Urbain Tessier dit Lavigne is one of the original settlers of Ville Marie (now Montreal). He was born abt. 1625 in the Province of Anjou, France.It seems he was a determined man who would not allow the Iroquois to squash his dream of settling in New France. He was a worker on the stockade surrounding the fort and helped to build houses and other community buildings from the rough land of bush. He was a sawyer by trade. He was given a land grant in January 1648 in Ville Marie.
1652-Urbain Tessier is granted a large plot of land in what is now called Place de Armes near the Basilica Notre Dame.

1661-King Louis XIV is now in power. The colony pleaded for new troops to be sent to help with the Iroquois.Urbain Tessier is captured by the Iroquois on March 24, 1661 and is taken from his family. one account states that Urbaine was arduousy working with 15 men on their land outside the walls of Ville Marie,[the original name for Montreal] they were pounced on by 250 Iroquois.The struggle was violent and very disproportionate.After the conflict 4 Frenchmen remained on the field, Urbain was among the others who were taken captive.They were blindfolded and had to march a long distance. They did not know where they were taken but it was among the barbarians.They were tortured! A person reporting later told of a Frenchman named Lavigne who had his finger detached by the Iroquois. The release of the Frenchmen was negotiated by father Simon Lemoyne-a Jesuit. Another account states that Urbain had rescued several of his peers with an audacious attack. During this time his son Urbain Tessier was born and baptized on June 7, 1661. No one knew weather Urbain was dead or alive. Marie Archambault knew that his fate, if he was still alive, might be nearly worse than death.

1662-Urbain Tessier is released by the Iroquois after 17 months of captivity and returns to his family. There is no doubt at all that he was held by a barbaric tribe. The cruel reception which awaited captives was widley known. On his arrival he was forced to pass between two rows and he was beaten as he moved down the row. He might be stopped to have his fingernails torn out or his fingers burned in a pipe. One Marguerite Bourgeouis actually wrote of Levigne "from whom the Iroquois have detached a finger", in her autobiography.