B. 10 Oct 1633 in Angers, France1
M. 23 Oct 1662 in Montreal, New France2
Husband: Pierre Mallet
D. 2 Jan 1726 in Lachine, New France3
Marie-Anne Hardy was a 17th-century woman of New France who could read and write, and showed an ability to conduct business transactions. She was born on October 10, 1633 in the city of Angers, France;1 her parents, René Hardy and Renée Mauget, had been married six years earlier at La Trinité, a church built in the 11th century.4 Marie-Anne's father and grandfather were both goldsmiths, but nothing else is known of her family.4
At some point in her late-20s, Marie-Anne was recruited to become the bride of a settler in New France (this was over a year before the first of the Filles du Roi). She agreed to a marriage contract with Pierre Mallet, a 33-year-old-farmer.5 The contract was signed in July 1662, and their wedding took place on October 23rd at Notre-Dame-de-Montreal. Afterward, they settled in Montreal, and Marie-Anne was soon pregnant; between 1663 and 1676, she gave birth to six children.
A story has been told involving Marie-Anne and an encounter with a man who tried to force himself on her sexually. One day in about 1667, she had run out of flour and took a quantity of wheat to the nearest grist mill. As she entered a fort where the mill was located, she was confronted by Balthazar de Flotte de La Frédière, a military officer who was acting governor of Montreal. He told Marie-Anne she could use the mill only if she gave him “favors.” She firmly refused and left, which made him so angry, he followed her home. Only the presence of her husband Pierre stopped de La Frédière from following her into the house.6
Marie-Anne and Pierre acquired large amounts of land over the years; they had a house in Montreal, but also tracts as large as 100 arpents outside of town.5 As they got older, Marie-Anne’s name was on many of the transactions, and by the 1690s, she may have been the one handling all of the family’s business. Among the records is a note she wrote to her daughter that says: "Je promet payer a Anne Mallet, ma fille, vingt aulne de toile de chanvre, pour quelques draps, nappes, et serviettes qu'elle m'a baillé, provenant de l'inventaire de défunt son mari.” In English this translates as: "I promise to pay Anne Mallet, my daughter, twenty alder of hemp cloth, for some sheets, tablecloths, and napkins that I borrowed from her, from the inventory of her late husband.”7
Pierre’s health continued to decline. On February 8, 1710, Marie-Anne was involved in a legal matter over repayment of a loan for his burial, so he had died by that date.8 Later that year, she was also named in an action for her son René; this involved money he owed, and she stepped in to cover the debt. Marie-Anne lived a very long life; she passed away in Lachine on January 2, 1726 at the age of 92.3
Children:
1. Geneviève Mallet — B. 2 Oct 1663, Montreal, New France;9 D. 9 Apr 1703, Montreal, New France;10 M. Jean Legras (1656-1715), 8 Nov 1677, Montreal, New France11
2. Anne-Marie Mallet — B. 20 Feb 1666, Montreal, New France;12 D. 22 May 1759, Montreal, New France;13 M. (1) Louis Ducharme (1660-1691), 27 Nov 1681, Montreal, New France;14 (2) Louis Prejean (?-1727), 18 Jan 1697, Montreal, New France15
3. René Mallet — B. 24 Feb 1668, Montreal, New France;16 D. 24 Oct 1716, Montreal, New France;17 M. Marie Lecuyer (1671-1755), 17 Oct 1689, Montreal, New France18
4. Jean Mallet — B. 16 Apr 1670, Montreal, New France19
5. Louis Mallet — B. 8 Feb 1673, Montreal, New France;20 D. 18 Jul 1717, Detroit, New France;21 M. Marie-Jeanne Brunet (1677-1761), 29 Oct 1697, Lachine, New France22
6. Pierre Mallet — B. 16 Feb 1676, Montreal, New France;23 D. 2 Nov 1738, Kaskaskia, New France;24 M. Marie-Madeleine Thunay (~1673-1738), 9 Jan 1698, Montreal, New France25
Sources:
2 Marriage record of Pierre Mallet and Marie-Anne Hardy, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3 Burial record of Marie-Anne Hardy, Q.C.P.R.
4 René Hardy’s listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
5 Our French-Canadian Ancestors, Gerard Lebel (translated by Thomas J. Laforest), 1990
6 Migrations (website)
7 Note of Marie-Anne Hardy to her daughter Anne Mallet, 4 Oct 1696, BAnQ
8 Consignment of Marie-Anne Hardy’s property, 1710, BAnQ
9 Baptismal record of Geneviève Mallet , Q.C.P.R.
10 Burial record of Geneviève Mallet, Q.C.P.R.
11 Marriage record of Jean Legras and Geneviève Mallet, Q.C.P.R.
12 Baptismal record of Anne-Marie Mallet, Q.C.P.R.
13 Burial record of Anne-Marie Mallet, Q.C.P.R.
14 Marriage record of Louis Ducharme and Ann-Marie Mallet, Q.C.P.R.
15 Marriage record of Louis Prejean and Ann-Marie Mallet , Q.C.P.R.
16 Baptismal record of René Mallet, Q.C.P.R.
17 Burial record of René Mallet , Q.C.P.R.
18 Marriage record of René Mallet and Marie Lecuyer, Q.C.P.R.
19 Baptismal record of Jean Mallet, Q.C.P.R.
20 Baptismal record of Louis Mallet, Q.C.P.R.
21 Louis Mallet’s listing on Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française
24 “Death of Pierre Mallet, Kaskaskia, 5 a.m., 2 November 1738,” Michigan’s Habitant Heritage, Vol. 33, #4, Oct 2012, p. 186
25 Marriage record of Pierre Mallet and Marie-Madeleine Thunay, Q.C.P.R.
