Olivier Le Tardif (1602-1665)
Olivier Le Tardif is undoubtedly the ancestor of the vast majority of Tardif families in America. Numerous short biographies have been published about him, most of them based on the works of Monsignor Gosselin and A. Ducharme. Furthermore, he inspired a biographical novel, Monsieur Olivier, published in 2011 by Marc-André Tardif, the founding president of AFTA. Here is a short summary of Olivier Le Tardif’s life, based on both previous and recent research.
Olivier Le Tardif, son of Jehan Le Tardif and Clémence Houart, was born in Étables, in the diocese of Saint-Brieuc in Brittany, now known as Étables-sur-Mer. He arrived in Tadoussac on June 24, 1618, aboard a ship from the Compagnie des Marchands, which had departed Honfleur on May 24. Upon his enlistment, Le Tardif held the position of « interpreter, » responsible for liaising with Indigenous peoples regarding the fur trade. By 1621, he was among Québec’s notable figures who signed a document addressed to King Louis XIII concerning the living conditions in New France. He spent several winters in Québec, and Champlain referred to him as an interpreter of Indigenous languages and an assistant at the Québec storehouse. On August 20, 1629, Champlain instructed him to hand over the storehouse keys to Louis Kirke following the city’s capture.
Taken to England with Champlain by the Kirke brothers, he later returned to France, where he temporarily settled in Honfleur. Upon arriving in England, Champlain and the Kirke brothers learned that peace had been signed on April 24, 1629, rendering Québec’s conquest invalid. Since Champlain had ceded the colony on July 20, he, along with Le Tardif, initiated efforts to reclaim the colony and its storehouse assets. The Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye eventually restored Canada to France, enabling Olivier to return to Québec in 1631. He was highly active, as his name appears on numerous civil and religious documents. In 1633, he was in Rouen, where he granted power of attorney to Jean Rozée to collect his wages on his behalf.
In 1634, he was named the first clerk of the Compagnie des Cent-Associés in a property division between Guillaume Couillard, Hélène Desportes, and Guillemette Hébert. In 1635, he assisted surveyor Jean Bourdon in granting land to Abraham Martin. On November 17, 1635, he witnessed Champlain’s will. He worked closely with all social classes. He adopted three Indigenous children (one boy and two girls) and paid for their housing and education. One of them, Marie Olivier Manitouabewich, married a Frenchman, Martin Prévost, in 1644—marking the first mixed marriage in New France.
On March 23, 1637, Governor Montmagny granted 160 acres of forest land, known as Belleborne (later the Châtellenie de Coulonge), jointly to Olivier Le Tardif and Jean Nicolet. This land would later become the residence of Québec’s lieutenant governors until 1961.
In 1637, he married Louise Couillard, granddaughter of Louis Hébert. She was only twelve and a half years old. She bore a son four years later and died the same year. Her son followed her in death a few years later. This son, Pierre, had none other than Governor Charles Huault de Montmagny as his godfather.
Le Tardif was involved in several significant events: witnessing the acquisition of Île d’Orléans by Derré de Gand for the Compagnie des Marchands, testifying in an inquiry into the drowning death of Pierre de la Porte, serving as churchwarden at Notre-Dame de Québec, and appearing as a witness on numerous baptismal, marriage, burial, and notarial records. He maintained close ties with Jesuits, who mentioned him frequently in their accounts.
In 1641, he became the general clerk of the Compagnie des Cent-Associés and took charge of the company’s ship, Notre-Dame. His duties required several trips to France, where he spent multiple winters. In 1643, he hired five men in La Rochelle for Guillaume Couillard. In 1645, he was godfather to Olivier Michel in La Rochelle. He attended Zacharie Cloutier’s wedding in La Rochelle in 1648 and married his second wife, Barbe Esmard, also a widow and mother of Olivier Michel, in May 1648.
In April 1646, he was appointed Attorney General of the Compagnie de Beaupré and co-lord of the Côte de Beaupré for 1,500 livres. His responsibilities included granting land to settlers, formalizing previous verbal agreements, promoting the seigneury’s development, and overseeing disputes among residents.
Upon returning to France in 1648 with his wife and two children—Pierre (his own) and Olivier Michel (his wife’s)—he settled in Cap Tourmente on the Côte de Beaupré, where he owned a house, eventually relocating to Château-Richer. He worked to develop this part of his seigneury, attracting about 30 settlers between 1650 and 1651, many of whom founded prominent Canadian families like Racine, Gravel, Bélanger, Boucher, Gagnon, Drouin, and Giguère.
By 1656, likely afflicted with illness, he granted his wife power of attorney to manage their assets. Sadly, she passed away three years later, leaving behind four minor children. However, Olivier partially recovered and remained active in his seigneury, issuing numerous land grants and contracts. He was confirmed by Monsignor de Laval in 1660 and traveled to France, signing a land concession in 1661 and assisting families on the Côte de Beaupré affected by Iroquois incursions.
As his illness worsened, he sold his Château-Richer property and seigneurial rights to Charles Aubert de la Chesnaye in 1662. François Bélanger was appointed curator of his assets, and Zacharie Cloutier, his brother-in-law, became guardian to his children. He passed away in Château-Richer and was buried on January 28, 1665, having played a key role in New France’s colonization and administration.
His daughter, Barbe-Delphine, married Jacques Cauchon in Château-Richer on November 23, 1661, and had numerous children. His son Guillaume was the only one to continue the Tardif lineage. After spending time in Sillery, he settled permanently in L’Ange-Gardien. His three sons established the three main branches of the Tardif family:
- François: Québec, Côte de Beaupré, Ancienne-Lorette, Saint-Augustin.
- Charles: Kamouraska, Bas-Saint-Laurent, Madawaska.
- Pierre: Lévis, Beauce, etc.
Their many descendants can be found across Québec, New England, and major cities in Canada and the U.S.