Martin dit l'Ecossois, Abraham^{[1, 2]}

1589 - 1664  (74 years)

• Name	Martin dit l'Ecossois, Abraham
  Born	27 Nov 1589	La Rochelle, Aunis, France   [3]
  Gender	Male
  Occupation	pilote royal
  _UID	302C36AD98A65040A1C78BDBD3FEEC25BD38
  _UID	742211F2F453A6479FC53457F208031CD5BA
  Died	8 Sep 1664	Lachenaie, Terrebonne Co., QC, Canada
  Person ID	I6013	NewFranceGenealogy
  Last Modified	18 Apr 2017

  
  

  Father	Martin, Galeran Jean,   b. 1560, La Rochelle, Aunis, France ,   d. Abt 1623, France  (Age 63 years)
  Mother	Côté, Isabelle,   b. Abt 1560, St-Xiste, Montpellier, Languedoc, France
  Married	Abt 1585	St-Xiste, Montpellier, Languedoc, France
  Family ID	F2100	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Couillard, Guillaumette,   b. Abt 1590, France ,   d. Bef 1620, France  (Age ~ 29 years)
  Married	1610	France
  _STAT	MARRIED
  _UID	7F4F8DCB38EBA346BB8A160538C5BED21FDB
  Last Modified	27 May 2017
  Family ID	F2103	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 2	Langlois, Marguerite,   b. 18 Feb 1592, St-Xiste, Montpellier, Languedoc, France ,   d. 17 Dec 1665, Québec City, QC, Canada  (Age 73 years)  [2, 4]
  Married	Bef 1620	France   [3]
  _STAT	MARRIED
  _UID	BAFDD4F2DF618A4B9934E051DA0CDCDE3026
  Children	1. Martin, Eustache,   b. 24 Oct 1621, Québec, Canada, New France ,   d. 1 Jun 1667, Québec, Canada, New France  (Age 45 years) + 2. Martin, Marguerite Marie,   b. 4 Jan 1624, Québec, Canada, New France ,   d. 25 Nov 1679, Château-Richer, Montmorency Co, Québec, Canada, New France  (Age 55 years)   3. Martin, Hélène,   b. 1627, Québec, Canada, New France ,   d. 1653, Québec, Canada, New France  (Age 26 years) + 4. Martin dite l'Ecossois, Marie Anne,   b. 10 Apr 1635, Québec, Canada, New France ,   d. 25 Apr 1699, Château-Richer, Canada, New France  (Age 64 years)   5. Martin, Adrien,   b. 1638, Québec, Canada, New France + 6. Martin, Madeleine,   b. 1640, Québec, Canada, New France ,   d. 1688, Lachenaie, Lanaudière, Canada, New France  (Age 48 years)   7. Martin, Barbe,   b. 1643, Québec, Canada, New France ,   d. 4 Oct 1660, Québec, Canada, New France  (Age 17 years)   8. Martin, Anne,   b. 1645, Québec, Canada, New France ,   d. 14 Jan 1717, Saint-Pierre, le-d'Orléan, , ,  (Age 72 years)   9. Martin, Charles-Amador,   b. 6 Mar 1648, Québec, Canada, New France ,   d. 19 Jun 1711, Sainte-Foy, Canada, New France  (Age 63 years)
  Last Modified	27 May 2017
  Family ID	F2099	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Notes

  IMMIGRATION: 1620 OCCUPATION: Riverboat pilot Martin arrived in New France with his wife, Marguerite Langlois, her sister Françoise and brother-in-law Pierre Desportes (the parents of Hélène Desportes) about 1620. Martin may have been of Scottish descent or he might have used the sobriquet if he had been enrolled in military service or had been a member of an illegal organization: such names were used to avoid detection by officials looking for deserted soldiers or in case the records of an illegal organization were seized. It is also possible that he acquired the name because he had made several voyages to Scotland as a young man. There is some question as to whether Martin was really an official pilot or not, although he was referred to as "king's pilot" in his own day. However, he did fish well down into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. It is presumed that the Plains (or Heights) of Abraham are named after Martin. It is picturesquely said that the "Côte d'Abraham" was the path that Martin used to descend to the St. Charles River to water his animals. His property amounted to 32 acres in all, 12 received from the Compagnie de la Nouvelle-France in 1635 and 20 as a gift from Sieur Adrien Du Chesne, ship's surgeon to Pierre Legardeur de Repentigny in 1645. This land was sold by the Martin family to the Ursulines in 1667. It is possible that this is the same Martin who was employed by Jean de Biencourt and Du Gua de Monts as navigator on the coast of Acadia, although he would have been very young at that time. When David Kirke captured Quebec in 1629 and left his brother Lewis as governor until 1632, Martin and his family stayed on. In his later years Martin fell in the estimation of his fellow citizens when he was accused of improper conduct with regard to a young girl in Québec. He was imprisoned for this on 15 Feb. 1649. SOURCE: Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online, http://www.biographi.ca/EN/ ------------- Sieur L'Ecossais This is the Abraham Martin after whom the "Plains Of Abraham" were named. Arrived from France on sailboat "LeSallemonde" at Tadossac on 30 August 1620 with wife and daughter Anne. Received concession of ground that formed a plateau where Wolfe and Montcalm fought the battle of Québec.This area is known as "les plaines d'Abraham" (the plains of Abraham). Abraham went to France after the taking of Québec by Kirk on 24 July 1629, and returned to Québec in 1633/34. He was a master pilot. On 19 January 1649, a young girl of 15 or 16 years became the first woman in Québec to be executed. It is not clear exactly what she was accused of but one possibility was "Thievery". We do know that Abraham Martin was accused of raping (indecent liberties?) with the same girl around this time. Was known as the Scotchman. He donated the land known as the Plains of Abraham, site of the battle of Québec. SOURCE: Denise Caron, "Caron Braun Family Tree", http://www.ancestry.com --------------- Abraham Martin, Galleran's son, arrived in 'New France' on the sailboat LeSallemandie at Tadoussac on August 30, 1620. His wife Marguerite Langlois, was sister to Françoise Langlois who was married to Pierre Desportes (parents of Helene Desportes who was the first European person born in Canada ). After the take-over of Québec by Kirke, they were turned over to France, then in 1633, returned to Québec. He was thus back, with his family including a daughter named Anne, working as a River pilot, ploughman and fisherman. Abraham is often noted as Abraham Martin 'dit' l'Ecossais, meaning Abraham the Scot. At this point we need to consider the possibility that there were two Anne Martins. One of them was a kid sister to Abraham and born about 1617, the other was Abraham’s daughter, born on March 23, 1621. Both are presented as both have credibility and of being the Anne Martin who married Jean Côté . Both Annes were born in Perche Province in France. Also, the assumption is held that Abraham married Marguerite Langlois in France on Oct 24, 1621, leaving Anne to have been born before the marriage in both cases. In the case of the Anne that was Abraham’s sister, she was born 1617, and would have been 28 years junior to Abraham. Her Mother would have been about 50 at the time of her birth. She could have met Jean while in France and then came over on one of the several ships that arrived from France in 1635 and at the time would have been 18 or so. She might also have came over as a guest of her brother with the idea of seeing what might develop with Jean. In the case of the Anne that was Abraham’s daughter, she was born 1621 and would have been 15 at the time of her arrival from France and her marriage to Jean. While this is possibly more credible than the first scenario, it conflicts with the data that Abraham and Marguerite had another Anne that was born in 1645. ...we will be holding to the idea that the Anne that married Jean was the one that was Abraham’s daughter, unless some other data comes to light that causes us to consider otherwise. SOURCE: Tom Thievin, "Our Cote Genealogy",http://www.thievin.net/CoteHistory.html -------------- SOURCE: Jane Goodrich from http://www.electracat.com/Linda2/f383.htm Abraham Martin, called l'Ecossais and Master Abraham was probably a complex personality. There are many unanswered questions about this man. Why did they call him the Scotsman? Of the various theories proposed, the most intriguing is based on evidence found in Dundee, Scotland. "Here lies one godly and virtuous woman, Sarah Auchinleck, spouse of Abraham Martine Frenchman, chirugeon barber; who departed life July 25, 1665. Of her age 40. Here also lies one honest man, Abraham Martine Frenchman, chirugeon barber, lawful son of Abraham Martine, merchant, burgess of the city of Metz in Loraine; who departed life in June 13, 1673 of his age 57." If the father of the man in this grave is our Abraham Martin, that would have placed him in Scotland in 1616, near the age of 27 years, clearly possible. In 1619 or 1620 he arrived in Québec with his wife Marguerite Langlois, her sister Françoise Langlois and her husband Pierre Desportes. Abraham is an unusual name for a good French Catholic of that era, although sometimes Old Testament names were used ( such as by his friend, Samuel de Champlain). It is possible though, that Abraham was of Hugenot birth. The Plains of Abraham was the scene of a famous battle in 1759. In the 17th century it had been the meadow of Abraham Martin. He had 32 arpents in all, 12 from the Compagnie de la Nouvelle-France in 1635. The other 20 was a gift from Sieur Adrian du Chesne in 1645. Du Chesne was ship's surgeon to Pierre Lagardeur de Repentigny. Master Abraham's descendants sold the land in 1667 to the Ursulines, a religious order. The Kirk brothers conquered Québec in 1629 and sent most of the inhabitants back to France. Rene Jetté includes Abraham Martin and his family in those sent back, but many references have him amongst the few who stayed on. There is no record of Martin children being born during the years of this occupation. He clearly was at Québec both before and after the Kirk brothers incursion. His son, Eustache was the first French boy child born in New France. His daughter Helene Martin was the god-daughter of Samuel de Champlain. Champlain's wife seems the likely connection between his and the Abraham Martin family. Helene Boulle, the wife of Samuel de Champlain did not adapt well to frontier living and only spent four years in Québec. She found solace and companionship with Abraham's wife Marguerite and her sister Françoise Langlois who bore the first French child born in New France, another relative, Helene Desportes. When Samuel de Champlain died he left a legacy to Marguerite Martin, another daughter to help her "marry a man of Canada", and he left money to Abraham Martin "to be spent for clearing land". Contemporaries called Abraham Martin a king's pilot, leading to the conclusion that he was the first river pilot of Canada. Although he was illiterate he associated with Champlain and Pierre Desportes, both literate and well born individuals. He did much more than just leave his name to the Plains of Abraham. SURNAME: Also shown as Martin dit L'Ecossais BIRTH: Also shown as Born 1585

  
  

• Sources

  [S72] Your Ancient Canadian Family Ties, Olivier, Reginald L., (The Everton Publishers, Inc. 1972 ), pp. 24,39 (Reliability: 2). [S274] GEDCOM from Michel Cyr, Michel Cyr (Reliability: 0). [S38] Le Programme de recherche en démographie historique / The Research Program in Historical Demography (Reliability: 2). [S35] Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles du Québec, Jetté, René, (Les Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 1983) (Reliability: 2).