Nicolas Perrot dit Turbal: (abt.1643 - 1717)
He was the son of Francois Perrot dit Turbal
& Marie Sivot/Sirot, born in France. Nicolas married Marie-Madeleine
Raclos (daughter of Godebon (Idebon) Raclot & Marie Viennot) at Cap
de la Madeleine, Champlain, Quebec and their children were;
Francois (b.1672)(m. Marie-Louise Masse in 1703), Nicolas
II (b.1674)(m. Marguerite-Therese Bourbeau-Lacourse in 1710), Clemence
(b.1676)(m. Francois Delpeche in 1725), Michel (1677-1723)(m. Jeanne
Baudry in 1712), Marie (b.1779), Francoise (1681-1744)(m.
Francois Dufault in 1706), Marie-Anne (1681-aft.1745)(m. Francois
Bigot about 1715), Pierre (abt.1682-1725)(m.1st. Marie Champoux
in 1711 & m.2nd. Marie-Anne Lescarbot in 1718), Marie-Madeleine
(1683-1683), Claude (1684-1741)(m. Marie Goulet in 1714), Jean
Bte. (1688-1705) & Jean (b.1690)(m. Marie Quintin in 1714).
In 1660 Nicolas arrived in New France as a
servant to the Jesuit missions and by 1665 he was living among the
Fox & Potawatomis.
He wrote his memoirs of his life in the far west as a trader, explorer,
negotiator & soldier.
The following is from Perrot's narrative, describing the Huron
& Ottawa refugees
flight to the west in the mid 1600's:
"...The Iroquois stirred
up war against one of the Huron villages and laid it waste. They maintained
peace with another village of the same people, but seized a third by surprise
and ruined it, as they had the first...Those of the Hurons who could escape
separated; some went toward the Illinois... This defeat spread terror among
the Outaouas...They went to dwell together among the Hurons, on the island
which we call Huron Island (on Lake Michigan)...[1653], the Iroquois sent
another expedition, which counted 800 men, to attack the Outaouas...their
scouting parties, who went as far as the former country of the Hurons...These
men descried the Iroquois party who were marching against them and hastened
back to carry the news of this incursion to their own people at the [Huron]
Island. They immediately abandoned that place and retreated to Mechingan,
where they constructed a fort, resolving to await there the enemy. The
Iroquois [came to that region, but] were unable to accomplish anything...the
Outaouas, fearing that they were not strong enough to repel the incursions
of the Iroquois...sought refugee in the Micissypy region...they dispersed
in various directions to pursue the chase; I will mention only one of their
bands, whom the Scioux encountered, captured and carried away to their
villages. The Scioux, who had no acquaintance with the firearms and other
implements which they saw among the strangers - for they themselves use
only knives and hatchets of stone and flint - hoped that these new peoples
who had come near them would share...The Outaouas and Hurons gave the Scioux,
in turn, a friendly reception, but did not make them presents of much value.
The Scioux returned to their own country, with some small articles which
they had received from the Outaouas and shared these with their allies
in other villages...All those villages sent deputies to those of the Outaouas;
as soon as they arrived there, they began, according to their custom to
weep over every person they met, in order to manifest the lively joy which
they felt in meeting them; and they entreated the strangers to have pity
on them and to share with them that iron, which they regarded as a divinity.
The Outaouas, seeing these people weeping over all who approached them,
began to feel contempt for them and regarded them as people far inferior...The
Outaouas finally decided to select the island called Pelee (near the entrance
of Lake Pepin) as the place of their settlement; and they spent several
years there in peace, often receiving visits from the Scioux. But on one
occasion it happened that a hunting-party of Hurons encountered and slew
some Scioux...after a few days they (Sioux) found their corpses, from which
the heads had been severed... The Hurons, so rash as to imagine that the
Scioux were incapable of resisting them without iron weapons and firearms,
conspired with the Outaouas to undertake a war against them, purposing
to drive the Scioux from their own country...They believed that as soon
as they appeared the latter would flee, but they were greatly deceived,
for the Scioux sustained their attack and even repulsed them; and if they
had not retreated, they would have been utterly routed by the great number
of men who came from other villages to the aid of their allies...The continual
incursions made by the Scioux forced the Outaouas to flee. They had become
acquainted with a stream which is called Black River: they entered its
waters and ascending to its source, the Hurons found there a place suitable
for fortifying themselves and establishing their village. The Outaouas
pushed farther on and proceeded as far as Lake Superior where they fixed
their abode at Chagouamikon. The Scioux, seeing that their enemies had
departed, remained quietly, without pursuing them farther; but the Hurons
were not willing to keep the peace and sent out several hostile bands against
the Scioux. These expeditions had very little success; and, moreover, drew
upon them frequent raids from the Scioux, which compelled them to abandon
their fort, with great loss of their men and go to join the Outaouas at
Chagouamikon..."
Perrot would have probably known some of the
Iroquois involved in the attacks on their neighboring tribes which led
to the massive exodous west, since little more than a decade after those
attacks he was working for the Jesuits in their country & approximately
15 year after, probably had contact with the refugee tribes while among
their neighbors tribes.
The following genealogical file is WinZip-ed;
To view/download file, click on file and UnZip in the Lotus 1-2-3 release
5 format.
perrot.zip
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