M. 5 Jun 1673 in Quebec City, New France
Husband: Jean Proulx
D. 22 Jan 1736 in Montmagny, New France
In the prime of her life, Jacquette Fournier found herself without a husband and owing a large amount of money to another woman. She was born on April 9, 1659 in Quebec City to Guillaume Fournier and Marie-Françoise Hébert. Jacquette’s family was among the earliest settlers of Quebec; her grandmother was Hèléne Desportes and her great-grandfather was Louis Hébert.
Jacquette grew up in a household crowded with 15 children, and perhaps this is why she was married at age 14. Her husband was French immigrant Jean Proulx, a 27-year-old man who had arrived in the colony as an indentured servant. After he completed his service contract and was looking to establish himself, Jean had dealings with members of Jacquette’s family. In 1671, he sold some property to her father, and this may have been when he met her. They were married in Quebec City on June 5, 1673.
It was two years before Jacquette became pregnant with her first child; often young brides continued to live in their childhood home before sharing a bed with their husband, but it’s not known if this was the case for her. The couple produced a large family, and by 1701, Jacquette had given birth to 14 children, only two of whom died young. The family lived in the town of Montmagny, which was located on the southern shore of the St. Lawrence River, downriver from Quebec.
Jacquette’s husband Jean died on February 28, 1703, deeply in debt. In 1701, the widow of a merchant, Marie-Anne Fortin, had claimed Jean had owed 700 livres to her late husband, who was a merchant. It isn’t known whether their transaction was for goods or property, but it was a massive amount of money for Jacquette to conjure up. She was forced to sell half of her farm in order to pay the debt, and afterwards, she and her younger children moved into the household of her son Pierre.
Years later, on July 13, 1722, Jacquette formalized an arrangement turning her property over to sons Pierre and Joseph. The land was to be shared by both sons, and Joseph would take in his mother as well as receiving her farm possessions, including a horse, an ox, a cow, 25 chickens, 3 sheep and other items. Jacquette died on January 22, 1736 in Montmagny. After her death, son Joseph paid to have 36 masses said in her honor.
Children:
1. Denis Proulx — B. 24 Apr 1676, Montmagny, New France; D. 12 Dec 1749, Montmagny, New France; M. Marie-Anne Gagné (1674-1751), 17 Nov 1699, Cap-St-Ignace, New France
2. Jean-Baptiste Proulx — B. Oct 1677, Montmagny, New France; D. 20 Apr 1756; M. Louise Rousseau (1682-1759), 14 Jun 1701, Montmagny, New France
3. Louise Proulx — B. 29 Aug 1679, Montmagny, New France; D. 1745, Montmagny, New France; M. Pierre Gagné dit Bellevance (1670-1748), 22 Jun 1700, Montmagny, New France
4. Pierre Proulx — B. 8 Jun 1681, Montmagny, New France; D. 10 May 1757, Montmagny, New France; M. Agathe Destroismaisons dit Picard (1691-1730), 8 Jun 1711, Montmagny, New France
5. Marie-Anne Proulx — B. 1 Sep 1683, Montmagny, New France; D. 1 Jun 1756, Montmagny, New France; M. Jacques Thibault (1678-1755), Montmagny, New France
6. Marie-Barbe Proulx — B. 25 Mar 1685, Riviere-Ouelle, New France; D. 17 Mar 1765, St-Pierre-de-la-Riviére-du-Sud, Quebec; M. Louis Isabel, 11 Aug 1704, Montmagny, New France
7. Thomas Proulx — B. 27 Aug 1686, Montmagny, New France; D. 9 Jun 1753, Montmagny, New France; M. Marie-Catherine Caron (1695-1744), 5 Nov 1714, Montmagny, New France
8. Angélique Proulx — B. 12 Aug 1688, Montmagny, New France; D. 27 Jan 1763, New France; Jean-François Thibault (1675-1760), 12 Nov 1705, Montmagny, New France
9. Joseph Proulx — B. 18 Sep 1690, Montmagny, New France; D. 3 Nov 1693, Montmagny, New France
10. Catherine Proulx — B. 12 Jul 1692, Montmagny, New France; 13 Jul 1692, Montmagny, New France
11. Anne Proulx — B. 17 Sep 1693, Montmagny, New France; D. 6 Dec 1749, Montmagny, New France; M. Henri Ruel (1690-1747), 30 Oct 1720, Montmagny, New France
12. Louis Proulx — B. 3 Apr 1696, Montmagny, New France; D. 6 Oct 1748, Montmagny, New France; M. Marie Dufresne (1706-1780), 23 Oct 1730, St-Laurent, Ile d’Orleans, New France
13. Joseph Proulx — B. 27 Apr 1698, Montmagny, New France; D. 14 Jun 1767, Montmagny, Quebec; M. (1) Theodore-Dorothee Bouchard (1708-1734), 20 Feb 1729, New France; (2) Angelique Laberge (1718-1777), 19 Nov 1736, Montmagny, New France
14. Françoise Proulx — B. 8 Dec 1701, Montmagny, New France; D. 11 Jun 1775, Montmagny, Quebec; M. Alexandre Gagné (1705-1790), 24 Oct 1729, Montmagny, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990Find-a-Grave.com
