First European Born in Canada — Hélène Desportes

B. about 1620 in Quebec City, New France
M. (1) 1 Oct 1634 in Quebec City, New France
Husband: Guillaume Hébert
M. (2) 9 Jan 1640 in Quebec City, New France
Husband: Noël Morin
D. 24 Jun 1675 in (probably) Quebec City, New France

In the same year that the Mayflower landed in Massachusetts, the French colony to the north saw its earliest birth. And that child was Hélène Desportes—thought to be the very first white child born in what is now Canada.

Hélène was born during the second half of 1620 to Pierre Desportes and Françoise Langlois, two of the settlers that Samuel de Champlain had recruited for his new settlement called Quebec. Hélène was named for Champlain’s wife, Hélène Boullé, who was her godmother. (When Champlain died in 1635, he left Hélène some money in his will, a bequest that she never received.) It's believed that Hélène had no siblings, at least none that survived. Life was rugged during her early childhood, with only a handful of people living in and around the Quebec compound. The colony hardly had a chance to grow when it was taken over by Englishman David Kirke in 1629, and Hélène moved to France with her parents.

Quebec at about the time Hélène was born there.

The Desportes family made their home in the French port city of Dieppe, but within five years, both of Hélène’s parents died. It’s believed she was taken in by her maternal aunt, Marguerite Langlois, who with her husband Abraham Martin had been part of the Quebec settlement. When the French reclaimed the colony in 1634, the Martin family returned there, bringing Hélène with them. Shortly after her arrival, she got married. Hélène's husband Guillaume was the son of Louis Hébert, who had remained in Canada during the English occupation. The wedding took place on October 1st, and at age 14, Hélène began her married life.

Hélène gave birth to a son in November 1636, later followed by two daughters. But tragedy struck when Guillaume suddenly died on September 23, 1639. The settling of his estate showed that their home was in poor condition, forcing Hélène to move into another cottage, which measured 24 by 18 feet "near the church of Notre-Dame." But as a practical matter, she needed a new husband, and on January 9, 1640, she married Noël Morin, a wheelwright, in Quebec City. She received a dowry of 200 livres from her new husband.

Hélène's signature on a 1639 document.

Hélène and Noël settled just outside of the Upper Town of Quebec City. Between 1641 and 1656, they had 12 children. Hélène became a midwife in the colony, likely in part because she had so much experience with her own childbirths. As a midwife, she was authorized to perform baptisms in cases where the infant was about to die, and she was cited in this role on many parish records. Several of Hélène’s daughters would later also become midwives, and it’s likely that she had some influence in this. Another of her daughters, Marie, chose a different path in life by becoming a nun. She spent many years serving at the hospital in Montreal.

Meanwhile in 1653, Hélène’s husband Nöel became a seigneur, a man able to collect rent from others who lived in his seigneury located south of the St. Lawrence River near Montmagny. It was years before he moved his family there, though, and he and Hélène continued living near Quebec City. During this time, they were granted a pew in the Notre-Dame church in Quebec City, a sign of status.

Hélène passed away on June 24, 1675 at age 55, an event that was for some reason not recorded in Quebec parish records. Noël died five years later in 1680. Famous descendants of Hélène include Céline Dion, Madonna, Bridget Fonda, Jim Carrey, Alex Trebek, and Pierre and Justin Trudeau.

A Personal Note

Hélène Desportes was the only North American-born ancestor of my both of my parents, Thomas Milton Mitchell (1922-2007), and Margaret Elizabeth Bolheres (1922-2016). Unfortunately, I didn't learn this until after both of them had died. They never knew they were blood relatives of each other.

Children by Guillaume Hébert:
1. Joseph Hébert – B. 3 Nov 1636, Quebec City, New France; D. 1661, New France; M. Marie-Charlotte Pothier (~1641-1718), 12 Oct 1660, New France

2. Marie-Françoise Hébert — B. about 23 Jan 1638, Quebec City, New France; D.16 Mar 1716, Montmagny, New France; M. Guillaume Fournier (~1623-1699), 20 Nov 1651, Quebec City, New France

3. Angélique Hébert — B. 2 Aug 1639, Quebec City, New France, D. young

Children by Noël Morin:
1. Agnes Morin — B. 21 Jan 1641, Quebec City, New France; D. 30 Aug 1687, Quebec City, New France; M. (1) Nicolas Gaudry dit Bourbonniere (~1620-1669), 17 Nov 1653, Quebec City, New France; (2) Ignace Bonhomme dit Beaupré (~1645-1711), 12 Jan 1671, Quebec City, New France

2. Germain Morin — B. 14 Jan 1642, Quebec City, New France; D. 20 Aug 1702, Quebec City, New France

3. Louise Morin — B. about 27 Apr 1643, Quebec City, New France; D. 28 Apr 1713, Château-Richer, New France; M. Charles Cloutier (1629-1709), 20 Apr 1659, New France

4. Nicolas Morin — B. 26 Apr 1644, Quebec City, New France; D. about 1667, (probably) Quebec City, New France

5. Jean-Baptiste Morin — B. 22 May 1645, Quebec City, New France; D. 11 Dec 1694, Quebec City, New France; M. Catherine de Belleau (~1639-?), 22 Nov 1667, Quebec City, New France

6. Marguerite Morin — B. 29 Sep 1646, Quebec City, New France; D. 17 Oct 1646, Quebec City, New France

7. Hélène Morin — B. 30 Sep 1647, Quebec City, New France; D. 9 May 1661, Quebec City, New France

8. Marie Morin — B. 19 Mar 1649, Quebec City, New France; D. 8 Apr 1730, Montreal, New France

9. Alphonse Morin — B. 12 Dec 1650, Quebec City, New France; D. 29 Aug 1711, Montmagny, New France; M. (1) Marie-Madeleine Normand (1646-1690), 10 Feb 1670, Quebec City, New France; (2) Angelique Destroismaisons (1670-1744), 24 Nov 1692, Cap-St-Ignace, New France

10. Noël Morin — B. 12 Oct 1652, Quebec City, New France; D. young

11. Charles Morin — B. 29 Aug 1654, Quebec City, New France; D. 4 Oct 1671, Quebec City, New France

12. Marie-Madeleine Morin — B. 28 Dec 1656, Quebec City, New France; D. 22 Jul 1720, Quebec City, New France; M. Gilles Rageot (1642-1692), 29 May 1673, Quebec City, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
A Point in History (website)
One-hundred French-Canadian Family Histories, Philip J. Moore, 1994
Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
Hélène’s World: Hélène Desportes of Seventeenth Century Quebec, Susan McNelley, 2014
Famous Kin (website)