François Bélanger, who was one of the pioneers of the Beaupré coast, was to become later the first lord of the seigniory of Bonsecours at L'Islet. He is one of your most remarkable ancestors. Born in 1612 in the Lisieux diocese, in the former Normandy province, he joined a group of pioneers coming from Perche in the company of Robert Giffard: the families of Gasnier, Maheu, Boucher, Guyon, Drouin,Cloutier, Gagnon etc.
On 12 July 1637, François Bélanger married Marie Guyon. Father Charles Lallemant, uncle of Saint Gabriel Lallemant blessed their union.
Even though he had united himself in a certain manner to the Lord of Beauport, your ancestor preferred to inhabit the neighboring territory which would eventually form the parish of Château-Richer in the Seigniory of Beaupré. With hard work, François Bélanger soon became one of the more prosperous farmers on the Beaupré coast. He census of 1667 tell us that he had 50 arpents in value and that he had 13 animals in his stable. These figures were extraordinary for this time.