M. 8 Nov 1682 in Beaubassin, Acadia2
Husband: Pierre Morin
D. after 7 Jan 1727 in (probably) St-Pierre-de-la-Riviére-du-Sud, New France3
As a young mother, Françoise Chiasson was kicked out of her native land of Acadia for actions she had nothing to do with. In spite of that, she managed to take care of a family that grew as they moved from place to place.
Françoise was born in about 1668 to Port-Royal farmer Guyon Chiasson dit Lavallée and his wife Jeanne Bernard, the second of seven children.1 By 1671, her family was thought to be among 13 people living at Mouscoudabouet, a tiny settlement on the south shore of Acadia.4 Mouscoudabouet was isolated, and must have given Françoise very little contact with anyone outside her family during her early childhood. The family was known to be living there in October 1674;4 then about two years later, they moved to Beaubassin,4 located on the isthmus that joins present-day Nova Scotia to New Brunswick.
After living in Mouscoudabouet, Beaubassin must have seemed like a city to Françoise, but during the time she was there, the population only consisted of about 20 families.4 Her future husband was among them, a man named Pierre Morin, whom Françoise married at age 14 on November 8, 1682.2 Around this time, her mother died and her father remarried, eventually giving her at least four half-sisters.
Françoise settled into married life as the wife of a farmer, and by about 1687, she had three children. Then an event happened which completely uprooted her. The teenaged daughter of the wealthiest man in Beaubassin gave birth to an out-of-wedlock child, and Françoise’s brother-in-law was named as the father. For this act, it was decided the whole family would be banished from the settlement, including Françoise, her husband, and their young children.5 She had to say goodbye to her father and siblings; her father died in Beaubassin in 1693.6
The family needed a place to live, and they received help from Richard Denys, the brother-in-law of the man who had them banished.5 Denys had a home on Chaleur Bay, an inlet on the Atlantic Ocean north of Acadia and south of the mouth of the St. Lawrence. The outpost was known as Restigouche, but it was hardly a village, and much like Mouscoudabouet, had only a handful of people living there. The family stayed there through 1692, and in that time, a son was born to Françoise.7 It must have been very rough circumstances to go through the experience of childbirth, and seems a miracle that a baby would survive, but he went on to live a normal life.
Chaleur Bay, near where Françoise was in exile. (Source: busand2003, CC BY 3.0)
By March 1697, the family was established at Montmagny, on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, and Françoise gave birth to another child.9 In about 1699, they moved once again to another remote place, the fishing village of Mont-Louis, and Françoise had another son.10 Their stay in Mont-Louis only lasted a couple of years, and in 1702, they were back in Montmagny;11 Françoise had her final four children there, with the last one born in 1709.12
As far as the records show, Françoise never again returned to Acadia. It isn’t known exactly when she died, but it was sometime between the marriages of son Michel on January 7, 1727 and son Charles on October 21, 1731.3,13 Her husband Pierre survived her, dying in 1741.14
Children:
1. Pierre Morin – B. 23 Dec 1683, Beaubassin, Acadia;15 D. 4 Feb 1767, Montmagny, Quebec;16 M. Marie Boulé (~1686-1764), 10 Jan 1707, Montmagny, New France17
2. Barbe Morin – B. about 1685, Beaubassin, Acadia;18 D. 29 Jan 1753, (probably) New France;18 M. Michel Harbour (1674-1758), about 1701, (probably) Mont-Louis, New France18
3. Marie Morin – B. about 1688, (probably) Beaubassin, Acadia;19 D. after 25 Jan 1728, (probably) Quebec City, New France19
4. Sébastien Morin – B. about 1692, Restigouche, New France;7 D. Nov 1756, St-Pierre-de-la-Riviére-du-Sud, New France;7 M. (1) Françoise Blanchet (1694-1742), 3 Nov 1717, Montmagny, New France;20 (2) Marie-Anne Frégeau (1700-?), 25 Feb 1743, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France21
5. Denis Morin – B. Aug 1694, Quebec City, New France;8 D. 20 Sep 1768, St-Pierre-de-la-Riviére-du-Sud, Quebec;22 M. Madeleine Boulet, 20 Nov 1718, New France23
6. Agathe Morin – B. about Mar 1697, Montmagny, New France;9 D. Jul 1733, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France;24 M. Jacques Boulet (1689-1771), 6 Jan 1715, Montmagny, New France25
7. Michel Morin – B. about 1699, Mont-Louis, New France;10 D. Jun 1767, Kamouraska, Quebec;26 M. Marie Frégeau (1702-1797), 7 Jan 1727, Montmagny, New France27
8. Jean-Baptiste Morin – B. 22 Apr 1702, Montmagny, New France;11 D. 19 Apr 1782, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec;28 M. Félicité Lemieux (1720-1786), 25 Jun 1739, Cap-St-Ignace, New France29
9. Antoine Morin – B. Oct 1704, Montmagny, New France;30 D. 3 Mar 1776, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec;31 M. Marguerite Daniau (~1716-1788), 25 Oct 1734, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, New France32
10. Charles Morin – B. Jan 1707, Montmagny, New France;33 D. 17 Dec 1786, St-François-de-la-Rivière-du-Sud, Quebec;34 M. Claire Destroismaisons (1710-1787), 21 Oct 1731, St-Pierre-de-la-Riviére-du-Sud, New France13
11. Marie-Françoise Morin – B. May 1709, Montmagny, New France;12 D. 6 Apr 1783, Montmagny, Quebec;35 M. Joseph Coté (1704-1777), after 22 Nov 1734, (probably) St-Pierre-de-la-Riviére-du-Sud, New France36
Sources:
1 Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique française listing of Françoise Chiasson
2 Marriage record of Pierre Morin and Françoise Chiasson, La Visitation de Notre-Dame de Château-Richer Religious Records, 1661–1702, FamilySearch.org
3 Marriage record of Michel Morin and Marie Frégeau, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
4 Acadians in Gray (website)
5 "The Morins of Acadia," French-Canadian and Acadian Genealogical Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1968
6 Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique française listing of Guyon Chiasson
7 Burial record of Sébastien Morin, Q.C.P.R.
8 Baptismal record of Denis Morin, Q.C.P.R.
9 Baptismal record of Agathe Morin, Q.C.P.R.
10 Baptismal record of Michel Morin, Q.C.P.R.
11 Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Morin, Q.C.P.R.
12 Baptismal record of Marie-Françoise Morin, Q.C.P.R.
13 Marriage record of Charles Morin and Claire Destroismaisons, Q.C.P.R.
14 Burial record of Pierre Morin, Q.C.P.R.
15 Baptismal record of Pierre Morin (younger), L.V.d. N.D.d.C.R.R.R.
16 Burial record of Pierre Morin (younger), Q.C.P.R.
17 Marriage record of Pierre Morin and Marie Boulé, Q.C.P.R.
18 Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique française listing of Barbe Morin
19 Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique française listing of Marie Morin
20 Marriage record of Sébastien Morin and Françoise Blanchet, Q.C.P.R.
21 Marriage record of Sébastien Morin and Marie-Anne Frégeau, Q.C.P.R.
22 Burial record of Denis Morin, Q.C.P.R.
23 Marriage record of Denis Morin and Madeleine Boulet, Q.C.P.R.
24 Burial record of Agathe Morin, Q.C.P.R.
25 Marriage record of Jacques Boulet and Agathe Morin, Q.C.P.R.
26 Burial record of Michel Morin, Q.C.P.R.
27 Marriage record of Michel Morin and Marie Frégeau, Q.C.P.R.
28 Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Morin, Q.C.P.R.
29 Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Morin and Félicité Lemieux, Q.C.P.R.
30 Baptismal record of Antoine Morin, Q.C.P.R.
31 Burial record of Antoine Morin, Q.C.P.R.
32 Marriage record of Antoine Morin and Marguerite Daniau, Q.C.P.R.
33 Baptismal record of Charles Morin, Q.C.P.R.
34 Burial record of Charles Morin, Q.C.P.R.
35 Burial record of Marie-Françoise Morin, Q.C.P.R.
36 Marriage contract of Joseph Coté and Marie-Françoise Morin
