François Séguin dit Ladéroute: Ancestor of the Séguins in North America

François Séguin dit Ladéroute arrived in New France during the mid-seventeenth century. Although he wasn’t among the colony’s founding settlers, he became the ancestor of most Séguins in North America. Through his son, Joseph Séguin, he is also one of my many ancestors who became part of the original settlers of Detroit in the early eighteenth century. If you’re also a descendant of the Seguin family, join me as I explore the life and legacy of François Séguin.

Early Life in France

François Séguin dit Ladéroute was baptized on July 4, 1644, in Saint-Aubin-en-Bray, Picardie, France, to Laurent Séguin and Marie Massieu. He was the eldest son and had three younger brothers, Renée Seguin, Pierre Seguin and Laurent Seguin. According to an excerpt from François’ baptism, his godparents were François Oudin and Jehanne Dufour. 

Seguin left home when he was relatively young and enrolled in the Carignan Regiment, serving in the de Lemongue company.

Life in New France

Seguin first appears in Quebec records in 1665. He served in the Carignan-Salières Regiment from 1665 to 1668. When he arrived in New France, he built a fort with his company along the Richelieu River. After François was released from the military in the fall of 1668, he settled on a piece of land in the Seigneury of Saint-Ours. 

During the fall of 1671, Seguin began leasing a plot of land in Boucherville from Robert Henry, which lasted two years and required him to clear two arpents of land per year. Henry also granted Seguin use of his house in the village.

Marriage and Family

François Séguin married Jeanne Petit on October 31, 1672, in Sainte-Famille de Boucherville, Canada, Nouvelle-France. Petit, a Fille du Roi from La Rochelle, Aunis, France, was the daughter of Jean Petit and Jeanne Gaudreau. She crossed the Atlantic aboard the ship La Nativité, arriving a few months before her marriage to Séguin.

They had ten children together: Marie Madeleine Séguin, François Séguin, Marie Jeanne Seguin, Pierre Séguin, Simon Séguin dit Ladéroute, Catherine Seguin, Jean Baptiste Séguin dit Ladéroute, Geneviève Segui, Joseph Seguin and Joseph Seguin; however, only nine made it to adulthood.

Are you interested in learning more about the Filles du Roi? Check out Filles du Roi — Are You Related to the King’s Daughters?

Joseph Seguin and the Detroit Connection

François’ youngest son, Joseph Seguin, moved to Detroit in the earlier part of the eighteenth century after it was established by Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac in 1701. 

According to Father Lebel, Joseph worked in the fur trade in Detroit and forwarded the furs to buyers in Montreal, which were then sold in Quebec. His father, François, also reportedly worked in the fur trade. 

Joseph married Françoise Sauvage in 1723 in Detroit. They had five children: Marie Jeanne Séguin, Cajetan Séguin, Jacques Seguin, Alexis Seguin and Pierre Seguin. 

Joseph died in 1753 at Fort Pontchartrain at the age of 59 and was buried at Ste-Anne-de-Détroit.

Want to learn more about Detroit’s earliest French settlers? Check out Detroit’s Original French Canadian Settlers & Their Fascinating Stories.

My Connection to François Séguin

I have two connections to François Séguin dit Ladéroute through my maternal grandmother.

Connection One

1. François Séguin dit Ladéroute (1644-1701) and Jeanne Petit (1644-1733)
2. Joseph Séguin (1694-1753) and Marie Françoise Sauvage (1700-1792)
3. Marie Jeanne Séguin (1724-1782) and Antoine Mesny (1713-1794)
4. Marie-Françoise Mesny (1744-1812) and Charles Morand (1726-1785)
5. Antoine Lesperance (1773-1860) and Marie Josephte Chauvin (1777)
6.  Elisabeth Lesperance (1800-1880) and Joseph Renaud (1800)
7. Jean Baptiste Renaud (1828) and Zoé Hersilie Jubenville (1828-1870)
8. Antoine Solomon Renaud (1853 – 1926) and Catherine Barron (1854 – 1939) 
9. Mary Zoé Renaud (1878 – 1935) and Abraham Joseph Higgins (1875 – 1950) 
10. Mary Catherine Higgins (1908 – 1983) and Walter Grondin (1910 – 1998)
11. Martha Grondin (Born 1950) and Gary Willis (Born 1946) – my parents

Connection Two

1. François Séguin dit Ladéroute (1644-1701) and Jeanne Petit (1644-1733)
2. Jean Baptiste Séguin dit Ladéroute (1688-1728) and Geneviève Barbeau dite Boisdoré (1689-1773)
3. Joseph Seguin dit Laderoute (1717 – 1795) and Marie Therese Tremblay (1734 – 1800)
4. Mary Teresa Seguin dit Laderoute (1752 – 1823) and Jean Baptiste Chauvin (1740 – abt. 1804)
5. Marie Josephte Chauvin (1777) and Antoine Lesperance (1773 – abt. 1860)
6. Elisabeth Lesperance (1800 – 1880) and Joseph Renaud (1800) 
7. Jean Baptiste Renaud (1828) and Zoé Hersilie Jubenville (1828 – 1870)
8. Antoine Solomon Renaud (1853 – 1926) and Catherine Barron (1854 – 1939) 
9. Mary Zoé Renaud (1878 – 1935) and Abraham Joseph Higgins (1875 – 1950) 
10. Mary Catherine Higgins (1908 – 1983) and Walter Grondin (1910 – 1998)
11. Martha Grondin (Born 1950) and Gary Willis (Born 1946) – my parents

Do you want to know more about the earliest settlers of New France? Check out New France’s Founding Families and Their Fascinating Stories.