The name of a distinguished
Canadian family, members of which bore conspicuous parts in early American history.
They were descended from Charles of
Normandy, who died in
Montreal,
Canada, in 1683.
He went to
Canada in 1641, where he became a famous Indian fighter.
In 1668 Louis XIV.
made him seigneur of
Longueil, and subsequently of
Chateaugay.
He had eleven sons, of whom
Bienville and
Iberville (
qq.
v.) were the most eminent.
Charles, first Sieur de Longueil, was born in
Montreal, Dec. 10, 1656; died there, June 8, 1729.
He was made a lieutenant-general of regulars in the royal army of
France, and, returning to
Canada, built churches and a fort at
Longueil.
He fought the
English assailants of
Quebec under
Phipps in 1690, and was made baron and governor of
Montreal in 1700.
Becoming commandant-general of
Canada, he prepared to meet the expedition against
Quebec under
Walker in 1711.
In 1720 he was governor of
Three Rivers, and again of
Montreal in 1724.
His influence over the Indians was very great.
and in 1726 the Senecas allowed him to rebuild
Fort Niagara.
Paul, Sieur de Maricourt, who was born in
Montreal, Dec. 15, 1663, and died there March 21. 1704, distinguished himself under his brother Iberville in
Hudson Bay.
He commanded an expedition against the
Iroquois, made peace with them in 1701, and acquired great influence over them.
Joseph, Sieur de Serigny, was born in
Montreal in July, 1668; died in
Rochefort, France, in 1734.
In 1694 and 1697 he commanded squadrons to assist his brother Iberville in
Hudson Bay, and brought over emigrants to
Louisiana in a squadron to found a colony there.
In 1718-19 he surveyed the coasts there, and took part in expeditions against the Spaniards at
Pensacola and in
Mobile Bay.
In 1720 he commanded a ship-of-the-line, and died a rear-admiral of the royal navy.
He was also governor of
Rochefort at the time of his death, having been appointed in 1723.
[
359]
Antoine, Sieur de Chateaugay, was born in
Montreal, July 7, 1683; died in
Rochefort, France, March 21, 1747.
He belonged to the royal army, and came with colonists to
Louisiana in 1704, serving under
Iberville there against the
English.
He was made chief commandant of
Louisiana in 1717, and
King's lieutenant in the colony and knight of
St. Louis in 1718.
He was in command of
Pensacola in 1719; a prisoner of war for a while afterwards to the Spaniards; governor of
Martinique; and, returning to
France in 1744, became governor of Ile Royale, or Cape Breton, in 1745.
