| Michel-Louis Juchereau Duchesnay | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 14, 1785 Beauport, Quebec |
| Died | August 17, 1838 (aged 52) Petite-Rivière-Saint-Charles, Lower Canada |
| Nationality | Canada |
Michel-Louis Juchereau Duchesnay (December 14, 1785 – August 17, 1838) was a Canadian officer, seigneur, and justice of the peace.
Born in Beauport, he was the third and last child born of the second marriage of Antoine Juchereau Duchesnay. In 1794 his mother, Catherine Le Comte Dupré, left the manor house after being accused of adultery. Michel-Louis, who was put in the custody of his father, was sent as a boarder to the Petit Séminaire de Québec.
In 1805 he and his brother Jean-Baptiste were both commissioned as ensigns in the 60th Foot. They served in England and reached the rank of lieutenant in the regiment in 1806.
Duchesnay quit the British army and left England a year and a half later, and returned to Lower Canada to take possession of the legacy left by his father at his death on December 15, 1806. He had been left only the use of the seigneuries of Gaudarville and Fossambault.
He married Charlotte-Hermine-Louise-Catherine, a daughter of Ignace-Michel-Louis-Antoine d'Irumberry de Salaberry, November 3, 1808. They settled at Petite-Rivière-Saint-Charles, near Quebec City.
During the War of 1812 Duchesnay served as a captain in the Canadian Voltigeurs under his brother-in-law Charles de Salaberry. He distinguished himself in the Battle of the Chateauguay on October 26, 1813. He served in the militia as major of the Lotbinière battalion, to which he was posted in 1815.
In 1815 he received a commission as justice of the peace for the district of Quebec. He also was given a commission of the peace for the district of Gaspé in 1819 and 1824. In 1820 Duchesnay, like his half-brother Antoine-Louis, was appointed commissioner for the building of churches and presbyteries in the district of Quebec and the government renewed his commission in 1830. In 1827 became deputy adjutant general of the Lower Canadian militia. The following year he was called upon to serve as superintendent of Indian affairs at Quebec.
Duchesnay inherited the entire estate of his mother when she died on November 14, 1836. He died two years later. Duchesnay left seven children, who shared their father's estate. The eldest, Édouard-Louis-Antoine-Charles, received the best portion, inheriting the seigneuries of Gaudarville and Fossambault.