Samuel de Champlain

Samuel de Champlain
　
Samuel de Champlain was 68 when he died. In those 68 years, Samuel de Champlain faced many challenges that proved he was more than a common man. He helped shape the new world.
Samuel de Champlain was born to Antoine de Champlain, a captain in the French Marines, and Marguerite de Champlain, maiden name Le Roy. Samuel was born in Brouage, France around 1567. Brouage was a fortified town, it’s harbor big enough to allow large ships to dock. The harbor was called the best in France because of its size. Brouage was also a post for military importance. Large shipments of salt were traded and sold at the harbor.
Because of a civil war in France, Samuel had to educate himself. While he and his family where very good teachers, his uncle taught him about life on the sea and even let him sail with him. It is said that his love for sailing was discovered when he was sailing with his uncle. Expeditions like discovering the Aztecs were some adventures Samuel was able to experience while sailing. Sailing across the Atlantic wasn't an easy task. It took months of sailing before they where met with the foreign land they would soon try and claim.
As an adult, Samuel took what he learned from his uncle and applied it to his career as an explorer. He was in charge of many voyages ranging from the West Indies to Acadia, an island in the St. Croix River. However, while staying at Acadia, many of the crew’s members caught scurvy and died. Samuel de Champlain made the first accurate map of the coast. Samuel also founded New France, now a city in Canada called Québec. He and a big crew settled down there, but after a hard winter only Samuel and eight others survived.
Afterwards they returned to France where Samuel married Helene Boulle, the daughter of the secretary of the King's cambers. Helene was 14 when she married Samuel, who, at the time was 43. King Henry the third conferred upon him a patent of nobility. Samuel and his young wife moved to New France...