M. about 1646 in (probably) Trois-Riviéres, New France2
Husband: Pierre-Michel Lefebvre
D. 12 Feb 1697 in Trois-Riviéres, New France3
After Jeanne Aunois lost her husband, she became a regular figure at court cases in her community. Jeanne was one of the early settlers of Trois-Riviéres, New France, first appearing in records there during the late 1640s, but her origins are shrouded in mystery. One possibility is that she was a single woman from France who was recruited to marry a man among those living in the colony. Years before the Filles du Roi, there were a few hundred French women that signed up for such an adventure, and it’s quite likely Jeanne was one of them.
But some researchers believe Jeanne wasn’t French at all; instead, they say she was Native American. The evidence cited for this is largely circumstantial, pointing to the lack of any documentation naming a birthplace in France, plus the fact that her name varied from record to record. Also given as evidence is that in one baptism for a Native American child in 1649,4 she served as the godmother; the record is said to describe her as being Native American, but DNA evidence doesn't back that up.5
Whatever the story is regarding Jeanne’s background, the truth will likely never be proven. What we do know is that in about 1646, she married Pierre-Michel Lefebvre, a man from Paris who had settled in Trois-Riviéres (she was about 20-years-old2). Their marriage record is lost, so they first appeared in records as a couple at the baptism of their firstborn child, Jacques, on January 12, 1647.2 Over the next 13 years, six more children were born. Life was challenging during the early years of the colony, and during the summer of 1648, Jeanne’s husband was captured by the Iroquois. For three long months, Jeanne had no idea if he was still alive, but he managed to return home in October.6
During the 1650s and 1660s, Pierre-Michel became a prominent man in the community. He acquired several tracts of land in and around Trois-Riviéres, among them a farm in Cap-de-la-Madeleine where he moved the family. But in about 1668, he died,7 leaving Jeanne to manage her own financial affairs. For the next few decades, her name appeared in many disputes that were settled in court. The amount of cases leaves an impression that she may have had a disagreeable nature. The earliest record of litigation actually happened a few years before Pierre-Michel died; in 1660, Jeanne was sued by a man accusing her of keeping an object (a bag?) that belonged to him, and she was ordered to return it.8
At least two court cases involving Jeanne took place in 1669. The first was on January 1st, and the record identifies her as a widow, establishing that Pierre-Michel had died by the end of 1668. Jeanne was charged with beating, or threatening to beat, a 20-year-old man who lived in Cap-de-la-Madeleine,7 an idea that seems curious since she was almost age 50 at the time. Later that year in November, Jeanne was charged with owing another man payment of over 138 livres, and she failed to appear in court.9 In 1673, Jeanne became the plaintiff in a case against a man who she said failed to deliver some wood that she apparently purchased.10 And in a case in 1679, she had a dispute with a seigneur over the ownership of two moose skins.11
It’s likely that Jeanne had a lot of financial trouble in her life as a widow. Between 1680 and 1685, her name appeared in court records at least eight times, mostly involving claims of non-payment regarding her farm, and often her son Ange helped represent her. One case on November 9, 1680 was regarding the debt of 138 livres from 11 years earlier, which she still hadn’t paid; she was a no-show that day at court.12 Another record dated August 23, 1683 showed that Jeanne owed the enormous sums of 717 livres and 850 livres, and the court demanded that she pay those debts.13 On a couple of occasions, she sued others for money she claimed they owed her, but they were for much smaller amounts.
1693 record for case involving Jeanne and her sons, Michel and Ignace.
During her final few years, she was back in court two more times, once in 169314 and once in 1696;15 both of these cases involved her sons. Jeanne died at Trois-Riviéres on February 12, 1697. She would leave many descendants, one of whom is Justin Bieber.16
Children:
1. Jacques Lefebvre – B. 12 Jan 1647, Trois-Riviéres, New France;2 D. 19 Feb 1720, Baie-du-Febvre, New France;17 M. Marie Beaudry dit Lamarche (1650-1734), 11 Nov 1670, Trois-Riviéres, New France18
2. Marie-Catherine Lefebvre — B. 4 Dec 1648, Trois-Riviéres, New France;19 D. 30 Nov 1705, Batiscon, New France;20 M. Antoine Trottier (1640-1706), 2 Sep 1663, Cap-de-la-Madeleine, New France21
3. Élisabeth Lefebvre — B. 15 May 1651, Trois-Riviéres, New France;22 D. 30 Sep 1687, Batiscan, New France;23 M. (1) Felix Thunay dit Dufresne (1633-1683), 28 Dec 1665, Cap-de-la-Madeleine, New France;24 (2) Jean Collet (1637-1699), 13 Jan 1687, Batiscan, New France25
4. Michel Lefebvre – B. 3 Mar 1654, Trois-Riviéres, New France;26 D. 21 Oct 1708, Trois-Riviéres, New France;27 M. Catherine-Marie Trottier (1669-1723), 3 Nov 1683, Champlain, New France28
5. Ignace Lefebvre — B. 3 Apr 1656, Trois-Riviéres, New France;29 D. 27 Mar 1740, Trois-Riviéres, New France;30 M. Marie Trottier (1667-1740), Champlain, New France31
6. Ange Lefebvre — B. 19 Sep 1658, Trois-Riviéres, New France;32 D. 25 Dec 1735, Becancour, New France;33 M. (1) Marie-Madeleine Cusson (1659-1720), about 1680, Champlain, New France;34 (2) Genevieve Guillet (1665-1741), 22 May 1724, Becancour, New France35
7. Pierre Lefebvre – B. 30 Sep 1661, Trois-Riviéres, New France;36 D. 3 Oct 1745, Trois-Riviéres, New France;37 M. Marie-Louise Daniau (1691-1764), 3 Sep 1731, Nicolet, New France38
Sources:
1 Recensements de 1667 and 1681 en Nouvelle-France
2 Baptismal record of Jacques Lefebvre, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3 Burial record of Jeanne Aunois, Q.C.P.R.
4 Baptismal record of Baby Perrine, August 24, 1651, Q.C.P.R.
5 WikiTree discussion about Jeanne’s mtDNA
6 Relation de la Nouvelle-France en 1648
7 Testimony of witnesses against Jeanne Aunois, January 1, 1669, BAnQ
8 Court case of Pierre Dizy dit Monplaisir vs. Jeanne Aunois, August 14, 1666, BAnQ
9 Court case of Jean Vinsonneau vs. Jeanne Aunois, November 16, 1669, BAnQ
10 Court case of Jeanne Aunois vs. Pierre Poupardeau, November 13, 1673, BAnQ
11 Court case of Jeanne Aunois vs. Jean Crevier, January 6, 1679, BAnQ
12 Court case of Jean Vinsonneau vs. Jeanne Aunois, November 9, 1680, BAnQ
13 Court case of Charles Aubert dit Lachesnaye vs. Jeanne Aunois, August 3, 1683, BAnQ
14 Court case of Jeanne Aunois vs. Michel and Ignace Lefebvre, May 25, 1693, BAnQ
15 Declaration following the seizure of land of Ange Lefebvre, July 9, 1696, BAnQ
16 FamousKin.com
17 Burial record of Jacques Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
18 Marriage record of Jacques Lefebvre and Marie Beaudry dit Lamarche, Q.C.P.R.
19 Baptismal record of Marie-Catherine Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
20 Burial record of Marie-Catherine Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
21 Marriage record of Antoine Trottier and Marie-Catherine Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
22 Baptismal record of Élisabeth Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
23 Burial record of Élisabeth Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
24 Marriage record of Felix Thunay dit Dufresne and Élisabeth Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
25 Marriage record of Jean Collett and Élisabeth Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
26 Baptismal record of Michel Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
27 Burial record of Michel Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
28 Marriage record of Michel Lefebvre and Catherine-Marie Trottier, Q.C.P.R.
29 Baptismal record of Ignace Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
30 Burial record of Ignace Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
31 Marriage record of Ignace Lefebvre and Marie Trottier, Q.C.P.R.
32 Baptismal record of Ange Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
33 Burial record of Ange Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
34 Marriage record of Ange Lefebvre and Marie-Madeleine Cusson, Q.C.P.R.
35 Marriage record of Ange Lefebvre and Genevieve Guillet, Q.C.P.R.
36 Baptismal record of Pierre Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
37 Burial record of Pierre Lefebvre, Q.C.P.R.
38 Marriage record of Pierre Lefebvre and Marie-Louise Daniau, Q.C.P.R.
