Report on the visit to the house of the Gatien family, 8 May 1734.
The year Seventeen Hundred thirty-four The eighth day of May at eight thirty,
We Pierre Raimbault King's counsellor lieutenant general civil et criminel
at the seat of the Jurisdiction Royal of Montreal as per the Request
and Charges laid by the king’s prosecutor, made our Way To the house of Jean
Baptiste aubertin, Son-in-law of the late Gatien, and Being there we Ordered
the Said aubertin And His wife to declare to us the Effects that Were transported
to Their house following the Fire of April ten last, And from whom they had
Received them; Upon which Ordinance the Said Aubertin And His wife Stated
that Madeleine Gacien, Washerwoman, Sister of the said wife of aubertin Brought
to the said wife of Aubertin two days Prior in the Morning a bundle of Linens,
which she [the wife of Aubertin] presented to us and In which was found a
woven towel
with the markings a. c., four other woven towels Without markings three
Beaufort linen sheets without markings, a cloth of [strong?] linen with the
markings C: HR: In White markings; another cloth marked with M with the Blue
thread removed from the same linen, another towel of similar linen with markings
And appearing to have Been marked with C. L. [Catherine Legras], another cloth
in similar linen appearing to have Been marked, a woman’s Night shirt which
appeared to have Been marked with C: X: in Beaufort linen, four more in a
Similar linen And with the same markings, And another in similar linen with
The Collar eyelets cut And The sleeves removed, along with The pillow Cover
in bleached linen in which Was contained The aforementioned linens. This done
the said wife of Aubertin stated that when her sister brought the Said bundle
of linen, She Told Her, in Pleading with Her to Put it Away In Her armoire,
that it was to free more space in Her Sideboard, which Was too Cluttered;
And After hearing the king’s prosecutor speak, We had
the Said Linen placed in a chest that Was locked under key, And sealed
with Two paper Bands on the upper part of the chest and also over the Lock
and the Hinges And Left for Keeping with the said Aubertin, who willingly
took charge of it promising to present It to us with our said Seal at the
extremities of the Bands, Under threat of the penalties stated in the ordinances;
And We And Our Clerk Signed with the said king’s prosecutor, in the presence
of Michel preaud who with the Said Wife of Aubertin declared to not know how
to Write or Sign as requested, after a Reading was done as per the Ordinance.
[signed]jans baptiste aux bertin [signed]foucher
[signed]P. Raimbault
We then proceeded To The house where is lodged The widow Gacien And her
daughters, And there Interrogated them to tell us to whom The bundle of Linens
belongs that they took from their house To That of the said Aubertin. They
Stated to us that all of it is theirs with the Exception of a Shirt with markings
on the back, near The Neck, And that there is a half-used woven Towel that
Was Given to her by The Wife of the man named Renaud, carpenter, in place
of another, And that she Knows not at all to whom belongs The Pillow Covering
Containing The Said Linens, which was left with the aforementioned Said Shirt
at their House after all those who had brought furnishings, clothes And Linens
there to Salvage Them from the Fire, had Returned and Identified and Removed
them; In view Of and regarding all of which, we have written The present report
to Be Communicated
to the said king’s prosecutor As Per His Ordinance Given to Us [to?] do so.
The Said Widow Declared to not know how to Sign And the Two daughters, Named
Madelaine And Genevieve, signed along with the Said king’s prosecutor, We
And our Bailiff.
[signed]madelon gatien [signed]genevieve gasien
Source: Archives nationales du Québec, Centre de Montréal, Vols pendant l’incendie du mois d’avril 1734, TL 4 S1, 4137, Juridiction royale de Montréal, Report on the visit to the house of the Gatien family, May 8, 1734.
Return to parent page
