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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