A recent update - Robert Boulet was born in 1630 in Loise, Mortagne, Perche, France. His wife, Françoise Garnier, was born in 1634 in St. Germain de Loise, Perche, France. They were married in 1658. This information was obtained from http://www.kersur.net/~fleuette/bussiere/d2222.htm.All the Boulet in Canada are from the progeny of Robert Boulay who, in 1662, landed in Canada with his wife, Françoise Garnier, and their daughter Jacqueline. Robert Boulay came from Saint-Germain de Loisé, near Mortagne in Perche, France. This fact is confirmed not by parish archives, "because they could not be found" but rather by a legal document signed by Robert Boulay in La Rochelle on the 23rd of June 1662 before embarking for Canada. In this document signed before Pierre Moreau, notary, Robert Boulay declares himself to be: "Farmer from Mortagne Perche, Parish of Saint-Germain de Loisé" (Provincial Museum of Quebec).
In 1661 Pierre Boucher had returned to France from La Nouvelle-France "Canada" with complaints that colonization was too slow and also of harassement by the Iroquois. He was received by King Louis XIV who promised to send more settlers and soldiers. So it was that in 1662 one hundred armed men plus numerous settlers, Robert Boulay amongst them, embarked on two ships L'Agle D'Or and Saint Jean-Baptiste.
The crossing was tumultuous and took longer than expected with the result that of the one hundred men with Pierre Boucher thirty three died from hunger and thirst. (This declaration was made by Boucher himself on October 17, 1663.)
Most of the settlers from Perche took up residence at Beauport sur la Côte de Beaupré or on the Island of Orleans. On his arrival Robert Boulay obtained a concession on a tract of land in the Seigneurie de Lirec now known as the Parish of Ste-Famille, Ile d'Orléans. Four years later Robert Boulay added to his present holding another tract of land, also a concession, south of the Island in the Parish of Saint-Jean. On November 25th, 1670, Robert Boulay sells to Jean-Galeran Boucher his land on the North side of Ile d'Orléans and moves to his holding on the South of the Island. This land in turn is sold to Pierre Mourier on November 19th 1675. Robert Boulay then moves out of Ile D'Orléans to Rivière du Sud (Saint Thomas) where the last of his sons, Paul, is born.
It is at Saint Thomas also that Robert Boulay passed away, on the 24th of March 1707, after having received the sacrement of the Church.
His remains lie in the local cemetary.
According to this page, Robert Boulet's father was Nicolas Boullé and his mother was Jeanne L'escalier. Nicolas Boullé was born in St. Germain l'Auxerrois between 1537 and 1569.
Daniel Boulet
