Nicolas had 6 boys and 6 girls. He spelled his name Bellanger and may also have been known as Catherine; as a last name. Nicolas became a citizen on 28 September 1658 but the exact arrival date of this Ancestor in New France is not known. His name appears in the records of the Seigneurie of Beauport on 15 October 1655 as the owner of a piece of property of one arpent and 61 rods. That is where, some say, the first records appear of Nicolas in the region. The second mention appears in an act dated 28 September 1658 before the notary Audouart where Nicolas is employed or pledged to Michel Desorcys. On 12 November 1659, Nicolas Bellanger and his future wife, Marie de Rainville present themselves before Paul Vachon, the royal notary of the Seigneurie and the Jurisdiction of Beauport and Prévost of Notre Dame des Anges to profess their marriage contract in front of witnesses, parents and friends as was the custom of the era. From this act, we learn that the couple originates from the parish of Saint Thomas of Touques in Normandy, that Nicolas is proficient at the salt trade and that the parents of Marie are Paul de Rainville and Rolline Poette. The text does not mention the parents of Nicolas. We also note that his name is spelled with a double l as in Bellanger, which corresponds with the most popular pronunciation of the time. Nicolas and Marie were married on Sunday the 11th of January 1660 in the presense of Father Paul Ragueneau of the Compagnie de Jesus in the chapel of the Seigneurial manor where the religious ceremony was guaranteed by the officials who took care of these matters. Beauport had not yet constructed a parish and the recorded marriage, in the records of the mother parish, Notre Dame de Quebec, does not mention the names of Nicolas' parents either. This omission deprives us of an important piece of evidence. A renoun genealogist, Father Archange Godbout, O.F.M., found several Bellangers in the registers of Saint Thomas de Touques in the period 1628-1657. A few of these are: Jacques, Jean, Hector, Louis, Robert, Marguerite, Françoise, Marie et Catherine. In each case it was impossible to establish with any degree of certainty that any were related to our ancestor.

The little white house at 600 Avenue Royale in Beauport was built by, or for, Nicolas Bellanger on land deeded to him by the Seigneur Joseph Giffard on 24 January 1673 before the Notray Paul Vachon. The house originally was 22 feet by 20 feet and was constructed of stone upon stone. This home was passed down to a son of Nicolas, Pierre, around 1700. This last heir lived there for about 20 years and sold the home to a man named Marcou. It was the last owner, a Mr. Girardin, who left his name to the house before it became the property of the Sisters of the Congregation. The actual property was saved from the pick ax of a demolitioin crew by a Mr. Michel Dufresne. Even the Canadian government believed the above information to be true until recently when they say that Nicolas' house was actually across the street and this is really the Girardin house. (Revised 12/25/03 by Jim Bélanger)

NOTE!!! In the reference "Repertoire des Mariages de Notre Dame De Quebec, 1618-1700, compiled by Benoit Pontbriand, 2390 Marie Victorin Sillery - 6" we find the marriage records of François Bélanger to Marie Guyon with their parents listed as François and Françoise Horlays and Jean & Mathurine Robin. Two other marriages are listed here. That of Nicolas Bélanger to Marie de Rainville and of Marie Madeleine Bélanger to Bertrand Chesne. The parents of both Nicolas and Marie Madeleine are listed as François & Marie Guyon. This would indicate that our ancestor Nicolas is the son of François. Marie Madeleine married Bertrand Chesne and much is mentioned about François' relationship with his son in law, Bertrand Chesne.
However, further evidence indicate that Nicolas was not the son of François.

Nicolas died on 19 October 1682 at the age of 50 years. His first born, Bertrand-Pierre, was then 19 and his youngest had just turned one. One of Nicolas' sons had died at a young age, another died before 1681 and a girl, Marthe, was married. Nine children were still living in the paternal home at the time. The death notice said; On the 20th day of October 1682, was buried in the cemetery of Beauport, Nicholas Bellanger, aged 50 years, farmer of this region, died the previous day in the christian faith. Assisting in the funeral arrangements were Rene Remy, Paul Vachon notary royal at Beauport and Jean de Rainville, brother in law of the deceased. All signed the witness document except Jean de Rainville who could not write. This was done according to the local ordinances.

References:
In the Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français, Partie Historique of the Institut Drouin, Page 1389 and 1390, (Reference Source 15) the Story of Nicolas lists him as being from Saint-Thomas-de-Touques, Diocese of Lisieux, in Normandy. It also states that he is the cousin of François.
Généalogie des Familles de Terrebonne by Raymond Masson Vol 1, Page 190 lists Nicolas as being the first born son of François and Marie Guyon.
The Church of the Latter Day Saints records; Page 6,1000, show records of France. There is shown a birth of Nicolas in Touques, Calvados in 1638 with parents listed as François Bélanger and Marie Guyon.

Notes from Bélanger Database Copyright © Jim Bélanger,
Permission to use granted via Email 6/30/02. Merci bien, Jim!
The PRDH references have been added by the author of this website. (NAL)

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