B. about 1638 in Paris, France
M. (1) 9 Jan 1662 in Quebec City, New France
Husband: Nicolas Godbout
M. 11 Jul 1675 in Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France
Husband: Antoine Mercereau
D. 19 Dec 1682 in Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France
Among the women who migrated to New France as prospective brides, Marie-Marthe Bourgoin came from a higher social standing than most. She was born in the Notre-Dame parish of Paris to Jean Bourgoin and Marie Lefebvre. It’s thought she was the youngest in her family. Little is known of her mother and siblings, but her father Jean had an important position in the French government, noted as being a Secretary of the Chamber of the King in 1628. He was also known to have authored many booklets presenting political support for King Louis XIII.
The earliest record of Marie-Marthe was her marriage contract in Quebec dated December 26, 1661. The man she was marrying was Nicolas Godbout, a sailor who had worked for Jean Bourdon, an important man in the colony. Bourdon and his wife Anne Gasnier had returned from France earlier that year, and were said to have recruited Marie-Marthe to come with them. The circumstances suggest that Marie-Marthe needed to secure her future, and likely her parents had both died by that time.
The contract signing took place at Bourdon’s home and Marie-Marthe’s clear signature showed that she was an educated woman. Witnesses to the contract included the governor of New France, Pierre Dubois Davaugour, and his lieutenant, Augustin Descartes. Both men had arrived in Quebec on August 31st, and it’s likely that Bourdon, Anne Gasnier, and Marie-Marthe were aboard the same ship. Also noted on the contract was that Marie-Marthe had brought with her 300 livres worth of clothes.
The wedding took place at Notre-Dame in Quebec City on January 9, 1662. Later that year, Marie-Marthe’s husband Nicolas bought land on Île d’Orleans, but it doesn’t seem that the couple moved there right away. Their first child was baptized at Quebec City in June 1663, and by the end of the decade, they had three more also baptized at Quebec. Only Marie-Marthe’s fifth child seems to have been born at a farm on Île d’Orleans, which happened in 1672. This was on a second property that Nicolas acquired, having sold the first one to another settler, Jean Leclerc.
Nicolas died at the hospital in Quebec City on September 5, 1674, leaving Marie-Marthe with four young children. It was a challenging winter for the family. The inventory of her husband's possessions showed a storage of food that included 2 bushels of wheat, 19 bushels of peas and 8 bushels of corn, along with a cow, a bull and 4 pigs. But she also was left her husband’s debts, owing money to several men which amounted to more than 640 livres. It was said that Marie-Marthe struggled for the next five years to pay the men off.
Marie-Marthe found a new husband by the following summer, and on July 11, 1675, she married Antoine Mercereau at Ste-Famille on Île d’Orleans; they had no children together. Marie-Marthe died on December 19, 1682 at about the age of 44. Antoine survived her by about 20 years, dying in 1702.
Children (all by Nicolas Godbout):
1. Marie-Anne Godbout — B. 9 Jun 1663, Quebec City, New France; D. 21 Jun 1668, Quebec City, New France
2. Marie-Jeanne Godbout — B. 11 Aug 1665, Quebec City, New France; D. 7 Jul 1732, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France; M. (1) Jean Baillargeon (1659-1694), 2 Mar 1683, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France; (2) Renee Pelletier (1659-1713), 23 Jul 1703, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France
3. Nicolas Godbout — B. 14 Oct 1667, Quebec City, New France; D. 27 May 1720, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France; M. Marguerite Angélique Lemelin (1668-1742), 16 Oct 1685, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France
4. Antoine Godbout — B. 16 Nov 1669, Quebec City, New France; D. 23 Apr 1742, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France; M. Marguerite Labrecque, 26 Feb 1691, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France
5. Joseph Godbout — B. 29 Jun 1672, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France; D. 16 Jun 1745, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France; M. Marguerite Manseau, 8 Feb 1700, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France
Sources:
Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours, Cyprien Tanguay, 1890
Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997
Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
