Special Note: All present day Lamprons living in Canada and the United States can
trace their ancestral roots back to Jean Baptiste dit Lacharite Laspron
b. abt.1645, Lacharité, France.
Jean Baptiste Laspron abt. 1645
Very little is know of the Laspron family from the town of La charité located in the department of Nièvre, which is located near the center of France. We know of their birth records, and
Jehan Laspron's profession as a practitioner (baker). Being a skilled craftsman would make Jehan and his family part of the middle class which, in France, was called bourgeoisie during 1600-1800. The
bourgeoisie represented 5-10% of the population while peasants comprised 75-85%, and nobility took up the remaining 1-5%. The main staple for the masses in those times were black bread and beer. The mortality
rate was extremely high with 25% of infants dying before age one, and 55% before age ten.
Jean Baptiste Laspron was born to Jean Laspron and Marguerite de Laby in 1645, and was part of a family of ten brothers and sisters. It is not known if he trained in his
father's profession as a baker's apprentice or aspired to a another calling in life. What we do know is that by the time he was around twenty years old, he enlisted in the French military as a soldier in the
Carignan-Salieres Regiment.
The Carignan-Salières Regiment was a French military unit formed by merging the Carignan Regiment and the Salières Regiment in 1659. The regiment began their existence in combat against the Ottoman Empire
before being reorganized to consist of twenty-four companies before being sent to Canada in 1665. At that time, the army was made of volunteers. During recruitment, the only
condition for the soldier-to-be was to stand at least five feet three inches tall. It was also the practice of the day, for the Company to recruit new soldiers from the towns and
surrounding villages that it passed through. It may have been during the Regiment's march through Nivernais
to La Rochelle, where they were to board ships destined for New France, that Jean Baptiste Laspron joined the regiment.
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When Jean Laspron joined the military, it was the custom of the time to adopt a *nom de guerre (fictitious name). Jean Laspron was born at Saint-Jacques-sur-Loire which is only a few kilometers (couple of miles)
north of Lacharité-sur-Loire. So Jean adopted the **dit name of Lacharité.
He then became known as Jean Laspron, dit Lacharité He also used the names; Jean Baptiste Laspron Sieur de la charité, and Jean Lapron.
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*nom de guerre - French pseudonym meaning: "War Name" Used in the military to protect a
person's family from an enemy during war time.
** dit name - Commonly used in France: Means: Also known as (aka)
In all likelihood, Jean Laspron's "nom de guerre" was chosen because it represented his place of birth and of the many battles and rich military history that were
associated with the location. Since he was most likely recruited in the village of Lacharité he adopted or was henceforth known as Jean Laspron dit Lacharité.
Jean Laspron Off to War
Once the Regiment reached la Rochelle they were garrisoned on the islands of Oléron and Ré where they were provisioned and trained for their upcoming task. On 24 May 1665
the company de la Fouille boarded the La Justice and seven days later set sail for ville de Québec. Three and a half months
later, On 14 Sept 1665 the La Justice docked at Québec. Click here to see a list of officers and soldiers aboard the ship.
Jean arrived in Québec with approximately 1100 other soldiers, ready to fulfill their orders and stop the devastating attacks of the
Iroquois on Canadian settlements. By November a chain of forts had been built along the Rivière Richelieu, blocking that main invasion route.
When peace negotiations proved futile, a foolhardy midwinter expedition was mounted: approximately 600 of the troops and 70 Canadians invaded the Mohawk canton in February 1666. Some of them were ambushed, but
no harm was done to the enemy. Some 60 more of the French perished during the retreat to Canada. In September the regiment again invaded
the Mohawk country, found the villages deserted, and burned them and the surrounding cornfields. In July 1667 the Iroquois finally came to terms. The regiment was recalled to France in 1668, but
some 400 officers and men chose to remain and settle on seigneuries (a form of land distribution) along the
Rivière Richelieu, greatly strengthening the colony's defenses, military ethos, and economy.
When faced with the prospect of returning to a semi-feudal France or becoming a landowner in the new world, the
overwhelming choice was to stay. Despite the many hardships that the new settlers (or habitants as they were known) faced, those hardships paled in comparison to life in France in the 17th century.
Continue the story of Jean Laspron:
A New Bride and a New Life
Home I
Timeline I
Contact I
Origin of Name I
What's in a Name I Kings and Kingdoms
I The Indian Wars I
First Lamprons in Maine I
JUST FOR KIDS I
Family Tree
