Before Paul Vachon, Royal Notary, in New France, record keeper of the King, our Sire, and for the rights of the Lords of Beaupré, Isle and County of St. Lawrence, Beauport and Our Lady of the Angels and below signed witnesses, were present in their persons, Lord Jean Plante and Françoise Boucher, his wife, said wife of her husband authorized for the purpose of those present, inhabitants of the parish of Notre Dame of the Visitation of Château-Richer, and in the name of and stipulating in the part of Marie-Françoise Plante, their daughter, to those present and of her wish, on one side, and Nicolas Paquin, master carpenter, son of Jean Paquin and Renée Fremont, his father and mother, of the parish of La Potherie, in the Province of Normandy, and the Archdiocese of Rouen, for him and in his name, on the other side; which parties, of their good faith and will in the presence of and of the consent of their parents and friends, for this, assembly of one part and other, know on the part of Lord Jean Plante, of the said Marie-Françoise Boucher, his wife and of the said Marie-Françoise Plante, their daughter, of Perrine Mallet, widow of the dead Marin Boucher, grandmother of said Marie-Françoise Plante, of Claude, Jacques, Georges and Jean Plante, brothers of said Marie-Françoise Plante, all children of said Jean Plante and said Françoise Boucher, his wife, of Charles Godin and of Marie Boucher, of William Boucher and of Jeanne Marguerite Thibault, his wife, of Louis Marin Boucher, Lord of Boisbuisson, legal land surveyor in this country, of Pierre Boucher and Marie St-Denis, his wife, all maternal uncles and aunts of said Marie-Françoise Plante, and of the side of said Nicolas Paquin, of Lord Claude Auber, Provost Judge of Beaupré, Isle and County of St. Lawrence, of Antoine Veillon, said Dugué (Dupré?) master tailor, relatives and friends of said Paquin.

Recognizing and confessing having completed the treaties and pro­mises of marriage which follow: that is to say, the said Lord Jean Plante, Françoise Boucher, his wife, having promised and promise to give and bail (give, place in hands) the said Marie-Françoise, their daughter, by law and name of marriage to said Nicolas Paquin, who promises to take her as his wife and legitimate spouse, as has also the said girl promised and promises to take as her husband and legitimate spouse and the said marriage to be held and solemnized in the Holy Catholic Apostolic and Roman Church, the sooner it can be done and that it will be advised and deliberated between them, their said parents and friends, if God and our Mother the Holy Church consents and accords it, to be one and common, in all furniture possessed or to be possessed, in all real estate acquired or to be acquired, according to the custom of the Provost of Paris. The future couple will not be held liable to the debts and mortgages, one from the other, made or created before the solemnizing of their marriage. If there are found any, they will be paid and dismissed by the one who will have made and created them.

On the goods, in favor of the future marriage and to achieve it, the said Jean Plante and said Boucher, his wife, have promised and promise and oblige themselves to give to their daughter, the sum of 200 pounds and one milking cow, and to give and pay, to wit, the said cow, on the eve of their wedding and nuptial blessings; as well as a suit according to their condition, which will be amicably estimated between their relatives and friends, which said suit will be subtracted from the said sum of 200 pounds tours (royal money minted on the model of Tours). The rest of said sum of 200 pounds tours will be paid according to the following manner, to wit, the sum of 50 pounds each year, beginning the first payment on the same date next year and so on continuing year to year until a full payment of the said sum of 200 pounds is made; the total being an advance of inheritance.

According to the custom, the future spouse would be assured of having goods, in case she survived, to take the best and most apparent goods of the said future spouse, or else if it pleased the latter, have 500 pounds tours. The principal (advantage that the testator, that is to say, Jean Plante and Marie-Françoise Boucher, gives to one of the co-inheritors, with­out hindering his rights on the division of the rest) will be reciprocal between the future spouses. This principal will consist of 200 pounds tours.

In case of a dissolving of said arrangement, the future spouse will be able to renounce this 200 pounds tours, and by renouncing it, she will take what she will have brought with her said future spouse, her goods in case of her survival, the principal as mentioned above, and all that she will get and give by succession, donation or otherwise during said marriage. She will retake all and without any obligation, without paying a single debt on their arrangement, even if she were obliged or ordered. In favor and with regards of the said future marriage, the future spouses by their presents, irrevocable gifts, of their life, give to the survivor between them, of all and of each of the household goods, of rents, lands and other estates what­ever which belongs to them at the time. They also give to each other their acquired goods, and even all those which could be theirs or belonged in the future. They give each other all the goods that they could acquire during their lifetime whatever be the manner or the sort, without reserving any nor withholding in some place where they will be living. The survivor will enjoy all and as if he owned it always, provided that on the date of the dissolving of said marriage, there will be no living or future child of theirs. They will legally have this contract recorded in four months, beginning from this day according to the order of the authority. This is how all o^ this has been decided between the said parties, and their relatives and friends. They have promised, they have obligated themselves by right and by law, they have renounced all other dispositions. They have made and passed this present contract in the house of the said Lord Jean Plante and of his said wife at Château-Richer, this 20th day of October, 1676, in the presence of the following named relatives and friends of Lord Félix Auber who witnesses with the future spouse and notary as signed:

Nicolas PAQUIN                                 Marie PLANTE

Boucher BOISBUISSON                     J. Jean PLANTE

Guillaume BOUCHER                         Félix AUBER

Anne AUBER                                     P. VACHON, Royal Notary