M. (1) 5 Jul 1672 in Quebec City, New France
Husband: Guillaume Vanier dit LaFontaine
M. (2) 27 Sep 1697 in Charlesbourg, New France
Husband: Joseph Fernando
D. 26 Mar 1734 in Montreal, New France
Madeleine Bailly was a woman from Paris whose life had many twists and turns. She was born about 1647 to Guillaume Bailly and Barbe Seillier in the parish of Saint-Jacques-de-la-Boucherie in the 4th arrondissement, which was in the heart of the city. Before she could find a husband, both of her parents died. Without many options, she signed up at age 24 for an opportunity to migrate to America as a Fille du Roi.
The ship that brought Madeleine to America was the Saint Jean-Baptiste, which sailed out from Dieppe at the end of June in 1671. Women who signed up to marry men in New France had been migrating there for seven years, and Madeleine was in one of the last Fille du Roi groups; there were about 120 women with her and many of them were from Paris. The 300-ton galleon also carried a hundred men, including a wealthy settler with servants, and below decks were 10 donkeys and 50 sheep, as well as goods and clothing needed in the colony. The ship landed at Quebec City on August 15th.
Upon arrival, Madeleine had an obligation to find a husband. The prospective brides usually stayed together in a convent setting while the men came to them, and they would be engaged within a month or two. But Madeleine didn’t sign a marriage contract until April the following year when she hooked up with a man named Jean Briére. Something went wrong, and the arrangement was voided. It took another few months before she finally married another man, a candle maker named Guillaume Vanier dit LaFontaine, on July 5, 1672.
During Madeleine’s long wait for a suitable husband, she must had a lot of free time. Perhaps this is when she found a vocation as a midwife, although she may have had previous experience in Paris. Delivering babies was largely handled by women rather than male doctors, and it took some informal training to do so. It’s not known how many births she may have assisted in, nor how many years she worked, except that she was midwifing in 1681.
Midwife at work in 17th century.
Madeleine gave birth to her first child in 1673, and over the next 15 years she had five more, one of whom died young. By then, she and her husband had moved to Charlesbourg, which was north of Quebec City. Then tragedy struck on August of 1687, when Guillaume was killed in an accident; his gun went off as he was returning from an expedition to fight the Iroquois. He was buried at Montreal near where he died.
There is a mystery surrounding the next few years of Madeleine’s life. She became pregnant by an unknown man and gave birth to a daughter on February 20, 1692. The girl died at age three; neither her baptism nor her burial record revealed who the father was. The child may have been the result of an affair, or possibly a rape, but these details aren’t known.
Madeleine remained in Charlesbourg and married a second husband there on September 27, 1697. He was Joseph Fernando, a man serving in the French Navy; he was thought to be of Spanish or Portuguese heritage. The couple didn’t have any children together, but Madeleine at age 50 was probably past child-bearing age.
During her last few years, Madeleine lived with her husband in the Montreal area, where he died in 1718. She passed away on March 26, 1734 at about the age of 87, a long life for the times she lived in.
Children by Guillaume Vanier dit LaFontaine:
1. Anne Vanier — B. 6 Apr 1673, Quebec City, New France; D. 6 Feb 1750, Montreal, New France; M. Julienn Leblanc (1667-1756), 9 Jan 1689, Charlesbourg, New France
2. Marie-Madeleine Vanier — B. 3 Jan 1675, Quebec City, New France; D. 10 Nov 1749, Charlesbourg, New France; M. (1) Jean-François Martel (1671-1715), 13 Feb 1695, Charlesbourg, New France; (2) Jean-François Barbeau (1684-?), 22 Oct 1718, Charlesbourg, New France
3. Nicolas Vanier — B. Jul 1677, Quebec City, New France; D. 14 Jan 1680
4. Jean-Baptiste Le Vanier — B. Jun 1681, Quebec City, New France; D. 15 Mar 1746, Montreal, New France; M. (1) Marie Hotte (1679-1711), 18 Aug 1704, Charlesbourg, New France; (2) Marie-Charlotte Chamard (1693-1777), 13 Jun 1712
5. Marie-Marguerite Vanier — B. 29 Mar 1684, Charlesbourg, New France; D. 18 Apr 1715, Charlesbourg, New France; M. Charles Boyer (?-1727), 9 Feb 1699, Charlesbourg, New France
6. Pierre-Thomas Vanier — B. 8 Jun 1687, Charlesbourg, New France; D. 20 Mar 1711, Charlesbourg, New France; M. Marie-Anne Bourbeau (1690-1731), 9 Feb 1711, Charlesbourg, New France
Child by unknown father:
1. Marie-Jeanne Bailly — B. 20 Feb 1692, Charlesbourg, New France; D. Mar 1695, Charlesbourg, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Navires venus en Nouvelle-France (website)
Find A Grave
WikiTree
