M. 10 Sep 1670 in Quebec City, New France2
Husband: Jean Daniau dit Laprise
D. before 2 Jun 1686 in (probably) Berthier-sur-Mer, New France3
When Marie-Louise Michaud signed up to be a Fille du Roi, her little sister did, too. And the two young women left France together aboard the same ship.
Louise was born on April 5, 1645 in Sennevoy-le-Haut, France, a village in Burgundy.1 Her parents were Bréside Michaud and Marguerite Matret, and she was one of seven children, although it’s known that three of her siblings had died before she was born.1 A curious detail on Louise's baptismal record shows that her godmother was a 7-year-old girl named Louise Lenief, and also mentions the child's mother as being involved in the service.
Marie-Louise's baptismal record.
Some researchers have claimed that Louise's father was a colonel in the army.1 Since that fact only appeared in one record many years later, it’s almost certainly not true. What is known is that both of Louise's parents died by the time she was 25. At that point, she was living in Paris, and there she was recruited to become a Fille-du Roi.1
Signing up at the same time was Louise's 21-year-old sister Françoise,1 which suggests the two were perhaps living together in Paris after losing their parents. Women trying to survive on their own had few options, and by agreeing to marry men in New France, they each got a chance at a secure future. Louise and Françoise boarded the ship St-Jean-Baptiste in the late spring of 1670, along with over 100 other women.4 With a rough journey across an ocean and uncertainty lying ahead, it must have been a comfort to have a close member of the family nearby. (It was somewhat rare to have sisters traveling together as Filles-du-Roi, although it did happen at least three other times.)
The ship arrived in Quebec City sometime in early August, and the Michaud sisters entered the process of being courted by the men who lived there. It was Françoise who found her spouse first, and on August 10th, she agreed to a contract to marry Gilles Dupont.1 Three weeks later, Louise became engaged,1 and celebrated her wedding on September 10th;2 her husband was Jean Daniau dit Laprise, a former Carignan-Salières Regiment soldier. Louise brought a dowry of 300 livres, plus she was given an additional 50 livres from the king’s treasury.
After their weddings, the two sisters went their separate ways. While Françoise and her new husband settled near Trois-Rivières,1 Louise and Jean moved to Berthier-sur-Mer, located on the south shore of the St. Lawrence across from the eastern end of Île d’Orleans. Louise gave birth to her first child in January 1672,5 and by 1679, she had three more; the youngest died as an infant.6 Sadly, Louise died sometime during the mid-1680s.3 Jean remarried in June 1686, and passed away in 1709.7 Louise was an ancestor of Ricky Gervais.
Children:
1. Jacques Daniau dit Laprise — B. 12 Jan 1672, Berthier-sur-Mer, New France;5 D. 18 Jul 1751, St-François-de-la-Riviére-du-Sud, New France;8 M. Louise Destroismaisons (1680-1755), 31 Aug 1702, Montmagny, New France9
2. Marguerite Daniau dit Laprise — B. 11 Feb 1674, Berthier-sur-Mer, New France;10 D. 23 Dec 1708, Montmagny, New France;11 M. Arnould Lavergne (1672-1712), 25 Nov 1693, Montmagny, New France12
3. Marie-Françoise Daniau dit Laprise — B. 23 Jul 1676, Berthier-sur-Mer, New France;13 D. 18 Oct 1759, St-Pierre-de-la-Riviére-du-Sud, New France;14 M. François Destroismaisons (1678-1749), 3 Nov 1700, Montmagny, New France15
4. Joseph Daniau dit Laprise — B. 19 Mar 1679, Berthier-sur-Mer, New France;16 D. before 16816
Sources:
1 Brigide Michaut, a French colonel or a mere farmer? (blog)
2 Marriage record of Jean Daniau dit Laprise and Marie-Louise Michaud, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3 Marriage record of Jean Daniau dit Laprise and Françoise Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
4 Navires venus en Nouvelle-France (defunct website)
5 Baptismal record of Jacques Daniau dit Laprise, Q.C.P.R.
6 Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
7 Burial record of Jean Daniau dit Laprise, Q.C.P.R.
8 Burial record of Jacques Daniau dit Laprise, Q.C.P.R.
9 Marriage record of Jacques Daniau dit Laprise and Louise Destroismaisons, Q.C.P.R.
10 Baptismal record of Marguerite Daniau dit Laprise, Q.C.P.R.
11 Burial record of Marguerite Daniau dit Laprise, Q.C.P.R.
12 Marriage record of Arnould Lavergne and Marguerite Daniau dit Laprise, Q.C.P.R.
13 Baptismal record of Marie-Françoise Daniau dit Laprise, Q.C.P.R.
14 Burial record of Marie-Françoise Daniau dit Laprise, Q.C.P.R.
15 Marriage record of François Destroismaisons and Marie-Françoise Daniau dit Laprise, Q.C.P.R.
16 Baptismal record of Joseph Daniau dit Laprise, Q.C.P.R.
