M. (1) 17 Nov 1653 in Quebec City, New France
Husband: Nicolas Gaudry dit Bourbonniére
M. (2) 12 Jan 1671 in Quebec City, New France
Husband: Ignace Bonhomme dit Beaupré
D. 30 Aug 1687 in Quebec City, New France
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 in about January 1641 in Quebec City, 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, who was in his early 30s. She had her first child, a daughter, when she was 15. 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. On January 12, 1671, Agnes married Ignace Bonhomme dit Beaupré, a man who was a few years younger than she was. They had a daughter born within the year, followed by eight more children, with the youngest born in 1685.
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. 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, 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, who was in his early 30s. She had her first child, a daughter, when she was 15. 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. On January 12, 1671, Agnes married Ignace Bonhomme dit Beaupré, a man who was a few years younger than she was. They had a daughter born within the year, followed by eight more children, with the youngest born in 1685.
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. 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, 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.” 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. 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.
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, and was buried with her first husband Nicolas. Her second husband Ignace remarried in 1691 to the widow of Nicolas’ brother Jacques. Among Agnes' many descendants are Madonna, Jim Carrey and Alex Trebek.
Children by Nicolas Gaudry dit Bourbonniére:
1. Hélène Gaudry — B. 5 Mar 1656, Quebec City, New France; D. 22 Nov 1712, St-Nicolas, New France; M. Pierre Boucher dit Desroches (1648-1702), 13 Dec 1671, Sillery, New France
2. Jacques Gaudry — B. 24 Apr 1658, Quebec City, New France; D. 12 Feb 1731, Varennes, New France; M. (1) Jeanne-Françoise Guillory (1674-1700), 1 Feb 1694, Montreal, New France; (2) Anne Bourdon (1678-1743), 3 Nov 1701, Boucherville, New France
3. Christine-Charlotte Gaudry — B. 16 Jun 1660, Quebec City, New France; D. 17 Sep 1729, Ste-Croix, New France; M. Jean Hamel (1652-?), 16 Feb 1677, New France
4. Marie-Françoise Gaudry — B. Aug 1662, Quebec City, New France; D. 21 Oct 1710, Sillery, New France; M. Jean Pilote (1657-1738), 27 Jun 1678, Quebec City, New France
5. Nicolas Gaudry dit Bourbonniére — B. 16 Aug 1664, Quebec City, New France; D. 30 Jan 1735, Montreal, New France; M. Anne Pigeon (1672-1742), 7 Jan 1687, Montreal, New France
6. Agnes-Madeleine Gaudry — B. 6 Apr 1666, Quebec City, New France; D. 30 May 1666, Quebec City, New France
7. Agnes-Madeleine Gaudry — B. 19 Nov 1667, Quebec City, New France; D. 9 Jun 1713, Montreal, New France; M. Joseph Lemay (~1661-1707), 4 Jun 1686, Quebec City, New France
8. Joseph-Alphonse Gaudry — B. 14 Feb 1670, Quebec City, New France
Children by Ignace Bonhomme dit Beaupré:
1. Marie-Catherine Bonhomme — B. 23 Nov 1671, Quebec City, New France; D. 14 Jul 1747, Quebec City, New France; M. Louis Moreau (1668-1735), 29 Mar 1693, Quebec City, New France
2. Anne-Félicité Bonhomme — B. 7 Oct 1673, Quebec City, New France; D. 8 Feb 1757, Quebec City, New France; M. (1) Louis Lefbvre (1667-1669), 18 Mar 1697, Sainte-Foy, New France; (2) Etienne Ayotte (1673-1758), 20 Jan 1702, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France
3. Anne-Agnes Beaupré — B. 21 Jun 1675, Quebec City, New France; D. 27 Aug 1703, Quebec City, New France; M. Pierre Dion (1674-1738), 1697, New France
4. Marie-Catherine Bonhomme — B. 12 Jun 1677, Sillery, Quebec; D. 21 Feb 1745, Repntigny, Quebec; M. (1) François Michel Provost (1669-1711), 23 Oct 1695, Ste-Foy, Quebec; (2) Pierre Paris (1691-1746), 12 Feb 1714, Ste-Foy, Quebec
5. Ignace Bonhomme — B. 17 Oct 1678, Côte-St-Michel, New France; D. 13 Mar 1755, Terrebonne, New France; M. Marie-Therese Goulet (1691-1772), 9 Nov 1705, Montreal, New France
6. Jean Bonhomme — B. 26 Oct 1680, Quebec City, New France; D. 26 Dec 1702, Ste-Foy, New France
7. Charles-Ignace Bonhomme — B. 28 Sep 1682, Côte-St-Michel, New France; D. 28 Oct 1752, L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France
8. Noel Bonhomme — B. 13 Nov 1684, Côte-St-Michel, New France; D. 28 May 1755, L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France; M. Felicite Hamel (1687-1743), 2 May 1709, L’Ancienne-Lorette, New France
9. Marie-Madeleine Beaupré — B. 29 Oct 1685, Côte-St-Michel, New France; D. 13 Mar 1733, Quebec City, New France; M. Pierre-Joseph Marache (1677-1717), 10 Nov 1710, Sainte-Foy, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
Hélène’s World: Hélène Desportes of Seventeenth Century Quebec, Susan McNelley, 2014
The Courtier Governor, W. J. Eccles, 1959
Louis de Baude de Frontenac (Wikipedia article)
