Thanks to the diligent research of Clyde Rabideau's son, Guy, we now have a bit more detailed history of our ancestor, Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol and his life prior to and during his arrival in New France.

Kim



Circa 1636-1640       Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol is born in Sainte-Marie, Spain, the son of Manuel Robidou and Catherine Alue. (Notes: Sainte-Marie is noted as a parish, and also as being in Galicia in the Diocese of Burgos).

circa 1645 or later      Jeanne Denot is born, the daughter of Antoine Denot and Catherine Leduc. She is baptized at Saint-Germain-L'Auxerrois, Paris, France.


prior to 20 April 1661   Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol works as a sailor in Nantes, Brittany (now Loire-Atlantique, Pays-de-la-Lorie, France).


20 April 1661               Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol, now in La Rochelle, Aunis (currently Carente-Maritime, Poitou-Charentes, France) enters a contract of engagement with Antoine Grignon, on behalf of merchant Eustache Lambert, obligating Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol to go to Nouvelle-France (New France) and work for 3 years.


late spring and summer 1661    Probably working as a member of the crew, Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol sails from La Rochelle, France to Ile-Perce (on the Gaspe Peninsula of Quebec), Acadia and finally to Nouvelle-France (New France) aboard La Marguerite, a ship originally hailing from Dieppe, Normandy, (now Seine-Maritime), France.


late summer 1661       Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol arrives in Quebec, Nouvelle-France.


between late summer 1661 & prior to 15 June 1664    Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol is an engage to merchant Eustache Lambert in Quebec. (from the site:http://www.quebec.acadian-home.org/engages.html
Acadian & French-Canadian Ancestral Home re: definition of "engages".

engagés were nothing more than indentured servants.

An indentured servant was bound to his employer for the duration of his contract which was usually three years.

Most of the men who went to New France were "engagés or indentured servants. The "engagé's employer whether a farmer, a religious order, or a merchant, paid for their transportation from France.

During the tenure of his contract, the "engagé could not become a citizen, get involved in the fur trade or marry. Some were servants, but the majority performed hard labour such as clearing land. He earned a paltry sum of 75 livres a year, with food, lodging and clothing deducted. After three years of toil, he usually only had the shirt on his back, a gun and his freedom. His labour could be bought and sold without his consent. In 1665, a quarter of men over the age of 15 who lived in New France were "engagés.

15 June 1665              Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol receives a concession of land on Cote Lauzon (now Levis, Quebec), Nouvelle-France.


circa 1664                  Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol receives a concesion of land in what is now Sainte-Laurent on Ille-D'Orleans, Nouvelle-France.


13 May 1665             Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol works as a sailor aboard the royal galiotte (type of ship) hailing from Quebec.


circa 1665                 Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol gives up his concession of land on Cote Lauzon and Ille-D'Orleans.


13 May 1666             Jeanne Denote leaves from La Rochelle as a Fille Du Roi aboard Le Saint-Jean-Baptiste, a ship originally hailing from Dieppe.


1666                         Census records show Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol works as a sailor and lives with merchant Eustache Lambert in Quebec. 


circa 11 August 1666    After first stopping at the Gaspe Peninsula, the ship carrying Jeanne Denot arrives in Quebec.


between circa 11 August 1666 & 17 June 1667    Jeanne Denot resides at a house on the grounds of the Ursuline monastery, Quebec.


16 May 1667                Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol and Jeanne Denot contract for marriage in Quebec.


17 June 1667               Andre Robidoou dit L'Espagnol and Jeanne Denot marry at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec, Quebec.


11 July 1669               Marie Romaine Robidou, daughter of Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol & Jeanne Denot, is born, and is baptized the same day at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec. She is named after her godmother Romaine Boudet.


circa 1671                   Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol, Jeanne Denot, and Marie Romaine Robidou move to the seigneury of LaPrairie, Nouvelle-France, acquiring property within the village of LaPrairie.


10 November 1671     Marguerite Robidou, daughter of Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol and Jeanne Denot, is born, and is baptized the same day at Saint-Francois-Xavier-des-Pres, LaPrairie. She is named after her godmother Marguerite Tenard.


15 January 1672         Sepulture (burial) for Marguerite Robidou (age 2 months) at Saint-Francois-Xavier-des-Pres, LaPrairie.


prior to 02 June 1672    Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol acquires property on Cote de la Riviere Saint-Jacques, LaPrairie.


04 December 1672      Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol exchanges with Jean Caillault the property on Cote de la Riviere, Saint-Jacques, LaPrairie, for property on Cote de la Tortue, LaPrairie. He also sells the property in the village of LaPrairie to Pierre Lefebvre.


22 January 1673         The prior concession to Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol by the Compagnie de Jesus of the property on Cote de la Riviere Saint-Jacques, LaPrairie, is confirmed.


20 September 1673     Jeanne Robidou, daughter of Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol and Jeanne Denot, is baptized at Saint-Francois-Xavier-des-Pres, LaPrairie. She is named after her godmother Jeanne Roinay.


circa 1674                    Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol receives a concession of land on Cote Saint-Lambert, LaPrairie, from the Compagnie de Jesus, and gives up his concession of land on Cote de la Tortue, LaPrairie.


08 December 1674      Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol's concession of land on Cote Saint-Lambert, LaPrairie, is confirmed by the Compagnie de Jesus.


28 November 1675    Guillaume Robidou, son of Andre Robidou and Jeanne Denot, is baptized at Saint-Francois-Xavier-des-Pres, LaPrairie. He is named after his godfather Guillaume Brunet.


08 November 1677     The Compagnie de Jesus, as seigneur of LaPrairie, inventories all of the concessions, which inventory lists the 08 December 1674 concession to Andre Robidou dit L'Espagnol.


15 January 1678          Joseph Robidou, son of Andre Robidou and Jeanne Denot, is baptized at Saint-Francois-Xavier, LaPrairie. He is named after his godfather Joseph Boyer.

01 April 1678             Sepulture (burial) for Andre Robidou dit L'espagnol (age between approximately 38 and 42 years) at Notre-Dame, Montreal, wherein he is noted as residing at LaPrairie. He had fathered five children. (Note - the priests records his death, but no cause is given. Kim)


16 August 1678           Jacques Suprenant dit Sanssoucy and Jeanne Denot marry at Saint-Francois-Xavier, LaPrairie.



 

Burgos is a both a province (la provincia de Burgos) and capital city of the province located in la Comunidad Autónoma de Castilla y León. It is the second largest in Castilla y León in terms of population (166,000) and industry. Burgos centrally located half-way between Madrid and the northern coast and half-way between the eastern and western coasts.

Although the city itself has its origins in the year 884 A.D., the area is full of prehistoric fossils indicating that man has been inhabiting the area since the Neolithic Age (about 4,500 B.C.)! The archeological site of Atapuerca is located about 15km from Burgos-Capital.

During the eleventh through thirteenth centuries Burgos matured into a medieval city: a place of agriculture, commerce, and urbanization. During this time Burgos became an important city economically, religiously, and politically. The principal product at the time was wool, a highly sought commodity throughout Europe. Religious importance emerged during five centuries (XI-XV) when pilgrimages were important and popular. The pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela (el Camino de Santiago ) brought people from all over Europe through Burgos.

Burgos continued to thrive through the next centuries; until the seventeenth century, when it began to decline. The population fell from 12,000 in the late 1500s to 6,000 in the 1630s due to starvation, disease, and people moving out of the city and into the country. This left Burgos with mostly clergy and poor along with the few remaining artisans. At the end of the 1700s, under the influence of the Enlightenment and Carlos III, Burgos began to slowly recover. The city wall was taken down during this time and the pedestrian street along the Arlanzón River, el Epsolón,, was created. 

The beginning of the nineteenth century brought the Spanish War of Independence and was an interesting time for Burgos. The city was occupied from 1808 to 1813 by the French as a strategic hold on their march to Madrid and Portugal. This occupation greatly affected Burgos life. During their retreat, the French destroyed many of the city’s buildings, including the near 1,000 year old castle (which was modified and/or rebuilt during that time). In general, the nineteenth century was a time of modernization. The railroad began to expand and an industrial society began to develop. This new development greatly benefited the ideally located Burgos. The population once again began to grow and was accompanied by new commerce. The newly organized Spanish state created province capitals, Burgos being one. This new organization greatly benefited the city. This period is also marked by the renovation of the oldest parts of the city and the building of new public buildings including the Teatro Principal. 

Although the city itself benefited, only a select few of the people actually thrived through this time. Most of the population was poor, especially during years that crops failed. Burgos became a center of military operations during the Revolution and was the first capital of the Franco regime. Everyone lived in hunger until the 1950s when new businesses and factories began to develop. The major industrial transformation began in the 1960s and is still alive today. Today, Burgos is an important city both historic and modern, urban and rural. It has a rich cultural and historical past evident in the magnificent buildings, statues, and people. (This BRIEF, SIMPLIFIED history is in part adapted from Burgos, Guía Visual by University professors Luis Martínez García and René J. Payo Hernanz.)