B. about 15 May 1638 in La Flèche, Anjou, France
M. 7 Jan 1654 in Montreal, New France
Husband: Jacques Beauvais
D. 12 Nov 1697 in Montreal, New France
Jeanne Soldé was one of 14 French women who, along with 100 men, migrated to save Montreal in 1653. She was born in about May 1638 in the town of La Flèche, France, and was baptized there on the 15th of that month. Her parents were Martin Soldé and Julienne Le Potier. Besides that her father was a laborer, nothing is known of her family or early years.
At age 25, Jeanne sought to make a future for herself by signing up to migrate to New France. She was recruited by agents of the governor of Montreal who were on a special mission to find new settlers to populate the outpost. Montreal had been founded about ten years earlier, but because it was on the frontier of New France, many gave up living there because of threats from the Iroquois to the south. The effort in 1653 became known as La Grande Recrue and it was a last ditch effort to make Montreal safe enough to survive.
Jeanne and the other recruits embarked from France on June 20th, but the ship was in poor condition, and it sprung some leaks which caused them to turn around and go back. Those in charge made sure they docked at an island, not the mainland of France, so that no one would be tempted to defect. It took several weeks to get another ship to take them all the way across the Atlantic. It’s likely that Jeanne got to know the other women on the ship pretty well; three others were also from La Flèche, one of whom was as young as 10-years-old. The voyage was especially difficult, and they didn’t arrive in Quebec City until late September.
At this point, Jeanne’s group still hadn’t made it to the final destination of Montreal. They had to wait in Quebec City while the recruiting agents arranged the journey. The immigrants camped in a warehouse near the water, while nuns took care of the ones who had become sick. Meanwhile, the authorities in Quebec tried unsuccessfully to claim the group to populate their city. Finally about a month later, the 114 people left in small boats traveling upriver, and landing at Montreal on November 16th.
It was on the last leg of the journey that Jeanne likely met her husband, Jacques Beauvais, a man who had come to Quebec the previous year and now joined the people bound for Montreal. Jeanne and Jacques’ wedding took place at Montreal’s church on January 7, 1654, making her the first of the La Grande Recrue people to get married, although two other ceremonies followed that same day. Jacques was a lime maker, and the newlyweds made their home in Montreal where he set up his business. Jeanne gave birth to her first child later that year, and by the beginning of 1673, they had a total of nine children, with two of them dying young.
Jeanne spent the rest of her life in Montreal. Her husband Jacques died in 1691, and she passed away on November 12, 1697. Centuries later, the voyage that brought Jeanne to Montreal was remembered on a plaque that lists the passengers who made the trip. Her name is among the 14 women who were so honored.
Children:
1. Raphael Beauvais — B. 15 Oct 1654, Montreal, New France; D. 19 Oct 1734, Montreal, New France; M. Élisabeth Turpin (1667-1747), 24 May 1683, Montreal, New France
2. Barbe Beauvais — B. 28 Aug 1656, Montreal, New France; D. 25 Jan 1746, Lachine, New France; M. François Brunet dit Bourbonnais (1644-1702), 11 Jul 1672, Montreal, New France
3. Marguerite Beauvais — B. 30 Aug 1658, Montreal, New France; D. 12 Jul 1715, La Prairie, New France; M. Jacques Tetu dit Lariviére (1641-1712), 9 Oct 1675, Montreal, New France
4. Jean Beauvais — B. 26 Sep 1660, Montreal, New France; D. after 1667, (probably) Montreal, New France
5. Jean-Baptiste Beauvais — B. 7 Oct 1662, Montreal, New France; D. 17 Apr 1705, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; M. Marie-Madeleine LeMoine (1675-1727), 12 Nov 1697, Batiscan, New France
6. Jacques Beauvais — B. 13 Dec 1664, Montreal, New France; D. 14 Aug 1671, Montreal, New France
7. Charlotte-Marie Beauvais — B. 26 Jun 1667, Montreal, New France; D. 25 Dec 1700, Montreal, New France; M. Alexandre-Pierre Turpin (1641-1709), 30 Oct 1684, Montreal, New France
8. Marie-Étiennette Beauvais — B. 21 Sep 1669, Montreal, New France; D. 14 Sep 1753, Trois-Rivières, New France; M. Jean Pottier (1653-1711), 14 Jun 1688, Montreal, New France
9. Jeanne Beauvais — B. 8 Jan 1673, Montreal, New France; D. 6 Feb 1703, Montreal, New France; M. Guillaume Boucher (1665-?), 19 Dec 1695, Montreal, New France
Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
The Family of Jacques Beauvais I & Wife Jeanne Solde of France and Canada, sadieparks.com
Montreal, 1653: La Grande Recrue, Michel Langlois, 2003
