VIENNAY-PACHOT, FRANÇOIS, seigneur, merchant, director of the Compagnie du Nord, militia captain; b. at Bourg-d’Oisans (Dauphiné); d. 2 Sept. 1698 at Quebec.

As soon as he arrived in New France, probably before 1679, he opened a store in the Lower Town of Quebec. At that time he must have had the status of a hawker – a hawker could not traffic with the Indians or open a store at Montreal or Trois-Rivières from 15 June to 15 August – since on 24 April 1681 he presented a petition to the Conseil Souverain, in which he claimed the enjoyment of the privileges possessed by the other merchants. The Council acceded to his request. On 27 March 1684 he acquired a site in the Lower Town from the Quebec seminary, and then a second one on 4 Jan. 1686.

On 7 Jan. 1689 he obtained the Rivière-Mitis seigneury, which had an area of one square league. He intended to carry on cod- and seal-fishing there. Fishing was Viennay-Pachot’s major concern. On 14 April 1689 he obtained, with several partners, “permission to fish for cod, whale, seal, porpoise and others that there may be in the St. Lawrence Gulf and River.” On 8 March 1696 he signed an agreement with Marie Couillard [see Byssot] with respect to fishing and hunting throughout the whole extent of the Mingan islands. Furthermore, his name appeared among those of the directors of the Compagnie du Nord, in 1690.

François Viennay-Pachot died 2 Sept. 1698 at Quebec. He was married twice: to Jeanne Avamy, who died before his arrival in Canada, and to Charlotte-Françoise Juchereau* de Saint-Denis, daughter of Nicolas Juchereau de Saint-Denis, whom he married 17 Dec. 1680 and who gave him 16 children. She later married François Dauphin* de La Forest, calling herself Comtesse de Saint-Laurent in honour of the comté de Saint-Laurent, which she had bought from François Berthelot on 25 Feb. 1702. This transaction involved her in disputes with Berthelot which have become famous.

Jean Hamelin