M. 31 Aug 1676 in Montreal, New France
Husband: Charles Diel
D. 4 Feb 1697 in La Prairie, New France
Marie-Anne Picard suffered a tragedy that many mothers faced in colonial American history: the capture of one of her children by Native American warriors, and in her case, the child wasn’t returned to her.
Marie-Anne was born in Montreal on November 3, 1663 to Hugues Picard dit LaFortune and Anne-Antoinette De Leircourt, the second of their five children; there were also four half-siblings from her mother’s first marriage. Montreal was a rugged place when she was a girl, filled with fur traders and adventurers, and with hostile Indians to the south.
When Marie-Anne wasn’t yet 13-years-old, she got married to French immigrant, Charles Diel. The wedding took place in Montreal on August 31, 1676. She became pregnant the following year, giving birth to a daughter in April of 1678. Nine more children followed, with the last one born in 1695. After 1680, the family lived in La Prairie, a settlement across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal. Husband Charles found work in the fur trade, transporting goods to and from the Great Lakes, sometimes spending months away from home.
It was likely when Charles was on an expedition that some Iroquois snatched Marie-Anne’s oldest son Pierre. There’s no description of the actual incident, but it took place around 1690 to 1692, when the boy was about 8-years-old. Typically when a child of European heritage was captured by Native Americans, they would be taken into the tribe and raised by adoptive parents as one of their own. This is what happened to young Pierre, who would live the rest of his life as an Indian. He even forgot the French language, and years later, when he emerged to claim an inheritance, he needed an interpreter to communicate with his former family.
When Marie-Anne wasn’t yet 13-years-old, she got married to French immigrant, Charles Diel. The wedding took place in Montreal on August 31, 1676. She became pregnant the following year, giving birth to a daughter in April of 1678. Nine more children followed, with the last one born in 1695. After 1680, the family lived in La Prairie, a settlement across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal. Husband Charles found work in the fur trade, transporting goods to and from the Great Lakes, sometimes spending months away from home.
It was likely when Charles was on an expedition that some Iroquois snatched Marie-Anne’s oldest son Pierre. There’s no description of the actual incident, but it took place around 1690 to 1692, when the boy was about 8-years-old. Typically when a child of European heritage was captured by Native Americans, they would be taken into the tribe and raised by adoptive parents as one of their own. This is what happened to young Pierre, who would live the rest of his life as an Indian. He even forgot the French language, and years later, when he emerged to claim an inheritance, he needed an interpreter to communicate with his former family.
Marie-Anne’s son was taken to an Iroquois village like this.
Whatever effect the kidnapping had on Marie-Anne, we have no way of knowing, but she must have felt the loss deeply. Only a few years later, on February 4, 1697, she died at the age of 33. Her husband remarried five years later, and he died likely during the 1730s.
Children:
1. Marie-Marguerite Diel — B. 18 Apr 1678, Montreal, New France; D. 26 Jul 1715, Montreal, New France; M. (1) Pierre Perras (1674-1699), 18 Nov 1696, Laprairie, New France; (2) Julien Bariteau Lamarche (1672-1736), 13 May 1700, La Prairie, New France
2. Pierre Diel — B. 24 Nov 1680, Montreal, New France
3. Jacques Diel — B. 2 Mar 1683, La Prairie, New France; D. young
4. Marie-Anne Diel — B. 7 May 1684, La Prairie, New France; D. 9 Dec 1684, La Prairie, New France
5. Marie-Anne Diel — B. about 1685, La Prairie, New France; D. 15 May 1708; M. François Bory(1676-?), 27 Oct 1704, La Prairie, New France
6. Charles Diel — B. 5 Aug 1688, La Prairie, New France; D. 20 Jun 1734, Longueuil, New France; M. (1) Marie-Jeanne Boyer (1694-1730), 17 Feb 1716, La Prairie, New France; (2) Marguerite Robert (1683-1766), 9 Sep 1732, Boucherville, New France
7. Marguerite Diel — B. 14 Jun 1691, La Prairie, New France; D. 25 May 1763; M. Jean Lacombe, 3 Feb 1711
8. Jacques Diel — B. 2 Feb 1693, La Prairie, New France; M. Marie-Anne Crepin, 13 Jul 1715
9. Catherine Diel — B. 9 Aug 1695, La Prairie, New France; D. 10 Aug 1695, La Prairie, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Charles Diel, Our First Canadian Ancestor (website)
A Drifting Cowboy (website)
