LEGARDEUR DE REPENTIGNY, PIERRE, military officer and seigneur; b. 10 March 1657 at Quebec, eldest son of Jean-Baptiste Legardeur de Repentigny and Marguerite Nicollet; d. 18 Nov. 1736 at Montreal.
Pierre Legardeur de Repentigny began his military career as a “petty officer”; in 1685, after serving for some years in this capacity, he was made an ensign in the colonial regular troops; he is thought to have served as such for two years. In April 1687 he obtained a commission, granted by Brisay de Denonville, as a militia captain. It was probably in this capacity that he took part in the expedition against the Iroquois in the summer of 1687. In 1688 he received a commission as half-pay lieutenant which the king ratified on 16 March 1691.
At the time when the Iroquois were taking their revenge, spreading terror throughout the colony with the Lachine massacre, Denonville decided to abandon Fort Frontenac, which was vulnerable to Iroquois attacks. Legardeur de Repentigny offered his services to the governor to go and take the withdrawal order to the commandant of the fort, Clément Du Vuault de Valrennes. In 1691 Buade* de Frontenac gave him a commission as lieutenant on the active list; the king confirmed this commission two years later. In February 1693 he was in charge of a party made up of 600 Frenchmen and Indians; during the expedition three Mohawk villages were burned down and several prisoners were taken. The following year he was made a midshipman.
Finally, on 27 May 1706, Legardeur de Repentigny obtained the rank of captain in the colonial regular troops. His good service as a soldier earned him high praise; Rigaud de Vaudreuil made this commendation of the old officer: “He is still a very good officer, although more fitted to serve in a fort than to march on a campaign.” This was in 1722, when Legardeur was 65. In April 1733 his record of service was given final consecration in the form of the highest military honour bestowed in New France: he was made a knight of the order of Saint-Louis.
He was also a seigneur. On 20 Sept. 1680 his father made over to him Île Bourdon, which was near the family domain. To this property was added, on 4 June 1706, the sixth part of the Repentigny seigneury, a gift from his uncle Ignace Legardeur de Repentigny; Pierre thus became coseigneur of Repentigny. And on 3 May 1715, at his wife’s earnest request, he acquired the Lachenaye seigneury by auction, with a bid of 38,300 livres. He seems to have properly discharged his seigneurial duties towards the state, the church, and his copyholders.
On 26 Nov. 1685, at Repentigny, he had married Agathe de Saint-Père*, daughter of Jean de Saint-Père* and Mathurine Godé. As he was inclined to be indolent, and was rather easy-going, he was sometimes overshadowed by his active wife. Seven daughters and one boy were born of their marriage. He died on 18 Nov. 1736 at Montreal, and was buried the next day in the church there.
AQ, NF, Aveux et dénombrements, 1, ff.136–44; NF, Foi et hommage, 2, ff.94–96; NF, Registre du Cons. sup., 29, ff.155f., 166v, 167, 167v, 168, 176v, 177; 30, ff.90, 90v; 32, ff.11v, 12, 41, 41v, 42; 36, ff.28v, 29; 39, ff.11, 11v, 12, 167; 40, ff.131v, 132, 132v; 45, f.58. ASQ, Fonds Verreau, Famille Le Gardeur de Repentigny et autres alliés; mss, 132–33, 189. Baugy, Journal (Serrigny), 85. Lahontan, Nouveaux voyages, I, 176, 195. P.-G. Roy, Inv. concessions, I, 257–69; Inv. ord. int., I, 79, 188, 259; II, 94, 106, 123, 192.
Bonnault, “Le Canada militaire,” 474f. Fauteux, Les chevaliers de Saint-Louis, 128. Lorin, Le comte de Frontenac, 349f. P.-G. Roy, Fils de Québec, I, 44f. É.-Z. Massicotte, “Agathe de Saint-Père, dame Le Gardeur de Repentigny,” BRH, L (1944), 202–7. P.-G. Roy, “La famille Legardeur de Repentigny,” BRH, LIII (1947), 165–76, 195–216, 227–47.
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