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Louis-Armand de Lom d'Arce Lahontan, baron, officer, author (b at Lahontan, France 9 Jun 1666; d at Hanover 21 Apr 1716).

Jérôme Lalemant, Jesuit missionary (b at Paris, France 27 Apr 1593; d at Québec City 26 Jan 1673), brother of Charles Lalemant. He arrived in Canada in 1638 and was named superior of the Huron mission.

Louis-Joseph Gaultier de La Vérendrye, explorer, cartographer, fur trader, military officer (born 9 November 1717 at Île aux Vaches, Quebec (New France); died at sea off the coast of Cape Breton 15 November 1761). Known by his title Chevalier, the youngest son of Pierre Gaultier de Varennes et de la Vérendrye led the first European exploration across the Missouri River into the Great Plains. He served New France in the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.

François de Laval, first bishop of Québec (born François-Xavier de Montmorency-Laval de Montigny on 30 April 1623 in Montigny-sur-Avre, France; died 6 May 1708 in Québec).

Charles Huault de Montmagny, called Onontio by Indigenous people, governor of New France (b in France c 1583; d on Île St-Christophe, W Indies c 1653).

Augustin de Saffray de Mézy, governor of New France (d at Québec C 6 May 1665). De Mézy was chosen first governor of New France under direct royal rule 1663-65. The colonial administration was reorganized on his arrival and the Sovereign Council established.

Louis d'Ailleboust de Coulonge et d'Argentenay, governor of New France 1648-51 (b at Ancy-le-Franc, France 1612?; d at Montréal May 1660). He was a nobleman and military engineer who sailed in 1643 to play a leading role in the newly established Catholic outpost of Ville-Marie (Montréal).

Basques were expert fishermen and sailors from the southeast corner of the Bay of Biscay. With the Portuguese, they were early arrivals to Newfoundland's Grand Banks.

Josué Dubois Berthelot de Beaucours, military officer, engineer, governor of Trois-Rivières and Montréal (b in France c 1662; d at Montréal 9 May 1750).

Pierre Boucher, interpreter, soldier, seigneur (bap at Mortagne, France 1 Aug 1622; d at Boucherville 19 Apr 1717).

Isaac Jogues, Jesuit missionary, martyr (b at Orléans, France 10 Jan 1607; d at Auriesville, NY 18 Oct 1646). Jogues entered the Society of Jesus in 1624. Sent to the Canadian missions in 1636, he was captured and tortured

Joseph-François Hertel de La Fresnière, soldier (bap at Trois-Rivières, New France 3 July 1642; buried at Boucherville, New France 22 May 1722). As a youth, he was captured and adopted by the Iroquois (1661), escaped, and took part in retaliatory raids, accompanying FRONTENAC to Lake Ontario (1673).

Independent landowners who farmed properties in New France in the 17th and 18th centuries. They differed from hired agricultural labourers and temporary workers. By the end of the 18th century, the term habitant applied to all those who inhabited rural areas and made a living by working the land, even if they did not own it.

Claude-Thomas Dupuy, lawyer, intendant of NEW FRANCE 1725-28 (b at Paris, France 10 Dec 1678; d near Rennes, France 15 Sept 1738). From a bourgeois family Dupuy became a lawyer in the parlement of Paris and in 1720 purchased the office of maître des requêtes.

Récollets, a reformed branch of the Franciscan family, came to France at the end of the 16th century. The main objective of the Récollets was to observe more strictly the Rule of St Francis, and like other semiautonomous branches, they came under the minister general of the Franciscans.

Antoine-Denis Raudot, intendant of New France, 1705-10 (b 1679; d at Versailles, France 28 July 1737). He had begun a career in the ministry of marine when he and his father Jacques Raudot were jointly appointed intendant.

Charles Albanel, Jesuit priest, missionary and explorer (b in Auvergne, France c 1616; d at Sault Ste Marie 11 Jan 1696).

La Corriveau, popular designation of Marie-Josephte Corriveau (born 14 May 1733 in St-Vallier, Québec; died 18 April 1763 in Québec City).

Henri de Tonty, explorer, voyageur (b 1649 or 1650; d at Ft Louis-de-la-Louisiane Sept 1704). He was the son of Lorenzo de Tonty, inventor of the "tontine" system of life annuity.