The Antoine Pilon Home Part 2

Antoine Pilon arrived in Ville Marie in 1668 and by 1707 he was a land owner in the growing village of Pointe-Claire, on the shores of Lake St. Louis.

In a recent blog there is a biographical sketch of Antoine, my 7^th great grandfather. He sailed from Normandy, France to New France. His family were among the first residents of Pointe-Claire. When he died at the age of fifty, the home he built in 1707 remained in the family for 120 years.

The Antoine Pilon Home Part 1, https://genealogyensemble.com/2020/05/06/the-antoine-pilon-home/

The home is still standing, thanks to the tireless efforts of André Charbonneau. It is the oldest home in Pointe-Claire and one of the oldest on the island of Montreal. Records indicate the many owners over the 300+ years.

Capture.JPGAP HOUSE Googlw

A Google Earth street view of the Antoine Pilon House 258 Bord du lac Pointe-Claire

History of the Owners and the Land Transactions ^1.

1707 -2020

Below is a list of the many landowners who lived in the Antoine Pilon house over the years. Several owners inherited the property, while others purchased theirs.

The house lies on lot 88 of the present survey, forming a part of lot number 154 in the original land registry of the Island of Montreal.²

Lot 154-D was conceded by the Sulpicians to Pierre Sauvé dit Laplante on November 24^th, At the time it was property of 3 acres of frontage and 60 acres deep, on the shore of Lac Saint-Louis.
Pierre Sauvé and his wife Marie-Michel sold this land to Jean du Tartre dit Desrosiers on October 27^th,
Du Tartre gave the concession to Madeleine LeMoyne, widow of Jean-Baptiste Beauvais, September 19^th,
Dame LeMoyne immediately sold lot 154-D September 19^th,1706 to Antoine Pilon, who had already purchased from her the adjoining lot 155-D
Antoine Pilon built his house in 1707 on this property
Marie-Anne (Brunet) Pilon’s widow gave the land to her son Mathieu on January 22^nd, 1729, land of 5 acres of frontage to 20 acres deep, consisting of lots 154-D and 155-D.
Gabriel Pilon, son of Mathieu and Marie-Josephte Daoust, became the next owner purchasing it from his parents’ – lot 154-D measuring 3 acres by 28 acres.
Pierre Pilon, the farmer and inn-keeper son of Gabriel and Suzanne Meloche, inherited the land on December 7^th,
The Pilons left the property for good on July 1^st, 1826 after 4 generations of family ownership. The home passed from mother to son and then father to son during 120 years.
W. Glasford, Carpenter purchased the property on July 1^st, 1826.
Félix Amesse, carpenter, husband of Marguerite Pilon purchased it on March 1^st,1832
Francois Larivée, shoemaker, became the new owner on April 5^th,1834
Jean-Baptiste Legault dit Deslauriers, son, painter obtained the home May 11^th,1865
Damase Alexandre Valois bought the property July 19^th,1873.
Isidore Valoix inherited it in 1914.
Charles-Benoît Valois acquired the property December 31^st,1921.
Joseph Duhame, next owner purchased the property on February 21^st,1944.
André Charbonneau bought the property in 1968 and is the current owner- (2020).

There was a total of 18 landowners over nearly 320 years.

Pilon property

The area in green indicates the extent of the Pilon Property right to the shore line. Capture.JPG map text

Capture.JPG current map of village

Current map of Pointe-Claire Village

André Charbonneau purchased the large property when he was 25 years old. At the time he was a young hairdresser living in Pointe-Claire.^3. He is now retired and has hopes and dreams that his efforts to refurbish the 300+-year-old home could become a museum or an interpretation center. If so, this would promote the history of the area. André is also the founder of la Société pour la Sauvegarde du Patrimoine de Pointe-Claire, https://patrimoinepointeclaire.org/ and has spent time educating the citizens about the history of their community³. Over the years Charbonneau has attempted to have the home declared a Heritage site. He has approached the City of Pointe-Claire to develop the home.

Funding for a project of that type is usually based on the following percentages:

25% Municipality, 25% Private donations. 50% Federal funding.

Several years ago, a feasibility study estimated the cost of the project would be approximately $1 million.

Charbonneau lived in the home for a short time until 1973. Time was spent researching, notably at the National Archives, with the aim of restoring the house and having it classified by the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. His request for classification was denied. Despite the refusal, he chose to restore the home to the original plans according to the French Regime, using the building methods of that era.^4.

Andre in house

Owner, André Charbonneau

The better part of Andre’s life has been focused on reconstructing the Pilon home to its former glory. He began using an architectural technique of numbering all the stones and wooden planks to rebuild the house.^5.

The original size of the house is 25’ x 23’ and he added an extension of 20’ x 18’ He took great pains to research minute details such as the nails used in the new roofing and the flooring on the first floor, made from new wooden beams giving the appearance of the wood of the time. He left no stone unturned, including as noted, enlarging the home . He has maintained the original appearance of the first floor, a single open room. Behind the fireplace there was an oven, over the years had been condemned and hidden. The major work on the home was done by reliable, workers, carpenters, and a blacksmith. They all worked using the same skills as those of 17^th century craftsmen.

André Charbonneau has received numerous awards and recognition for his dedication and ongoing efforts in his attempt to establish a heritage site. In 2002 he received the Distinguished Heritage Award and in that same year won the Heritage Emeritus Prize for the neighbouring house that he also owns. There have been other awards over the years, but, his main goal is yet to be accomplished.

La Société pour la Sauvegarde de la Patrimoine de Pointe-Claire continues to this day to find a way to showcase this home that has been so painstakingly restored. If you have an opportunity, take a drive through the Village of Pointe-Claire and note the many homes that have been lovingly preserved.

Sources:

Notes:

http://home.globility.com/~pilon/photos.html – contains several interesting photographs

https://shariblaukopf.com/2015/07/09/the-garden-at-antoine-pilon-house/ -an artist’s point of view

Antoine Pilon Google earth