Skip to main contentContract - Commitment of Pierre Huneau-Deschamps to Claude-Antoine Bermen de la Martinière and Pierre de Lestage Despeiroux | McCord Museum
Huneau-Deschamps was one of the thousands of men hired each year as “voyageurs” to transport trading goods into the interior. A third of these came from the Montreal region. Huneau-Deschamps was 51, and his expertise as a guide and considerable experience made him one of the roughly 30 percent who were able to make it their full-time career. The contract was signed in August so we know he was not a farmer, since he took no account of the farming calendar and, given the length of the trip, would clearly be spending the winter in Michilimackinac. Owing to his skills as a guide he was to be paid 300 pounds, a considerable sum at time. An inexperienced voyageur would expect to earn around a hundred pounds or less for the round trip.
La Martinière was commandant of the trading post at La baie des Puants (Green Bay, Wisconsin) from 1737 to 1738. During this period the fur trade was run by merchants who were supplied by merchant-outfitters like Lestage. It was they who provided the items to be exchanged against furs at the trading posts. Trading privileges belonged to the post commandant, who leased his post to the merchants. It is presumed that the document was notarized by François Lepailleur, royal notary in Montreal.
Online Collections | McCord Museum - Montreal Social History Museum 
Contract
Commitment of Pierre Huneau-Deschamps to Claude-Antoine Bermen de la Martinière and Pierre de Lestage Despeiroux
Date
August 6, 1738
Dimensions1 textual record ; 26.6 x 19.3 cm
Origin
Montreal, Quebec, Canada, North America
Object NumberS001/C1.2,1.2
DivisionArchives - Textual Archives
CollectionStewart
Scope and ContentNotarized contract in which Pierre Huneau-Deschamps (1687-1769), resident of Île Perrot and a guide to the pays d'en haut, enters into an agreement with Claude-Antoine Bermen de La Martinière (1700-1761), lieutenant in the colonial regular troops serving in Canada, and Pierre de Lestage Despeiroux (1682-1743), merchant-outfitter, to lead, pilot and guide a canoe loaded with merchandise from Montreal to the trading post of Michilimackinac. Huneau-Deschamps was one of the thousands of men hired each year as “voyageurs” to transport trading goods into the interior. A third of these came from the Montreal region. Huneau-Deschamps was 51, and his expertise as a guide and considerable experience made him one of the roughly 30 percent who were able to make it their full-time career. The contract was signed in August so we know he was not a farmer, since he took no account of the farming calendar and, given the length of the trip, would clearly be spending the winter in Michilimackinac. Owing to his skills as a guide he was to be paid 300 pounds, a considerable sum at time. An inexperienced voyageur would expect to earn around a hundred pounds or less for the round trip.
La Martinière was commandant of the trading post at La baie des Puants (Green Bay, Wisconsin) from 1737 to 1738. During this period the fur trade was run by merchants who were supplied by merchant-outfitters like Lestage. It was they who provided the items to be exchanged against furs at the trading posts. Trading privileges belonged to the post commandant, who leased his post to the merchants. It is presumed that the document was notarized by François Lepailleur, royal notary in Montreal.
NotesSource of title: based on the nature of the document.
Signatures and inscriptions: signed “De La Martinière” and “Lestage.”
Language of the document: the document is in French.
General notes: transcription and English translation available.
Signatures and inscriptions: signed “De La Martinière” and “Lestage.”
Language of the document: the document is in French.
General notes: transcription and English translation available.
Status
Not on viewInformation about the objects in our collection is updated to reflect new research findings. If you have any information to share regarding this object, please email reference.mccord@mccord-stewart.ca.Information about rights and reproductions is available here.
Contract of commitment between Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve and nine new settlers in Ville-Marie
January 23, 1654
S001/C1.7,1.1
Engagement de Pierre Morin et Jacques Tropany / par Henry de Tonty, seigneur de l'isle de, capitaine d'une compagnie de marine, gouverneur du Fort St-Louis, pays de Louisiane pour le roi de France ; par Bellefontaine
S001/C1.2,1.1
Contract between Charles de Monseignat, George Regnard Duplessis and François Badeau before notary Pierre Rivet
October 30, 1711
S001/C1.3,1.1
Contract to sell a plot of land in the fief of Sorel to Pierre Blette
March 19, 1722 - June 12, 1723
S001/C1.4,1.1
Sale of land belonging to Pierre Chapron and Catherine Simon Léonard to Jacques Foyrant
May 11, 1753 - February 15, 1754
S001/C1.4,5.13
Notarized voyageur contract between Pierre Lemieux and the North West Company
October 15, 1811
S001/C3.2,1.1.2
Marquis de Boishébert - Charles Deschamps de Boishébert et de Raffetot (1727-1797)
Marie-Anne Loir
About 1753
M967.48
Marriage contract between Charles-André de Maillé, Marquis of La Tour-Landry, seigneur of Gillebourg, and Suzette-Antoine de Rancurel-de-Saint-Martin
September 19, 1710 - September 13, 1777
S001/A2.5,3.1
Pierre Paradis et Claude Ryan veulent suspendre le droit de grève des employés de la STCUM et des chargés de cours de l'UQAM
R. Pier
1987
M2011.105.74
Armement en commerce de deux vaisseaux & une fregatte commandez par Monsieur Guymont du Coudray, Capitaine des vaisseaux du Roy.
January 5, 1712
S001/A2.2,2.1
Contract between Marie-Marguerite d'Youville Dufrost de Lajemmerais and Baptiste Laffleur dit Meunier regarding a piece of farmland
July 2, 1765
S001/C2.4,1.1
Contrat entre McTavish, Frobisher Co. et Jean Baptiste Aubuchon de Bertier
January 7, 1801
S001/C3.2,1.1.1
This project is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Azrieli Foundation and Canadian Heritage.