Jean Lemire
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Jean Lemire (1626 – 1685) is the ancestor of most Lemires living in Canada. His father and mother, Mathurin LeMire and Jeanne Vannier, lived in the Saint Vivien district of Rouen, Normandy. Rouen is the outer harbour of Paris on the Seine river. Jean Lemire was baptized in the Saint Vivien church June 4, 1625.He was a carpenter by trade.
Jean Lemire crossed the Atlantic between 1650 and 1653. He married Louise Marsolet, daughter of Nicolas Marsolet of Saint-Aignan and Marie Barbier, and thereby entered one of the most important families of Québec.
In 1667, the couple decided to establish themselves on a land at Cap-Rouge. By then, they owned ten acres (40,000 m²) of land and five cattle, and they employed three servants. The same year, Jean was named syndic of the region's inhabitants, and thus became the community spokesman at the Supreme Council.
By 1684, the master carpenter was in high esteem throughout the region. He was assigned the construction of the steeple in Québec Cathedral, a structure of Batiscan oak, designed to crown the south tower of the cathedral.
Nine months later, on October 5, 1684, he died at fifty-nine years old. Louise outlived her husband until 1712.
