The North American Marentette Family really all began with Nicolas Godé.

 

Research has been done only on family members in the United States and Canada. As of now, little is known of Nicolas and his life in France.

NICOLAS B GODE was born 1583 in St. Martin of Ige, Seez, Perche, France, in Normandie and died October 25, 1657 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada under the church.

 

From 1608 to 1620, when Nicolas married Françoise,Nicolas was a crew member and later a captain on the ships who brought the settlers and supplies to New France primarily from the region of Normandie France. In new France, Nicolas was a carpenter by trade.

 

He had married his wife, Francoise Gadois in his native parish in France before his arrival to " La Nouvelle France."

 

He married Francoise Gadois 1620 in St. Martind' Ige, Perche, France. She was born 1586 in St-Martin d'Igée, diocese, Séez, Orne, Perche, Normandie, France, and died December 24, 1689 in Pointe-Aux-Trembles, Montreal, Quebec.

 

The name was somehow or for some reason changed to Godet by the time they named their children.

 

Nicolas Gode and Francoise Gadios had 4 children:

 

FRANCOIS GODET who was born March 6, 1620/21, bpt St d'Ige (Arrond, Martegne) France. Francois died. September 17, 1667 in Montreal, Quebec he married FRANCOISE BUGON, January 11, 1648/49 in Montreal. Francoise Bugon was born. 1626, Parish St. Pierre de Clermont Auvegne, France.

 

NICOLAS GODET who was born January 26, 1635/36 inSt. Martin d'lge at Perche, France. Nicolas died April 13, 1697, Under church in Montreal.

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FRANCOISE GODET who was born 1635 in St. Martin d'lge at Perche, France. Francoise died August 23, 1684 in Point Aux Trembles, Montreal, Quebec.

 

MATHURINE GODET who was born January 31, 1636/37. Mathurine died November 12, 1672.

 

Nicolas Godé and his wife Françoise Gadois along with their two sons and two daughters arrived in Québec in 1641.

 

"Several things may have influenced Nicolas in his decision to emigrate to New France. The Catholic Church was in the midst of a period called the," Counter-Reformation", a move to reform the abuses and clarify church doctrine.

 

On October 25, 1657, his body was found with two others, his servant, age 32 and his son-in-law, JEAN ST.PIERRE who was born in 1618 and married on September 25, 1651 at Montreal. They were all killed by the Iroquois a few days before.

 

"Another incident was one of the few that has found its way into the writings of Marguerite Bourgeoys, involving, as it did, people she already knew well. On 25 October, Nicolas Gode, Jean Saint Pere, his son-in-law, and a servant were killed as they roofed their houses. Nicolas Gode was the father of the first family in Montreal, the only one to have come with the founding group in 1642. Saint-Pere was the colonist chosen to head the campaign to build the church in 1654 and Montreal’s first notary. Legends about these deaths are recounted by both Dollier de Casson and Marguerite Bourgeoys. Saint-Pere has such a magnificent head of hair that the Iroquois cut off his head to take back to their own country. But according to later report, they head reproached them, speaking in Iroquois tongue, a language not known to Saint-Pere in life. Even after the native warriors had removed the scalp and thrown the head away, the voice continued to address them. An interesting difference in the story as told b Dollier and by Marguerite Bourgeoys lies in the message that each attributes to the voice. For Dollier, it was one of coming French triumph over the native population “You murder us, you commit a thousand cruelties against us, you want to destroy the French , but you will not succeed; the day will come when they will be your masters, and you will obey them; it is vain for you to struggle. For Marguerite, the message was, rather, a declaration of faith: “you think that you do us harm, but you send us to paradise.” Both are careful to advance the account as one that has been attested to by credible witnesses rather than as the assertion of something to which they can themselves testify. Marguerite’s story contains a detail not mention in Dollier, to which she was witness. When some of the Iroquois who had take part in this attack were caught and brought to the fort, “The two widows came [to the fort] to beg that they would not be harmed and brought them some food.” For Marguerite , who valued charity above all things, this heroic act of forgiveness on the part of a mother and daughter who had lost both a husband and father was a more remarkable sign of divine grace that stories of miraculously talking heads. The way to peace between the French and Amerindian peoples lay through mutual forgiveness, understanding, and reconciliation, not violent conquest." Marguerite Bourgeoys and Montreal 1640-1665