André
Mignier was born in 1640 on Ré's Island, off the coast
of France to Michel Mignier and Catherine Masson.
He was a French soldier belonging to the Carignan
Regiment (Company 'Allier/Lignieres), sent to Quebec in
1665 by King Louis XIV to protect the French settlers
from the marauding bands of Iroguois Indians, who were
raiding and slaughtering the early colonists.
First Canadian settlement,
1541; Jacques Cartier arrives in Stadacona (located at
the present site of Quebec City)
The Carignan regiment had been formed as a private army
in 1644 by Thomas Francois de Savoie, Prince de Carignan.
It was an army made up of hand-picked volunteers. The
standards were very high and these men had to be big and
strong physically, with a strong fighting spirit. They
had just returned from a successful engagement in the
1664 Hungarian campaign against the Turks, when the King
agreed to send the soldiers, armed with matchlock and
flintlock muskets, to Canada to aid the settlers.
André was 24 years old
when he came to Canada on June 30, 1665. In the
army he was called by his nickname, La Gachette,
which means "someone who can shoot with
abilities", or "sharpshooter". La
Gachette eventually became Lagacé.
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During
the winter of 1655-1656, André was stationed in
Quebec City. Between 1666-1667, his regiment
joined the famous campaign against the Iroquois,
manning garrisons and launching attacks. By the
end of this period, their task was accomplished
and the countryside was peaceful. About 800 of
the soldiers went back to France at this time,
but 400 stayed with the promise of receiving
land, including André. Click here for a listing
of the members of the Carignan-Salières
Regiment. |
On October 14, 1668 André received a piece of land
located in Charlesbourg, and on October 23, 1668, in
Notre Dame Church of Quebec, Father Henri de Bernieres
blessed the marriage of Andre' Mignier and Jacquette
Michel.
In 1672 Andre received an additional 15 acres for which
he paid the price of one chicken and a small amount of
money (15 sol en argent and 3 deniers) to be paid once a
year on Martin's day.
In
1685, he and his family moved to Riviere-Ouelle, Quebec.
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~ Click the blue  buttons ~
Edith
Chamberlain Merritt, daughter of Amié Chamberlain and
Margaret "Maggie" Lagacé
Descendants
of Michel Mignier and André Mignier dit Lagacé
Search
the GEDCOM file
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The
STEVENSON page
The
GIDEON Family Page
The DRURY Family Page
The CARON Family Page
The McCAULEY Family Page
The
GIDLEY Family Page
The
POLLOCK Family Page
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To correspond with other Mignier /
Lagacé researchers, please sign the Mignier dit Lagacé
guestbook below. Be sure to name your early ancestors so
others sharing common ancestors can find you. Stevenson,
Drury, Caron, Gidley, Gideon, McCauley and Pollock
guestbooks are on those family pages.
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