M. (1) 26 Jan 1660 in Montreal, New France2
Husband: Pierre Perras
M. (2) Oct 1684 in La Prairie, New France3
Husband: François Cael
D. 29 Oct 1691 in La Prairie, New France4
Among the women who migrated to America from France in the 17th century, few had a more adventurous story than Marie-Denise Lemaître. In spite of many hardships in her life, she learned to be a midwife and practiced her skills in a dangerous frontier community.
Denise was born in Paris in about 1635 to Denis Lemaître (or Lemaîstre) and Catherine Decharme (or Deharme).1 Little is confirmed about her childhood and family, but it’s thought that she lived in what is today the 4th arrondissement. At some point, she was sent to Pitié-Salpêtrière, a Paris hospital run by nuns that took in girls and young women. It was here that she got instruction on caring for the sick, with a special interest in helping women through childbirth. In the spring of 1659, Pitié-Salpêtrière was visited by Jeanne Mance, a nurse who had started a hospital in Montreal. She was recruiting women to work for her who would also be willing to marry a settler, and Denise signed up.5
Jeanne Mance (Source: BAnQ)
The ship that took Denise to America, Le Saint-André, sailed out of La Rochelle July 2nd with 200 passengers.5 It was a very rough crossing because disease broke out and many people became seriously ill. About 18 people died at sea,5 which was a high mortality rate even in the 17th century. Several storms contributed to the rough conditions; food and fresh water had to be rationed because of delays caused by the weather. The vessel finally arrived at Quebec City on September 7th,6 and Denise then boarded a smaller boat to complete the journey to Montreal.
Less than a week after Denise arrived in Montreal, she accepted a proposal of marriage. On October 5th, she signed a contract to become the wife of André Heurtebise,6 who had arrived in La Grand Recrue of 1653. In the meantime, she worked at Jeanne Mance’s hospital, Hospitalieres de St-Joseph. Sadly, the marriage never happened. André was seriously injured in a fight with the Iroquois and he was brought to the hospital. He died on December 2nd — supposedly in Denise’s arms.7
After André’s burial, Denise made another match fairly quickly, signing a marriage contract on January 10, 1660 with Pierre Perras, a Montreal barrel maker.6 The wedding took place on January 26th with Jeanne Mance in attendance; also listed in the record as witnesses were a doctor, Louis Chartier, and a merchant, Jacques Le Moyne.2 Denise settled in Montreal with her new husband and gave birth to her first child by the end of the year.8 Within ten years, she had six more children, including twin girls born at the end of 1665;9 unfortunately one of the twins lived only a week.10 Then in 1671, the family moved across the St. Lawrence to La Prairie, where Denise had three more children.11,12,13
La Prairie was located just across the river from Montreal, but was much less populated because of its proximity to the Iroquois, who continued to be hostile to French settlers. Denise and Pierre’s farm was a long distance from the nearest church, and without roads, it was difficult to travel to Sunday services. So in 1675, they donated a straw-roofed building on their property for use as a chapel.7 In the 1681 census, Denise and her husband were shown to have a farm with ten arpents under cultivation and six head of cattle.1 Two of their sons were already involved in the fur trade, making expeditions that took them far from home.14
Denise’s husband Pierre died on April 30, 1684,15 leaving her with several underaged children to support and the challenges of living in a rugged, remote place. Six months later, she married a second husband, François Cael.3 By now she was almost 50-years-old, and the two of them had no children together. Her second marriage was short because François died on November 18, 1687.16 After his death, Denise was said to have practiced as a midwife in order to make ends meet.6 There’s evidence that she owed money to a merchant who had her brought to court charged with non-payment; it’s unclear if this was for items she had purchased, or if the debt was leftover from one of her husbands.17
A couple of years later, La Prairie was threatened by more violence from the Iroquois, and this wrote the final chapter in Denise’s life. In August of 1691, a force led by colonists from New York plus their Indian allies came to attack the settlement; this was in retaliation for French aggression on them. Everyone who lived in the area gathered inside a garrison for protection while a battle took place. The French suffered casualties, but the defense of La Prairie held. Denise was presumably in the fort during the fight. Trouble lingered in the aftermath, though, and on October 29th, she was brutally killed in an Iroquois raid.4
Denise's death record (Source: FamilySearch.org)
Denise left many descendants, and among them are Pierre Trudeau, Justin Trudeau and Madonna.18 She also has a street named after her in present-day La Prairie.
Children (all by Pierre Perras):
1. Pierre Perras — B. 31 Oct 1660, Montreal, New France;8 D. 23 Aug 1687, Montreal, New France19
2. Jacques Perras — B. 24 Apr 1663, Montreal, New France;20 D. 25 Mar 1688, La Prairie, New France21
3. Marguerite Perras — B. 27 Dec 1665, Montreal, New France;9 D. 15 May 1708, Montreal, New France;22 M. (1) Pierre Poupart (~1650-1699), 11 Aug 1682, La Prairie, New France;23 (2) Joseph-Marie Demers (1658-1728), 20 Sep 1699, La Prairie, New France24
4. Marie Perras — B. 27 Dec 1665, Montreal, New France;9 D. 3 Jan 1666, Montreal, New France10
5. Catherine Perras — B. 24 Feb 1667, Montreal, New France;25 D. 16 Mar 1667, Montreal, New France26
6. Jean Perras — B. 28 Aug 1668, Montreal, New France;27 D. 13 Oct 1736, La Prairie, New France;28 M. (1) Marguerite Tetu (1679-1699), 7 Jun 1698, La Prairie, New France;29 (2) Marie-Madeleine Roy (1684-1726), 25 Oct 1701, La Prairie, New France30
7. Catherine Perras — B. 9 Jun 1670, Montreal, New France;31 D. 7 Jan 1750, Longueuil, New France;32 M. Eustache Demers (1661-1707), 21 Apr 1688, La Prairie, New France33
8. Marie-Jeanne Perras — B. 10 Jul 1671, La Prairie, New France;11 D. 30 Oct 1718, La Prairie, New France;34 M. (1) Claude Faye (~1662-1708), 25 Oct 1688, La Prairie, New France;35 (2) Pierre Voisin (~1678-1721), 23 Dec 1709, La Prairie, New France36
9. Marie Perras — B. 2 Feb 1673, La Prairie, New France;12 D. 9 May 1736, La Prairie, New France;37 M. Antoine Boyer (1671-1747), 4 Feb 1690, La Prairie, New France38
10. Pierre Perras — B. 24 Jun 1674, La Prairie, New France;13 D. 1 Aug 1699, La Prairie, New France;39 M. Marie-Marguerite Diel (1678-1715), 18 Nov 1696, La Prairie, New France40
Sources:
1 Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
2 Marriage record of Pierre Perras and Marie-Denise Lemaitre, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3 Marriage record of François Cael and Marie-Denise Lemaitre, Q.C.P.R.
4 Burial record of Marie-Denise Lemaitre, Q.C.P.R.
5 Navires venus en Nouvelle-France en 1659
6 Les Filles à Marrier listing for Marie-Denise Lamaitre on Migrations.com
7 Minnesota Eh? A Foley/Perras Family History, Gerald Foley, 2010
8 Baptismal record of Pierre Perras (younger), Q.C.P.R.
9 Baptismal record of Marguerite and Marie Perras, Q.C.P.R.
10 Burial record of Marie Perras, Q.C.P.R.
11 Baptismal record of Marie-Jeanne Perras, Q.C.P.R.
12 Baptismal record of Marie Perras (younger), Q.C.P.R.
13 Baptismal record of Pierre Perras (youngest), Q.C.P.R.
14 Ripples from La Prairie Voyageur Canoes (blog), 4 Mar 2017
15 Burial record of Pierre Perras, Q.C.P.R.
16 Burial record of François Cael, Q.C.P.R.
17 Court records of case involving François Cael and Denise Lemaitre, BAnQ
18 FamousKin.com
19 Burial record of Pierre Perras (younger), Q.C.P.R.
20 Baptismal record of Jacques Perras, Q.C.P.R.
21 Burial record of Jacques Perras, Q.C.P.R.
22 Burial record of Marguerite Perras, Q.C.P.R.
23 Marriage record of Pierre Poupart and Marguerite Perras, Q.C.P.R.
24 Marriage record of Joseph-Marie Demers and Marguerite Perras, Q.C.P.R.
25 Baptismal record of Catherine Perras, Q.C.P.R.
26 Burial record of Catherine Perras, Q.C.P.R.
27 Baptismal record of Jean Perras, Q.C.P.R.
28 Burial record of Jean Perras, Q.C.P.R.
29 Marriage record of Jean Perras and Marguerite Tetu, Q.C.P.R.
30 Marriage record of Jean Perras and Marie-Madeleine Roy, Q.C.P.R.
31 Baptismal record of Catherine Perras (younger), Q.C.P.R.
32 Burial record of Catherine Perras (younger), Q.C.P.R.
33 Marriage record of Eustache Demers and Catherine Perras, Q.C.P.R.
34 Burial record of Marie-Jeanne Perras, Q.C.P.R.
35 Marriage record of Claude Faye and Marie-Jeanne Perras, Q.C.P.R.
36 Marriage record of Pierre Voisin and Marie-Jeanne Perras, Q.C.P.R.
37 Burial record of Marie Perras (younger), Q.C.P.R.
38 Marriage record of Jacques-Antoine Boyer and Marie Perras, Q.C.P.R.
39 Burial record of Pierre Perras (youngest), Q.C.P.R.
40 Marriage record of Pierre Perras and Marie-Marguerite Diel, Q.C.P.R.
