(1634-1673)
Two more children were born; Sebastien and Marie; and with a growing family and few opportunities; he was lured by the promise of land in the new colony, for anyone willing to work. So in 1644, the Dodier family left France and settled at Trois Rivieres, the seigneury run by the Jesuits. The following year, a son Michel was born, who died in infancy, and within another three years, Marie-Perrine and Pierre.
In 1648, at the age of fourteen; Catherine was married for the first time to Guillaume Isabel, and the couple had three children; Pierre, Jeanne and Francoise. Guillaume's origins are unknown, but we do know that he was in the colonly as early as 1638, when he testified about the theft of some lumber. On August 16, 1644, he was awarded a land concession and in 1650 had completed a home, barn and stable on the property.
Sadly, on August 19, 1652; Catherine's husband joined an expedition against the Iroquois and was ambushed near Trois Rivieres. A witness stated that all 15 men in the party "were clubbed to death, killed slowly or abducted", but no matter what fate befell him, he was never heard from again. To add to her grief, her mother died in October of the following year, and her father decided that he'd had enough. He went back to France where he later married Marie Guy.
Catherine's sister Marie joined the Ursulines and her only surviving brother, Sebastien, also decided that life in the colony was a little more than he bargained for, and also called it quits. However, Catherine, who had recently married Pierre Lepelle, decided to stick it out. As a result, she now owned all of the Dodier holdings, as well as the property of her first husband. She would have eight children with Pierre before her death on April 16, 1673. Thousands of French-Canadians can claim ancestry to Catherine Dodier, the lone family member to brave raising a family in Quebec during such hostile times.
Jeanne Isabel - Was born on October 2, 1650 and died unknown. She married cousin Jean-Antoine Lepelle and had seven children.
Francoise Isabel - Was born on February 26, 1652 and died on Nov 22, 1727. She married Amador Godefroy had had one daughter.
Marie-Francoise Lepelle - Was born on February 26, 1654 and died unknown. She married Pierre-Charles Vauvril and two children.
Claude Lepelle - Was born on June 2, 1656 and died on February 21, 1718. He married Anne-Charlotte Jeremie and the couple had twelve children.
Joseph Lepelle - Was born on April 10, 1659 and died on March 15, 1696. He never married.
Pierre Lepelle - Was born on February 22, 1662 and died unknown.
Marie Lepelle - Was born on November 3, 1664 and died unknown. She married Jacques Daneau and the couple had three children.
Catherine Lepelle - Was born on June 6, 1667 and died unknown. She never married.
Perrine Lepelle - Was born on January 5, 1670 and died on August 3, 1721. She married Voyageur Jacque bissonnet and had seven children.
Marie-Madeliene Lepelle - Was born on July 3, 1672 and died on April 9, 1713. She married Francois Rivard and the couple had seven children.
