touchet and ship le Taureau
My dilemma is about the Touchet-Laberge trip from France to New France. I have read everything I can get my hands on, including your book, Pierre-Lionel, but still am puzzled. It is this:
On April 5th, 1658 Robert de la Berge signed a contract of indenture at La Rochelle, France.
On that same date, April 5th, 1658, also in La Rochelle, his half-brother Thomas Touchet signed a contract with Jehan Epaize to buy a house in New France.
The same notary, Pierre Picard, was to hold both contracts.
I find the passenger list for Le Taureau and Robert is listed as a passenger but Thomas, Suzanne and son Simon are not on that list.
http://www.migrations.fr/letaureau1658.htmhttp://www.migrations.fr/letaureau1658.htm
I've read, "Robert arrived in New France aboard the ship Taureau on August 6, 1658."
I also read "....On July 29, 1658, Thomas Touchet made a sale to Sebastien Lienard dit Durbois...." This sale took place in the office of Quebec Notary Guillaume Audouart.
I am very puzzled. Obviously Thomas and Robert were in La Rochelle on the same date waiting to set sail. Although they've been said to travel together on the Le Taureau, the passenger manifest does not bear this out.
And, most importantly, Robert is said to have arrived in New France on the le Taureau August 6th, 1658 but Thomas was already there and had signed a contract to prove it on July 29, 1658--a week before.
Consider: Despite the passenger manifest for the Le Taureau, Robert may not have ended up sailing on that particular ship. In looking at the manifest, every passenger has some notation after their name...except Robert.
OR
They did not all sail together.
The date we know Robert and Thomas were in La Rochelle was April 5, 1658. The Le Taureau did not set sale until May 14th. I think something may have happened during that five-week period before the ship set sale. Perhaps Robert had intended to sail on the Le Taureau and thus his name was on the manifest and not removed. Then, if he ended up sailing with Thomas and family, he would have sailed on another ship and been in New France when Thomas was signing that contract.
What am I missing? Discussion, please.