Mrs Françoise Michaud-Dufresne went on a few occasions to Poitou for better knowing the country of our ancestor and finding documents referring to him.  After several years of search, she could recall, in France and in Quebec, about fifty acts mentioning the name Pierre Micheau (Michel).  Here are some relating especially to the lands and properties of the ancestor.  Concerning "Michel" and "Micheau", Mrs Michaud notes that in the Vendean provincial dialect the french letter "o" is often pronounced "è", according to a survey carried out in Vouvant by Pierre Rézeau.  Michel Gautier and Dominique Gauvrit also state that the particle "eau", as in the word "chapeau" could be pronounced "chapia", "chapéa" or "chapè".  It should not be surprising that our ancestor having to name himself said "Pierre Michè", so the tendancy towards "Michel".  On the other hand, one should note that Pierre Micheau would not know how to write nor to sign, as mentioned in some of these writings.
 
 

  Records of Claude Auber, on September 6, 1665 ; sale of the land and house of Sainte-Anne-du-Petit-Cap to François Daniaud :

"Pierre Michel, habitant of the Côte de Beaupré, sold to François Daniaud whose wife was imminently expected on the ship of sieur Phélix, a concession situated on the saidcoast, in the area called the great river next to the property of Jean Boutin dit Laroseand Gilles Moullineux, a habitant of the said coast."

  Records of Romain Becquet, on September 9, 1673 ; sale of the land and house located on the Île d'Orléans to Jean Morier :

"...comprising of a reserve of approximately five arpents of woodlands from the higher elevations and cleared land;  bounded on one side by Robert Boullé, the other by Louis Bibet, with one boundary on the St. Lawrence River, and at the other end by the depth of the homestead... which he owned by having received the tittle from Messire François de Laval... the said seller has promised to place in the hands of the purchaser by the day after thenext feast of All Saints... the sum of 90 livres tournois that the seller Michel had acknowledged having had and received on this day for cash by the buyer... done in Québec inthe house of the Seigneur Evesque in the year 1673, in the afternoon of the 9th day of September in the presence of Pierre Briand and Me Thomas Frerot usher living in Québec witnesses with the notary.  The parties declared that they did not know how to write nor to sign their names"

  Records of Romain Becquet, on July 17, 1674 ; concession of a land on Île-aux-Grues by  sieur de Grandville:

"Pierre Bécard, sieur de Grandville, seigneur of the Iles aux Oyes and aux Grues who ordinarily lived on the l'Ile aux Grues of which he voluntarily gave and conceded to Pierre Michel habitant who lived on the said Ile aux Grues, absent, Pierre Terrien habitant of the said land in question, accepted for the said Michel, a concession on the said Ile aux Grues, the site of which extended six arpents of land at low tide along the St. Lawrence River, and extended clear to the other side of the island at low tide up to Ruisseau at the end of the said river that separates the said Iles aux Grues from Canot Island with adjoining land on one side by Pierre Terrien, and the other side by Jean Soucy dit Lavigne."

  Records of Louis Chambalon, on June 30, 1695 ; concession of a land at Kamouraska to Pierre Micheau by seigneur Charles Aubert de la Chesnaye:

"... land consisting of 12 arpents of frontage (on the river) by 30 in depth, bordered on the south-west side by a brook, going up the river three arpents and on the north-east corner up the small brook that has no name and will be called Boisverd or Boisvert, nine arpents."

  Records of Louis Chambalon, on May 30, 1697 ; sale of a land and house at l'Islet-Saint-Jean to Pierre Lessart :

"Pierre Michault and Marie Ancelin, habitants of Camouraska sold to Eustache Fortin habitant of Cap-Saint-Ignace, representing Pierre Lessart and Barbe Fortin his wife, land and house consisting of six arpents of frontage by half a lieue in depth in the lands situated in the seigneurie of L'Islet-Saint-Jean. On one side, this land was bounded by the farm of Charles Fortin and on the other side to the south-west, it joins the property of the seigneurie;  the property fronts the Saint Lawrence River, and to the rear, lands that have not been granted."

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