A to Z Challenge: Zacharie

Hello and Welcome to Z Day! The last day of the 2025 Challenge! WooHoo!

When I was first thinking about signing up for this challenge, a few ancestors came straight to mind because of their unique names: Orvetta, Permelia, Una, Xainte, and of course, Zacharie for Z. It helped that he is probably the best documented of all my ancestors (at least that I’ve found so far).

Name:

Zacharie Cloutier

Vital Information:

Zacharie was born in 1590 in Perche, France and died in 1677at Chateau-Richer (Quebec).

Relation to Me:

Zacharie is my paternal 10x great grandpa.

Tidbits/Characteristics/Commonalities:

As mentioned in my post about Zacharie’s wife, Xainte, the two married in 1616 in France and had six children together before migrating to New France, what is now Quebec.

Now, I could re-hash all of the details that so many others have detailed about Zacharie, but if you’re truly interested, a quick Google search will give all.the.information you could possibly crave.

What I’d like to do today, instead, is talk about some of the more unique pieces I’ve found about him.

Zacharie’s Signature

There’s just something about finding an ancestor’s signature, don’t you think? To know they placed their name (or symbol) right there on the page to affirm their existence. Zacharie’s signature is an ax, which is simply amazing to me, and as a Master Carpenter, is perfectly fitting for him.

Zacharie’s Cheese

Surprise! The man got his very own cheese! It’s made in Quebec and I so hope I can get my hands on some someday!

Zacharie’s Portrait

Truth be told, I am not sure if this is a true likeness of Zacharie or not. I’d like to think it is but don’t know for sure.

I *do know that a photo of “Zacharie and Xainte” popped up as a hint for me on Ancestry the other day and I had to laugh out loud. I may be mistaken, but I don’t believe people were walking around with cameras in New France in the early 1600s 😉

And that wraps up the 2025 A to Z Challenge! I will write a reflection post soon on the whole experience, so stay tuned!

In Your Research…

Have you found an ancestor who is well documented or for whom you’ve found fun tidbits about them?

Housekeeping

My theme for the 2025 A to Z Challenge is Kin! The first names of direct lineage kin, to be more specific.

I’m spending the majority of the month focusing on the first names of many of my direct lineage kin. I’ll include their full names, any vital information I’ve found in my research, their relation to me, any fun tidbits/characteristics/experiences, and any commonalities I may have gleaned between myself and them.

In a couple of cases, where I have not identified an ancestor whose first name starts with a particular letter, I will choose a unique middle name, a direct line surname, and/or ancestral lands/places of significance.

Pop over here to read my full theme reveal: A to Z 2025 Challenge Theme Reveal: Kin

Pop over here to visit our host and see what they’re up to throughout this year’s challenge: A to Z Challenge

If you’re visiting from the A to Z Challenge please leave a comment so I can visit you, too! If your comment bio doesn’t link back to your site, please feel free to add the link to your most recent post to the comment field so I can be sure to find you.

Thanks for being here! See you again soon!

Onward,

Melissa