Individual Details

The Journey of a Ploughman: The Life of Jean-François-Germain Chassé
Part I: Foundations in France (1711–1732)

The story of the Chassé family in North America begins in the historic Franche-Comté region of eastern France. On August 12, 1711, Jean-François-Germain Chassé was born in the ancient parish of Combeaufontaine, nestled in Haute-Saône. Raised by his parents, Sébastien Chassey and Élisabeth Grandmaitre, Jean-François grew up learning the demanding trade of a laboureur—a skilled ploughman. Unlike common day laborers, a laboureur owned his own team of draft animals and agricultural equipment, a status that commanded respect in the rural French hierarchy.

Part II: A New Life and First Love in New France (1732–1756)
Seeking new horizons, Jean-François made the perilous transatlantic crossing to New France, eventually settling in the rugged, beautiful St. Lawrence River Valley. By 1732, the energetic 21-year-old was ready to establish his own household. He courted Marie-Josephte Mignault, the daughter of Pierre Migneau.

Their wedding was a community celebration, uniting the young immigrant with an established local family. On the day they exchanged vows, the church pews were filled with supportive loved ones. Standing up for Jean-François were his close friends, Jean and Charles Minville. Marie-Josephte was proudly supported by her father Pierre, her brother Jean, and a family friend, Joseph Michaud. In an era when formal education was rare, Joseph proudly signed his own name to the parish register as a literate witness to their union.

For over two decades, Jean-François and Marie-Josephte built a life together on the Canadian frontier, working the land as the colony grew. However, the harsh realities of the 18th century eventually struck the household, and Marie-Josephte passed away, leaving Jean-François a widower.

Part III: A Second Chapter in Kamouraska (1757–1798)
Though heartbroken, Jean-François needed to look to the future. In the summer of 1757, he found love and partnership again with Marie-Louise Asselin. To secure the future of their blended lives, the couple gathered before Notary Dionne in Kamouraska on July 25, 1757, to sign their official contrat de mariage (marriage contract).

Their wedding solidified Jean-François’s deep roots in the community. The ceremony was attended by a tight-knit circle of family and allies, including Mathieu Chassé, Jean Paradis, an uncle from the Dubé family, and Charles-François Mignault—a poignant nod to his continued good terms with his late wife's kin.

Part IV: The Legacy of the Elder
Jean-François-Germain Chassé lived to see the world around him transform dramatically. He survived the turbulent years of the British Conquest of New France and watched his children and grandchildren tame the landscape of the South Shore of the St. Lawrence.

On July 5, 1798, in the parish of St-André de Kamouraska, the old ploughman finally laid down his tools. Having lived an extraordinarily long and full life of 86 years, Jean-François left behind a sprawling French-Canadian legacy, rooted in the soil he spent a lifetime cultivating.

Birth	1715	Beaubassin, Acadie (Amherst, Nova Scotia, Canada)
Marriage	27 Jun 1735	Saint-Louis-De-Kamouraska, Kamouraska, Canada, Nouvelle-France - Jean-François Chassé
Death	2 Mar 1757	Kamouraska, Québec, Canada
Burial	2 Mar 1757	Saint-Louis-De-Kamouraska, Kamouraska, Québec, Canada, Nouvelle-France
Alt name		Marie Joseph Migneau
Reference No		M189

Spouse	Jean-François Chassé (1711 - 1798)
Child	Jean-Baptiste Chassé (1737 - 1794)
Child	Elisabeth Louise Chassé (1739 - 1764)
Child	Anne Chassé (1741 - 1771)
Child	Sébastien Chassé (1743 - 1816)
Child	François Gabriel Chassé (1746 - 1772)
Child	Catherine Chassé (1748 - 1783)
Child	Théotiste Chassé (1752 - 1773)
Child	Marie-Josephte Chassé (1754 - 1754)

Father	Pierre Aubin Mignault (1692 - 1770)
Mother	Jeanne Autin (1693 - 1718)