Jean Taché (; b. 1698 – April 18, 1768) was a Canadian merchant and trader. He made his first trip to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

in 1727 to deal in furs and engage in other business activities. By 1730, he had become a permanent resident of the colony and was successful as a merchant and trader. He was also a militia captain in the government of

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, ...

. France's surrender of the colony of Quebec in 1763 curtailed his business activities. Under the new British rule, he was one of the first Canadians to be called as members of the Grand Jury for the district of Quebec. In 1768, he received a commission as a

notary A notary is a person authorised to perform acts in legal affairs, in particular witnessing signatures on documents. The form that the notarial profession takes varies with local legal systems. A notary, while a legal professional, is distin ...

but died shortly after. He had at least 10 children, and his descendants contributed to

French-Canadian French Canadians, referred to as Canadiens mainly before the nineteenth century, are an ethnic group descended from French colonists first arriving in France's colony of Canada in 1608. The vast majority of French Canadians live in the prov ...

society during the 19th century. On August 27, 1742, Taché married Marie-Anne Jolliet de Mingan, granddaughter of the explorer

Louis Jolliet Louis Jolliet (; September 21, 1645after May 1700) was a French-Canadian explorer known for his discoveries in North America. In 1673, Jolliet and Jacques Marquette, a Jesuit Catholic priest and missionary, were the first non-Natives to explore ...

and Jean-Baptiste Jolliet de Mingan. He is the grandfather of

Étienne-Paschal Taché Sir Étienne-Paschal Taché (5 September 1795 – 30 July 1865) was a Canadian medical doctor, politician, and Father of Confederation. His family had a long history in New France, but suffered serious financial reverses due to the Seven Y ...

, known as one of the

Fathers of Confederation The Fathers of Confederation are the 36 people who attended at least one of the Charlottetown Conference, Charlottetown Conference of 1864 (23 attendees), the Quebec Conference, 1864, Quebec Conference of 1864 (33 attendees), and the London Conf ...

, and Jean-Baptiste Taché. Other descendants include writer Joseph-Charles Taché.

References

Further reading