General Notes

[blended.FTW]
The material below is taken from Histoire de Louiseville, November 1965. A book written by Germain Lasage, O.M.I. The material was sent to Br. Raymond Dufresne by Cecile de LaMirande of Montreal. The translation is by Br. Raymond Dufresne, C.S.C.
A Noble (Pierre Dulignon de la Mirande)
Besides the founder of Louiseville, Charles du Jay, Lord of Manereuil, we find in its (Louiseville's) history only one family possessing a title of nobility. It is that of Dulignon-Chevalier-Lamirande.
The Canadian ancestor is Pierre Dulignon, knight, coming from "de la Mirande," near La Rochefoucauld in the Diocese of Angoulême.
Pierre is the eldest of a Protestant family annobled by King Henry IV. Pierre's grandfather was Jacques Dulignon and his grandmother was Catherine Croys. In about 1654, Pierre's father Theodore married Marthe Pacquet, daughter of Denis Pacquet, squire, Lord of Lagebâton, and Marie Marignier. The three sons of Theodore and Marthe were Pierre, baptized 20 January 1655, Jean, baptized 16 June 1657, and Theodore, baptized 26 February 1660. All three were baptized in the Protestant temple of La Rochefoucauld.
Pierre Dulignon, a Sargent in the company of Joseph de Jardy, Lord of Cabanac, probably arrived in New France with his lieutenant and a recruit of five hundred men. They left from La Rochelle in June 1685. Joseph (Jordy) de Cabanac and his nephew, François, were on the ship La Diligente with the officers, the Governor of Denoville and Bishop of Saint-Vallier. The enlisted soldiers were on the ships Le Fourgon and Le Mulet. Pierre Dulignon, because of his nobility, was probably on the first ship. They arrived at Québec during the month of July.
Pierre had come to join his younger brother, Jean, who had come to the country on 9 October 1670 and who had married Marie Testard of Folleville, daughter of Charles and Anne La Marque, in Montréal.
The soldiers of Pierre de la Mirand's contingent wintered fin the towns and seigneuries along the St. Lawrence. In the following year they began the Iroquois War which lasted for years. Beginning in 1689, the De Jordys and their troups fought against the English. In 1690, they were defending Québec against Phipps. In 1691 and 1692, François de Jordy participated in some battles against the Iroquois. …
At the end of the Iroquois War, the knight Pierre Dulignon, Lord of La Mirande, settled at La Rivière-du-Loup. On 10 December 1700, he obtained from Seigneur Jean Lachasseur the former land of Joachim Germane located between the two rivers to the north of the commune.
On 27 July 1703, l'abbé Léonard Chaigneau, Sulpician, wrote the marriage contract of Pierre Dulignon with Marguerite de Gerlais, daughter of Jean de Gerlais, dit Saint-Amand, one of the first founders of the seigneurie. The marriage took place at the same time at Rivière-du-Loup.
Since Jean, his brother, had only one son who had the same name and who had no male descendants, it is from Pierre that all the Dulignons and Lamirandes of America and also the Chevaliers of the region of Louiseville have their heritage. At this same period there is another family Chevalier in the Montreal area
The father was 74 years old at the birth of the last son. Pierre Dulignon died six years later. [this would leave Jean Baptiste, Francois, and Gabriel home and under age 12] In the parish register of Rivière-du-Loup we read: "On the 24th day of February of the year 1736 was buried in the cemetery of this parish by M. Cardin, missionary priest of Nicolet the body of Pierre du Lignon, Lord of la Mirande, about 80 years of age. Witnesses were Jean-François de Gerlais, St-Amand, etc." Signed by C. Pocqueleau, missionary priest.
At the time of this writing (1965) Pierre Dulignon has 11 generations of descendants. Nearly all the old families of Masinongé can trace to him some of their branches.
In the records of the siegneurie of Rivière-du-Loup of 1724, it is recorded that Sieur Pierre de la Mirande possessed to the no