Our ancestors have always generously done their share for the defense of the mother country. It is well to notice that our "possible" distant ancestors with a really noticeable number (eight) were soldiers of the famous Carignan regiment.

The Carignan regiment was already glorified in the war they fought against the turkishmen before their departure from Europe. The very same Carignan regiment arriving in Canada, brought peace and confidence which made this new colony prosper rapidly.

French families are rightfully proud when they may have within their ancestry a crusader that went to reconquer the country of Jesus-Christ from the occupation and power of the barbaric people, that was noble. But to enroll one self, and leave behind his family and his mother country to go to an immeasurably far away new country in order to facilitate the establishment of a Christian people…! Here is (it seems to me) another crusade and we are rightfully proud to belong "possibly" to these distant ancestors’ families of eight glorious soldiers of the Carignan regiment.

Carignan regiment was created in France by Prince Thomas Emmanuel, Pierre of Savoie, Prince of Carignan which gave his name to this famous regiment. The Carignan regiment was build around this famous Prince Company of guards.

This regiment did distinguished itself in a great number of battles against the enemy, and after peace came to the Pyrénées , the Prince of Carignan gave its Carignan regiment as a gift to the great King Louis XIV and this regiment was right away assigned to the regular army.

In May 1665 the King decided to send troops of good soldiers to his nearly new colony Canada with the objective of maintaining peace and tranquility as this new colony was always in fear of being attacked and perishing, exterminated by the Iroquois Indians. Twelve hundred soldiers from the Carignan regiment went to board a ship at La Rochelle in destination of Canada.

Father Couillard Després (a priest) in his book "Histoire de Sorel" make mention of their sea voyage and the arrival of this regiment.

Monsieur de Courcelles and the Viceroy Monsieur de Tracy who led these valiant soldiers, successfully pursue the Iroquois Indians to the edge of their living country and gain in this manner for some time a well deserved tranquility for the colony.

After its assigned task accomplished, the Carignan regiment was dismissed in 1667 and returned to France, except for four hundred soldiers (more or less) and thirty officers whose choice was to stay as pioneers and to settle in the colony. The King encouraged these latter choices and the King granted vast seigniorial land and rights to those officers who had the means to colonize them, plus an allowance of 150 pounds to the sergeants and of 100 pounds to the regular soldiers. Officers and soldiers of Carignan regiment established on the edges of Richelieu River which was mostly the place of their battlefields and feats of arms.