Uncertain Status as Fille du Roi — Andrée Remondière

B. about 1651 in La Rochelle, France¹
M. after 31 Oct 1666 in Île d’Orleans, New France²
Husband: Thomas Rondeau
D. 21 Nov 1702 in St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France³

During the 1660s, when French women were recruited to become the brides of settlers in Canada, they usually said goodbye to their families forever. But Andrée Remondière arrived in different circumstances — her mother either accompanied her or was already there.

Andrée came from a part of France which supplied many of the Fille du Roi: the port city of La Rochelle. Her parents were Jacques Remondière and Renée Rivière, who were likely married around 1650 in the parish of Notre-Dame-de-Cogne.⁴ Andrée is believed to have been born in about 1651,¹ but may have been an only child because no other offspring are attached to her parents. Her father died sometime before 1666,⁴ presenting two scenarios for her childhood — one is in a two-parent household until she was an adolescent, and the other with her widowed mother struggling alone to raise her child from infancy. No records exist that can determine the circumstances of how Andrée grew up.

The lives of Andrée and Renée changed dramatically when a decision was made to move to Canada. This happened in about 1666, and the details are unfortunately lacking, but we can speculate that the mother as well as the daughter needed to find husbands, and somehow it made sense that both of them migrate. While Renée seems to have married a man she connected with on her own, Andrée is believed to have been part of the Fille du Roi program which gave small dowries in return for being courted by the men who desired wives in New France. There is no actual confirmation that mother and daughter traveled together, nor that either of them were Filles du Roi.

The record of Andrée’s marriage survives in the form of a contract with her new husband, Thomas Rondeau. Because of the date of the contract, October 31, 1666,² it’s possible that Andrée and her mother were on that year’s ship of prospective brides. Renée is noted on the document as the wife of Mathurin Croiset, who served as stepfather to Andrée; both couples would settle on Île d’Orleans, although there are no marriage records for either one. 

Signing a marriage contract. (AI-generated image)

In spite of seeming to be an only child herself, Andrée gave birth to 15 children. The oldest was born in 1668,⁵ and the youngest in 1694.⁶ It was common for New France mothers to have such a big family because the authorities offered money to families with 10 living children. The pregnancies may have taken a toll, though, because Andrée didn’t live to a ripe old age; she passed away on November 21, 1702 at the age of about 51.³ Her husband Thomas never remarried and died in 1721.⁷ They were both ancestors of Bridget Fonda and Emeril Lagasse.⁸

Children:
1. Mathurin Rondeau — B. 7 Feb 1668, (probably) Île d’Orleans, New France;⁵ D. before 1681, New France⁹

2. Thomas Rondeau — B. 22 Dec 1668, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁰ D. 13 Nov 1671, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France¹¹

3. Elisabeth-Isabelle Rondeau — B. 19 Oct 1670, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹² D. 8 Nov 1746, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹³ M. Pierre Leclerc (1659-1736), 7 Feb 1690, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France¹⁴

4. Marie Rondeau — B. 16 Dec 1672, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁵ D. 30 May 1751, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁶ M. Philippe Nöel (1670-1736), 5 Nov 1692, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France¹⁷

5. Françoise Rondeau — B. 25 Aug 1674, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁸ D. 12 Oct 1699, St-Jean, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁹ M. Charles Dumas (1671-1734), 12 Aug 1694, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France²⁰

6. Ursule Rondeau — B. 5 Aug 1676, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;²¹ D. 17 Jan 1746, Quebec City, New France;²² M. Jean Bussiere (1673-1735), 21 Apr 1694, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France²³

7. François Rondeau — B. 7 Apr 1678, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;²⁴ D. 27 Oct 1748, St-Antoine-de-Tilly, New France;²⁵ M. (1) Marie-Anne Decaux (1678-1723), 21 Jul 1705, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;²⁶ (2) Marie-Madeleine Denevers (1686-1725), 1724, Ste-Croix, New France;²⁷ (3) Marie-Anne Denevers (~1704-1729), 7 Jan 1728, Ste-Croix, New France²⁸

8. Marie-Madeleine Rondeau — B. 28 Dec 1679, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;²⁹ D. 9 Sep 1712, St-Nicolas, New France;³⁰ M. Jacques Côte (1686-1734), 8 Feb 1706, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France³¹

9. Fabien Rondeau — B. 23 Oct 1681, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;³² D. 14 May 1712, Quebec City, New France;³³ M. Marie Denevers (~1684-1712), about 1705, New France³⁴

10. Baby Rondeau — B. 28 Oct 1683, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;³⁵ D. 28 Oct 1683, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France³⁵

11. Marie-Charlotte Rondeau — B. 25 Dec 1684, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;³⁶ M. Pierre Côte (1679-1715), 27 Apr 1707, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France³⁷

12. Jean-Baptiste Rondeau — B. 24 Mar 1688, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;³⁸ D. 23 Jan 1709, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France³⁹

13. Claire Rondeau — B. 12 Jul 1690, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;⁴⁰ D. 18 Jul 1690, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France⁴¹

14. Thomas Rondeau — B. 18 Nov 1692, St-Pierre, Île d’Orleans, New France;⁴² D. 26 Mar 1734, St-Antoine-de-Tilly, New France;⁴³ M. Marie-Catherine Bourgouin (1700-?), 25 Oct 1717, St-Antoine-de-Tilly, New France⁴⁴

15. Anne Rondeau — B. 4 Nov 1694, Saint-Pierre, Île d’Orlèans, New France;⁶ M. (1) Julien Rapoché (1707-1731), 19 Aug 1725, Quebec City, New France;⁴⁵ (2) Philippe Desmarais (1702-?), 21 Nov 1735, Quebec City, New France⁴⁶

Sources:
1    Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique française listing of Andrée Remondière
2    Marriage contract of Thomas Rondeau and Andrée Remondière
3    Burial record of Andrée Remondière, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
4    Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique française listing of Jacques Remondière
5    Baptismal record of Mathurin Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
6    Baptismal record of Anne Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
7    Burial record of Thomas Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
8    FamousKin.com listing of Thomas Rondeau
9    Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
10  Baptismal record of Thomas Rondeau (older child), Q.C.P.R.
11  Burial record of Thomas Rondeau (older child), Q.C.P.R.
12  Baptismal record of Elisabeth-Isabelle Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
13  Burial record of Elisabeth-Isabelle Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
14  Marriage record of Pierre Leclerc and Elisabeth-Isabelle Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
15  Baptismal record of Marie Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
16  Burial record of Marie Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
17  Marriage record of Philippe Noël and Marie Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
18  Baptismal record of Françoise Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
19  Burial record of Françoise Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
20  Marriage record of Charles Dumas and Françoise Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
21  Baptismal record of Ursule Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
22  Burial record of Ursule Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
23  Marriage record of Jean Bussiere and Ursule Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
24  Baptismal record of François Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
25  Burial record of François Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
26  Marriage record of Françoise Rondeau and Marie-Anne Decaux, Q.C.P.R.
27  Marriage record of Françoise Rondeau and Marie-Madeleine Denevers, Q.C.P.R.
28  Marriage record of Françoise Rondeau and Marie-Anne Denevers, Q.C.P.R.
29  Baptismal record of Marie-Madeleine Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
30  Burial record of Marie-Madeleine Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
31  Marriage record of Jacques Côte and Marie-Madeleine Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
32  Baptismal record of Fabien Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
33  Burial record of Fabien Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
34  Marriage record of Fabien Rondeau and Marie Denevers, Q.C.P.R.
35  Burial record of Baby Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
36  Baptismal record of Marie-Charlotte Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
37  Marriage record of Pierre Côte and Marie-Charlotte Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
38  Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
39  Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
40  Baptismal record of Claire Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
41  Burial record of Claire Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
42  Baptismal record of Thomas Rondeau (younger child), Q.C.P.R.
43  Burial record of Thomas Rondeau (younger child), Q.C.P.R.
44  Marriage record of Thomas Rondeau and Marie-Catherine Bourgouin, Q.C.P.R.
45  Marriage record of Julien Rapoché and Anne Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.
46  Marriage record of Philippe Desmarais and Anne Rondeau, Q.C.P.R.

The Path to East Hampton — Stephen Hand

B. about 1635 in (probably) Tunbridge, Kent, England¹
M. (1) 1660 in (probably) Long Island²
Wife: Sarah Stratton
M. (2) before 17 May 1688 in East Hampton, New York¹
Wife: Rebecca ________
D. 15 Apr 1693 in South Hampton, New York¹

Stephen Hand left his legacy all over the region where he lived on Long Island with a road that bears his name in a somewhat unique style.

Stephen’s family was from Kent, England, where he was likely born in about 1635.¹ This isn’t certain because that is also the year his parents John Hand and Alice Gransden migrated to New England,³ and some researchers believe he was born after his parents left. Whatever the case, Stephen earliest memories were in the town of Lynn, Massachusetts, the second child in a family of at least nine children.

Lynn is located on the coast of New England north of Boston, and many men, including Stephen’s father, were involved in the whaling industry. This was what brought the family to settle on eastern Long Island in about 1644 in a new settlement called Southampton. In about 1660, Stephen married Sarah Stratton,² the daughter of John Stratton, who was one of the founders of East Hampton. Eventually they settled at a place at the head of a creek which would be called “Hand’s Creek,” in the present-day community of Wainscott.⁴ Sarah passed away before 1684,³ and Stephen remarried to a woman named Rebecca.¹ Stephen had at least eight children, but it’s uncertain if they were from different wives. 

Settling at a creek in East Hampton. (AI-generated image)

As a Puritan settlement, East Hampton men were expected to perform civic duties, and Stephen served as town constable in 1674 and again in 1680.⁴ He was one of a handful of men assigned to choose who would represent them in the first Colonial Assembly in 1683 in Albany.⁴ And his name is listed on the official patent for East Hampton issued in 1686.⁴

Stephen’s claim to fame comes from a document dated November 3, 1668 establishing the location of a new road.³ When English colonial settlements were formed up and down the East Coast, they usually started out as patchworks of farms, with no plan for how people traveled between places. So roads were an afterthought, and some landowners were asked to sacrifice a bit of their property for the good of all. The order regarding Stephen’s land was as follows:

“Stephen Hand hath grant that the town shall have a highway for one cart to go through his lot in the woods lying on the west side of George Miller’s lot by the mill plain. The highway is to be 12 feet in breadth and the length of the lot, and it is only to drive carts and oxen in the yoke, and to ride or lead a horse through, and not to drive cattle out of the yoke. And for that highway the town doth grant that Stephen Hand shall have one acre of land, which acre it was said lay by John Osborne’s land at the end of Thomas Osborne Sr.’s addition which Stephen should have.” ³

As a result, Stephen gained immortality, at least for future residents of Long Island. The road was designated “Stephen Hand’s Path,” and the name remains to this day.



Stephen passed away on April 15, 1693 at South Hampton.¹ He is the direct ancestor of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt and all of his illustrious descendants.³

Children of Sarah Stratton:
1. Stephen Hand — B. about 1661, (probably) East Hampton, Long Island;⁵ D. 13 Nov 1740, Wainscott, New York;⁵ M. Esther Osborn (1666-1738), about 1686⁵

2. Joseph Hand — B. about 1664, (probably) East Hampton, New York;⁶ D. 26 Jan 1713, New Jersey⁶

Children of an unidentified mother:
1. (probably) Sarah Hand — B. about 1666, (probably) East Hampton, New York;⁷ D. 1735; M. Thomas Howell⁷

2. (probably) Alice Hand — B. about 1670, (probably) East Hampton, New York;⁷ M. William Shipman, 1690⁷

3. Samuel Hand — B. about 1672, (probably) East Hampton, New York; D. 1735, (probably) East Hampton, New York; M. Elizabeth ______

4. (probably) Esther Hand — B. about 1674, (probably) East Hampton, New York;⁷ M. Samuel Mulford⁷

5. (probably) Abigail Hand — B. about 1676, (probably) East Hampton, New York;⁷ M. Jacob Griswold (1675-?), 30 Nov 1696⁷

6. (probably) Elizabeth Hand — B. about 1678, (probably) East Hampton, New York;⁷ D. 1711; M. Daniel Osborn⁷

Sources:

1    Find-a-Grave listing of Stephen Hand
2    Marriage record of Stephen Hand and Sarah Stratton, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900, Ancestry.com
3    Genealogy of the Hand-Bradley-Churchill and Related Families, B.G. Richmond, 1982
4    Longhouse Reserve (website)
5    Find-a-Grave listing of Stephen Hand (younger)
6    “Records of Marriages, Baptisms, and Deaths in Easthampton, L.I., from 1696 to 1746,” recorded by Rev. Nathaniel Hunting, New York Genealogical and Biographical Record, V. 34, p. 143
7    Hand, Sisson and Scott: More Yeoman Ancestors, Carol Clark Johnson, 1981