The Oldest Windmill in Quebec — Jacques Aubert

B. about 1639 in Duclair, Normandy, France
M. (1) 9 Nov 1665 in Champlain, New France
Wife: Antoinette Meunier
M. (2) 27 Jan 1698 in Le Château-d’Oléron, France
Wife: Jeanne Massé
D. 19 Jun 1710 in Grondines, New France

A landmark stands on the north bank of the St. Lawrence River, halfway between Quebec City and Trois-Riviéres—a 17th-century windmill that’s said to be the earliest still in existence. And it was once owned by Jacques Aubert.

Born in about 1639 in Duclair, France, Jacques was the son of a merchant, Georges Aubert, and his wife, Marguerite Ossanne. It isn’t known why he left his home, and migrated to New France. 

Where Jacques was born.

Jacques first appeared in a marriage contract signed on November 9, 1665 in Champlain, a village upriver from Trois-Riviéres. Jacques' bride was Antoinette Meunier, a Fille du Roi who had arrived from France just a month earlier. Over the next few years, the couple had three daughters; there may have been other children, but the three girls were the only ones who survived.

During the 1670s, Jacques was involved in several transactions for land near Champlain. Then on March 20, 1683, he made a major purchase, traveling to Quebec City to acquire the fief of Grondines from the religious order of nuns who owned it. By owning the fief, Jacques became a seigneur, meaning that he collected rent from the others who lived there. In return, he took care of community business, and most importantly, supplied a mill to grind his tenants’ wheat into flour.

Nine years before Jacques became seigneur of Grondines, the nuns had arranged to have a mill built there. It was a small, round tower with a mechanism that was powered by the wind. The top two floors contained machinery that ground the wheat, and the bottom floor had a bin to receive the flour. Jacques lived with his family in a house nearby, while the habitants of Grondines brought their wheat to the mill so they could grind it into a product they could sell.

Jacques remained as seigneur of Grondines until 1694, when he decided to return to France. By this time, all three of his daughters were married, and he signed the fief over to his sons-in-law. Jacques sailed to France, leaving behind his wife Antoinette, who passed away on February 25, 1697 in Grondines. Word reached Jacques of his wife’s death, and the following year, he married a second wife, Jeanne Massé, at Le Château-d'Oléron, a village on an island just off the coast of France. The couple had no children (Jacques was about age 60), and Jeanne died in 1702. Soon after, Jacques returned to New France, and he tried to regain his fief, managing to get one-quarter of the ownership back, along with the title of seigneur.

Around the time Jacques returned to Grondines, he may have fathered an out-of-wedlock daughter with Marguerite Renaud, a woman who was younger than his legitimate daughters. The document that claims this fact was the girl’s 1722 marriage record, but there’s nothing else to verify the story.

Jacques died at Grondines on June 19, 1710, passing his fief once again to his sons-in-law. The mill he had once owned continued on, producing flour well into the 19th century. In 1912, it was repurposed as a lighthouse that was in use until 1967; then in 1984, the site was given a historical status. Today it’s a cultural center and small museum known as “Moulin à vent de Grondines,” the oldest surviving windmill in Quebec.

Moulin à vent de Grondines

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

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

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

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)
WikiTree
Seigneurial system of New France (Wikipedia article)
“Windmills in Québec II – Moulin de Grondines,” FrancoAmerican Gravy: Family History & Stories from Upstate New York, Quebec and Acadia (blog)
Moulin à vent de Grondines (Wikipedia article)
Hamelins of the Grondines (website)

1st Town Clerk of Littleton, Massachusetts — Joseph Baker

B. 8 Jan 1696 in Concord, Massachusetts
M. 11 Dec 1716 in Concord, Massachusetts
Wife: Alice Jefts
D. 3 Sep 1761 in Littleton, Massachusetts

Joseph Baker not only appeared in the earliest records of Littleton, Massachusetts, he also wrote them. Joseph was born in Concord on January 8, 1696 to William Baker and Elizabeth Dutton, the youngest of their seven children. Joseph’s mother died when he was only two, and his father remarried to Abigail Ballard, then he died. After the age of 7, Joseph was raised by his step-mother with her new husband, Samuel Wheat.

On December 11, 1716, Joseph married Alice Jefts of Billerica, and the following year, they had a daughter, who is believed to have died young. Shortly after, Joseph and Alice moved to the neighboring settlement of Littleton. Between December 1719 and October 1732, they had seven more children.

When Joseph moved to Littleton, it had only recently been incorporated as a town. New England towns often took a few years to add the community services that they needed, and it wasn’t until 1729 that Littleton appointed Joseph to keep the town records. His first task was to create a book from the births, deaths and marriages that had occurred up until that time, so he extracted all such information from the minutes of town meetings starting with March 1715. Then Joseph began a new book to record events from 1729 on. He served as town clerk for the next 30 or so years.

Town record of Littleton, Massachusetts from March 6, 1727 naming Joseph as town clerk.

Joseph also was one of 15 men who taught school in Littleton during its first 40 years. It was a struggle to get consensus among the people in town to pay for a proper schoolhouse, so classes were held in private homes in a somewhat informal way. It’s impossible to know which years Joseph took on the role of schoolteacher, but only that he did his part.

Joseph Baker died on September 3, 1761 in Littleton. His wife survived him, remarrying three years later. It isn’t known when and where she died.

Children:
1. Alice Baker — B. 14 Nov 1717, Concord, Massachusetts; D. (probably) young

2. William Baker — B. 12 Dec 1719, Littleton, Massachusetts; D. 13 Mar 1793, Concord, Massachusetts; M. Rebecca Conant (1723-1767), 14 Apr 1743, Concord, Massachusetts

3. Joseph Baker — B. 22 Jan 1721, Littleton, Massachusetts; D. 1776, Marlborough, Massachusetts; M. Sarah Hook Wheeler (1724-1803), 1742, Littleton, Massachusetts

4. Lydia Baker — B. 18 Mar 1724, Littleton, Massachusetts; D. 8 Jun 1809, Marlborough, Massachusetts; M. Simon Howe (1722-1806), 15 Mar 1745

5. John Baker — B. 21 Apr 1726, Littleton, Massachusetts

6. Charles Baker — B. 30 May 1728, Littleton, Massachusetts; D. 3 Apr 1813, Littleton, Massachusetts; M. Mary King (1726-1803), 30 May 1751, Littleton, Massachusetts

7. Timothy Baker — B. 4 Nov 1730, Littleton, Massachusetts; D. 14 Apr 1810, Lincoln, Massachusetts; M. Mary Dakin (1741-?), 15 Jan 1761, Sudbury, Massachusetts

8. Thomas Baker — B. 11 Oct 1732, Littleton, Massachusetts; M. Beulah Dakin, 6 Mar 1755, Concord, Massachusetts

Sources:
Records of Littleton, Massachusetts: Births and deaths from the Earliest Records in the Town Books Begun in 1715, 1900
Proceedings of the Littleton Historical Society, 1896
WikiTree
Find-a-Grave

A Cheerful Soldier — René Bruneau dit Jolicoeur

B. 9 Jun 1641 in Poiters, France
M. 17 Sep 1668 in New France
Wife: Anne-Jeanne Poitreau
D. before 29 Oct 1703

Nicknames were a way to distinguish between many of the settlers of New France, and when René Bruneau came over with the Carignan-Salières Regiment in 1665, his fellow soldiers gave him one that may have reflected his personality. 

René was born on June 9, 1641 in Poiters, France, to Georges Bruneau and Blaisette Martin. Nothing is known of his childhood or whether he had any siblings. At some point, probably in his early 20s, René joined the French military, and in 1665, he was sent to New France as part of the Carignan-Salières Regiment. René was assigned to the company of Grandfontaine, which departed on the ship L’Aigle d’Or on May 13th, arriving at Quebec City on August 18th. From there, his company was sent to the Richelieu River in an effort to construct three forts. René was assigned to help with the middle one, Fort Sainte-Therese, which was completed on October 15th.

While in the military, René was given the nickname “Jolicoeur,” which translates as “joyful heart.” French soldiers had nicknames because they believed that when you joined the service, you were leaving your past—and your name—behind. Often the names referenced a physical quality or personality, so it can be inferred that René was a likable, friendly guy.

Carignan-Salières Regiment soldiers. (Source: BAnQ)

In 1666, René was released from further military service, suggesting that he had probably served for a few years before coming to New France and his enlistment was up. René received a concession of land from the Jesuits at Petite-Auvergne in Charlesbourg on March 18th, and he was listed in the census of that year working as a linen weaver.

Wanting to find a wife, René went to Quebec City the following year, and signed a contract on September 29th to marry a Fille du Roi named Marie-Madeleine Ouache. But the contract was cancelled 5 days later; there is no further record of Marie-Madeleine.

In 1668, René again sought a bride among the newly arrived Filles du Roi, and found one in Anne-Jeanne Poitreau, whom he married on September 17th. They produced ten children born between 1669 and 1689; sadly six of them died young. The four who survived to provide grandchildren were all daughters, so René’s name didn’t get passed down.

René and his wife sold their house and property back to the Jesuits on October 23, 1696. This was the last record where his name appeared and it isn’t known when he died, but it was before his daughter Marie-Charlotte’s wedding on October 29, 1703.

Children:
1. Robert Bruneau — B. 3 Oct 1669, Quebec City, New France; D. 21 Dec 1669, Quebec City, New France

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

3. Louis Bruneau — B. 27 Dec 1673, Quebec City, New France; D. 14 Feb 1674, Quebec City, New France

4. Nicolas Bruneau — B. 12 Feb 1675, Quebec City, New France; D. 13 Mar 1675, Quebec City, New France

5. Marie-Madeleine Bruneau — B. 29 Oct 1676, Quebec City, New France; D. 25 Aug 1687, Quebec City, New France

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

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

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

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

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

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)

WikiTree
Carignan-Saliéres Regiment (Wikipedia article)
Fort Sainte Thérèse (Wikipedia article)

Lime Maker in Early Montreal — Jacques Beauvais

B. 22 Nov 1623 in Igé, Perche, France
M. 7 Jan 1654 in Montreal, New France
Wife: Jeanne Soldé
D. Mar 1691 in Montreal, New France

The settling of New France required the efforts of people with many different skills. One was Jacques Beauvais who saw an opportunity in making mortar for building construction, and selling it to other settlers by the barrel.

Jacques was born on November 22, 1623 in the village of Igé, located in Perche, France. Jacques’ parents were Gabriel Beauvais and Marie Crosnier; nothing else is known about his family. He was almost 30-years-old when he first appeared in the records of New France, owing an “obligation” to a man in Quebec City on September 16, 1652. It’s believed that he was a recent immigrant because he didn’t show up in any earlier records.

In September of the following year, a ship arrived from France carrying about 100 people who were on their way to help populate the struggling outpost of Montreal. This was known as La Grande Recrue—the Great Recruitment. It’s likely that Jacques joined the group as they transferred to smaller boats for the journey up the St. Lawrence River; the immigrants landed at Montreal on November 14th to begin their new lives. 

A woman among the La Grande Recrue settlers would become Jacques’ bride. Her name was Jeanne Soldé, one of a handful of females who had come over on the boat from France. The couple signed a marriage contract just one month after they arrived in Montreal, and were married there on January 7, 1654. She soon became pregnant and gave birth to their first child in October. This was followed by eight more, with the last child born in 1673.

While many men in Montreal became involved in the fur trade, Jacques found a different occupation. Montreal was a town destined to be a ship port, and materials were needed to construct its buildings. So Jacques set up a business making lime, a process involving a kiln that heated up crushed limestone to great temperatures, producing a powder that could be turned into mortar or plaster. Given his age when he migrated to New France, Jacques must have learned the skill in France.

A lime kiln. 

Besides making lime, Jacques also served on the Montreal militia that was organized in 1663 to defend the settlement from Iroquois attack. The militia was divided up into 20 squads of 7 men each, and included most of the able-bodied men in Montreal. Two years later, the militia was disbanded with the arrival of regular soldiers from France.

In 1675, Jacques partnered with another man, Jean Gasteau, to build a large lime kiln on Gasteau’s property. They commissioned two men to build the kiln paying them 40 livres for their work; when it was finished, it could produce 80 barrels at a time. Jacques again worked with Gasteau in 1680 to have two more kilns built.

Jacques was 67 when he died in March, 1691. He was survived by his wife Jeanne, who passed away in 1697. He was the ancestor of Dan Aykroyd.

Children:
1. Raphael Beauvais — B. 15 Oct 1654, Montreal, New France; D. 19 Oct 1734, Montreal, New France; M. Élisabeth Turpin (1667-1747), 24 May 1683, Montreal, New France

2. Barbe Beauvais — B. 28 Aug 1656, Montreal, New France; D. 25 Jan 1746, Lachine, New France; M. François Brunet dit Bourbonnais (1644-1702), 11 Jul 1672, Montreal, New France

3. Marguerite Beauvais — B. 30 Aug 1658, Montreal, New France; D. 12 Jul 1715, La Prairie, New France; M. Jacques Tetu dit Lariviére (1641-1712), 9 Oct 1675, Montreal, New France

4. Jean-Baptiste Beauvais — B. 26 Sep 1660, Montreal, New France; D. before 1662, (probably) Montreal, New France

5. Jean-Baptiste Beauvais — B. 7 Oct 1662, Montreal, New France; D. 17 Apr 1705, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, New France; M. Marie-Madeleine LeMoine (1675-1727), 12 Nov 1697, Batiscan, New France

6. Jacques Beauvais — B. 13 Dec 1664, Montreal, New France; D. 14 Aug 1671, Montreal, New France

7. Marie-Charlotte Beauvais — B. 26 Jun 1667, Montreal, New France; D. 25 Dec 1700, Montreal, New France; M. Alexandre Turpin (1641-1709), 30 Oct 1684, Montreal, New France

8. Marie-Étiennette Beauvais — B. 21 Sep 1669, Montreal, New France; D. 14 Sep 1753, Trois-Rivières, New France; M. Jean Pottier (1653-1711), 14 Jun 1688, Montreal, New France

9. Jeanne Beauvais — B. 8 Jan 1673, Montreal, New France; D. 6 Feb 1703, Montreal, New France; M. Guillaume Boucher (1665-?), 19 Dec 1695, Montreal, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)

The Family of Jacques Beauvas I & Wife Jeanne Solde of France and Canada, sadieparks.com 

Montreal, 1653: La Grande Recrue, Michel Langlois, 2003

Lime mortar (Wikipedia article)

Was She a Fille du Roi? — Renée Riviére

B. about 1631 in La Rochelle, France
M. (1) 1650 in Sainte-Soulle, Aunis, France
Husband: Jacques Remondiére
M. (2) about 1666 in Île d’Orlèans, New France
Husband: Mathurin Croiset
D. 3 May 1699 in St-Pierre, Île d’Orlèans, New France

Renée Riviére has been listed in many places as having been a Fille du Roi, a woman who agreed to marry a settler in New France. She was also said to have signed up with her daughter at the same time. But there are no records that would back this up, and this puts her Fille du Roi status in doubt.

Renée’s parents' names and birth information are unknown. It's believed that she was born in about 1631 in the area around La Rochelle, France. About 1650, she married a man named Jacques Remondiére in the village of Sainte-Soulle, Aunis, France, and within a year or so, she gave birth to a daughter named Andrée. The couple wasn’t known to have any other children, and Jacques died by the mid-1660s. Some time before 1666, Renée and Andrée migrated to Quebec City, New France.

Sainte-Soulle church, Aunis, France.

It makes a great story that a mother and daughter took up the offer to be paid by the French government to marry men in New France, but the documentation to prove this is lacking. There’s nothing tying them to a ship’s passenger list, and no marriage record for Renée showing a dowry she might have received. Plus, a mother with a teenage daughter doesn’t fit the profile of a Fille du Roi—a young woman seeking a start in life.

Once in America, Renée and her daughter each became married, and her daughter’s marriage contract reveals both of their husbands' names. Andrée’s contract was signed at Île d'Orléans on October 31, 1666, and one of the witnesses was identified as Renée’s husband, Mathurin Croiset. In the census taken earlier that year, Mathurin was a 50-year-old laborer living without Renée in Quebec City under contract to Pierre Soumande. The census from the following year showed that Renée and Mathurin had their own farm in Île d'Orléans. It seems likely that the couple got married during the time between the two censuses, but this is speculation.

Renée and her second husband had no children together. Mathurin died at the hospital in Quebec City in June of 1697, and on May 3, 1699, Renée passed away in St-Pierre, Île d’Orlèans. For a woman who had only one known child, she left a remarkable amount of descendants by virtue of her daughter’s large family of 15 children; in 2010, her descendants were estimated at between 2,100,000 and 2,520,000 people, and among them are Bridget Fonda and Emeril Lagasse.

Child by Jacques Remondiére:
1. Andrée Remondiére — B. about 1651, La Rochelle, France; D. 21 Nov 1702, St-Pierre, Île d’Orlèans, New France; M. Thomas Rondeau (1638-1721), 31 Oct 1666, Île d’Orlèans, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)

Genealogy of the French in North America (website)

Find A Grave
WikiTree

Enslaved in Louisiana — Hypolite Chauvin de La Frénière

B. 17 Jan 1718 in Mobile, New France
M. (1) 7 Nov 1731 in New Orleans, New France
Husband: Joseph Turpin
M. (2) 19 Mar 1750 in Kaskaskia, New France
Husband: Joseph de LaMirande
D. before 15 May 1758 in (probably) Opelousas, Louisiana, New France

For so many victims of the slavery system in colonial America, there are no records. But the story of Hypolite Chauvin de La Frénière was unique, and we can track her to beginnings on the plantation of her father.

Hypolite was born on January 17, 1718, and was baptized the following day at Mobile in present-day Alabama. Her father was Nicolas Chauvin de La Frénière, a French-Canadian plantation owner, and her mother was his “Indian woman” slave. Nicolas was unmarried at the time, which may have factored into why Hypolite’s paternity wasn’t hidden. Because of the early Louisiana slave code that stated a child took on the status of their mother, Hypolite was born a slave. The code also mandated that slaveholders were to baptize their slaves, and this fits with her being given the sacrament.

The origins of Hypolite’s mother can be deduced from her father Nicolas’ travels. From October 1716 to October 1717, he was on a trading expedition with his brothers that went through present-day Texas into Mexico. About nine months before Hypolite’s birth, he was at Mission San Juan Bautista south of the Rio Grande. It seems highly likely that Nicolas acquired her there as a slave, probably in exchange for goods he brought with him. Hypolite’s mother may have been transported there from hundreds of miles away by slave traders, a fact which is suggested by DNA readings of Indigenous Mexico and Yucatan showing up in many of her descendants. 

Maps showing ethnicities of Hypolite descendants from Ancestry and FamilyTreeDNA.

It’s likely that Hypolite had no memory of Mobile because when she was under 2-years-old, her father moved to a place just outside of the new settlement of New Orleans. By the mid-1720s, Nicolas was running a large plantation with over 100 slaves. He got married in about 1724, and soon Hypolite had several younger half-siblings.

Hypolite’s life dramatically changed at age 13 when she was married to a French-Canadian man named Joseph Turpin. The wedding took place in New Orleans on November 7, 1731, and her mother was mentioned as being a former “servant” of Nicolas named Catherine. It suggests that both Catherine and Hypolite were free at the time because if they were slaves it would have been noted in the record. There’s no evidence of when Nicolas may have emancipated Catherine, and we can only say that it happened between the dates of Hypolite’s baptism and marriage. Hypolite and her new husband Joseph travelled up the Mississippi River, and settled in the Illinois outpost of Kaskaskia, where Joseph had been living. Within a year or two, Hypolite gave birth to a daughter. 

Child bride in an early New Orleans wedding. (AI-generated image)

As a woman who was half Native American, Hypolite wasn’t out-of-place in Kaskaskia. During the time she lived there with Joseph it was a lively trading outpost on the Mississippi, and many early French settlers had married Indian woman, including Joseph’s brother Louis. The result of this was a large percentage of the population having Native American blood. By the 1740s, Kaskaskia started to become more of a farming community, supplying New Orleans with the types of crops that wouldn’t grow on the Gulf Coast.

Surviving records from Kaskaskia are scarce, and there are no baptisms naming Hypolite and Joseph as parents. Besides the daughter born in about 1732, there was a son born in the 1740s or as late as 1750; other children who may have died young are unknown. In late 1749 or early 1750, Joseph Turpin died, and on March 19, 1750, Hypolite married a man named Joseph de LaMirande. They left Kaskaskia probably during the spring of the following year, heading to New Orleans, and she gave birth to a son on June 13th. Then they settled in the town of Opelousas, where Hypolite had her final child, a daughter.

Hypolite’s second husband Joseph had started out life as a fur trader, but once in Opelousas, he became a plantation owner, acquiring many slaves. Unfortunately, Hypolite died a few years after they settled there, likely in early 1758 because her husband remarried on May 15th. She was only about 40-years-old at the time of her death.

Over time, Hypolite had many descendants in both the Illinois/Indiana and Louisiana areas. Two of her grandchildren in Louisiana had colorful stories. Her grandson Arsene LeBleu captained a ship for the legendary pirate, Jean Lafitte. And her granddaughter Catherine LeBleu married Charles Sallier, who founded the town of Lake Charles. Lafitte was said to have been in love with Catherine and family lore says that he once gave her a brooch. The story goes that when her husband saw her wearing the brooch, he became enraged and shot her, then fled thinking he killed her. But the bullet hit the brooch and she survived the shooting. Sallier was never heard from again. 

Hypolite’s grandson, Arsene LeBleu.

Children by Joseph Turpin:
1. Marie-Madeleine Turpin — B. about 1732, Kaskaskia, New France; D. after 1810, Natchitoches, Louisiana Territory; ; M. (2) Pierre Texier dit LaVigne (1728-1770), 12 Jan 1751, Kaskaksia, New France; (2) Antoine Cusson, 1774, Kaskaskia, Illinois Territory; (3) Joseph Auger, about 1778

2. François Turpin — B. (probably) about 1750, Kaskaskia, New France; D. 1 Oct 1809, Vincennes, Indiana Territory; M. Marie-Josephe Levron dit Metayer, about 1777, (probably) Post Vincennes, Illinois Territory

Children by Joseph de LaMirande:
1. Louis Joseph LaMirande — B. 13 Jun 1751, New Orleans, New France

2. Marie Rose Josephe LaMirande — B. about 1752; D. 15 Jul 1794, Opelousas, Louisiana Territory; M. Marin Barthelemy LeBleu dit Comersac (1722-?), 16 Oct 1769, Pointe Coupee, Louisiana Terriitory

Sources:
The Family of Nicolas Chauvin de La Freniere, Sadie Greening Sparks, 18 Oct 2000, sadiesparks.com
Race, Sex and Social Order in Early New Orleans, Jennifer M. Spear, 2010
Sacramental records of the Roman Catholic Church of the Archdiocese of Mobile, Volume 1, Section 1, 1704-1739, Michael L. Farmer, Ann Calagaz, 2002
The History of Kaskaskia, Illinois, in a Family History Context (website) 
Pointe de l’Eglisse: Acadia Genealogical and Historical Society, Inc., by Gene Thibodeaux (website)
Le Bleu’s Landing: Fine Cuisine & Gifts (website)

Abandoning her Husband and Children — Pérette Hallier

B. about 1651 in Égly, Essone, France
M. 15 Oct 1669 in Quebec City, New France
Husband: Antoine Bordeleau
D. in (probably) France

All evidence shows that Pérette Hallier had a difficult start in life, which likely caused her to choose to migrate to America. But she didn’t seem to be cut out for that life, and ultimately gave it up. 

Pérette was born in about 1651 to Jean Hallier and Barbe Marignon in the village of Égly, France. Nothing is known known of her time in Égly, or whether she had any siblings. Pérette’s parents both died probably when she was a young girl or teen, and she found herself living at Pitié-Salpêtrière, a hospital run by nuns in Paris. Pitié-Salpêtrière was notorious for taking in orphaned and unwanted children, and putting them to work in return for their room and board—not a truly charitable place. When Pérette came of age, she signed up as a Fille du Roi, promising to become the bride of a settler in New France in return for passage and a dowry. She likely also saw this as a way to escape Pitié-Salpêtrière.

Pitié-Salpêtrière as it looked in 1925.

The ship that took Pérette to America, the Saint-Jean-Baptiste, arrived in Quebec City on June 30, 1669 carrying 149 Filles du Roi. With such a large number of women, it must have been a challenge not to get lost in the crowd when the men came to court them. It took a few months, but Pérette did find a husband, Antoine Bordeleau, and married him on October 15th. Antoine had been a soldier in the Carignan-Sallières Regiment which came to New France in 1665, and he was looking for a wife so he could start a family. 

Pérette and her husband Antoine settled in the community of Neuville, where he had a grant of land with frontage on the St. Lawrence River. Pérette gave birth to two children there, a son Antoine in 1673 and a daughter Marie-Louise in 1676. The small number of children she had was unusual at a time when couples were encouraged to have large families.

In August 1675, Pérette had an encounter with a woman named Agathe Merlin which led to Merlin being arrested. The incident was said to have been a physical fight between them, but no details have survived. An initial ruling placed the blame on Merlin, but her husband appealed it, pleading that Merlin was pregnant at the time, and her release from jail was granted when the court annulled their previous judgment. 

1675 court record regarding Pérette's encounter with Agathe Merlin.

Pérette appeared in the 1681 census living with her husband and their two children in Neuville. Shortly after, she seems to have gone back to France, abandoning her family. Did she decide she wasn’t cut out to be the wife of a colonist? Did she feel indifferent to her role as a mother? These are questions that are unanswered. Pérette was an ancestor of Emeril Lagasse.

Children:
1. Antoine Bordeleau — B. 18 Dec 1673, Neuville, New France; D. 4 May 1758, Portneuf, New France; M. Catherint Piché (~1677-?), 5 Mar 1696, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

2. Marie-Louise Bordeleau — B. 15 Aug 1676, Neuville, New France; D. 1 Jul 1720, St-Antoine-de-Tilly, New France; M. Louis Croteau (1672-1747), 22 Nov 1695, Pointe-aux-Trembles, New France

Sources:
Généalogie du Quebec et d’Amérique française (website)

King’s Daughters and Founding Mothers—1663-1673, Peter Gagne, 2000

The Pietié-Saltpêtriére Hospital, Atlas Obscura

Navires venus en Nouvelle-France (website)