobre 1736 (2024/01/02) BAnQ Québec Collection Pièces judiciaires et notariales L 03Q,TL5,D2930-1 https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/archives/52327/3351273
[ix] Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Source image available from Ancestry.com here. The marriage of the godparents can be found at the same link lower on the page.
[x] Manuscript Prestation de serment de Charles Renaud, lequel accepte volontairement la charge de tuteur de ses frères et soeurs mineurs 6 novembre 1736 (2024/01/03) BAnQ Québec Collection Pièces judiciaires et notariales 03Q, TL5, D2930-2 https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/archives/52327/3351274.
[xi] Manuscript Procès-verbal de ligne séparant une terre d'avec le domaine, lesquels terre et domaine étant situés à Sainte-Barbe, [seigneurie de Saint-Gabriel]. La présente pièce concerne directement: le nommé Millehomme (Milhomme) (arpenteur Noël Bonhomme dit Beaupré) 25 février 1737 - 26 février 1737 (2024/01/03) BAnQ Québec Fonds Cour supérieure. District judiciaire de Québec. Greffes d'arpenteurs 03Q, CA301, S2, P647 https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/archives/52327/3413039.
[xii] Manuscript Clôture de l'inventaire des biens de la communauté entre le défunt Louis Renaud et Madeleine Bédard, à la requête de Charles Renaud, habitant de la seigneurie Saint-Gabriel et tuteur des enfants mineurs issus dudit défunt et de ladite Bédard 27 mars 1737 (2024/01/03) BAnQ Québec Collection Pièces judiciaires et notariales 03Q,TL5,D2949 https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/archives/52327/3351299.
[xiii] Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Source image available from Ancestry.com here.
[xiv] Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Source image available from Ancestry.com here.
[xv] Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Source image available from Ancestry.com here.
[xvi] Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Source image available from Ancestry.com here.
[xvii] Manuscript Requête de Pierre Savard, habitant du village de L'Ormière, paroisse de Charlesbourg, appelant de la sentence rendue contre lui, le 2 décembre 1745, au profit de Charles Renaud, habitant dudit lieu; demandant l'assignation de Charles Renaud, pour voir adjuger au suppliant les conclusions qu'il avancera par des griefs et moyens d'appel, et pour voir condamner ledit Renaud à tous les dépens 8 novembre 1746 (2024/01/04) BAnQ Québec Collection Pièces judiciaires et notariales 03Q,TL5,D3910 https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/archives/52327/3352984
[xviii] Procédures d'appel de Pierre Savard, appelant d'une sentence rendue en la Juridiction de Notre-Dame-des-Anges, le 2 décembre 1745, contre Charles Renaud (Renauld - Renault), habitant du village L'Ormière, paroisse de Charlesbourg, concernant le tort que les animaux de Savard font à la qualité de l'eau du ruisseau Sainte-Barbe, endroit où Renaud doit puiser son eau 21 novembre 1745 au 29 novembre 1746, BAnQ Québec Collection Pièces judiciaires et notariales,L 03Q,TL5,D1337, https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/archives/52327/3347992. Transcription and translation by Christine Reno.
[ixx] Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Source image available from Ancestry.com here. This portion of Drouin is very difficult to read.
[xx] Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Drouin Collection; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Source image available from Ancestry.com here.