He was born in Quebec City in 1750, the son of Jacques Perrault and grandson of Pierre Boucher de Boucherville.
In 1779, he married Marie-Anne, the daughter of merchant Jean-Baptiste Amiot; she died in 1782.
He received the seigneury of La Bouteillerie (or Rivière-Ouelle) from his uncle, gaining full ownership in 1792 when his mother died.
In 1793, he settled at Rivière-Ouelle, where he had married Thérèse-Esther Hausman, the widow of a local merchant.
With the aim of developing his seigneury, he purchased property which include a sawmill, barley mill and blacksmith's stop; he built a wharf and set up a sugar bush.