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From: "from S-J" <>
Subject: [Q-R] Fw: Link to Samuel de Champlain's Last Will
Date: Sun, 11 Apr 2010 00:33:45 -0400


Hi Mona
My apologies. I meant to say "Oh, Mona".........that's what happens to me
when it is late evening - part of the aging process I'm told.
Shirley-Jean


----- Original Message -----
From: from S-J
To: Mona Andrée Rainville
Cc: ***CousinJoan ; ;
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 10:27 PM
Subject: Re: [Q-R] Link to Samuel de Champlain's Last Will


Oh Joan - what would we do without your encyclopaedic brain !!!
Thanks for your explanation. Of course, it all makes sense now.
I agree that Mrs Worthington and her students did a great job in translating
his will.
I wish they had also done the document for the contesting of his will. It's
way beyond my linguistic skill and I don't know of an online translator that
can do it for me. The bits and pieces I do understand in it are
fascinating!
Thanks again Mona
Shirley-Jean
----- Original Message -----
From: Mona Andrée Rainville
To: from S-J
Cc: ;
Sent: Saturday, April 10, 2010 10:09 PM
Subject: Re: [Q-R] Link to Samuel de Champlain's Last Will


Good Evening Shirley-Jean, Bob and all,

You are most welcome, Shirley-Jean. The reason his Last Will ended up in
France is simple enough. In it, he had specifically requested that all his
papers be gathered up and given to his wife upon his death. She was in
France when he died and so his papers, including his will of course, were
sent to her. It would have had to have been sent to France in any event,
since he had properties there that needed to be liquidated as part of his
estate. His executor, if not the French courts, would have needed and
indeed required his last will and testament to be turned over to them during
the execution of the will and the subsequent opposition.

Here is the relevant passage (as translated by the young linguists of Mrs.
Worthington's French 5 Class. Kuddos to them! I'm tickled pink at just how
well they managed the old French expressions. They did a remarkable job!)

«I give to Father Charles Lalemant the painting of our crucified Lord
which is also in my bedroom as well as my compass and the copper astrolabe
with the sextant imploring him to take all my papers and bring them to my
wife and so I ask Monsieur Gan (who will make sure that everything in this
document is executed) as I said, I ask him to make sure that the mentioned
papers are put in the hands of the said Father.»

As to why it took so long for the will to resurface, the answer is also
known. Until the 20th century, notaries did not have to file their old
documents with the archives, and neither did private individuals who held
family papers. Don't forget that Champlain's will was not a state paper but
simply a document of a private nature which ultimately belonged to his
family. As a result, there was no obligation for anyone to have this
document made public. This will could have been lost a douzen times. During
the Revolution, during the Commune, during the Prussian invasion of Paris,
during the first world war, or ven during any of the countless fires or
floods that destroyed so many other precious documents in Paris. But it
somehow survived and was brought to the archives by a notary who had held it
from a succession of predecessors.

In 1928 or so, when it became mandatory in France for notaries in Paris to
file the ancient documents left by the predecessors with the French
Archives, hundreds of thousands of them were summarily dumped there,
unsorted and unknown. They remained in the complete anonymity of their
disarray until a team of historians and paleographers, some hired from the
prestigious "École des Chartres" of France, set out to catalog them. It is
by this fortuitous set of circumstances that Champlain's last will and
testament came to light and was finally made know to us.

Cheers,

Mona

S-J wrote:
Hi Mona and Bob:

First - thanks a lot, Mona, for all the info you provided. I still would
like to know (1) why his will ended up in France when it actually was
written in Canada and (2) why it was lost for 324 years. I guess I will
never know the answers to this.

Second - I was able to translate the first page of the document regarding
the contesting of his will. It is a very long document and I was not able
to get the web page translated because of it's size. Can anyone help me
with translating this document?? From what I understood, it is a
fascinating document.

Third -
Here is the translation of Champlain's last will. I can't take the credit
for the translation.
It was translated by Mrs. Worthington's French 5 class at AuSable Valley
High School, Clinton
County, NY, and by Mrs. Worthington.
Students in French 5 are: Eric Baldwin, Patrick Duprey, Noah Engelhart,
Michelle Johnson, Liz Kelly,
Joanna Pray, Christine Wemette and Michelle Wemette.

Here is the English version................
In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
I, Samuel de Champlain, of sound mind and reason, knowing that there is
nothing
less certain that the hour of death, not wanting to die without declaring my
last
wishes, I leave this document, so that they are clear and known to all.
So, my God, in your presence and the presence of your court in High Heavens,
I
declare that I want to live and die according to the Catholic, Apostolic and
Roman
faith and religion and receive all sacraments that the Church grants her
children. I
am ready to sign with my blood and death all the truths it holds and obey
your holy
commandments.
I forgive with a good heart all those who offended me and this for your
love, Ô
God who wants it this way and humbly beg forgiveness from all whom I have
offended. You gave me a reasonable soul, Ô my God, I put it in your hands
begging
you to use it for your glory. As for my body, I leave it here to rest until
Resurrection so that you will reunite it to my soul in beatitude.
Knowing that I am only the repository of what you put in my hands, here is
how I
dispose of the temporary goods that you gave me. I then wish, Ô my God, that
the
very Holy Virgin Mary, your mother inherit what I possess here in furniture,
gold
and silver.
I therefore give to the chapel of this place dedicated in her name and named
Nostre-Dame de Recouvrance everything found here that belongs to me, except
for
what follows and for which I ask her permission to give to a few people.
So, with her permission, I give Marin the mason, who lives near the house of
the
Fathers Recollects, the last outfit made with the cloth bought from the
store.
To Poisson, my manservant, in addition to the unfinished outfit I ordered
for him,
I give wool breeches and a shirt of grey and red cloth.
I give Bonaventure, my godson, a garment of English cloth, a doublet, and
breeches
of the same color.
I ask Father Charles Lalemant to send to my wife the Agnus Dei that I have,
with
a skin of grey fox and two otter skins and a gold ring in which there is a
diamond
embedded.
I give Helene, wife of Monsieur Hebert, a pair of undershirts of white
cotton.
I give to Marguerite, godchild of Pyvert's wife another shirt of the same
cloth with
hairpins and ribbons of silk that she is to share with her cousin Heleyne. I
give to
Madame Giffard the painting of Nostre Dame which is in my bedroom.
I give to Father Charles Lalemant the painting of our crucified Lord which
is also
in my bedroom as well as my compass and the copper astrolabe with the
sextant
imploring him to take all my papers and bring them to my wife and so I ask
Monsieur Gan (who will make sure that everything in this document is
executed) as
I said, I ask him to make sure that the mentioned papers are put in the
hands of the
said Father.
As for the rest of my assets in France, if my death takes place before my
wife's, I
cannot dispose of them having donated it to her in full would she survive
me, as
she donated her assets in the event of her death before mine. And so,
assuming that
at the time I write this will my wife is dead, here is how I dispose of
everything I
own in France.
I give to the Mission of the Fathers of the company of Jesus in Kebec the
three
thousand pounds that I own in the Compagnie générale and nine hundred pounds
that I own in the Compagnie particulière, wishing that they use five hundred
pounds of it to decorate the chapel of Nostre-Dame de Recouvrance located in
Kebec, with tapestries or other furniture for the altar. Beyond that, I give
the so
named mission four hundred pounds, asking the fathers and brothers who live
there
to keep me in their prayers and beg them in the name of the friendship they
have for
me to say every year on the day of my passing a mass for my soul's rest.
I give Abraham and his wife six hundred pounds to be used to buy and clear
some
land in this country of New France for their sustenance.
I give Marguerite, daughter of Abraham, six hundred pounds for her dowry to
marry a man resident of this country of New France and from no other
place and to Hélène his other daughter, my godchild, three hundred francs.
I give three hundred pounds to Helene des Portes, my wife's godchild.
I give three hundred pounds to Marguerite Couillard, my godchild, for her
dowry.
I give Pyvert two hundred francs.
I give one hundred pounds to La Caille's wife.
I give to the hospital of the Charity located in the Faubourg Saint Germain
in
Paris four hundred pounds.
I give to the Hospitalières of Paris who live near the Minimes of the Place
Royale
four hundred pounds.
I give six hundred pounds to the Fathers of the Doctrine Chrestienne de
Paris on
the condition they pray God for me and say a few masses for my soul's rest.
I give four hundred pounds to the poor of the great hospital of Paris.
I give six hundred pounds to the paupers who only subsist from the charity
of
generous people, wishing that the designated six hundred pounds be put in
the
hands of monsieur Sirou or of mademoiselle his wife to distribute them
according to
my intention and, if this is not possible, I wish that they be put in the
hands of
Father Jarry of the Compagnie of Jesus to distribute them to this end.
I give one hundred pounds to the church of Sainct-Esprit near La Greve on
the
condition that thirty masses be said for me.
I give five hundred pounds to the Minimes Fathers of the Place Royale in
Paris on
the condition that they say one hundred masses for my soul's rest.
Everything else that I own, whether in furniture or real estate, I demand
that it be
given to my cousin, daughter of the dead Captain George Camaret now married
to
sir d'Arsant who lives in La Rochelle.
I name for executor of my will for the assets that I have in France Monsieur
Sirou
asking him humbly as a sign of his friendship for me, to do this knowing
that there
will be no obstacle.
Done on the seventeenth of November in Kebec, one thousand six hundred
thirtyfive
in the presence of the following
(Follow the signatures of Champlain and all witnesses)


http://www.nnyacgs.com/files/TranslationofChamplain_swill2.pdf

















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----- Original Message -----
From: "Mona Andrée Rainville" <>
To: <>
Cc: <>
Sent: Thursday, April 08, 2010 11:46 PM
Subject: Re: [Q-R] Link to Samuel de Champlain's Last Will


You are most welcome, Bob.

The 6 pages document is Champlain's will. The 4 pages document is
Frontenac's.

As for help transcribing the document, here is the transcription of the
first page. It will give you a key to help you decipher the writing on
the following pages. I suggest you all give it a try, and even post your
efforts so that you gain some experience at this sort of thing by making
this a communal undertaking. We can worry about the translation after
the transcription has been made. This is not a particularly difficult
example of writing and with a bit of patience, you can all succeed at it.

I'll tell you this about this Will, though. A large part of it relates
to his faith in God and is commitment to the Catholic religion. His
largest bequests, involving most of the assets he posses in New France,
are to the Church.
He makes an exception to this general bequest to the Church, by granting
pieces of clothing to Marin Maçon, to Poisson his valet, and to
Bonaventure his god child; to Hélène the wife of Mr. Hébert; to
Marguerite, the godchild of the wife of ... to be share with her cousin
Hélène;
Madame Giffard and Father Charles Lalemant each receive a pious
painting, the later also receiving his navigation instruments.
He requests that Father Lalemant takes possession of all his papers and
sends them along to his wife, along with a couple of pelts and a diamond
ring he owns.
In another section of the Will, he explains that he is not free to
dispose of the assets he still possesses in France unless his wife has
predeceased him, because of a clause of their marriage contract provides
a survival clause, where the the last spouse left standing gets it all.
He does nonetheless provide for how these assets ought to be distributed
and to whom, should his wife have died before him. Most of the legacies
to persons living inNew France are provided for in this contingent way.
So it can be safely said that, Hélène Boulé having survived Champlain,
none of the persons so named in the will ever received anything more
than his touching attention.

Champlain, of course, did not write this will in his own hand. By the
year 1635, he could scarsely manage to hold a pen and his signature had
become shaky. The writing belongs to Nicolas de la Ville, which is why
seven persons were called to witness the drawing of it and sign the will.

Well, there you have it. Now get cracking!

Cheers,

Mona

PS: You will find here:
http://www.archive.org/stream/rapporta20archuoft/rapporta20archuoft_djvu.txt
the text of the arguments filed in court during the opposition of
Champlain's last will. Although it has sccessfully been homologated by
the Court, in Paris, on July 11th, 1637, it was later contested by a
distant relative, a cousin named Marie Camarel, who convinced the court
to annul the will. This jugement was rendered on the 15th of March
1639. Note that the article in question was writen before the actual
will was found, and is based solely on the record of the courts.

=========================
Samuel de CHAMPLAIN
Last Will and Testament
page 1

«Au nom du Père et du Fils et du Saint-Esprit.

Moy Samuel de Champlin sain d'esprit et d'entendement
considérant qu'il n'y a rien de si incertain que l'heure de
la mort, ne désirant pas estre surpris sans déclarer
mes dernières volontés, je laisse ce présent escrit afin
qu'elles soient manifestes et notoires à tout le monde.

Donc mon dieu constitué en nostre présence et de
toute vostre cour céleste, je proteste que je veux vivre
et mourir en la foy et religion Catholique, Apostolique
et Romaine et recevoir tous les sacremens dont je
puis estre capable qu'elle ne refuse point à ses enfants.
Je suis prest de signer de mon sang et de ma mort toutes
les vérités qu'elle propose à croire comme aussy l'obé-
issance à vos Saints commandements.
Je pardonne de bon coeur à tous ceux qui m'ont
offencé, et ce pour l'amour de tous à mon dieu qui le
voulez et désirez ainsi. Et supplie bien humblement
tous ceux que j'ay offencé me faire ce bien que de me
pardonner.
Vous Mavez donné une âme raisonnable ô mon dieu
je la remets entre vos mains vous suppliant d'en disposer
pour vostre gloire. Pour mon corps je le laisse icy
en depost jusqu'à la Ressurection dernière qu'en vous
le réunirez à mon âme pour participer à sa béatitude.
Sçachant en outre que je ne suis que le despensier
de ce que vous m'avez mis en main,voicy comme je
dispose des biens temporels que vous m'avez donné.
Je désire donc ô mon dieu que la très saincte Vierge
vostre mère soit héritière de ce que j'ay icy de meuble.//


wrote:
Formidable! Merci infiniement.

What is the difference between the 6-page document and the 4-page
document.

Is anyone going to do us the favor of rendering these into English, or
maybe into readable French?

--bob in monterey


In a message dated 4/7/2010 4:52:17 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time,
writes:

Good morning,

For all of you who might be interested by this Last Will, it can be
viewed - all six pages of it - here:

http://www.champlain2004.org/html/10/16_f.html

The reference gives its present location as "FR CHAN LXII 138 Rés
282"
at the French Archives Nationales in Paris. The CHAN is an
acronym for
the "Centre historique des Archives nationales à Paris".

Cheers,

Mona
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