How did the name Mercier take root in North America?

Between 1647 and 1793, there were 6 ancestors named Mercier who came from France and settled in New France and founded families, thus spreading the name Mercier in North America. Each ancestral couple is responsible for the population of Merciers in North America in varying proportions.

• Jullien
  Born on February 27, 1621, in Tourouvre, Perche,
  Arrived in Quebec City on August 6, 1647,
  Married Marie Poulain on October 18, 1654, in Ste-Anne-de Beaupre,
  Settled as a farmer in what is now known as Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre,
  Died October 18, 1676, in Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre.
  
  This couple gave birth to 6 sons and 4 daughters. Only 5 of the sons had children:
  
  1. Paschal married  Anne Cloutier,
  2. Charles married Anne Berthelot,
  3. Louis had 3 wives: Marguerite Rabouin, Anne Jacquereau and Louise Simon,
  4. Jean married Barbe Monmagnier,
  5. Pierre married Louise Chamberland.
  
  This ancestral family is responsible for nearly 85% of the population of Merciers in North America today. Their descendants migrated from the Beaupre coastal area to Ile d'Orleans and the South shore (Berthier, Montmagny, and la Côte-du-Sud), to then spread throughout the province of Quebec, other parts of Canada and to the United States.
  
  See expanded ancestry line

• Pierre Mercier alias Caudebec
  Born in 1644 in Barneville-Sur-Seine, Eure, Normandie,
  Arrived in Quebec City in the Summer of 1665,
  Married Andree Martin on April 24, 1679, in Beaubassin, Amherst,N.S.,
  Settled as a farmer in Saint-Pierre-du-Sud, Montmagny,
  Died in August of 1724 in Saint-Pierre-du-Sud.
  
  This couple gave birth to only one son:
  Alexandre Codbec who married Marie Josephte Gaudin.
  
  This ancestral family is responsible for approximately 3% of the population of Merciers in North America today.
  
  See expanded ancestry line

• Pierre Mercier
  Born in 1653, in Saint-Denis-de-la-Chevasse, Poitou,
  Arrived in Quebec City during the Summer of 1665,
  Married Marguerite Lemain on January 8, 1685, in Neuville,
  Died on November 17, 1712, in Neuville.
  
  This couple gave birth to 2 sons:
  
  1. Antoine married Claudine Miller,
  2. Pierre married Louise Ledoux.
  This ancestral family is responsible for approximately 2% of the population of Merciers in North America today.
  
  See expanded ancestry line

• Pierre-Simon Mercier
  Born in Saint-Jean-en-Grève, Paris,
  Arrived in Vercheres during the Summer of 1725,
  Married Marie-Renée Pineau on July 30, 1725, in Vercheres,
  Died in Verchères (Québec) on May 28, 1740 and buried the 29.
  
  This couple gave birth to 2 sons:
  
  1. Pierre-Simon married Marguerite Guillet,
  2. Joseph married Annabelle Giard.
  
  This ancestral family is responsible for approximately 1% of the Merciers population in North America today. Their descendants can be found in the Richelieu and Yamaska River valleys and in the United States.
  
  See expanded ancestry line

• Charles Mercier alias Lajoie
  Born in 1736, in Beaumont-de-Ronce, Touraine,
  Arrived in Quebec in 1756 with the Berry-Demontigny Regiment,
  Married Marie-Anne Lahaise on June 22, 1761, in L'Assomption,
  Died on September 19, 1817.
  
  This couple gave birth to 5 sons:
  
  1. Jean-Louis married twice: Elizabeth Landryand then Calixte Larrivee
  2. François married Antoinette Raymond,
  3. Joseph married Catherine Lachapelle
  4. Louis Married Marie-Catherine Beaudoin
  5. Pierre married Marie-des-Anges Langlois
  
  This ancestral family is responsible for approximately 5% of the Merciers population in North America. Their descendants were traced in Saint-Roch-de-l'Achigan, the Beauce region, Montreal and in the United States.
  
  See expanded ancestry line

• Jean-Baptiste Mercier
  Born in 1730, in Blanquefort, Gironde,
  Settled in 1760 in New-Orleans, La.,
  Married Marie-Heloise Leduc around 1800,
  Died in New-Orleans, around 1818.
  
  This couple gave birth to 2 sons:
  
  1. Pierre-Jules-Armand (wife unknown),
  2. Charles-Alfred married Virginie Vezian.
  
  This ancestral family is responsible for approximately 4% of the Merciers population in North America today. Their descendants were found in various occupational areas: farming, medicine, theatre and railway construction. They lived mainly in Southern United States and California.

These are the 6 lines of Merciers recognized by AMAN, and which are documented in the book published in 1987 by Ernest Mercier: 'Mercier depuis des Siècles'.

Other setters bearing the name of Mercier came from France before 1800, but they have no known descendants. For instance, Martin Mercier came from Saint-Pierre d'Olonne, Poitou and married Mathurine Leroux on February 5, 1674, in Saint-Laurent de l'Ile d'Orléans. They gave birth to 3 daughters and 1 son, but they all died within a few days after their births.

There was also an Antoine Mercier dit Lepine or L’Espine who came from Guyenne, diocese of Bezenac and he married a Francoise Aubry at Quebec on 25 September 1673. Francoise came from St. Roch de Paris (Ile de France). Four children were born of this union ,Joseph, Antoine, Francoise and another not named, however no other descendants have been recorded.

Another Mercier dit Lafontaine married a Francoise Gaudet at Port Royal in Acadia in 1643. A girl named Marie was born of this union and records show this Marie married a Antoine Babin in 1661 at Port-Royal. Records also indicate that Francoise Gaudet married a second time in 1650 to a Daniel Leblanc also in Port Royal. The francophone parish archives were destroyed during the period when the Acadians were deported it is therefore very difficult to reconstruct them.

Also other Merciers came from France and elsewhere to establish themselves in America. Gilbert Mercier arrived in Louisiana between 1752 and 1758 according to a document entitled " Louisiana Recruits 1752-1758: ships list of troups from the independent companies of the Navy destined for service in the French colony". At this time Louisiana belonged to France. Another, Robert Mercier established himself at Boston, Massachusetts, in the U.S. according to the records book "Port arrivals to the city of Boston 1715-1716".

Another line of Mercier descendants to take root in the U.S. was that of Francis Mercier who came from Belgium to help his uncle the Cardinal Mercier, 1851-1926. Francis was also an evangelist and he established himself in the state of Oregon on the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation. He married an Indian from the reservation. This couple have left many descendants in this part of the United States through their eight children. They had four boys and four girls.

Several books, both in English and in French were written on the life of Cardinal Mercier who was then known as a living legend.

Finally, a few others named Mercier came from abroad to establish themselves in America during the Twentieth Century. As of this day AMAN has not sufficiently reconstructed the genealogical and historical information on these individuals in order to document their contribution.