Pierre Allemand (Lalemand) ( – 27 May 1691) was a French ship pilot, cartographer, and fur trader in North America during the 17th century. Allemand was born in France and sailed across the Atlantic many times. In 1681 he was recorded as living in Quebec. He went on several expeditions to Hudson Bay to trade furs and explore the region. He later wrote memoirs of his journeys and opened a business in France. He returned to North America to escort

Jean-Baptiste de La Croix de Chevrières de Saint-Vallier Jean-Baptiste de La Croix de Chevrières de St. Vallier (November 14, 1653 – December 26, 1727) was a French Catholic prelate who served as the second bishop of the Diocese of Quebec in the French colony of New France. Born in Grenoble, Fra ...

in the region.

Family and early life

Allemand was born in Saint-Sauveur-de-Nuaillé, France. His father was Claude Allemand and his mother was Marie Mandet. There is little information about his early life, although it is known that he traveled from Europe to North America several times. He is recorded in the 1681 census as living in Quebec and being 18 years old.

Travels to Hudson Bay

In July 1682, Allemand was a pilot on an expedition to

Hudson Bay Hudson Bay, sometimes called Hudson's Bay (usually historically), is a large body of Saline water, saltwater in northeastern Canada with a surface area of . It is located north of Ontario, west of Quebec, northeast of Manitoba, and southeast o ...

led by

Pierre-Esprit Radisson Pierre-Esprit Radisson (1636/1640–1710) was a French coureur des bois and explorer in New France. He is often linked to his brother-in-law Médard des Groseilliers. The decision of Radisson and Groseilliers to enter the English service led to ...

and

Médard des Groseilliers Médard Chouart des Groseilliers (born 1618) was a French explorer and fur trader in Canada. He is often paired with his brother-in-law Pierre-Esprit Radisson, who was about 20 years younger. The pair worked together in fur trading and explorat ...

. The expedition returned to Quebec in October 1683 with English prisoners, a large number of furs, and Allemand sailing with other crewmen upon a captured English ship. Allemand's second expedition to Hudson Bay in 1684 was led by

Claude de Bermen de la Martinière Claude de Bermen de la Martinière (30 May 1636 – 14 April 1719) was born in France and came to New France in 1662. Through marriage, he became the owner of a large seigneury and held a number of important positions throughout his time in Cana ...

. Allemand spent the winter trading furs and created a map of the

Hayes River The Hayes River is a river in Northern Manitoba, Canada, that flows from Molson Lake to Hudson Bay at York Factory. It was historically an important river in the development of Canada and is now a Canadian Heritage River and the longest natu ...

region from the information he obtained from the Indigenous people. At one point, he was sent by the French to be an envoy to John Bridgar to settle a dispute along the river. He became sick when he returned from the voyage and was unable to complete the map of the area. Allemand was a

quartermaster Quartermaster is a military term, the meaning of which depends on the country and service. In land army, armies, a quartermaster is an officer who supervises military logistics, logistics and requisitions, manages stores or barracks, and distri ...

on his third expedition to Hudson Bay in 1686 under the command of

Pierre de Troyes, Chevalier de Troyes Pierre de Troyes (born at unknown date – died 1688) was a captain that led the French capture of Moose Factory, Rupert House, and Fort Albany on Hudson Bay 1686. Arrival in Canada A captain in the French army de Troyes arrived at Quebec in A ...

. The expedition sailed up the

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (, ) is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word "to trade", as it was the major trade route of Eastern Canada at the time. For most of its length, it defines the border betw ...

and captured a ship from the English at Fort Charles; Allemand piloted the ship upon its capture. He returned to Montreal in October.

Personal life

On 13 November 1685, Allemand married Louise Douaire de Bondy in Quebec. They had five children.

Later career and death

Allemand wrote a memoir, which was sent to the Minister of the Marine in 1687. In the memoir, he proposed creating a

nautical chart A nautical chart or hydrographic chart is a graphic representation of a sea region or water body and adjacent coasts or river bank, banks. Depending on the scale (map), scale of the chart, it may show depths of water (bathymetry) and heights of ...

of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and

St. Lawrence River The St. Lawrence River (, ) is a large international river in the middle latitudes of North America connecting the Great Lakes to the North Atlantic Ocean. Its waters flow in a northeasterly direction from Lake Ontario to the Gulf of St. Lawren ...

. He also taught navigation to the men of the New France colony. Allemand went to France in the spring of 1688, wrote a second memoir and opened a brickworks business with a man named Landron. He returned to North America in 1689 to escort

on a tour of

Acadia Acadia (; ) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the The Maritimes, Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. The population of Acadia included the various ...

and the Newfoundland island. Later that year, he was given a parcel of land so that he could fish in the Gulf of St. Lawrence and off the Newfoundland coast. Allemand died on 27 May 1691, in Quebec.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allemand, Pierre 1660s births 1691 deaths French people in New France Explorers from New France Fur traders from New France Maritime pilots