Historical Perspective
In New France (Canada), from its founding in
1608 to the conquest by the English in 1763,
people lived under French laws. Feudalism was
still flourishing in France, so it was natural that
the system would become a part of New France
but in a different way.
In France, small plots of land
were granted to farmers by their lord who owned
the domain. In New France, land grants were awarded
to meritorious individuals by the King,
and their lord was required to concede that land
to them.
Guillaume Baucher dit (also known as) Montmorency, immigrated to
New France in 1653, and was one of those meritorious
individuals who received a land grant of 3
arpents (about 2.5 acres) on the Ile d’Orleans, in
Quebec, on April 2, 1656.
Read the complete Morency immigration and
settlement history in New France.
Origin of the Surname
Up until the late Middle Ages first names
sufficed because life was mostly local and
everyone knew everyone. As population and
travel increased, the family surname became
a necessity because of name similarities.
Thus, patronymic or locality surnames were adopted
to identify people with their place of origin,
very important during the great migrations
to the New World.
Montmorency
was the locality surname identified with Guillaume Baucher.
Arriving in New France in 1653,
he was Baucher dit (also known as) Montmorency, the
domain where he lived, located 9.5 miles north of Paris.
During his generation the name was shortened to Morency and
soon became the surname, as attested
in church birth records.
The Universal Morency Tree
View the universal tree graphic display through the 7th
generation (my outer branch is 21). Use Adobe reader tool on the page to enlarge tree.
© Copyright 2022 All Rights Reserved. Brent T Morency.
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