Gentilly, Quebec

In 1647 the Company of New France, or Company of One Hundred Associates (Compagnie des Cent-Associés) as it was more commonly known, sold two fiefs to Nicolas Marsolet and Pierre Lefebvre on the shores of the Saint-Lawrence River and the Gentilly River. In 1668 Pierre Lefebvre gave his fief title to his son-in-law Félix Thunès (Sieur Dufresne) who held it until 1669 when it was to Michel Pelletier (Sieur de Laprade). The same year Pelletier got Intendant Bouterouse to grant him a parcel of land bordering Nicolas Marsolet's fief. In 1671 Marsolet also sold his fief to Michel Pelletier, who now owned a parcel of land along about 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) of coastline on the Saint Lawrence and reached 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) inland. This was the land on which Gentilly would be established.[9] In 1683, these three land concessions gained the status "seigneurie des Poissons". The Seigneurie de Gentilly was surveyed in March of 1735, and the territory then became a parish in 1784.[10] The town was named Saint-Édouard-de-Gentilly after Gentilly, Val-de-Marne, in France.[11]

On 10 April 1900, the parish of Saint-Édouard-de-Gentilly was broken up, and the town became an independent village, taking on the shorter name of Gentilly.[12] On 17 October 1965 Gentilly was merged into the municipality of Bécancour[13] and has been part of it since.

• Denis Villeneuve - film director and writer.
• Lucien Dubois - member of House of Commons of Canada; author of "The History of Gentilly (1935)".
• Pépé et sa Guitare - musician.
• Céline Baril - artist and film director

Of the resident population, 78.3% (1 310) speak only French, and 21.7% are bilingual in French and English.[2]