A Canadian Family

Riviere-Ouelle Church: the Old and the New

A few years ago I spent an afternoon in Riviere-Ouelle – the seigneury where our Mignier dit Lagace ancestors spent their first century in the New World. As expected, I didn’t find direct traces of our Lagace ancestors. After all the Mignier Lagaces were simple folk and they left Riviere-Ouelle over 200 years ago. However, I did find this memorial stone near the present-day Riviere-Ouelle Church. In English it woud read:

“Site of the first church dedicated to Notre Dame de Liesse, Riviere-Ouelle 1685-1985.”

Even though the original church hasn’t survived it was exciting to think that I was standing on the actual ground of the original church. I spent some time thinking about how our ancestors might have stood in that very spot hundreds of years ago, perhaps chatting before mass – or preparing to enter for their marriage or baptismal services.

The Seignury de la Bouteillerie was established in 1672 and the first settlers arrived just two years later. By 1685 the Riviere-Ouelle Catholic registries were opened and the first church was erected just a year later – however, there was no resident priest just yet! The earliest settlers were served only by missionary priests and it was 1689 before Riviere-Ouelle was accorded its first resident priest.

Riviere-Ouelle Church Today

Related Links:

Portal – Lagace Mignier

Land Grants – La Pocatiere/Riviere Ouelle

Riviere-Ouelle Memorial Headstone: Roussel

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February 15, 2009 - Posted by Evelyn Yvonne Theriault | . | church, French Canadian, Quebec, Riviere-Ouelle