François Byssot de la Rivière (1612 or 1613 –1673) was an early figure in the

New World The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...

, his presence being recorded at Île-aux-Ruaux in 1639 when the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

took possession of the property. He married Marie Couillard in

Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...

on 25 October 1648. Byssot was active in a number of pursuits and his name is associated with some of the earliest land grants and was also a person of note in seigneurial justice. In 1661, he received, from the

Compagnie des Cent-Associés The Company of One Hundred Associates ( French: formally the Compagnie de la Nouvelle-France, or colloquially the Compagnie des Cent-Associés or Compagnie du Canada), or Company of New France, was a French trading and colonization company ch ...

, a concession in what is now

Labrador Labrador () is a geographic and cultural region within the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the primarily continental portion of the province and constitutes 71% of the province's area but is home to only 6% of its populatio ...

. He may have constructed a post at Mingan. He constructed the first tannery and was granted some other important concessions in both fishing and harvesting seals. He had twelve children, two of whom,

Jean-Baptiste Jean-Baptiste () is a male French name, originating with Saint John the Baptist, and sometimes shortened to Baptiste. The name may refer to any of the following: Persons * Charles XIV John of Sweden, born Jean-Baptiste Jules Bernadotte, was K ...

and

François-Joseph François-Joseph is a given name, and may refer to: * François-Joseph Amon d'Aby (1913–2007), Ivoirian playwright and essayist * François-Joseph de Beaupoil de Sainte-Aulaire (1643–1742), French poet and army officer * François-Joseph Bélan ...

, attained some notability in Canadian history.

References

* * 1610s births 1673 deaths Canadian explorers People of New France 1630s in Canada 1639 in New France Emigrants from France to New France {{NewFrance-stub