Jean-Louis PLESSIS dit BÉLAIR

(b. 9 December 1674 , France d. 20 March 1743 , Montréal, Canada, New France )

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Jean-Louis PLESSIS dit BÉLAIR was born 9 December 1674 in France

Jean-Louis PLESSIS dit BÉLAIR was the child of ? and ?

Jean-Louis was an immigrant to Canada, arriving by 1713.

Immigration to New France: Shaping the Roots of Canada

Spouse(s)/Partner(s) and Child(ren):

Jean-Louis married Marie-Anne PETIT 27 February 1713 in Montréal, Canada, New France . The couple had (at least) 4 children.
Marie-Anne PETIT was born 10 August 1694 in Montréal, Québec, Canada (Sault-au-Récollet) (Côte-St-Michel) (Côte-St-Paul). Marie-Anne died 10 April 1766 in Montréal, Québec, Canada (Sault-au-Récollet) (Côte-St-Michel) (Côte-St-Paul). Marie-Anne was the child of Jean PETIT dit BOISMOREL and Marie BAILLY.

Jean-Louis PLESSIS dit BÉLAIR died 20 March 1743 in Montréal, Canada, New France .

son of Jean Plessis and Françoise Mathuson

Details of the family tree of Jean-Louis appear below.

Occupation

Jean-Louis PLESSIS dit BÉLAIR was a Maître-tanneur.
A tanneur, or tanner, prepared the skins of animals with tan or tannin (tree bark powder), in order to produce leather by hand. A tannery was where the tanner worked. Tanning was considered a noxious or 'odoriferous trade' and relegated to the outskirts of town and near a river or stream, usually amongst the poor. In other words, tanneries smelled horrible.
Source: tfcq.ca

Québec Généalogie - Over time, Québec has gone through a series of name changes
From its inception in the early 1600s until 1760, it was called Canada, New France.
1760 to 1763, it was simply Canada
1763 to 1791 - Province of Québec
1791 to 1867 - Lower Canada
1867 to present - Québec, Canada.

Thanks to Micheline Gadbois MacDonald for providing this information.

Québec Généalogie - What is a 'dit/dite' name? When the first settlers came to Québec from France it was a custom to add a 'dit' nickname to the surname. The English translation of 'dit' is 'said'. The Colonists of Nouvelle France added 'dit' names as distinguishers. A settler might have wanted to differentiate their family from their siblings by taking a 'dit' name that described the locale to which they had relocated. The acquiring of a 'dit' name might also be the result of a casual adoption, whereby the person wanted to honor the family who had raised them. Another reason was also to distinguish themselves by taking as a 'dit' name the town or village in France from which they originated. This custom ended around 1900 when people began using only one name, either the 'dit' nickname or their original surname.

Source: American-French Genealogical Society, Woonsocket, Rhode Island (www.afgs.org/ditnames/index1.html)

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