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- PRDH: 121613
Louis Lerige, Sieur De La Plante (child #1)
He was born 13 August 1701 and baptized the same day at Laprairie. In 1728, he was self-employed as an explorer in the high country. Two years later he was in the service of sieur Jean Lemire-Marsolet in more advantageous conditions.
After the marriage of his sister Charlotte to Charles Rupalley de Gonneville in 1731, he, the elder son, sold to his brother Gilbert a piece of land acquired from their father and mother, and formed a partnership with his new brother-in-law, Charles, in order to trade furs at Michillimakinac. This business seems to have been beneficial for him. Having already acknowledged a debt to their son of 3393 livres (pounds), Clement Lerige and Marie Roy in 1741 ceded to him against the account of the aforesaid sum, the paternal land which Clement had purchased from Pierre Bourdeau in 1700.
Louis, like his father, took up the profession of arms and joined the Troupes de la Marine. It was thus that in his marriage contract, which was placed before Barette, the 21st day of December 1744, he is called “an officer in the royal troops of this colony”. Several weeks previously he had acquired a concession of 90 acres at Cote Ste. Catherine. At Laprairie, the 7th of January 1745, he married Suzanne, the daughter of Jacques Hubert-Lacroix and of Marie Cardinal.
The Report of Messrs. De Beauharnios and Hocquart mentions on the date 7 May 1747:
“We have learned from a messenger arriving from Montreal, that in the last days of April, a party of Anies ( Mohawks) and English fell upon 21 French explorers near Fort St Frederic of which they killed five of our men and scalped them; the officer Sr. Laplante was badly treated, having been wounded by seven fire arms blasts; this unhappy event happened because of the over confidence of the French who were taken by surprise”.
The wounds he received did not keep him out of action for very long.
Louis obtained his promotion to the rank of Ensign with full pay in February 1748.
We are led to believe that the officer left on a war expedition a few days after his promotion, because the record of his wife’s burial on 31 March does not mention his presence.
Suzanne Hubert-Lacroix bore him three sons, the second, Joseph Clement, died a few days after his birth. After Suzanne’s death, Louis paid a pension to his mother, Marie Roy, widow of Clement Lerige, for the support of the two children, Louis and Nicolas. The later left descendants.
From the Report of Messrs. De la Galissonniere et Hocquart of 5 July1748, we learn of the return of the officer to Montreal:
“The three different war parties commanded by Sieurs Duplessis Fabert, Simblin and Laplante have returned to Montreal, these parties, having joined forces, made an attack close to Norfield, took six English prisoners and five scalps”.
In 1751 and in 1752, Louis Lerige was the commander of the fort of Laprairie.
The following year, before his departure for the high country “by order of his Majesty”, the officer placed his affairs in the hands of his brother-in-law, Pierre Hubert-Lacroix. The latter has drawn up, on 25 July 1753, before Lalanne, an inventory of the possessions of the absent Louis. There is not enough space here to reproduce this interesting document.
La Plante was recommended for promotion to Lieutenant in 1756.
“The Journal of M. de Bougainville” contains a reproduction of a PAINTING OF SAVAGES IN THE ARMY OF THE MARQUIS DE MONTCALM, 28 JULY 1757. At the head of about 160 Sauteux (People of the rapids. The Ojibwa residing at Sault Ste. Marie) from Chagoamigon, Castor, Caoschimagan, la Carpe, and from Kakibonoke, we can see La Plante and Lorimier, officers attached to these savages.
In the following days these troops attacked and captured for William-Henry, situated at the southern point of Lake George, thirty miles from Carillon.
Let us summarize the main actions of this campaign. The 1st of August: Transport of troops etc.; the 7th and 8th : violent attacks were delivered against the fort; the 9th: the English officers surrendered; the 10th: the Indians massacred about 50 of the English prisoners; the 15th: the fort was nothing but a mass of ruins.
La Plante, at the head of his Sauteux, knew therefore the most intense part of the action and collected along, with his companions in arms, the laurels of victory.
In a letter dated 9 November 1759, Vaudreuil mentions that La Plante, due to his disabilities, is not in a state to render much service.
In July 1760, we see him as the commandant of the fort of Laprairie, and in July of the following year, in a legal record, this son of Clement is called the captain of the Troupes de la Marine.
He died 28 July 1762 and his body was buried the next day in the church of Laprairie. On the 31st, the notary Lalanne, at the request of Andre Roy, guardian of the captain’s minor children, prepared an inventory of his goods.
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