RENAUD D’AVÈNE DE DESMELOIZES, FRANÇOIS-MARIE, ensign on the king’s ships and captain of a company of colonial regular troops; b. in 1655 (al. 1657) at Lormes, Burgundy, son of Edmé (or Aimé) Renaud d’Avène, seigneur Des Méloizes et de Berges, and Adrienne de Montsaulnin; d. 22 April 1699 at Quebec.

He entered Condé’s regiment in 1668, became a standard-bearer in the dragoons in 1672, and a standard-bearer in the cavalry the following year. On 5 March 1685 he acquired a company in the colonial regular troops, and arrived with them at Quebec on 1 August. In 1687 he went with Governor Brisay* de Denonville on his expedition against the Senecas, and on 19 July signed the document recording the taking over of their country. Frontenac [see Buade] seems to have held him in high esteem, since he considered him “one of the best and wisest officers” in Canada.

On 13 May 1687, at Quebec, Renaud d’Avène had married Françoise-Thérèse, daughter of Nicolas Dupont*, seigneur de Neuville. At the time of his marriage his wife’s grandfather gave him the arriere-fief of La Cloutièrerie, located in the Beauport seigneury. He sold this land 29 July 1693. He also owned some property in the Upper Town of Quebec, since in 1695 his neighbour Pierre Ménage* brought an action against him in the provost’s court of Quebec, for having dug a culvert which emptied into his well and made its water “extraordinarily muddy.” Desmeloizes died 22 April 1699 at Quebec and was buried in the vaults of the basilica. He had nine children, one of whom, Nicolas-Marie*, carried on the line.

Jean-Guy Pelletier