Charles Huboux dit Tourville—Master Blacksmith

Going through the acts of Notary Public Toussaint Limoges, who practiced in Terrebonne during the period 1811-1832, I collected not fewer than 25 acts concerning Tourvilles or close family members.

Four of these were involving Charles Huboux dit Tourville.

Well, fine, but who’s who?

I was already disappointed thinking I would not be able to identify him, but I got a lucky break and I could tell we were dealing with three different Charles here.

The first contract is dated March 25, 1817—Pierre Parent is a servant—or engagé—for Charles Huboux dit Tourville. He was hired at the age of 10 until he would turn 21 to work on Charles’ farm, in Mascouche. This man is most likely either Charles Sr, married to Marie-Amable Charpentier, or his son Charles Jr, married to Marie Pauzé, as both families were from Mascouche.

The second contract is dated March 16, 1826, and is pertaining to the estate of Charlotte Goulet, her sister Marie Goulet being authorized by her husband, Charles Huboux dit Tourville. This couple from Lachenaie will later move to Saint-Chrysostôme, in Québec, near the New York State border. One of their sons is Adolphus Tourville who fought in the Civil War and was living in Champlain, NY.

Print. Blacksmith’s Shop. J. Goulden, 1850-1899, 19th century. Ink on paper on supporting paper – Wood engraving 8.4 x 7.8 cm. Gift of Mr. David Ross McCord M930.50.7.469 © McCord Museum

The remaining two contracts relate, respectively, to the purchase (on December 27, 1823) and to the subsequent sale (on October 1, 1825) of a land in Lachenaie by Charles Huboux Tourville. In 1823, he said he was from Île Jésus (nowadays, the City of Laval) and a blacksmith; in 1825, a resident of Lachenaie and a master blacksmith.

Of course, being of Île Jésus, we could easily assume that we are talking about Charles Huboux dit Tourville, who will later marry Sophie Arpajou. Even better, we have a proof for this assertion. There is an addendum annexed to the 1825 contract:

“[…] was present before Me T. Limoges, undersigned Notaries, Hyacinthe Huboux, Charles Huboux’s brother, representing him and authorized by him […]”.

Moreover, we know that there is only one Hyacinthe Huboux at that time and that he and Charles Huboux are the sons of Michel Tourville and Catherine Marié from Saint-François-de-Sales, Île Jésus.

What an interesting timeline we now have for Charles Tourville before his marriage to Sophie Arpajou:

DateAgeNote
December 27, 1823Just before his 22nd birthdayCharles purchased a land in Lachenaie. He is a resident of Île Jésus and is a blacksmith.
October 1, 182523Charles sold the land he owned in Lachenaie where he resided. He is then a master blacksmith.
January 27, 182725Charles bought a land in Saint-Hughes (Bourgchemin Seignory).
July 31, 182725Charles and Sophie are before Notary Public Charles Bazin for the execution of their marriage contract and were married on the same day in Saint-Jude Catholic Church

I bet you thought you knew everything about Charles Tourville! A little detail that changes the perception we had of him before his marriage to Sophie.

Michel Tourville and Catherine Marié had fourteen children. Eleven of those made it to adulthood, got married and—except for one couple—they all had a flock of children. There are numerous contracts regarding the settlement of Michel Tourville’s estate, some children selling their inheritance’s share to a sibling or another. I will no doubt publish a post on this topic during the course of the year.

2 thoughts on “Charles Huboux dit Tourville—Master Blacksmith

  1. Wonderful! We are also descendants of the filles du roi, correct?

    • Thank you Monica! 🙂

      Depends of which line you are talking about. I would need to do some research. The wife of Mathieu Hubou (my ancestor who came from France) was not a fille du roi. She came before. If you have multiple lines from French Canada, yes, you might have one in your ancestry.

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