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 Filles 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.

Pregnant and Alone in New France — Catherine Vieillot

B. 20 Oct 1642 in Rouen, France¹

M. (1) 18 Oct 1667 in Quebec City, New France²
Husband: Jacques Dubois
M. (2) 19 May 1675 in Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France³
Husband: Pierre Guenet
D. before 7 Feb 1689 in St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France⁴

When Catherine Vieillot boarded a ship to America, she probably had hopes for a better life, with at the very least, a secure future. But sadly, things didn’t work out that way. Catherine was born on October 20, 1642 in Rouen, France to parents François Vieillot and Catherine Blanc.¹ She was baptized at the parish of St-Vivien, a church near the center of the city. Nothing else is known of her family or childhood.

Catherine was 25-years-old when she agreed to a contract to marry a man in New France in exchange for passage and a dowry. On June 10, 1667, she boarded the ship Le St-Louis at Dieppe, along with about 80 other Filles du Roi.⁵ The voyage was a difficult one, with a trip that took over three months; food shortages and sickness took a toll on the women, and many had to be hospitalized after the ship arrived at Quebec on September 25th.¹ Catherine must have survived the ordeal in fairly good shape because in about three weeks time, she got married to a settler named Jacques Dubois. Their wedding took place at Notre-Dame-de Quebec on October 18th.²

Catherine and Jacques moved to Ste-Famille on the Île d’Orleans, a beautiful location, but a harsh place to live. Before any planting could be done on their farm, the trees had to be cleared, and ten years later it was reported that only 8 arpents (6.75 acres) had been done.⁶ Meanwhile they started a family with the birth of a son in November 1668;⁷ Catherine had three more by 1673, one of whom died young. Then something happened to Jacques, and he died in March 1675.⁸

The death of Jacques must have hit Catherine hard. It was almost time to plant that year’s crops, and to make matters worse, she was pregnant with her fifth child. So the only thing she could do was to find a new husband quickly, and on May 19th, she married a recently-arrived settler named Pierre Guenet,³ a man about ten years younger than she was. In October, Catherine gave birth to a baby boy,⁹ and about 18 months later, had a child with Pierre.¹⁰ With all of the children now in his household, Pierre was overwhelmed, and he decided to hire out Catherine’s oldest son, François, to another farm.¹¹ This didn’t bring any income into the family — it only gave them one less mouth to feed.

In May 1678, Pierre looked to abandon the Ste-Famille farm and move elsewhere. It’s hard to say how much Catherine was involved with the decision, but her cooperation was necessary since the children with her first husband were due to inherit half of the land when they came of age (the other half was hers).⁶ An inventory was taken at that time, but it seems that they didn’t move to another farm until at least a year later. The new place was in another part of the island, St-Laurent. During the period 1679 to 1683, Catherine had three more children; sadly, the last two died at ages 6 and 3.

The two places Catherine lived on Île d'Orleans.

Catherine was in her mid-40s when she passed away. The exact date of her death is unknown because the burial record is missing; sometimes this indicates a drowning. Pierre remarried on February 7, 1689,⁴ so Catherine was gone by that time, most likely within a few months previous.

Children by Jacques Dubois:
1. François Dubois — B. 12 Nov 1668, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;⁷ D. 27 Feb 1714, Quebec City, New France;¹² M. Marie Guay (1674-1747), 18 Jan 1695, New France¹³

2. Clémont Dubois — B. 2 Sep 1670, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁴ D. before 26 Oct 1671¹⁵

3. Clémont Dubois — B. 26 Oct 1671, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁵ D. 15 May 1720, Bécancour, New France;¹⁶ M. (1) Catherine Guay (1676-~1700), 30 Jan 1695, Lauzon, Lévis, New France;¹⁷ (2) Catherine LaBrecque (~1669-1703), 7 Jun 1700, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁸ (3) Marie-Anne Juin (~1679-?), 1 Feb 1706, Beaumont, New France¹⁹

4. Jeanne Dubois — B. 28 Sep 1673, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;²⁰ D. 24 Dec 1705, Bellechasse, New France;²¹ M. Jacques Charest (1664-1725), 15 Sep 1693, Lauzon, Lévis, New France²²

5. Pierre Dubois — B. 7 Oct 1675, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;⁹ D. 26 Nov 1743, Lachine, New France;²³ M. Marie-Anne Mailloux (1682-1735), 3 Nov 1699, Beaumont, New France²⁴

Children by Pierre Guenet:
1. Jacques Guenet — B. 26 Apr 1677, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹⁰ D. 11 Feb 1730, Quebec City, New France;²⁵ M. Marguerite Boutin (1664-1730), 25 Nov 1704, New France²⁶

2. Thomas Guenet — B. 16 May 1679, Ste-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;²⁷ D. 16 Sep 1753, St-Charles, Bellechasse, New France;²⁸ M. Marie-Anne Maheu (~1689-1775), 10 Feb 1705, Beaumont, New France²⁹

3. Marie Guenet — B. 1 May 1681, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;³⁰ D. 25 Nov 1687, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France³¹

4. Michel Guenet — B. 21 Sep 1683, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;³² D. 7 Sep 1686, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France³³

Sources:
1    Migrations.fr listing for Catherine Vieillot  
2    Marriage record of Jacques Dubois and Catherine Vieillot, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage record of Pierre Guenet and Catherine Vieillot, Q.C.P.R.
4    Marriage record of Pierre Guenet and Élisabeth Paquet, Q.C.P.R.
5    Migrations.fr listing for ship Le St Louis de Dieppe  
6    Property appraisal for the children of Jacques Dubois and Catherine Vieillot, BAnQ  
7    Baptismal record of François Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
8    Burial record of Jacques Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
9    Baptismal record of Pierre Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
10  Baptismal record of Jacques Guenet, Q.C.P.R.
11  Le Pionnier Pierre Ganet (website) 
12  Burial record of François Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
13  Marriage record of François Dubois and Marie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
14  Baptismal record of Clémont Dubois (older), Q.C.P.R.
15  Baptismal record of Clémont Dubois (younger), Q.C.P.R.
16  Burial record of Clémont Dubois (younger), Q.C.P.R.
17  Marriage record of Clémont Dubois and Catherine Guay, Q.C.P.R.
18  Marriage record of Clémont Dubois and Catherine LeBrecque, Q.C.P.R.
19  Marriage record of Clémont Dubois and Marie-Anne Juin, Q.C.P.R.
20  Baptismal record of Jeanne Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
21  Burial record of Jeanne Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
22  Marriage record of Jacques Charest and Jeanne Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
23  Burial record of Pierre Dubois, Q.C.P.R.
24  Marriage record of Pierre Dubois and Marie-Anne Mailloux, Q.C.P.R.
25  Burial record of Jacques Guenet, Q.C.P.R.
26  Marriage record of Jacques Guenet and Marguerite Boutin, Q.C.P.R.
27  Baptismal record of Thomas Guenet, Q.C.P.R.
28  Burial record of Thomas Guenet, Q.C.P.R.
29  Marriage record of Thomas Guenet and Marie-Anne Maheu, Q.C.P.R.
30  Baptismal record of Marie Guenet, Q.C.P.R.
31  Burial record of Marie Guenet, Q.C.P.R.
32  Baptismal record of Michel Guenet, Q.C.P.R.
33  Burial record of Michel Guenet, Q.C.P.R.

Montreal Blacksmith’s Wife — Jeanne Ducorps dite Leduc

B. about 1649 in France¹
M. before 1671 in New France²
Husband: Martin Massé
D. 19 Dec 1727 in Montreal, New France³

Jeanne Ducorps dite Leduc was a woman of early Montreal who had sketchy beginnings in France. She was born in about 1649,¹ but her parents and place of birth are unknown.

It’s believed that Jeanne arrived in New France at the age of 17 on a ship of Filles du Roi, a fact that can’t be confirmed because no record of her marriage survives. In the 1667 census, she was said to be living at the Congregation of Notre-Dame of Montreal, with her name listed as "Jeanne de Carts."⁴ This was a place that had begun in 1653 as a “women’s religious order dedicated to education.” During the 1660s, it was also used to house young women arriving from France as prospective brides, which may have been the reason Jeanne was there, if she is the woman listed on the census.

1667 census listing for Congregation of Notre-Dame in Montreal.

The earliest known parish record identifying Jeanne was the baptism of a baby girl at Sorel, New France in March 1673.⁵ Jeanne was the mother of the child and the father was Martin Massé; since they were later shown to have an older child, their marriage must have taken place before about 1671.² Sorel was a remote seigneury on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River, located between Trois-Rivières and Montreal. Within a few years, Jeanne and Martin had moved back to Montreal, where he made a living as an edge tool maker, a sort of blacksmith.¹ Jeanne gave birth to six more children between 1676 and 1687; of her eight children, four of them died young.

By virtue of living in Montreal, three of her four surviving children had connections with the fur trade in the Great Lakes area, with several descendants ending up in Detroit.⁶ Oldest son Michel was married in Detroit in 1705 when he worked as a voyageur,⁷ but later made his home in Montreal.⁸ Jeanne became a widow when husband Martin passed away in May 1714.⁹ She lived several more years, and died on December 19, 1727.³

Jeanne has one very well-known descendant: Hillary Rodham Clinton.¹⁰ In fact, she was her direct female line ancestor, which gave Jeanne a bit of fame many years after her death. She was also the ancestor of Ricky Gervais.

Children:
1. Michel Massé — B. about 1671, New France;¹ D. 21 Jun 1730, Montreal, New France;⁸ M. Marguerite Couc dite LaFleur (1664-?), 1705, Detroit, New France⁷

2. Marie Massé — B. 19 Mar 1673, Sorel, New France;⁵ D. 18 Feb 1736, Montreal, New France;¹¹ M. Jean-Baptiste Pothier (1671-1732), 24 Sep 1696, Montreal, New France¹²

3. André Massé — B. 30 May 1676, Montreal, New France;¹³ D. before 1681¹⁴

4. Marie-Jeanne Massé — B. 25 Apr 1677, Montreal, New France;¹⁵ D. 5 Sep 1764, Detroit, New France;¹⁶ M. Michel Campeau (1667-1737), 7 Jan 1696, Montreal, New France¹⁷

5. Martin Massé — B. 26 Jun 1679, Montreal, New France;¹⁸ D. 7 Oct 1692, Montreal, New France¹⁹

6. Marie-Françoise Massé — B. 2 Aug 1682, Montreal, New France;²⁰ D. 4 Aug 1682, Montreal, New France²¹

7. Marie-Anne Massé — B. 7 Dec 1684, Montreal, New France;²² D. 23 Sep 1721, Montreal, New France;²³ M. (1) Guillaume Maillot (1680-1718), 16 Jan 1704, Montreal, New France;²⁴ (2) Pierre Courault (1696-1779), 26 Sep 1718, Montreal, New France²⁵

8. Catherine Massé — B. 16 Dec 1687, Montreal, New France;²⁶ D. 11 Jun 1699, Montreal, New France²⁷

Sources:
1    King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers—1663-1673, Peter Gagne, 2000
2    Estimated marriage year based on estimated birth year of oldest child, Michel Massé
3    Burial record of Jeanne Ducorps dite Leduc, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
4    Recensement de 1667 en Nouvelle-France
5    Baptismal record of Marie Massé, Q.C.P.R.
6    Migrations.com listing for Jeanne Ducorps dite Leduc  
7    Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique français listing for Michel Massé  
8    Burial record of Michel Massé, Q.C.P.R.
9    Burial record of Martin Massé, Q.C.P.R.
10  FamousKin.com  
11  Burial record of Marie Massé, Q.C.P.R.
12  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Pothier and Marie Massé, Q.C.P.R.
13  Baptismal record of André Massé, Q.C.P.R.
14  Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
15  Baptismal record of Marie-Jeanne Massé, Q.C.P.R.
16  Find-A-Grave listing of Marie Jeanne Masse Campeau  
17  Marriage record of Michel Campeau and Marie-Jeanne Massé, Q.C.P.R.
18  Baptismal record of Martin Massé (younger), Q.C.P.R.
19  Burial record of Martin Massé (younger), Q.C.P.R.
20  Baptismal record of Marie-Françoise Massé, Q.C.P.R.
21  Burial record of Marie-Françoise Massé, Q.C.P.R.
22  Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Massé, Q.C.P.R.
23  Burial record of Marie-AnneMassé, Q.C.P.R.
24  Marriage record of Guillaume Maillot and Marie-Anne Massé, Q.C.P.R
25  Marriage record of Pierre Courault and Marie-Anne Massé, Q.C.P.R
26  Baptismal record of Catherine Massé, Q.C.P.R.
27  Burial record of Catherine Massé, Q.C.P.R.

Fille du Roi From La Rochelle — Louise Faure

B. about 1642 in La Rochelle, France^1,2
M. after 28 Oct 1668 in New France²
Husband: Pierre Gagné
D. 24 May 1714 in Cap-St-Ignace, New France³

Geography played an important role in which 17th-century French women became settlers of New France, and many were from the port city of La Rochelle, including Louise Faure. No baptism record survives; from later records, her reported age showed she may have been born as early as 1636, but a more likely date was about 1642.¹ Louise’s parents were Jean Faure and Ozanne Planchet of St-Barthelemy parish,² a church with a history that dated back to medieval times, although the one they attended had been built in 1648.⁴

In 1668, Louise was recruited to marry a settler in New France. La Rochelle people were thought by some authorities to be less reliable settlers. In a letter requesting migrants in 1664, François de Laval asked for recruits from other parts of France because those from La Rochelle were "without religion, lazy and very cowardly at work.”⁵ Nonetheless, because it was the port city where the ships sailed to America, it was convenient for signing up Filles du Roi, and Louise was enlisted. She arrived at Quebec City on July 3rd; her ship, La Nouvelle France, carried 81 prospective brides.⁶ Then came the effort to make a match, which in Louise’s case took several months. On October 28th, she agreed to a marriage contract with a man named Pierre Gagné.²

Marriage contract signatures with marks of Pierre and Louise.

The record of Louise’s wedding is lost, but it may have taken place on the Beaupré coast where he lived. Their first child was baptized on November 3, 1670 at Ste-Anne-de Beaupré;⁷ by 1683, they had five more. By 1678, the family moved to Cap-St-Ignace, a seigneury on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.⁸ Their farm had 14 arpents under cultivation in 1681, along with 10 head of cattle.¹

Louise and Pierre spent the rest of their lives in Cap-St-Ignace. After the last of their children was married off, they entered a phase of retirement, and on August 5, 1711, they signed their property over to youngest son Louis-Augustin.⁹ Pierre seems to have died first, although his burial is missing from parish records. Louise passed away on May 24, 1714, and was buried at the Cap-St-Ignace cemetery.³

Children:
1. Pierre Gagné — B. 3 Nov 1670, Ste-Anne-de Beaupré, New France;⁷ D. 25 Apr 1748, St-Michel, Bellechasse, New France;¹⁰ M. Louise Proulx (1679-?), 22 Jun 1700, St-Thomas, Montmagny, New France¹¹

2. Jean Gagné — B. 17 Jul 1672, Ste-Anne-de Beaupré, New France;¹² D. 8 Apr 1731, Montmagny, New France;¹³ M. Marie-Madeleine Langlois (1678-1741), 11 Jan 1699, Cap-St-Ignace, New France¹⁴

3. Marie-Anne Gagné — B. 17 Feb 1674, Ste-Anne-de Beaupré, New France;¹⁵ D. 17 Apr 1751, Montmagny, New France;¹⁶ M. Denis Proulx (1676-1749), 17 Nov 1699, Cap-St-Ignace, New France¹⁷

4. François Gagné — B. 17 Nov 1677, (probably) Cap-St-Ignace, New France;⁸ D. 22 Oct 1758, St-Pierre, Rivière-du-Sud, New France;¹⁸ M. Elisabeth Langlois (~1687-1768), 7 Jan 1709, L’Islet-sur-mer, New France¹⁹

5. Louis-Augustin Gagné — B. 1 Feb 1680, Cap-St-Ignace, New France;²⁰ D. 25 Feb 1748, Cap-St-Ignace, New France;²¹ M. (1) Elisabeth Charland (1687-1721), 21 Nov 1707, Montmagny, New France;²² (2) Marie Boudeau (1697-1736), 13 Apr 1722, Montmagny, New France²³

6. Elisabeth Gagné — B. 24 Aug 1683, Cap-St-Ignace, New France;²⁴ M. Joseph Fournier (1685-?), 17 Nov 1710, Cap-St-Ignace, New France²⁵

Sources:
1    Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
2    King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers—1663-1673, pp. 246-247, Peter Gagne, 2000
3    Burial record of Louise Faure, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
4    La Rochelle Cathedral (Wikipedia article) 
5    Navires venus en Nouvelle-France (website)  
6    Migrations (website)  
7    Baptismal record of Pierre Gagné (younger), Q.C.P.R.
8    Baptismal record of François Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
9    Deed of Donation of Pierre Gagné and Louise Faure, 5 Aug 1711, BAnQ (website)  
10  Burial record of Pierre Gagné (younger), Q.C.P.R
11  Marriage record of Pierre Gagné and Louise Proulx, Q.C.P.R
12  Baptismal record of Jean Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
13  Burial record of Jean Gagné, Q.C.P.R
14  Marriage record of Jean Gagné and Marie-Madeleine Langlois, Q.C.P.R
15  Baptismal record of Marie-Anne Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
16  Burial record of Marie-Anne Gagné, Q.C.P.R
17  Marriage record of Denis Proulx and Marie-Anne Gagné, Q.C.P.R
18  Burial record of François Gagné, Q.C.P.R
19  Marriage record of François Gagné and Elisabeth Langlois, Q.C.P.R
20  Baptismal record of Louis-Augustin Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
21  Burial record of Louis-Augustin Gagné, Q.C.P.R
22  Marriage record of Louis Augustin Gagné and Elisabeth Charland, Q.C.P.R
23  Marriage record of Louis Augustin Gagné and Marie Boudeau, Q.C.P.R
24  Baptismal record of Elisabeth Gagné, Q.C.P.R.
25  Marriage record of Joseph Fournier and Elisabeth Gagné, Q.C.P.R

A Choice Made By Many Brides — Anne-Jeanne Poitreau

B. about 1652 in La Rochelle, France¹
M. 17 Sep 1668 in Quebec City, New France²
Husband: René Bruneau dit Jolicoeur
D. before 29 Oct 1703 in (probably) New France³

Anne-Jeanne Poitreau had a story shared with many women who settled in Canada in the 1660s: she was a Fille du Roi who married a Carignan-Salières Regiment soldier. Anne-Jeanne was from La Rochelle, a major port city on the west coast of France, born there in about 1652.¹ Her parents were Pierre Poitreau (also spelled Poitraud) and Jeanne Brelle. The circumstances which led to her migration to America are lost to history.

The government had been supplying marriageable girls to the colony for five years when Anne-Jeanne signed up as a Fille du Roi. In the spring of 1668, the ship La Nouvelle France was loaded with 81 women and girls, and it arrived in Quebec City on July 3rd.⁴ Anne-Jeanne was just 16-years-old, but this wasn’t that uncommon, and others on the ship were even younger. Once in Quebec City, the process of making a match began, with men coming to court the women, and Anne-Jeanne signed a marriage contract in September.

Anne-Jeanne’s marriage took place at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec on September 17, 1668.² Her husband was René Bruneau dit Jolicoeur, a 27-year-old former Carignan-Salières Regiment soldier. There is a long list of Filles du Roi who made the same decision as Anne-Jeanne. The military force that arrived in Quebec in 1665 had a thousand young men with three-year contracts of service. Most of them ended their term the same year that Anne-Jeanne arrived, and about 35 of her shipmates also chose soldiers as husbands. All totaled, about 162 of the Filles du Roi who arrived between 1667 and 1673 became wives of the Carignan-Salières Regiment recruits during their first few months in New France.

René took Anne-Jeanne to live in the seigneury of Charlesbourg; his farm was located in a section called Petite-Auvergne. Her first child, a boy, was born over a year later on October 3, 1669.⁵ Since there wasn’t a church nearby, she and her husband traveled to Quebec to have him baptized. This was a trip they made four more times over the next seven years. Unfortunately, only one of the five children lived past infancy. After a parish was built at Charlesbourg, Anne-Jeanne gave birth to five more children, and of these, three survived. None of her sons lived to adulthood, but her four healthy daughters would provide many descendants.

On April 22, 1696, Anne-Jeanne was treated at the hospital in Quebec for an illness or injury.⁶ Later that year, she and her husband sold their concession, and moved elsewhere, possibly Quebec City. It’s unknown when Anne-Jeanne and René died, but they were both deceased by their daughter Marie-Charlotte’s wedding on October 29, 1703.³

Children:
1. Robert Bruneau — B. 3 Oct 1669, (probably) Charlesbourg, New France;⁵ D. 21 Dec 1669, (probably) Charlesbourg, New France⁸

2. Anne Bruneau — B. 21 Dec 1670, (probably) Charlesbourg, New France;⁹ D. 2 Mar 1726, Quebec City, New France;¹⁰ M. (1) Jean Mingou (~1660-?), 17 Sep 1685, Charlesbourg, New France;¹¹ (2) Jean Lamothe (~1664-1724), 14 Oct 1698, Quebec City, New France¹²

3. Louis Bruneau — B. 27 Dec 1673, (probably) Charlesbourg, New France;¹³ D. 14 Feb 1674, Quebec City, New France¹⁴

4. Nicolas Bruneau — B. 12 Feb 1675, (probably) Charlesbourg, New France;¹⁵ D. 13 Mar 1675, Quebec City, New France¹⁶

5. Marie-Madeleine Bruneau — B. 29 Oct 1676, (probably) Charlesbourg, New France;¹⁷ D. 25 Aug 1687, Quebec City, New France¹⁸

6. Jeanne Bruneau — B. 16 Aug 1679, Charlesbourg, New France;¹⁹ D. 6 Jan 1746, Quebec City, New France;²⁰ M. (1) François Duclas (1668-1708), 16 Oct 1697, Quebec City, New France;²¹ (2) Alexandre Derny Larose (1676-?), 23 Mar 1713, Quebec city, New France²²

7. Marguerite Bruneau — B. 21 Nov 1681, Charlesbourg, New France;²³ D. 12 Apr 1718, Sainte-Famille, Île d’Orleans, New France;²⁴ M. (1) Charles Giroux (~1669-1714), 23 Feb 1699, Quebec City, New France;²⁵ (2) Hiliare Martin (1692-1756), 8 Nov 1714, Quebec City, New France²⁶

8. Marie-Charlotte Bruneau — B. 19 Dec 1683, Charlesbourg, New France;²⁷ M. (1) Simon Didier Parisien (~1669-1710), 29 Oct 1703, Montreal, New France;³ (2) Claude Laspron dit Lacharité (1679-1739), 7 Jan 1712, Trois-Rivières, New France²⁸

9. René Bruneau — B. 25 Mar 1687, Charlesbourg, New France;²⁹ D. 5 Apr 1687, Charlesbourg, New France³⁰

10. Nicolas Bruneau — B. 20 Oct 1689, Charlesbourg, New France;³¹ D. (probably) young

Sources:
1    Migrations.fr listing for Anne Poitreau  
2    Marriage record of René Bruneau and Anne-Jeanne Poitreau, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage record of Simon Didier Parisien and Marie-Charlotte Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
4    Migrations.fr listing for ship La Nouvelle France 1668 
5    Baptismal record of Robert Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
6    Registre Journalier des Malades de L’Hôtel-Dieu de Quebec, Marcel & Gisèle Monarque, 2005
7    Inventaire des greffes des notaires du Régime français, Vol. VII, p.114
8    Burial record of Robert Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
9    Baptismal record of Anne Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
10  Burial record of Anne Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
11  Marriage record of Jean Mingou and Anne Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
12  Marriage record of Jean Lamothe and Anne Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
13  Baptismal record of Louis Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
14  Burial record of Louis Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
15  Baptismal record of Nicolas Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
16  Burial record of Nicloas Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
17  Baptismal record of Marie-Madeleine Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
18  Burial record of Marie-Madeleine Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
19  Baptismal record of Jeanne Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
20  Burial record of Jeanne Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
21  Marriage record of François Duclas and Jeanne Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
22  Marriage record of Alexandre Derny Larose and Jeanne Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
23  Baptismal record of Marguerite Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
24  Burial record of Marguerite Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
25  Marriage record of Charles Giroux and Marguerite Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
26  Marriage record of Hiliare Martin and Marguerite Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
27  Baptismal record of Marie-Charlotte Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
28  Marriage record of Claude Laspron dit Lacharité and Marie-Charlotte Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
29  Baptismal record of René Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
30  Burial record of René Bruneau, Q.C.P.R.
31  Baptismal record of Nicolas Bruneau (younger), Q.C.P.R.

Finding a New Husband Quickly — Marie Brière

B. about 1645 in Pont-l’Eveque, Lisieux, Normandy, France¹
M. (1) 16 October 1670 in Quebec City, New France²
Husband: Jean Guay
M. (2) 20 Nov 1679 in Quebec City, New France³
Husband: Martin Guédon
D. before 13 Nov 1709 in (probably) Lauzon, New France⁴

A woman who was suddenly widowed in 17th century America faced serious hardships. This may have been why Marie Briere wasted no time arranging for a new mate to take the place of her deceased husband. She had been born about 1645 in Pont-l’Eveque, France,¹ a village in Normandy that was known for its soft cheese. Her parents were François Brière and Louise Trajan, but nothing else is known of her family.

When Marie was 19, after both of her parents had died, she became one of the many women from Normandy to sign up as a Fille du Roi. The ship she sailed on was called La Nouvelle-France, which arrived at Quebec City on July 31, 1670 with at least 108 women aboard.⁵ Two and a half months later on October 16th, Marie got married at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec to Jean Guay², who had arrived about five years earlier, also from Normandy. Jean had settled across the St. Lawrence River from Quebec in Lauzon, and this is where he took Marie to begin their life together.

During their marriage, Marie gave birth to six children in the space of eight years. The last was a baby girl who was baptized on August 7, 1679 with Jean in attendance.⁶ This was the last time he appeared in records, and less than two weeks later, Marie agreed to a contract to marry another man, Martin Guédon.⁷

Baptism showing Marie's first husband just before he died. (Source: FamilySearch.org)

How did this happen so suddenly? Jean must have tragically died in some way very soon after the baptism. The fact no burial seems to have taken place would suggest that he drowned in the St. Lawrence. In any event, an offer of marriage came to Marie, now with six fatherless children under age 8, and she agreed to it.

Marie’s second marriage was on November 20, 1679 at the same place as her first wedding.³ Her new husband Martin was a hat maker originally from Rouen, and he had never been married before; they had one child together born in 1681.⁸ After attending the wedding of her daughter on January 18, 1695,⁹ there was no further mention of Marie in the records. Martin seemed to be a widower in a document dated November 13, 1709,⁴ so she died between those two dates.

Children by Jean Guay:
1. Alexis Guay — B. 4 Sep 1671, Lauzon, New France;¹⁰ D. before 28 Jul 1710, New France;¹¹ M. Elisabeth Dizy (~1672-1703), 26 Jan 1698, Champlain, New France¹²

2. Rosalie Guay — B. 26 Mar 1673, Lauzon, New France;¹³ D. 22 Jan 1749, Baie-du-Febvre, New France;¹⁴ M. (1) Silvain Duplais (1670-?), 28 Jun 1694, Quebec City, New France;¹⁵ (2) Julien Laniel (~1663-1726), 28 Aug 1703, Quebec City, New France¹⁶

3. Marie Guay — B. 19 Dec 1674, Lauzon, New France;¹⁷ D. 19 Sep 1747, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, New France;¹⁸ M. François Dubois (1668-1714), 18 Jan 1695, Quebec City, New France⁹

4. Catherine Guay — B. 24 May 1676, Lauzon, New France¹⁹

5. Jean-Baptiste Guay — B. 23 Jun 1678, Lauzon, New France;²⁰ D. 5 Aug 1705, Montreal, New France²¹

6. Marie-Angelique Guay — B. 6 Aug 1679, Lauzon, New France;⁶ D. 8 Oct 1704, Quebec City, New France;²² M. Jean Boucher (1671-?), 16 Oct 1696, St-Joseph-de-la-Pointe-Lévy, New France²³

Children by Martin Guédon:
1. Martin Guédon — B. 1681, Lauzon, New France

Sources:
1    Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing of Marie Brière  
2    Marriage record of Jean Guay and Marie Brière, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage record of Martin Guédon and Marie Brière, Q.C.P.R.
4    Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730, René Jetté, 1983, pp. 538-539
5    Migrations.fr listing for voyage of the ship La Nouvelle France in 1670  
6    Baptismal record of Marie-Angelique Guay, Q.C.P.R.
7    Inventaire des greffes des notaires du régime français, Pierre Georges Roy and Antoine Roy, V. 27, BAnQ
8    Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
9    Marriage record of François Dubois and Marie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
10  Baptismal record of Alexis Guay, Q.C.P.R.
11  Document dated July 28, 1710 regarding guardianship of Alexis Guay’s children, BAnQ  
12  Marriage record of Alexis Guay and Elisabeth Dizy, Q.C.P.R.
13  Baptismal record of Rosalie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
14  Burial record of Rosalie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
15  Marriage record of Silvain Duplais and Rosalie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
16  Marriage record of Julien Laniel and Rosalie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
17  Baptismal record of Marie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
18  Burial record of Marie Guay, Q.C.P.R.
19  Baptismal record of Catherine Guay, Q.C.P.R.
20  Baptismal record of Jean-Baptiste Guay, Q.C.P.R.
21  Burial record of Jean-Baptiste Guay, Q.C.P.R.
22  Burial record of Marie-Angelique Guay, Q.C.P.R.
23  Marriage record of Jean Boucher and Marie-Angelique Guay, Q.C.P.R.

From the Coast of Normandy — Catherine Ballié

B. about 1642 in St-Étienne-de-Fecamp, France¹
M. 24 Nov 1667 in Quebec City, New France²
Husband: Pierre Bouvier
D. 31 Oct 1677 in Neuville, New France³

When young women were recruited to migrate to New France during the 1660s, geography played an important part in who was chosen. And many were from northern France, including Catherine Ballié.

Catherine was born in about 1642 to Guillaume Ballié and Adrienne Tassé who lived in the coastal town of St-Étienne-de-Fecamp.¹ Nothing else is known of her family other than the fact her father died before she migrated to America. St-Étienne-de-Fecamp was located on the English Channel, west of Dieppe, and it was centered around the fishing industry, known for its smoked herring and cod. So Catherine must have been at least somewhat familiar with seeing ships before she boarded one in June of 1667.⁴

Location of the town where Catherine was born.

The Filles du Roi program had been going on for four years and was seen to be a success. That year, the man who supervised the effort, Jean Talon, sought to bring over about 100 prospective brides. France had an abundant amount of women seeking a secure future, which meant that recruiters didn’t have to search the entire country. Instead they signed up the women in Paris, which had a high concentration of them, and also the region around the port cities, one of which was Dieppe. Catherine’s ship, Le St-Louis, transported 80 Filles du Roi, and about two-thirds of them were from places in Normandy.⁴

The voyage took over three months, landing at Quebec City on September 25th.⁴ It had been a rough time for Catherine and her shipmates, who complained of ill-treatment from the crew, accusing them of doling out their food in small amounts.⁴ Many arrived sick and needed hospitalization before joining the process of finding a husband. It isn’t known if Catherine was one of the patients, but if she was, she recovered in time to get married on November 24th.² Her husband was Pierre Bouvier, who was a metalworker from Rouen. Since neither of them had families to attend their wedding, it was witnessed by two officials, one of whom was Germain Morin, the son of Nöel Morin and Hèléne Desportes, who was the first ordained priest born in New France.

The couple settled in Quebec City, and the following year Catherine gave birth to a daughter.⁵ Four more children were born by October of 1675, but sadly, Catherine didn’t live to see any of them grow up. After the family moved to the community of Neuville, she died on October 31, 1677.³ Pierre remarried a few months later, and he died in 1690.⁶

Children:
1. Marie Bouvier — B. 20 Sep 1668, Quebec City, New France;⁵ D. 28 Apr 1711, Ste-Foy, New France;⁷ M. Pierre-Jacques Custeau (1663-1711), Quebec City, New France⁸

2. Charles Bouvier — B. 8 Feb 1671, Quebec City, New France;⁹ D. 23 Jun 1712, Quebec City, New France;¹⁰ M. Marie-Catherine Renaud (1671-1723), 27 Feb 1696, Quebec City, New France¹¹

3. Jeanne-Thèrese Bouvier — B. 29 Jul 1673, Quebec City, New France;¹² D. 28 Nov 1729, Lotbinière, New France;¹³ M. Jean-Baptiste Barabé (1671-1729), 1693, New France¹⁴

4. Catherine Bouvier — B. 1674, New France;¹⁵ D. Before 1681, New France¹⁶

5. Pierre Bouvier — B. 12 Oct 1675, Quebec City, New France;¹⁷ D. 16 Mar 1715, Quebec City, New France;¹⁸ M. Marie Meunier (1685-1743), 30 Jan 1702, Beaupré, New France¹⁹

Sources:
1    King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers—1663-1673, Peter Gagne, 2000
2    Marriage record of Pierre Bouvier and Catherine Ballié, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Burial record of Catherine Ballié, Q.C.P.R.
4    Navires venus en Nouvelle-France (website)  
5    Baptismal record of Marie Bouvier, Q.C.P.R.
6    Burial record of Pierre Bouvier (older), Q.C.P.R.
7    Burial record of Marie Bouvier, Q.C.P.R.
8    Marriage record of Pierre-Jacques Custeau and Marie Bouvier, Q.C.P.R.
9    Baptismal record of Charles Bouvier, Q.C.P.R.
10  Burial record of Charles Bouvier, Q.C.P.R.
11  Marriage record of Charles Bouvier and Marie-Catherine Renaud, Q.C.P.R.
12  Baptismal record of Jeanne-Thèrese Bouvier, Q.C.P.R.
13  Burial record of Jeanne-Thèrese Bouvier, Q.C.P.R.
14  Marriage record of Jean-Baptiste Barabé and Jeanne-Thèrese Bouvier, Q.C.P.R.
15  Baptismal record of Catherine Bouvier, Q.C.P.R.
16  Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
17  Baptismal record of Pierre Bouvier (younger), Q.C.P.R.
18  Burial record of Pierre Bouvier (younger), Q.C.P.R.
19  Marriage record of Pierre Bouvier and Marie Meunier, Q.C.P.R.

Maybe at a 1689 Massacre — Marie-Charlotte Jolivet

B. about 1648 in Andrésy, France¹
M. (1) 12 Oct 1671 in Quebec City, New France²
Husband: Leonard Girardin
M. (2) 18 Oct 1688 in Lachine, New France³
Husband: Simon Trilaut
D. before 15 Nov 1699 in New France or France⁴

There is a curious story around Marie-Charlotte Jolivet which may indicate that she was present during an Iroquois massacre. She was born in about 1648 in the village of Andrésy, France,¹ located on the Seine River northwest of Paris. Her parents were Louis Jolivet and Louise Bellemanière, and her father made a living as a ship’s carpenter.⁵

When Charlotte was in her early 20s, she signed up to become a Fille-du Roi during one of the last years of the program, agreeing to become the wife of a man living in New France in return for passage and a dowry. At the end of June 1671, she boarded the Saint Jean-Baptiste, which sailed out from Dieppe loaded with about 120 other prospective brides.⁶ After she arrived at Quebec City on August 15th, the process began to make a match with a husband.

Two months later, Charlotte became engaged to settler Leonard Girardin, and they were married at Notre-Dame-de-Quebec on October 12th.² She soon gave birth to a daughter and a son, the second of whom was baptized at Quebec City in 1675.⁷ After that date, the family seems to have moved to the west, because Charlotte was named as a witness in a criminal case at Trois-Rivières.⁸ The trial involved a married couple named Michel Gauron and Marguerite Robineau who were accused of illegal behavior, perhaps stealing some goods. Charlotte gave a deposition concerning the case in March 1677, along with several others that included René Maillot dit Laviolette of Grondines, and this may have been where she lived.

By the following year, Charlotte’s family moved upriver to the Montreal area, settling in Lachine, where five more children were born. At some point, Leonard passed away, and on October 18, 1688, Charlotte remarried to a man named Simon Trilaut.³

After the event of Charlotte’s second wedding, her whereabouts are uncertain. Some sources say she died in 1689, and that Simon moved back to France in 1691. Others claim she was alive at the time of her son Hilaire’s marriage contract on January 10, 1699, and deceased by her daughter Catherine’s marriage on November 15th of that year.⁴

However, something that happened to Hilaire may provide a clue as to Charlotte’s fate. He reported that when he was age 14 in November of 1689, he had been captured in an Iroquois attack that took place in the settlement of Lachenaie.⁹ Similar to what happened at Lachine a few months earlier, it was a surprise attack that took the lives of many settlers. Hilaire said he was marched to a distant camp with others, and witnessed brutal torture, with some of his fellow prisoners burned alive. One woman had her baby taken from her arms by one of the Iroquois, who grabbed the infant by its feet, smashed its head open, and threw it into a fire. The woman was later burned to death as well.

Sites of two Iroquois attacks in 1689.

So it’s possible that Charlotte was also at Lachenaie, and may even have been killed by the Iroquois. Of course her son Hilaire may have been working on a farm away from his family during the massacre, and she simply moved back to France with her second husband two years later. The lack of further records of her youngest sons Michel and Louis suggest that they may have left with her, spending the rest of their lives in France, but this is speculation. Charlotte’s third youngest son Joseph moved to Poste Mobile (present-day Alabama) in 1708; he later was one of the earliest settlers of New Orleans, spending the rest of his life in that area. 

Charlotte was the ancestor of Dan Aykroyd and Rudy Vallée.

Children (all by Leonard Girardin):
1. Anne-Jeanne Girardin — B. about 1673, New France;¹⁰ D. 28 Apr 1760, Ste-Anne-Bellevue, New France;¹¹ M. Hubert Ranger dit Laviolette (~1681-?), 30 Jul 1686, Lachine, New France¹²

2. Hillaire Girardin — B. 21 Jul 1675, Quebec City, New France;⁷ M. (1) Nicole Salois (1681-?), 26 Jan 1699, St-Laurent, Île d’Orleans, New France;¹³ (2) Anne-Marguerite Dupuis (1705-1767), 16 Aug 1729, La Prairie, New France¹⁴

3. Charles Girardin — B. 9 Mar 1678, Lachine, New France;¹⁵ D. before 30 Jan 1682, (probably) Lachine, New France¹⁶

4. Catherine Girardin — B. 16 Feb 1680, Lachine, New France;¹⁷ D. 24 Feb 1724, Ste-Anne-Bellevue, New France;¹⁸ M. Joseph Lamadeleine (1673-1750), 15 Nov 1699, Lachine, New France⁴

5. Joseph Girardin — B. 30 Jan 1682, Lachine, New France;¹⁹ D. about 1756, Louisiana²⁰

6. Michel Girardin — B. 28 Jan 1684, Lachine, New France²¹

7. Louis Girardin — B. 8 May 1687, Lachine, New France²²

Sources:
1    King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers—1663-1673, Peter Gagne, 2000
2    Marriage record of Leonardin Girardin and Charlotte-Catherine Jolivet, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
3    Marriage record of Simon Trilaut and Charlotte-Catherine Jolivet, Q.C.P.R.
4    Marriage record of Joseph Lamadeleine and Catherine Girardin, Q.C.P.R.
5    Migrations.fr listing for Charlotte-Catherine Jolivet  
6    Navires venus en Nouvelle France (website)  
7    Baptismal record of Hillaire Girardin, Q.C.P.R.
8    Summons for Charlotte Jolivet to appear as a witness, BAnQ  
9    The Lachenaie Massacre November 1689 (website)  
10  Généalogie du Québec et d'Amérique français listing for Anne-Jeanne Girardin 
11  Burial of Anne-Jeanne Girardin, Q.C.P.R.
12  Marriage of Hubert Ranger and Anne-Jeanne Girardin, Q.C.P.R.
13  Marriage record of Hillaire Girardin and Nicole Salois, Q.C.P.R.
14  Marriage record of Hillaire Girardin and Anne-Marguerite Dupuis, Q.C.P.R.
15  Baptismal record of Charles Girardin, Q.C.P.R.
16  Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
17  Baptismal record of Catherine Girardin, Q.C.P.R.
18  Burial record of Catherine Girardin, Q.C.P.R.
19  Baptismal record of Joseph Girardin, Q.C.P.R.
20  Wikitree listing for Joseph Girardy  
21  Baptismal record of Michael Girardin, Q.C.P.R.
22  Baptismal record of Louis Girardin, Q.C.P.R.

Widow Who Became a Fille du Roi — Antoinette Meunier

B. about 1636 in Autun, Burgundy, France¹
M. (1) before 1665 in France²
Husband: Jacques Baro
M. (2) 9 Nov 1665 in Champlain, New France³
Husband: Jacques Aubert
D. 25 Feb 1697 in Grondines, New France⁴

The women who became Filles du Roi had many reasons for doing so, all related to the need and desire to make a new life. Some came from poverty, some came from orphanages, and a few came from scandalous situations. But Antoinette Meunier’s story seems to have been that after her husband died, she had no means of support, and turned to America for opportunity.

Little is known of Antoinette’s beginnings. She was born in about 1636 in the town of Autun,¹ located in Burgundy. Autun dated back to Roman times, and her family was from the parish of St-Pierre. Antoinette's parents’ were Antoine Meunier and Anne Lami (or Lamy). Her father was a baker, and at some point, likely during the 1650s, she married another baker, Jacques Baro.² No other information survives of who he was, or when and why he died. If the couple had any children together, it’s likely they died young.

Autun, France: the town where Antoinette was born.

The Filles du Roi program had been in place for two years when Antoinette signed up during the spring of 1665.² Authorities in charge of running New France looked to bring over 100 “marriageable girls” that year. Many came from Paris or Normandy, so it was somewhat unusual for a woman from Burgundy to be recruited. Antoinette boarded the ship St-Jean-Baptiste in Dieppe, and after a long sea voyage, landed at Quebec City on October 2nd.² Her journey wasn’t over yet — she became one of the women selected to be taken upriver to Trois-Rivières. There she found a husband in Jacques Aubert, and they agreed to a marriage contract on November 9th at Champlain.³

The duty of women in New France was to have as many children as possible, but Antoinette was known to give birth to just three, all girls born between about 1666 and 1672. Perhaps the fact she was a little older than many of the women was a factor in her small family, but she also may have had other babies who died young. None of her children appeared in parish baptismal records.

Antoinette and Jacques eventually settled in Grondines, a settlement between Trois-Rivières and Quebec City. In 1683, Jacques became its seigneur,³ so she enjoyed the status of being wife of the landlord, although it wasn't as glamorous as it sounds since their community was little more than a handful of farms. The mill they operated still exists on the coast of the St. Lawrence and is the oldest such structure in Canada.⁵

After all of their children were married, Jacques gave up the seigneury in 1694,⁶ and he returned to France for some reason. Antoinette didn’t go with him, though, and remained in Grondines. She never saw him again because she died on February 25, 1697.⁴ Was there a split in their marriage before his trip? This is unknown, but when word reached him in France, he remarried to another woman and didn’t move back to New France until after his second wife died in 1702.⁶

Children:
1. Antoinette Aubert — B. about 1666, Champlain, New France;¹ D. 8 Dec 1720, Grondines, New France;⁷ M. Louis Hamelin (~1650-1718), 7 Aug 1679, Grondines, New France⁸

2. Marie-Madeleine Aubert — B. about 1667, New France⁹ 2 Jun 1742, Grondines, New France;¹⁰ M. François Hamelin (~1658-1725), 27 Nov 1685, New France¹¹

3. Marie-Anne Aubert — B. about 1672, Grondines, New France;⁹ D. 29 Aug 1712, Grondines, New France;¹² M. Roch Ripault (~1660-1715), 6 Feb 1689, Cap-Santé, New France¹³

Sources:
1    Recensement de 1667 en Nouvelle-France
2    Navires venus en Nouvelle France (website)  
3    King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers—1663-1673, Peter Gagne, 2000
4    Burial record of Antoinette Menuer, Quebec Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979, FamilySearch.org
5    Moulin à vent de Grondines (Wikipedia article)  
6    Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française listing for Jacques Aubert 
7    Burial record of Antoinette Aubert, Q.C.P.R.
8    Marriage record of Louis Hamelin and Antoinette Aubert, Q.C.P.R.
9    Recensement de 1681 en Nouvelle-France
10  Burial record of Marie-Madeleine Aubert, Q.C.P.R.
11  Marriage record of François Hamelin and Marie-Madeleine Aubert, Q.C.P.R.
12  Burial record of Marie-Anne Aubert, Q.C.P.R.
13  Marriage record of Roch Ripault and Marie-Anne Aubert, Q.C.P.R.