M. (1) 17 Nov 1653 in Quebec City, New France2
Husband: Nicolas Gaudry dit Bourbonniére
M. (2) 12 Jan 1671 in Quebec City, New France3
Husband: Ignace Bonhomme dit Beaupré
D. 30 Aug 1687 in Quebec City, New France4
During the 1670s, Agnes Morin was charged for being too outspoken with the colony’s authorities. And this led to what must have been a frightening situation for her.
Agnes was a member of one of the founding families of Quebec. Her mother was Hélène Desportes, the first European child born in what is now Canada, and her father was Hélène’s second husband, Noël Morin. Agnes was born on January 21, 1641 in Quebec City,1 and she grew up there in a household with 11 younger siblings, plus two older half-siblings.
During the mid-17th century, there were few marriageable girls in New France, and brides were often very young. Agnes was wed at the age of 12 on November 17, 1653 to Nicolas Gaudry dit Bourbonniére,2 who was in his early 30s. She had her first child, a daughter, when she was 15.5 Agnes and Nicolas had six children born between 1656 and 1667. Nicolas died on June 22, 1669 and was buried the following day at Notre-Dame in Quebec City.6 On January 12, 1671, Agnes married Ignace Bonhomme dit Beaupré,3 a man who was a few years younger than she was. They had a daughter born within the year,7 followed by eight more children, with the youngest born in 1685.8
Agnes’ life was marked by an event for which some of the details are sketchy. The governor of New France in the 1670s was an ex-military man named Louis de Baude de Frontenac, who was said to be contentious and arrogant.9 Governor Frontenac took charge of the French colonies in 1672, having spent much of his life in the French royal court. He had certain demands for protocol when he became the governor in New France, and he often clashed with the people around him, including the Sovereign Court,9 which handled judicial matters.
During the mid-17th century, there were few marriageable girls in New France, and brides were often very young. Agnes was wed at the age of 12 on November 17, 1653 to Nicolas Gaudry dit Bourbonniére,2 who was in his early 30s. She had her first child, a daughter, when she was 15.5 Agnes and Nicolas had six children born between 1656 and 1667. Nicolas died on June 22, 1669 and was buried the following day at Notre-Dame in Quebec City.6 On January 12, 1671, Agnes married Ignace Bonhomme dit Beaupré,3 a man who was a few years younger than she was. They had a daughter born within the year,7 followed by eight more children, with the youngest born in 1685.8
Agnes’ life was marked by an event for which some of the details are sketchy. The governor of New France in the 1670s was an ex-military man named Louis de Baude de Frontenac, who was said to be contentious and arrogant.9 Governor Frontenac took charge of the French colonies in 1672, having spent much of his life in the French royal court. He had certain demands for protocol when he became the governor in New France, and he often clashed with the people around him, including the Sovereign Court,9 which handled judicial matters.
Governor Frontenac (Source: Thomas1313, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons)
One of the cases brought to the court in February 1678 involved Agnes, who had been charged with “uttering insulting words against the governor.”10 Exactly what Agnes said or did isn’t clear from records, but she seems to have been arrested and made to stand trial. Governor Frontenac may have himself pressed the charges, and Agnes said on the witness stand that his guards “ill-treated” her.11 It was the Sovereign Court that had control of the proceedings, though, and after hearing several witnesses, they dismissed the case.
Governor Frontenac wasn’t pleased and he took his rage out on the clerk who served the court. First, he cornered the man after a dinner and demanded he share what was going on behind the closed court session. The clerk refused, then when Frontenac forced the information out of him, got even more angry that it wasn’t going as he liked. He ended up grabbing the clerk by his coat, and ordering his guards to lock the man up; the clerk was detained for several days.11
After the incident involving her trial, Agnes returned to her life as a wife and mother. She passed away on August 30, 1687 in Quebec City,4 and was buried with her first husband Nicolas. Her second husband Ignace remarried in 1691 to the widow of Nicolas’ brother Jacques.12 Among Agnes' many descendants are Madonna, Jim Carrey, Cliff Arquette, Roseanna Arquette, Patricia Arquette, Emeril Lacasse, June Foray, Leo Durocher, and Alex Trebek.13
Children by Nicolas Gaudry dit Bourbonniére:
1. Hélène Gaudry — B. 5 Mar 1656, Quebec City, New France;5 D. 22 Nov 1712, St-Nicolas, New France;14 M. Pierre Boucher dit Desroches (1648-1702), 13 Dec 1671, Sillery, New France15
2. Jacques Gaudry — B. 24 Apr 1658, Quebec City, New France;16 D. 12 Feb 1731, Varennes, New France;17 M. (1) Jeanne-Françoise Guillory (1674-1700), 1 Feb 1694, Montreal, New France;18 (2) Anne Bourdon (1678-1743), 3 Nov 1701, Boucherville, New France19
3. Christine-Charlotte Gaudry — B. 16 Jun 1660, Quebec City, New France;20 D. 17 Sep 1729, Ste-Croix, New France;21 M. Jean Hamel (1652-?), 16 Feb 1677, New France22
4. Marie-Françoise Gaudry — B. 27 Aug 1662, Quebec City, New France;23 D. 21 Oct 1710, Sillery, New France;24 M. Jean Pilote (1657-1738), 27 Jun 1678, Quebec City, New France25
5. Nicolas Gaudry — B. 16 Aug 1664, Quebec City, New France;26 D. 30 Jan 1735, Montreal, New France;27 M. Anne Pigeon (1672-1742), 7 Jan 1687, Montreal, New France28
6. Agnes-Madeleine Gaudry — B. 6 Apr 1666, Quebec City, New France;29 D. 30 May 1666, Quebec City, New France30
7. Agnes-Madeleine Gaudry — B. 19 Nov 1667, Quebec City, New France;31 D. 9 Jun 1713, Montreal, New France;32 M. Joseph Lemay (~1661-1707), 4 Jun 1686, Quebec City, New France33
8. Joseph-Alphonse Gaudry — B. 14 Feb 1670, Quebec City, New France34
Children by Ignace Bonhomme dit Beaupré:
1. Marie-Catherine Bonhomme — B. 23 Nov 1671, Quebec City, New France;7 D. 14 Jul 1747, Quebec City, New France;35 M. Louis Moreau (1668-1735), 29 Mar 1693, Quebec City, New France36
2. Anne-Félicité Bonhomme — B. 7 Oct 1673, Quebec City, New France;37 D. 8 Feb 1757, Quebec City, New France;38 M. (1) Louis Lefebvre (1667-1669), 18 Mar 1697, Sainte-Foy, New France;39 (2) Etienne Ayotte (1673-1758), 20 Jan 1702, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France40
3. Anne-Agnes Beaupré — B. 21 Jun 1675, Quebec City, New France;41 D. 27 Aug 1703, Quebec City, New France;42 M. Pierre Dion (1674-1738), 1697, New France43
4. Marie-Catherine Bonhomme — B. 12 Jun 1677, Sillery, New France;44 D. 21 Feb 1745, Repntigny, New France;45 M. (1) François Michel Provost (1669-1711), 23 Oct 1695, Ste-Foy, New France;46 (2) Pierre Paris (1691-1746), 12 Feb 1714, Ste-Foy, New France47
5. Ignace Bonhomme — B. 17 Oct 1678, Côte-St-Michel, New France;48 D. 13 Mar 1755, Terrebonne, New France;49 M. Marie-Therese Goulet (1691-1772), 9 Nov 1705, Montreal, New France50
6. Jean Bonhomme — B. 26 Oct 1680, Quebec City, New France;51 D. 26 Dec 1702, Ste-Foy, New France52
7. Charles-Ignace Bonhomme — B. 28 Sep 1682, Côte-St-Michel, New France;53 D. 28 Oct 1752, L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France54
8. Noël Bonhomme — B. 13 Nov 1684, Côte-St-Michel, New France;55 D. 28 May 1755, L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France;56 M. Felicite Hamel (1687-1743), 2 May 1709, L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France57
9. Marie-Madeleine Beaupré — B. 29 Oct 1685, Côte-St-Michel, New France;8 D. 13 Mar 1733, Quebec City, New France;58 M. Pierre-Joseph Marache (1677-1717), 10 Nov 1710, Sainte-Foy, New France59
Sources:
1 Burial record of Agnes Morin, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
2 Marriage record of Nicolas Gaudry dit Bourbonniére and Agnes Morin, Q.C.P.R.
3 Marriage record of Ignace Bonhomme dit Beaupré and Agnes Morin, Q.C.P.R.
4 Burial record of Agnes Morin, Q.C.P.R.
5 Baptismal record of Hélène Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
6 Burial record of Nicolas Gaudry dit Bourbonniére , Q.C.P.R.
7 Baptismal record of Marie-Catherine Bonhomme Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
8 Baptismal record of Marie-Madeleine Beaupré, Q.C.P.R.
9 Louis de Baude de Frontenac (Wikipedia article)
10 Court records of case of Governor Frontenac vs. Agnes Morin, 5 Dec 1678, BAnQ
11 The Courtier Governor, W. J. Eccles, 1959
12 Marriage record of Ignace Bonhomme dit Beaupré and Anne Poirier, Q.C.P.R.
13 FamousKin.com listing of Agnes Morin
14 Burial record of Hélène Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
15 Marriage record of Pierre Boucher dit des Roches and Hélène Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
16 Baptismal record of Jacques Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
17 Burial record of Jacques Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
18 Marriage record of Jacques Gaudry and Jeanne-Françoise Guillory, Q.C.P.R.
19 Marriage record of Jacques Gaudry and Anne Bourdon, Q.C.P.R.
20 Baptismal record of Christine-Charlotte Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
21 Burial record of Christine-Charlotte Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
22 Marriage record of Jean Hamel and Christine-Charlotte Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
23 Baptismal record of Marie-Françoise Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
24 Burial record of Marie-Françoise Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
25 Marriage record of Jean Pilote and Marie-Françoise Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
26 Baptismal record of Nicolas Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
27 Burial record of Nicolas Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
28 Marriage record of Nicolas Gaudry and Anne Pigeon, Q.C.P.R.
29 Baptismal record of Agnes-Madeleine Gaudry (older), Q.C.P.R.
30 Burial record of Agnes-Madeleine Gaudry (older), Q.C.P.R.
31 Baptismal record of Agnes-Madeleine Gaudry (younger), Q.C.P.R.
32 Burial record of Agnes-Madeleine Gaudry (younger), Q.C.P.R.
33 Marriage record of Joseph Lemay and Agnes-Madeleine Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
34 Baptismal record of Joseph-Alphonse Gaudry, Q.C.P.R.
35 Burial record of Marie-Catherine Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
36 Marriage record of Louis Moreau and Marie-Catherine Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
37 Baptismal record of Anne-Félicité Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
38 Burial record of Anne-Félicité Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
39 Marriage record of Louis Lefebvre and Anne-Félicité Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
40 Marriage record of Etienne Ayotte and Anne-Félicité Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
41 Baptismal record of Anne-Agnes Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
42 Burial record of Anne-Agnes Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
43 Marriage record of Pierre Dion and Anne-Agnes Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
44 Baptismal record of Marie-Catherine Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
45 Burial record of Marie-Catherine Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
46 Marriage record of François Michel Provost and Marie-Catherine Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
47 Marriage record of Pierre Paris and Marie-Catherine Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
48 Baptismal record of Ignace Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
49 Burial record of Ignace Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
50 Marriage record of Ignace Bonhomme and Marie-Therese Goulet, Q.C.P.R.
51 Baptismal record of Jean Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
52 Burial record of Jean Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
53 Baptismal record of Charles-Ignace Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
54 Burial record of Charles-Ignace Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
55 Baptismal record of Noël Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
56 Burial record of Noël Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
57 Marriage record of Noël Bonhomme and Felicite Hamel, Q.C.P.R.
58 Burial record of Marie-Madeleine Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
59 Marriage record of Pierre-Joseph Marache and Marie-Madeleine Bonhomme, Q.C.P.R.
