Olivier LeJeune
Olivier Le Jeune, born in the early 1620s, is notable for being the first recorded enslaved African in New France, which is now part of Canada. His exact birthplace remains uncertain, with possibilities including Madagascar or Guinea. At around six years old, he was sold into slavery by an English sea captain, David Kirke, and subsequently transferred to Olivier Le Baillif, a French clerk. Le Jeune was baptized into the Catholic faith and adopted his name in 1633, reflecting both a personal and cultural transition within a colonial context. Throughout his life, he served in the Couillard household, but the specifics of his freedom status remain ambiguous, as records indicate he worked as a domestic servant for twenty-five years. He was also involved in a notable incident in 1638, where he was punished for spreading a rumor about a prominent official, highlighting the precarious position of enslaved individuals in colonial society. Olivier Le Jeune passed away on May 10, 1654, in Quebec, where he was buried. In recognition of his significance, the Canadian government designated him a national historic person in 2022, acknowledging his role in the early history of Black presence in Canada.
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Subject Terms
Olivier LeJeune
Enslaved person, domestic servant
- Born: ca. 1623
- Birthplace: Madagascar or Guinea
- Died: May 10, 1654
- Place of death: Quebec, New France (present-day Canada)
Significance: According to documented evidence, Olivier Le Jeune (or LeJeune) was the first Black person of African ancestry to be enslaved in New France. He was enslaved as a young child and sold to a French clerk in about 1629. He worked as a domestic servant until his death in 1654.
Background
European sailors from Portugal began exploring the coasts of western Africa in the mid-fifteenth century. In addition to trading in gold, lumber, and other goods, they began the first full-scale trade in enslaved people by a European power. Portugal dominated the trade of enslaved people into the seventeenth century.
By the early seventeenth century, Spain effectively controlled most of South and Central America and had a foothold in southern North America. France had established colonies in what is today Canada. The Acadia colony was founded on the eastern seaboard and New France in the fertile valleys of the St. Lawrence River. The city of Quebec was founded in 1608 as the capital of New France. At about the same time, Great Britain began establishing itself as a colonial power, setting up colonies in Virginia and Newfoundland.
Great Britain and France were longtime rivals in Europe and continued that rivalry in the New World. As the seventeenth century progressed, Great Britain would grow in power and establish more colonies in North America and Canada. The nation would also replace Portugal as the dominant power in the trade of enslaved people.
Life
Olivier Le Jeune was born in the early 1620s in Africa. He exact place of birth is unknown, but it was either in Madagascar, an island off the east coast of Africa, or Guinea in West Africa. His original name is also not known; he would receive the name “Olivier Le Jeune” later. He was enslaved and sold to an English sea captain named David Kirke. Kirke was a privateer who had been hired by England’s King Charles I to raid French positions in New France. In 1629, he forced the French city of Quebec to surrender, although the city was back under French control by 1632.
Sometime between 1629 and 1632, Kirke sold Le Jeune to Olivier Le Baillif, a French clerk who was allied with the British. Records of the sale say Le Jeune was about six or seven at the time. Le Baillif paid for Le Jeune with gold coins known as écus. The sale price was fifty écus, which was roughly equivalent to the salary of a skilled worker for six months.
When Quebec was returned to French control in 1632, Le Baillif left for France. He was likely fleeing as he had collaborated with Kirke and the British. He either sold or gave Le Jeune to Guillaume Couillard.
Le Jeune worked as a servant in the Couillard household. Le Jeune was sent to study the Catholic faith and the French language under Father Paul Le Jeune, a Jesuit priest. He was baptized on May 14, 1633. He was given the name Olivier after Olivier Le Tardif, the head clerk at a major French trading firm, and Le Jeune from Father Le Jeune.
According to Father Le Jeune’s memoirs, Olivier Le Jeune was initially afraid to be baptized, as he thought the process would involve him being whipped until his skin was flayed off. He believed that the idea of becoming like other White French Christians meant having his Black skin removed. When the idea of baptism was explained to Olivier, Father Le Jeune said the boy laughed as did those involved in the conversation.
Records indicate that Le Jeune was accused of slandering a prominent French official in 1638. Le Jeune supposedly spread a rumor about Nicholas Marsolet, an interpreter for Samuel de Champlain, the famed French explorer and founder of New France. Le Jeune claimed that Marsolet had been given a letter from his former enslaver, Olivier Le Baillif, who was considered a traitor by the people of New France. Le Jeune was forced to admit his deceit and publicly apologize. He was also sentenced to twenty-four hours in chains.
Le Jeune lived with the Couillards until his death on May 10, 1654. He was buried in Quebec. Records indicate that he worked as a domestic servant for twenty-five years, although it remains unclear if he remained enslaved or was given his freedom. During the seventeenth century, it was not uncommon for enslaved people to be freed after a certain number of years.
Impact
Olivier Le Jeune was not the first Black man in what would become Canada. In about 1604, a Black interpreter named Mathieu Da Costa arrived with Samuel de Champlain on his explorations of the region. Olivier Le Jeune was, however, the first African to be recorded as enslaved in New France. Records from the era indicate he was also the only Black person in New France in the mid-seventeenth century. In 2022, the government of Canada recognized Le Jeune as a national historic person.
Bibliography
“Government of Canada Recognizes the National Historic Significance of Olivier Le Jeune.” Cision, 10 May 2022, www.newswire.ca/news-releases/government-of-canada-recognizes-the-national-historic-significance-of-olivier-le-jeune-804001199.html. Accessed 27 June 2023.
“Olivier Le Jeune: First African Slave Recorded Black in Canada.” African Descent Society, 10 May 2016, www.adsbc.org/olivier-le-jeune-first-african-slave-recorded-black-in-canada/. Accessed 27 June 2023.
“Olivier Le Jeune National Historic Person.” Government of Canada, 30 Nov. 2022, parks.canada.ca/culture/designation/personnage-person/olivier-le-jeune. Accessed 27 June 2023.
Trudel, Marcel. “Le Jeune, Olivier.” Dictionary of Canadian Biography, 2017, www.biographi.ca/en/bio/le‗jeune‗olivier‗1E.html. Accessed 27 June 2023.
Williams, Dorothy W. “Olivier Le Jeune.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, 11 May 2022, www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/olivier-le-jeune. Accessed 27 June 2023.