Robert Drouin

DROUIN, ROBERT, baptized 6 Aug. 1607 at Pin-la-Garenne, Perche, son of Robert Drouin and Marie Dubois.

In 1634, Seigneur Robert Giffard, a brick maker, recruited many Percherons for the unknown life in Canada. Robert Drouin disembarked at Québec in the summer of 1635, he was among the first to clear land in New France. We find him living in the home of Zacharie Cloutier, making bricks.

As the friendship of the 29 year old Robert and the Cloutier family grew stronger, he sought the hand in marriage of the 10 year old daughter of his employer. Anne Cloutier was born in Perche on 19 Jan. 1626. She was the daughter of Zacharie and Sainte Dupont.

The Notary notes it is first marriage contract in Canada.

The marriage was to take place as soon as possible, however, the newlyweds were to continue to live in the Cloutier home for a period of three years and the bride agreed to be “conseillee ” by her parents. In this expression, one may observe the prudence of the parents who indicated the desire that their child not be confronted with marital responsibilities too soon.

It is almost impossible to trace any French-Canadian genealogy without encountering Robert Drouin among the earliest ancestors.

A contract from Notary Piraude, dated 25 Mar. 1640, tells us that Robert sold 7000 bricks to the nursing order of the Dames Hospitalieres. He contracted to deliver them about the 15th of the following June “on the shore of the river near Beauport just opposite his workyard ” for a price of “two poinsons of wheat.”

On 14 Oct. 1645, Robert promised to “lease to Grouvel 200 bricks.” During this period, Robert never abandoned his trade as a brickmaker. As proof, on 27 July 1682, on the occasion of his son’s Etienne’s marriage, he invited Etienne to come around in his spare time to “make some bricks.” The boy would get to keep half the profits.

Robert Drouin, a brick maker, was born on August 6, 1607, in Le Pin-la-Garenne, France, to Robert Drouin and Marie Dubois. His family home, Les Tuileries, can still be seen along the D938 highway. It’s believed he might have worked for the Jesuits in 1634, but it’s not confirmed. However, by 1635, he was in New France, settling in Beauport by 1636.

In 1636, at Seigneur Robert Giffard’s house, the first marriage contract in New France was signed between Robert Drouin and Anne Cloutier. Anne was just ten years old at the time. They got married one and a half years later and lived with Anne’s parents for three years. Despite being promised land in 1641, Robert didn’t receive it until five years later.

The 1666 census in Beaupré shows Robert, aged 60, with his second wife, Marie Capelier, aged 42, and eight children, two from his first marriage. By 1667, he owned 10 arpents of land. In 1681, the census incorrectly listed his age as 40, though he was closer to 75, and they now owned 15 arpents.

Robert Drouin passed away on June 1, 1685, in Château-Richer. His estate was worth 732 livres, but after various deductions, only 152 livres were divided among his five inheritors. Despite these legal battles, his true legacy lies in his contribution to the French-Canadian population. He is considered one of the earliest ancestors of many French-Canadian families, and it’s believed that almost all Drouins in the country are descended from him.