The Genealogy of David L. Moody & Yvonne L. La Pointe. - Person Sheet
The Genealogy of David L. Moody & Yvonne L. La Pointe. - Person Sheet
Birthbef 13 Jul 1637, Saint-Pierre-Maillé, Poitiers, Poitou, France ®4205
MemoParish Saint-Pierre, Maulais, Diocese of Poitiers
Burial10 Dec 1700, Saint-Jean, MRC de Île-d'Orléans, Québec, Canada ®2787
FlagsImmigrant Ancestor, Quebec
FatherInnocent AUDET DIT LAPOINTE (1614-1648)
MotherVincente REINE/ROY (ca1609-1644)
Misc. Notes
“fils d’Innocent et de Vincente Reine, de St. Pierre de Moli, èv de Poitiers” ®2787
His godfather was Damien Doré and his godmother was Nicolle Charron. ®4207
The settlement of what was to become Quebec City occurred when Samuel de Champlain and his men arrived on 3 July 1608. From 1629 to 1632 the settlement was occupied by the English, and many of the French left. The settlement remained small with only 17 families and Champlain and his wife Helen being residents when Champlain died in 1635. By 1666 only 3215 Europeans lived in the entirety of Canada.
Nicolas Audet was the first settler of the family in Quebec; he came to Canada in 1663. He was confirmed on 23 March 1664 at Quebec City. He worked for Bishop Laval, first at the Saint-Joachim farm near Cap-Tourmente in 1666, then as a caretaker at the bishopric and seignorial manor in Quebec City in 1668. In return for his services, Bishop Laval granted him land on the Ile D’Orleans on 22 June 1667. Madeleine Després was one of the "Filles du Roi”; she arrived in 1670 and they were married shortly after her arrival. He could not write as she had to sign their marriage contract. They settled at Sainte-Famille, Ile d’Orleans, then about 1679 moved to St. Jean, Ile d’Orleans, where they both died and were buried.
Nicolas Audet was born, about 1641. He was the son of Innocent Audet and Vincente Reine (Roy), of Saint-Pierre-Maille, in the diocese of Poitiers. The surnames Audet and Lapointe originated, naturally enough, in France. The story is that, three families of Audets lived in the same area that formed a triangle and to tell one family of Audets from another, "dit Lapointe" was added to the same because, they lived at the "point" of this area.
We know that, Nicolas came to Canada before 1664 because, there is a record of his confirmation at Québec on March 23 of that year.
Poitiers is a town in Poitou; that beautiful and bountiful Province of France where wheat is grown, the vine is cultivated and many varieties of fruit are raised. It is wooded country, yet covered by excellent pasture-land . In this province, Charles Martel repulsed the Saracens and Clovis battled the Goths.
Just about all of the colonists, who came from France in the 17th century, started in one of three ways: by working for the government, by working for a religious order, or by working for one of the more prosperous landowners. Nicolas seems to have been taken under the wing of Monseigneur François de Laval, Bishop of Québec. In the census of 1666, we find him working on the farm owned by the Bishop, at Saint-Joachim, nearby Cape Tourmente. Two years later, he was still working for the Bishop, as a porter in the lordly Château of Québec. Confirmation of this comes through an act of Notary Pierre Duquet, which records: "Today, at the entrance gate of the estate, Sieur Jean Madry rang a little bell, in response to which, he was met by Nicolas Audet, porter of the Château. After admitting him, Audet went to inform his master, the Bishop."
For more than four years, Nicolas worked in service for others, earning his way. In preparing for his future, he was counting more on savings than on credit.
THE SETTLER
Nicolas Audet, the porter, decided to become a settler, on the Île d'Orléans, just opposite the Beaupré coast. On 22 June 1667, he received a concession from the Bishop "of three arpents of land fronting the Saint Lawrence River and running Southward......" His grant was in the Parish of Saint-Famille, from which, the Parish of Saint-Jean was later formed. (now lots 192 and 193, Cadastre of the parish of St. Jean de l'Ile d'Orleans). His neighbors were Guy Boivin and Robert Boulay. He hired them "to help him build a house to be finished within one year from this day."
Each year, on the Feast of Saint Martin, the 11th of November, he was required to give 20 sols in seignorial rent for each arpent of river frontage, 12 deniers for "cens" and 3 capons chosen by the Seigneur. It is worth noting that, the signatures on the contract, other than those of notary Paul Vachon, are those of Jean Crete, Master Cartwright, of Paul de Rainville, sheriff of Beauport and of the Bishop of Québec himself. Nicolas Audet appears to have been well connected!
As soon as he could, Nicolas busied himself building his house, with the help of his neighbors. The census of 1681 tells us that by then, he had cleared fifteen arpents of land and had acquired 6 animals.
A KING OF THE HEARTH
Having built a house, Nicolas sought to make a home. To this end, he courted Madeleine Després, a young girl of fourteen years. The betrothed appeared before notary Romain Becquet, at Québec, on 30 August 1670 to arrange a contract of marriage.
The future bride was sponsored by "Dame Anne Gagnier, widow of the late Master Jean Bourdon and Elizabeth Étienne." In accordance with the custom of the time, Madeleine would bring Nicolas a dowry, a considerable one it seems. She had saved or acquired 200 livres but also, she would receive "the sum of 50 livres given her by His Majesty, in consideration of her marriage ." In short, these two were hardly poor in material goods.
This help given Madeleine by the king, signifies that, she was alone in Canada, most likely an orphan. We know that she could write. She penned herself as the daughter of François Després and of Madeleine LeGrand, from the Parish of Saint-Sauveur in Paris. This young lady born about 1656, was one of many generous girls, who came to Canada under the protection of the King of France.
At Sainte-Famille, Île d'Orléans, the following 15th of September, the missionary priest, Father Thomas Morel, blessed their union in the presence of the witnesses Pierre Rondeau and Mathurin Dube. (Contract by Becquet, 30 Aug 1670) When Pierre and Mathurin were married the year before, each in turn asked Nicolas to stand up for him, now the favor was being returned.
This marriage brought forth twelve children, nine boys and three girls but, the elder two died young. All were born in the Parish of Sainte-Famille except the youngest three who were born at Saint-Jean, Île d'Orléans. These ten children founded the family line. The following information is available on the Audet children:
1) Nicolas, the first to be named after his father, was born and baptized, on 21 September 1671, at Sainte-Famille, Île d'Orléans but, was not alive at the census in 1681.
2) Nicolas, the second to be named after his father, was born, on 13 September 1672 and baptized eight days later, at Sainte-Famille, Île d'Orléans but, was also not alive at the 1681 census.
3) Pierre was baptized, on July 1674, at Sainte-Famille, Île d'Orléans, and married Marie Dumas, on 3 February 1698, at Saint-Jean. Marie was the daughter of François and Marguerite Foy. Pierre and Marie had eight children, four boys and four girls, all baptized at Saint-Jean.
4) Jean-Baptiste was born, on 17 November 1675 and baptized, on 1 December at Sainte-Famille. He married Marie-Louise Godbout, on 16 April 1708, at Saint-Laurent, Île d'Orléans. The contract for this marriage was notarized by Chambalon, on 25 May 1708. Marie-Louise was the daughter of Nicolas and Angelique Lemelin. Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Louise had eleven children, three boys and eight girls, all baptized at Saint-Jean, Île d'Orléans. Jean-Baptiste died an early death on 12 November 1728, and was buried the following day, at Saint-Jean.
5) Madeleine was born, on 18 September 1677 and baptized eleven days later, at Sainte-Famille. She married Jean Pouliot, on 11 February 1697, at Saint-Jean. The contract had been notarized that same day by Chambalon. Jean was the son of Charles and Françoise Meunier. Madeleine and Jean had nine children, five boys and four girls, all baptized at Saint-Laurent, Île d'Orléans.
6) Joseph was probably born in 1678 since, he was reported to be four years old in the 1681 census. He married Jeanne Pouliot, on 5 November 1703, at Saint-Laurent. The contract for this wedding had been notarized, on 25 October by the senior Jacob. Jeanne was the daughter of Charles and Françoise Meunier. Her brother, Jean, had married Joseph's sister, Madeleine, six years earlier. Joseph and Jeanne had six children, four boys and two girls, all born at Saint-Jean.
7) Nicolas was baptized between July and October of 1680, at Saint-Jean. He married Marie-Louise Chabot, daughter of Mathurin and Marie Mesange, on 15 April 1697, at Saint-Laurent. The contract had been notarized by Chambalon, on 12 February, one day after he notarized the marriage contract for Madeleine and Jean Pouliot. Marie-Louise was the widow of Antoine Pouliot, the brother of Jean, who she had married, on 30 January 1696, also at Saint-Laurent. Antoine died without children, but Marie-Louise and second husband, Nicolas Audet, had nine children, two boys and seven girls, all born at Saint-Laurent.
8) Marie was born, on 28 August 1682 and baptized seven days later, at Saint-Jean. She married Maurice Crepeau, son of Maurice senior and of Marguerite Laverdure, on 6 February 1702, at Saint-Jean. The contract had been notarized, on 27 January by LePailleur. Marie and Maurice had twelve children, seven boys and five girls, all but one was baptized, at Saint-Pierre. The next to the youngest was baptized at L'Ange-Gardien.
9) François was born, on 10 April 1684 and baptized two days later, at Saint-Jean. He married Marguerite Bernard, daughter of Andre and Marie Giton, on 3 June 1709, at Saint-Laurent. The contract was notarized by Chambalon, on 24 May. By 1730, Francois and Marguerite had nine children, six boys and three girls, all baptized at Saint-Laurent.
10) Marguerite was born, on 10 December 1686 and baptized the following day, at Saint-Jean. She married Louis Émery dit Coderre, son of Louis senior and of Marie-Madeleine LeClerc, on 26 August 1722, at Boucherville. The contract had been notarized three days earlier by Tailhandier. By 1725, Marguerite and Louis had two children, a boy and a girl, both baptized at Saint-Sulpice.
11) Innocent was baptized, on 16 April 1689, at Saint-Jean. He married Geneviève Lemelin, daughter of Louis and Marie-Anne Delomay, on 12 November 1710, at Saint-Laurent. The contract had been notarized by Chambalon, on 15 October. Innocent and Geneviève had thirteen children, seven boys and six girls, all baptized at Saint-Jean.
12) Joachim was born, probably, in 1691. He married Louise Roberge, daughter of Pierre and of Marie LeFrançois, on 23 November 1716, at Saint-Laurent. By 1730, Joachim and Louise had nine children, six boys and three girls. The first two were baptized at Saint-Jean, but the rest were all baptized at Boucherville.
It is noted that all were married on the island, except Marguerite. She married Louis Émery dit Coderre at Boucherville., on 26 August 1722. It is believed that she followed her brother, Joachim there, after the death of her parents when, he and Louise Roberge moved there with their young family.
In 1689, old Nicolas fell gravely ill, a situation from which, he never fully recovered. He was hospitalized for 19 consecutive days in the heat of the August summer and in September, he spent 26 more days under the care of the nursing sisters, at the Hotel-Dieu in Québec. He had always worked his farm with stubborn tenacity but, no more would he be active.
He had seen the marriage of three of his children, Nicolas, Pierre and Madeleine, but that left seven children at home, to be cared for by the strong arms of his wife, alone. But, he could still plan ahead and on 9 July 1696, he acquired yet another concession. This grant of land was three arpents of river frontage, some distance to the west of his own place. On 2 August 1698, he gave this land to his son Jean-Baptiste.
There were so many things yet to be done but, the bell tolled for Nicolas when he was fifty-nine years old. He was buried, on 10 December 1700 in the cemetery, at Saint-Jean where, his headstone bore the surname Lapointe. His widow passed on her inheritance, by donation to her son Joseph.
An inventory of the belongings of old Nicolas was made by notary Etienne Jacob, on 27 September 1706. It recorded seventy-five arpents of usable land, a nearby new house, measuring eighteen by twenty-four feet, a shed and a stable.
Madeleine Després survived her husband for twelve years, and at her death, children Joachim and Marguerite were still unmarried. She was buried beside him, on 19 December 1712 at the age of fifty-six.
POSTHUMOUS GLORIES
The Audets truly could be called a religious family. For 150 years, they gave hundreds of priests and other religious devotees to the Roman Catholic Church of Canada.
FAMILY NAME VARIATIONS
Adatte, Adote, Adotte, Aude, Audette, Audy, Belhumeur, Cocuret, Debailleul, Hode, Lapoint, Lapointe, O'Day, Oday, Odet, Odette, Oudy, Ouelette, Owdet, Piercot, Pierre-Cot, and Simon.
This biography was taken from "Our French-Canadian Ancestors" by Thomas J. Laforest; Volume 1, Chapter3, Page 23 ®4206
"dit" Names etc. by Rita Elise Plourde
" There are two reasons why there are so many variant spellings of some names.
" First: most of the citizens of the 1600-1800 were illiterate. Of these, a precious few could sign their names. However, the priests, seminarians, missionaries, monks & nuns were the most educated groups in the citizenry. Only an elite few were educated beyond what we, today, would consider a basic elementary education.
" Consequently, many of the clerics & notaries, who under the French system of administration were charged with recording "vital statistics" wrote the names as they knew them to be in France, as a precious few of the immigrants/colonists signed them, or as they heard them (phonetically).
" That is why one sees Garau, Garrault, Gareau, Garo, etc... even amongst the sons of a particular ancestor. A good example are the descendants of Louis Houde...some of the variant spellings found are: Houd, Houle, Ould, Houde, Hood, etc.
" The second reason for variant spellings is: As the colonists migrated within Nouvelle France/New France & eventually beyond the areas of French-speaking Canada ( ex. to current-day USA, the Caribbean, the West Indies, etc.) recorders of "vital statistics" who were not French speakers, usually spelled names phonetically, or changed them because they didn't have a clue how to write them. (Ex. Rochefort became Rushfort in the Carolinas, Champagne became Shampang, Thibodeaux became Thibodo, or Tibodo. LeBrun was changed to Brown & Leblanc to White, etc. etc.)
" The "dit" names have an interesting origin. The English translation of "dit" is "said". The Colonists of Nouvelle France added "dit" names as distinguishers. A settler might have wanted to differentiate their family from their siblings by taking a "dit" name that described the locale to which they had relocated ( ex: since the Colonists followed the customs of the French feudal system, land was divided amongst the first born sons [primogeniture] . Soon there was not enough land to divide any further.
" Perhaps an adventurous younger son would decide to establish himself, with or without a family, in another area... say a fertile piece of land near some streams... he might add des ruisseaux (streams/creeks/rivulets) to distinguish himself from his brothers. When he married, or died, his name might be listed as Houde dit DesRuisseaux, or Desruisseau(s).
" The acquiring of a "dit" name might also be the result of a casual adoption, whereby the person wanted to honor the family who had raised them. Another reason was also to distinguish themselves by taking as a "dit" name the town or village in France from which they originated... ex: Huret dit Rochefort.
“Il travaille sur la terre de l'éveque Beaupré.
CT 30-08 Becquet) avec Madeleine Després
Selon le Fichier Origine, il est né à Maulais (Deux-Sèvres) France et baptisé à la paroisse St-Pierre, le tout le 12 juillet 1637. (Claude Fontaine)
Son père Innocent est né le 26-03-1614 à Taizé (Notre-Dame), et sa mère Vincende est inhumée à Maulais le 06-10-1644 à l'âge de 35 ans. Deux soeurs et un frère sont baptisés à Maulais (St-Pierre) : Émérence, le 22-11-1634 ; René, le 04-01-1641 et Cibille, le 01-10-1644. Ses grands-parents paternels sont Jehan Audet, meunier à Maranzay, et Andrée Barreau. Ses grand-parents maternels sont tous deux inhumés à Maulais, Pierre Roy le 27-06-1643 (65 ans) et Perrine Boutin le 23 août 1631 (50 ans). Une plaque commémorative a été apposée dans l'église de Maulais le 4 octobre 1992. (Fichier Origine, Jean-Marie Germe et Guy St-Hilaire)
UNE SOIGNEUSE RECHERCHE DE MONSIEUR GUY SAINT-HILAIRE TIRANT PROFIT DES ACTES NOTARIÉS RELATIFS À CETTE FAMILLE A PERMIS DE TIRER AU CLAIR LE NOMBRE ET LES DATES DE NAISSANCE DES ENFANTS DE CE COUPLE ET DE CORRIGER DES DES ERREURS PUBLIÉES À LEUR SUJET. SOURCE: MSGCF, 59-3, CAHIER 257, AUTOMNE 2008, PP. 199-217 (PRDH Union)
Marriage or Union
Nicolas at 33 & Madeleine at 15
15 September 1670
Ste-Famille, Île d'Orléans
Canada
Source: Ste-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans 1666-1679, image 60 de 82” ®4166
His godfather was Damien Doré and his godmother was Nicolle Charron. ®4207
The settlement of what was to become Quebec City occurred when Samuel de Champlain and his men arrived on 3 July 1608. From 1629 to 1632 the settlement was occupied by the English, and many of the French left. The settlement remained small with only 17 families and Champlain and his wife Helen being residents when Champlain died in 1635. By 1666 only 3215 Europeans lived in the entirety of Canada.
Nicolas Audet was the first settler of the family in Quebec; he came to Canada in 1663. He was confirmed on 23 March 1664 at Quebec City. He worked for Bishop Laval, first at the Saint-Joachim farm near Cap-Tourmente in 1666, then as a caretaker at the bishopric and seignorial manor in Quebec City in 1668. In return for his services, Bishop Laval granted him land on the Ile D’Orleans on 22 June 1667. Madeleine Després was one of the "Filles du Roi”; she arrived in 1670 and they were married shortly after her arrival. He could not write as she had to sign their marriage contract. They settled at Sainte-Famille, Ile d’Orleans, then about 1679 moved to St. Jean, Ile d’Orleans, where they both died and were buried.
Nicolas Audet was born, about 1641. He was the son of Innocent Audet and Vincente Reine (Roy), of Saint-Pierre-Maille, in the diocese of Poitiers. The surnames Audet and Lapointe originated, naturally enough, in France. The story is that, three families of Audets lived in the same area that formed a triangle and to tell one family of Audets from another, "dit Lapointe" was added to the same because, they lived at the "point" of this area.
We know that, Nicolas came to Canada before 1664 because, there is a record of his confirmation at Québec on March 23 of that year.
Poitiers is a town in Poitou; that beautiful and bountiful Province of France where wheat is grown, the vine is cultivated and many varieties of fruit are raised. It is wooded country, yet covered by excellent pasture-land . In this province, Charles Martel repulsed the Saracens and Clovis battled the Goths.
Just about all of the colonists, who came from France in the 17th century, started in one of three ways: by working for the government, by working for a religious order, or by working for one of the more prosperous landowners. Nicolas seems to have been taken under the wing of Monseigneur François de Laval, Bishop of Québec. In the census of 1666, we find him working on the farm owned by the Bishop, at Saint-Joachim, nearby Cape Tourmente. Two years later, he was still working for the Bishop, as a porter in the lordly Château of Québec. Confirmation of this comes through an act of Notary Pierre Duquet, which records: "Today, at the entrance gate of the estate, Sieur Jean Madry rang a little bell, in response to which, he was met by Nicolas Audet, porter of the Château. After admitting him, Audet went to inform his master, the Bishop."
For more than four years, Nicolas worked in service for others, earning his way. In preparing for his future, he was counting more on savings than on credit.
THE SETTLER
Nicolas Audet, the porter, decided to become a settler, on the Île d'Orléans, just opposite the Beaupré coast. On 22 June 1667, he received a concession from the Bishop "of three arpents of land fronting the Saint Lawrence River and running Southward......" His grant was in the Parish of Saint-Famille, from which, the Parish of Saint-Jean was later formed. (now lots 192 and 193, Cadastre of the parish of St. Jean de l'Ile d'Orleans). His neighbors were Guy Boivin and Robert Boulay. He hired them "to help him build a house to be finished within one year from this day."
Each year, on the Feast of Saint Martin, the 11th of November, he was required to give 20 sols in seignorial rent for each arpent of river frontage, 12 deniers for "cens" and 3 capons chosen by the Seigneur. It is worth noting that, the signatures on the contract, other than those of notary Paul Vachon, are those of Jean Crete, Master Cartwright, of Paul de Rainville, sheriff of Beauport and of the Bishop of Québec himself. Nicolas Audet appears to have been well connected!
As soon as he could, Nicolas busied himself building his house, with the help of his neighbors. The census of 1681 tells us that by then, he had cleared fifteen arpents of land and had acquired 6 animals.
A KING OF THE HEARTH
Having built a house, Nicolas sought to make a home. To this end, he courted Madeleine Després, a young girl of fourteen years. The betrothed appeared before notary Romain Becquet, at Québec, on 30 August 1670 to arrange a contract of marriage.
The future bride was sponsored by "Dame Anne Gagnier, widow of the late Master Jean Bourdon and Elizabeth Étienne." In accordance with the custom of the time, Madeleine would bring Nicolas a dowry, a considerable one it seems. She had saved or acquired 200 livres but also, she would receive "the sum of 50 livres given her by His Majesty, in consideration of her marriage ." In short, these two were hardly poor in material goods.
This help given Madeleine by the king, signifies that, she was alone in Canada, most likely an orphan. We know that she could write. She penned herself as the daughter of François Després and of Madeleine LeGrand, from the Parish of Saint-Sauveur in Paris. This young lady born about 1656, was one of many generous girls, who came to Canada under the protection of the King of France.
At Sainte-Famille, Île d'Orléans, the following 15th of September, the missionary priest, Father Thomas Morel, blessed their union in the presence of the witnesses Pierre Rondeau and Mathurin Dube. (Contract by Becquet, 30 Aug 1670) When Pierre and Mathurin were married the year before, each in turn asked Nicolas to stand up for him, now the favor was being returned.
This marriage brought forth twelve children, nine boys and three girls but, the elder two died young. All were born in the Parish of Sainte-Famille except the youngest three who were born at Saint-Jean, Île d'Orléans. These ten children founded the family line. The following information is available on the Audet children:
1) Nicolas, the first to be named after his father, was born and baptized, on 21 September 1671, at Sainte-Famille, Île d'Orléans but, was not alive at the census in 1681.
2) Nicolas, the second to be named after his father, was born, on 13 September 1672 and baptized eight days later, at Sainte-Famille, Île d'Orléans but, was also not alive at the 1681 census.
3) Pierre was baptized, on July 1674, at Sainte-Famille, Île d'Orléans, and married Marie Dumas, on 3 February 1698, at Saint-Jean. Marie was the daughter of François and Marguerite Foy. Pierre and Marie had eight children, four boys and four girls, all baptized at Saint-Jean.
4) Jean-Baptiste was born, on 17 November 1675 and baptized, on 1 December at Sainte-Famille. He married Marie-Louise Godbout, on 16 April 1708, at Saint-Laurent, Île d'Orléans. The contract for this marriage was notarized by Chambalon, on 25 May 1708. Marie-Louise was the daughter of Nicolas and Angelique Lemelin. Jean-Baptiste and Marie-Louise had eleven children, three boys and eight girls, all baptized at Saint-Jean, Île d'Orléans. Jean-Baptiste died an early death on 12 November 1728, and was buried the following day, at Saint-Jean.
5) Madeleine was born, on 18 September 1677 and baptized eleven days later, at Sainte-Famille. She married Jean Pouliot, on 11 February 1697, at Saint-Jean. The contract had been notarized that same day by Chambalon. Jean was the son of Charles and Françoise Meunier. Madeleine and Jean had nine children, five boys and four girls, all baptized at Saint-Laurent, Île d'Orléans.
6) Joseph was probably born in 1678 since, he was reported to be four years old in the 1681 census. He married Jeanne Pouliot, on 5 November 1703, at Saint-Laurent. The contract for this wedding had been notarized, on 25 October by the senior Jacob. Jeanne was the daughter of Charles and Françoise Meunier. Her brother, Jean, had married Joseph's sister, Madeleine, six years earlier. Joseph and Jeanne had six children, four boys and two girls, all born at Saint-Jean.
7) Nicolas was baptized between July and October of 1680, at Saint-Jean. He married Marie-Louise Chabot, daughter of Mathurin and Marie Mesange, on 15 April 1697, at Saint-Laurent. The contract had been notarized by Chambalon, on 12 February, one day after he notarized the marriage contract for Madeleine and Jean Pouliot. Marie-Louise was the widow of Antoine Pouliot, the brother of Jean, who she had married, on 30 January 1696, also at Saint-Laurent. Antoine died without children, but Marie-Louise and second husband, Nicolas Audet, had nine children, two boys and seven girls, all born at Saint-Laurent.
8) Marie was born, on 28 August 1682 and baptized seven days later, at Saint-Jean. She married Maurice Crepeau, son of Maurice senior and of Marguerite Laverdure, on 6 February 1702, at Saint-Jean. The contract had been notarized, on 27 January by LePailleur. Marie and Maurice had twelve children, seven boys and five girls, all but one was baptized, at Saint-Pierre. The next to the youngest was baptized at L'Ange-Gardien.
9) François was born, on 10 April 1684 and baptized two days later, at Saint-Jean. He married Marguerite Bernard, daughter of Andre and Marie Giton, on 3 June 1709, at Saint-Laurent. The contract was notarized by Chambalon, on 24 May. By 1730, Francois and Marguerite had nine children, six boys and three girls, all baptized at Saint-Laurent.
10) Marguerite was born, on 10 December 1686 and baptized the following day, at Saint-Jean. She married Louis Émery dit Coderre, son of Louis senior and of Marie-Madeleine LeClerc, on 26 August 1722, at Boucherville. The contract had been notarized three days earlier by Tailhandier. By 1725, Marguerite and Louis had two children, a boy and a girl, both baptized at Saint-Sulpice.
11) Innocent was baptized, on 16 April 1689, at Saint-Jean. He married Geneviève Lemelin, daughter of Louis and Marie-Anne Delomay, on 12 November 1710, at Saint-Laurent. The contract had been notarized by Chambalon, on 15 October. Innocent and Geneviève had thirteen children, seven boys and six girls, all baptized at Saint-Jean.
12) Joachim was born, probably, in 1691. He married Louise Roberge, daughter of Pierre and of Marie LeFrançois, on 23 November 1716, at Saint-Laurent. By 1730, Joachim and Louise had nine children, six boys and three girls. The first two were baptized at Saint-Jean, but the rest were all baptized at Boucherville.
It is noted that all were married on the island, except Marguerite. She married Louis Émery dit Coderre at Boucherville., on 26 August 1722. It is believed that she followed her brother, Joachim there, after the death of her parents when, he and Louise Roberge moved there with their young family.
In 1689, old Nicolas fell gravely ill, a situation from which, he never fully recovered. He was hospitalized for 19 consecutive days in the heat of the August summer and in September, he spent 26 more days under the care of the nursing sisters, at the Hotel-Dieu in Québec. He had always worked his farm with stubborn tenacity but, no more would he be active.
He had seen the marriage of three of his children, Nicolas, Pierre and Madeleine, but that left seven children at home, to be cared for by the strong arms of his wife, alone. But, he could still plan ahead and on 9 July 1696, he acquired yet another concession. This grant of land was three arpents of river frontage, some distance to the west of his own place. On 2 August 1698, he gave this land to his son Jean-Baptiste.
There were so many things yet to be done but, the bell tolled for Nicolas when he was fifty-nine years old. He was buried, on 10 December 1700 in the cemetery, at Saint-Jean where, his headstone bore the surname Lapointe. His widow passed on her inheritance, by donation to her son Joseph.
An inventory of the belongings of old Nicolas was made by notary Etienne Jacob, on 27 September 1706. It recorded seventy-five arpents of usable land, a nearby new house, measuring eighteen by twenty-four feet, a shed and a stable.
Madeleine Després survived her husband for twelve years, and at her death, children Joachim and Marguerite were still unmarried. She was buried beside him, on 19 December 1712 at the age of fifty-six.
POSTHUMOUS GLORIES
The Audets truly could be called a religious family. For 150 years, they gave hundreds of priests and other religious devotees to the Roman Catholic Church of Canada.
FAMILY NAME VARIATIONS
Adatte, Adote, Adotte, Aude, Audette, Audy, Belhumeur, Cocuret, Debailleul, Hode, Lapoint, Lapointe, O'Day, Oday, Odet, Odette, Oudy, Ouelette, Owdet, Piercot, Pierre-Cot, and Simon.
This biography was taken from "Our French-Canadian Ancestors" by Thomas J. Laforest; Volume 1, Chapter3, Page 23 ®4206
"dit" Names etc. by Rita Elise Plourde
" There are two reasons why there are so many variant spellings of some names.
" First: most of the citizens of the 1600-1800 were illiterate. Of these, a precious few could sign their names. However, the priests, seminarians, missionaries, monks & nuns were the most educated groups in the citizenry. Only an elite few were educated beyond what we, today, would consider a basic elementary education.
" Consequently, many of the clerics & notaries, who under the French system of administration were charged with recording "vital statistics" wrote the names as they knew them to be in France, as a precious few of the immigrants/colonists signed them, or as they heard them (phonetically).
" That is why one sees Garau, Garrault, Gareau, Garo, etc... even amongst the sons of a particular ancestor. A good example are the descendants of Louis Houde...some of the variant spellings found are: Houd, Houle, Ould, Houde, Hood, etc.
" The second reason for variant spellings is: As the colonists migrated within Nouvelle France/New France & eventually beyond the areas of French-speaking Canada ( ex. to current-day USA, the Caribbean, the West Indies, etc.) recorders of "vital statistics" who were not French speakers, usually spelled names phonetically, or changed them because they didn't have a clue how to write them. (Ex. Rochefort became Rushfort in the Carolinas, Champagne became Shampang, Thibodeaux became Thibodo, or Tibodo. LeBrun was changed to Brown & Leblanc to White, etc. etc.)
" The "dit" names have an interesting origin. The English translation of "dit" is "said". The Colonists of Nouvelle France added "dit" names as distinguishers. A settler might have wanted to differentiate their family from their siblings by taking a "dit" name that described the locale to which they had relocated ( ex: since the Colonists followed the customs of the French feudal system, land was divided amongst the first born sons [primogeniture] . Soon there was not enough land to divide any further.
" Perhaps an adventurous younger son would decide to establish himself, with or without a family, in another area... say a fertile piece of land near some streams... he might add des ruisseaux (streams/creeks/rivulets) to distinguish himself from his brothers. When he married, or died, his name might be listed as Houde dit DesRuisseaux, or Desruisseau(s).
" The acquiring of a "dit" name might also be the result of a casual adoption, whereby the person wanted to honor the family who had raised them. Another reason was also to distinguish themselves by taking as a "dit" name the town or village in France from which they originated... ex: Huret dit Rochefort.
“Il travaille sur la terre de l'éveque Beaupré.
CT 30-08 Becquet) avec Madeleine Després
Selon le Fichier Origine, il est né à Maulais (Deux-Sèvres) France et baptisé à la paroisse St-Pierre, le tout le 12 juillet 1637. (Claude Fontaine)
Son père Innocent est né le 26-03-1614 à Taizé (Notre-Dame), et sa mère Vincende est inhumée à Maulais le 06-10-1644 à l'âge de 35 ans. Deux soeurs et un frère sont baptisés à Maulais (St-Pierre) : Émérence, le 22-11-1634 ; René, le 04-01-1641 et Cibille, le 01-10-1644. Ses grands-parents paternels sont Jehan Audet, meunier à Maranzay, et Andrée Barreau. Ses grand-parents maternels sont tous deux inhumés à Maulais, Pierre Roy le 27-06-1643 (65 ans) et Perrine Boutin le 23 août 1631 (50 ans). Une plaque commémorative a été apposée dans l'église de Maulais le 4 octobre 1992. (Fichier Origine, Jean-Marie Germe et Guy St-Hilaire)
UNE SOIGNEUSE RECHERCHE DE MONSIEUR GUY SAINT-HILAIRE TIRANT PROFIT DES ACTES NOTARIÉS RELATIFS À CETTE FAMILLE A PERMIS DE TIRER AU CLAIR LE NOMBRE ET LES DATES DE NAISSANCE DES ENFANTS DE CE COUPLE ET DE CORRIGER DES DES ERREURS PUBLIÉES À LEUR SUJET. SOURCE: MSGCF, 59-3, CAHIER 257, AUTOMNE 2008, PP. 199-217 (PRDH Union)
Marriage or Union
Nicolas at 33 & Madeleine at 15
15 September 1670
Ste-Famille, Île d'Orléans
Canada
Source: Ste-Famille-de-l'île-d'Orléans 1666-1679, image 60 de 82” ®4166
Research
An inventory of the belongings of her late husband Nicolas was made by notary Etienne Jacob, on 27 September 1706 ( six years after his death?)
Nicolas married Magdeleine Despres on 15 Sep 1670 in St. Famille, Boucherville, Chambly, Quebec, Canada,
daughter of Francois Depres and Magdeleine Le Grand. Magdeleine was born in 1656 in St. Sauveur, Paris,
France and died on 19 Dec 1712 in St. Jean, Quebec, Canada at age 56.
Children from this marriage were:
+ 2 M i. Joachim-Francois Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 27 Oct 1680 and died before 1754.
3 F ii. Madeleine Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 29 Sep 1677.
+ 4 M iii. Nicolas Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 21 Sep 1672 and died on 24 Oct 1751 in St. Frsdu-
sud, Canada at age 79.
+ 5 M iv. Pierre Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 22 Jun 1674 in St. Famille, Boucherville, Chambly,
Quebec, Canada and died in 1727 at age 53.
+ 6 M v. Jean-Baptiste Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 1 Dec 1675.
7 F vi. Marguerite Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 11 Dec 1686.
Marguerite married Louis-Emery Coderre on 26 Aug 1722 in Boucherville, Chambly,
Quebec, Canada.
8 F vii. Marie Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 4 Sep 1682.
Marie married Maurice Crepeau on 6 Feb 1702.
+ 9 M viii. Francois Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 12 Apr 1684 in St. Jean, Quebec, Canada.
+ 10 M ix. Innocent Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 11 Apr 1689.
+ 11 M x. Joseph Audet Dit Lapointe was born circa 1678 and died in 1733 at age 55.
12 F xi. Genevieve Audet Dit Lapointe was born in 1694.
Genevieve married Gentien Morisser.
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=rdowd&id=I1820
Nicolas married Magdeleine Despres on 15 Sep 1670 in St. Famille, Boucherville, Chambly, Quebec, Canada,
daughter of Francois Depres and Magdeleine Le Grand. Magdeleine was born in 1656 in St. Sauveur, Paris,
France and died on 19 Dec 1712 in St. Jean, Quebec, Canada at age 56.
Children from this marriage were:
+ 2 M i. Joachim-Francois Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 27 Oct 1680 and died before 1754.
3 F ii. Madeleine Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 29 Sep 1677.
+ 4 M iii. Nicolas Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 21 Sep 1672 and died on 24 Oct 1751 in St. Frsdu-
sud, Canada at age 79.
+ 5 M iv. Pierre Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 22 Jun 1674 in St. Famille, Boucherville, Chambly,
Quebec, Canada and died in 1727 at age 53.
+ 6 M v. Jean-Baptiste Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 1 Dec 1675.
7 F vi. Marguerite Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 11 Dec 1686.
Marguerite married Louis-Emery Coderre on 26 Aug 1722 in Boucherville, Chambly,
Quebec, Canada.
8 F vii. Marie Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 4 Sep 1682.
Marie married Maurice Crepeau on 6 Feb 1702.
+ 9 M viii. Francois Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 12 Apr 1684 in St. Jean, Quebec, Canada.
+ 10 M ix. Innocent Audet Dit Lapointe was born on 11 Apr 1689.
+ 11 M x. Joseph Audet Dit Lapointe was born circa 1678 and died in 1733 at age 55.
12 F xi. Genevieve Audet Dit Lapointe was born in 1694.
Genevieve married Gentien Morisser.
http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=rdowd&id=I1820
Spouses
MemoParish Saint-Sauver
FlagsImmigrant Ancestor
FatherFrançois DESPRÉS (ca1625->1656)
MotherMadeleine LEGRAND (ca1625->1656)
Misc. Notes
“fille de François et de Madeleine Le Grand, de St. Sauveur, èveche de Paris” ®2787
She was one of the 768 "Filles du Roi” or Founding Mothers of New France (see below for the history), who came to Canada in 1670 at about age 17, bringing with her goods worth an estimated 200 livres for her dowry. Anne Gasnier and Elisabeth Estienne were responsible for those so-called "Girls of the King". She signed the marriage contract drawn up on 30 August by the notary Becquet, but her husband could not read or write and could not sign the contract. She received the King’s Gift of 50 livres upon their marriage. An inventory of the belongings of her late husband Nicolas was made by notary Etienne Jacob, on 27 September 1706 ( six years after his death?). It recorded seventy-five arpents of usable land, a nearby new house, measuring eighteen by twenty-four feet, a shed and a stable. Madeleine Després survived her husband for twelve years, and at her death, children Joachim and Marguerite were still unmarried. She died after three days of illness. She passed on her inheritance, by donation to her son Joseph. ®4206 She was buried beside Nicolas on 19 December 1712 at the age of fifty-six.
IMMIGRATION: 1670, Fille du Roi; at age 17, bringing with her goods worth an estimated 200 livres for her dowry. Received the King's Gift of 50 livres.
Marie married Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe, son of Innocent Audet dit Lapointe and Vicente Renée Roy, on 15 Sep 1670 in Ste-Famille, Île d'Orléans, Québec, Canada.1 2 3 (Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe was baptized on 12 Jul 1637 in St Pierre de Maulais, Poitiers, Poitou, France,1, died on 9 Dec 1700 in St-Jean, Île d'Orléans, Québec, Canada 1 and was buried on 10 Dec 1700 in St-Jean, Île d'Orléans, Québec, Canada 1 3.)
Marriage Events:
• Marriage Contract, 30 Aug 1670. Notary Becquet
Marriage Notes:
Nicolas and Madeleine had 122 descendants as of 31 Dec 1729. 4
Sources
1 Gagné, Peter J., King's Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi, 1663-1673 (Pawtucket, RI: Quinton Publications, 2001), page 215.
2 Institut Drouin, Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760 (AFGS 1968), page 31.
3 Tanguay, Cyprien, Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Canadiennes, Vol 1, 1608-1700 (Global Heritage Press, 2001 with permission of la Société généalogique Canadienne-Française), page 17.
4 Gagné, Peter J., King's Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi, 1663-1673 (Pawtucket, RI: Quinton Publications, 2001), page 595.
Les Filles du Roi
The French term "Filles du Roi" translates literally as "the daughters of the King." Between 700 and perhaps 1,000 young, single women traveled to Quebec City, Trois Rivières, and Montréal from 1663 to 1673 as a part of a program managed by the Jesuits and funded by King Louis XIV. These hardy immigrant women married and raised families. In fact, many of them raised large families in the tradition of the day. Many of their sons and daughters went on to also have large families, and so on and so forth for generations. As a result, millions of living people are descended from this group of pioneer women.
In the mid-1600s, most of the people arriving in what was then called New France were young French men intent on farming or fur trapping. Relatively few women traveled to the new land, which created a problem for these young men: there were very few women of marrying age. As if the farmers and fur trappers didn't have enough competition finding wives, King Louis XIV sent almost 1,200 soldiers of the Carignan-Salières regiment to Québec in 1665 to fight the Iroquois Indians, who were aggressive and killed many settlers. The soldiers were deployed at strategic points of the territory to defend the colony and its residents. The regiment was successful, and a peace treaty with the Iroquois was signed on 10 July 1667. The Regiment then returned to France but left behind 400 soldiers and officers, aged between 19 and 30, who all agreed to remain in the country as settlers. With an additional 400 young men added to the colony, the marriage problems worsened. Jean Talon, intendant of New France, carried out the colony's first census. He recorded that the population was a bit more than 3,000, with 719 unmarried males and only 45 unmarried females living in the colony. This did not bode well for the future of the settlement. In the custom of the day, the oldest daughter of a family in France received as large a dowry as possible from her parents to improve her chances of marriage. Dowries often included furniture, household articles, silver, land, or other inherited goods. Younger daughters of the same family typically received smaller dowries. Daughters of impoverished families often received no dowry at all, which reduced their chances of finding a suitable mate. These younger daughters were prime candidates for an opportunity in the New World. Starting in 1663, the French government recruited eligible young French women who were willing to travel to New France to find husbands. The King of France offered to pay for transportation to New France of any eligible young woman. He also offered a dowry for each, to be awarded upon her marriage to a young Frenchman. Each woman's dowry typically consisted of 1 chest, 1 taffeta kerchief, 1 ribbon for shoes, 100 needles, 1 comb, 1 spool of white thread, 1 pair of stockings, 1 pair of gloves, 1 pair of scissors, 2 knives, about 1,000 pins, 1 bonnet, 4 laces, and 2 silver livres (French coins). Many also received chickens, pigs, and other livestock. Because the King of France paid the dowries instead of the parents, these women were referred to as the "Daughters of the King," or "Filles du Roi."
Their travels must have been difficult. In 1664, the Conseil Souverain reported to the French minister for the colonies, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, that sixty of the 300 people who embarked at La Rochelle the previous year had died at sea before reaching New France.
In France Madame Bourdon was made responsible for one hundred and fifty girls whom the king sent to New France in vessels from Normandy. She wrote that the young women in her charge gave her plenty of exercise during such a long voyage since they were of all kinds and conditions. Some were very badly brought up and very difficult to handle. Others were better bred and gave Mme. Bourdon more satisfaction.
There are many contradictory stories about the origins of these women. Some stories claim that they were mostly prostitutes who were forced onto ships in French harbors and sent to New France against their will. Other stories claim that these women were mostly recruited by Jesuits who insisted upon accepting only women of the finest moral character. The truth is probably somewhere between these two extremes. About 40 Daughters, called Daughters of Quality (filles de qualité), were from wealthy upper class families and had dowries of over 2000 French pounds. Several of the Daughters of Quality have provable descents from royalty. On 27 October 1667, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Quebec intendant Jean Talon confirmed the recent arrival of the first young ladies. Jean Talon wrote: “Instead of the 50 that your despatch had me hope for, 84 young girls were sent from Dieppe and 25 from La Rochelle. There are fifteen or twenty from quite good families; several are real young ladies and quite well brought up…” The vast majority of the group was of French origin, although there were girls of other nationalities as well. According to the records of Marie de l' Incarnation, who knew many of these women, there were among them one Moor, one Portuguese, one German, and one Dutch woman. Those who arrived safely usually found husbands within a few weeks. In fact, there are records of some of the young women marrying within days after their arrival in New France. Since many of them produced large families, hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of people in North America today can find one or more of these young women in their family tree.
An alphabetical listing of all the Filles du Roi and their husbands is available on the Encyclopedia of Genealogy at: http://www.eogen.com/FillesduRoi
You can find a lot more information about the Filles du Roi on the World Wide Web. Some of the better sites include the following list:
In English:
A Scattering of Seeds: The Creation of Canada: http://www.whitepinepictures.com/seeds/i/12/sidebar.html
Museum of New France – Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation: http://www.civilization.ca/vmnf/popul/filles/s-fil-en.htm
An essay by Peter Gagné on Quintin Publications' Web site: http://www.quintinpublications.com/fdr_intro.pdf
La Société des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan at http://www.fillesduroi.org/
In French:
Les Filles du Roi by Bob Way at: http://pages.infinit.net/jcstd/frintro.html
Les Filles du Roi at Mouvement estrien pour le français: http://www.mef.qc.ca/filles_du_roi.htm
Les Filles du Roi at http://perso.wanadoo.fr/alain.perron/fillesduroy.htm
Memoire de Sieur Jean Talon at: http://www.mcq.org/histoire/filles_du_roi/
A chart of the origins of the young women may be found at The Musée de la civilization and the Musée de l'Amérique française: http://www.mcq.org/histoire/filles_du_roi/plan.html
If you do not read or speak French, the above sites can be translated into English by using the machine-generated translation services available at Google and at AltaVista. The results will be grammatically incorrect and even humorous at times, but still quite readable.
“Partner
ID No: 6405
Firstname: Madeleine
Name: Despres
Gender: F
Occupation:
Born: 1655 about
Parish/City: St-Sauveur, Paris
Country: France
Death: 18 December 1712 - Age: 57
Parish/City: St-Jean, Île d'Orléans
Country: Canada
Burial / Source décès 18-12-1712
sépulture 19-12-17112 St-Jean, I.O. PRDH Union
Information, Other Kids, Notes etc.
Elle n'est pas la mère de Genevieve Simon
(CT 30-08 Becquet) avec Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe
Fille de François et Madeleine LeGrand” ®4166
According to the American-French Genealogical Society website, most people who can trace their ancestry to Canada are descended from one of the 800 women who settled there as part of a program that began in 1663. This program was called “les Filles du Roi,” or “the King’s Daughters.” King Louis XIV, who sponsored the program, sent about 800 women, of lower status, to New France to help populate the area and encourage others to settle there. It was a program that encouraged marriage, family, and, of course, having children. In fact, after marriage, each family would receive an annual stipend depending on the number of children produced, with 10 being the goal! This was not the only program that sent women and young girls to New France to marry, but it is the one most well-known in Canadian genealogy. The interesting part of this program was that the King’s Daughters were able to choose a husband. It is said that when the ship carrying the women docked in each port, there were interviews between these women and the men of the town. How amazing that a lower-class woman could choose her husband! I can only imagine the questions that might be asked: “Do you have any livestock?” “How large is your house?” “What is your occupation?” I think, above all, these women wanted someone to care for them, in this new land to which they were unaccustomed – what else would they ask? It is remarkable that those of us who are of French-Canadian descent can trace our ancestry back to these 800 brave women, who sailed to New France, docked at each port, interviewed a future spouse, and chose their future in seconds. Not common for a female in the mid-seventeenth century!
[1] Daughters of the King List of Names.
She was one of the 768 "Filles du Roi” or Founding Mothers of New France (see below for the history), who came to Canada in 1670 at about age 17, bringing with her goods worth an estimated 200 livres for her dowry. Anne Gasnier and Elisabeth Estienne were responsible for those so-called "Girls of the King". She signed the marriage contract drawn up on 30 August by the notary Becquet, but her husband could not read or write and could not sign the contract. She received the King’s Gift of 50 livres upon their marriage. An inventory of the belongings of her late husband Nicolas was made by notary Etienne Jacob, on 27 September 1706 ( six years after his death?). It recorded seventy-five arpents of usable land, a nearby new house, measuring eighteen by twenty-four feet, a shed and a stable. Madeleine Després survived her husband for twelve years, and at her death, children Joachim and Marguerite were still unmarried. She died after three days of illness. She passed on her inheritance, by donation to her son Joseph. ®4206 She was buried beside Nicolas on 19 December 1712 at the age of fifty-six.
IMMIGRATION: 1670, Fille du Roi; at age 17, bringing with her goods worth an estimated 200 livres for her dowry. Received the King's Gift of 50 livres.
Marie married Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe, son of Innocent Audet dit Lapointe and Vicente Renée Roy, on 15 Sep 1670 in Ste-Famille, Île d'Orléans, Québec, Canada.1 2 3 (Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe was baptized on 12 Jul 1637 in St Pierre de Maulais, Poitiers, Poitou, France,1, died on 9 Dec 1700 in St-Jean, Île d'Orléans, Québec, Canada 1 and was buried on 10 Dec 1700 in St-Jean, Île d'Orléans, Québec, Canada 1 3.)
Marriage Events:
• Marriage Contract, 30 Aug 1670. Notary Becquet
Marriage Notes:
Nicolas and Madeleine had 122 descendants as of 31 Dec 1729. 4
Sources
1 Gagné, Peter J., King's Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi, 1663-1673 (Pawtucket, RI: Quinton Publications, 2001), page 215.
2 Institut Drouin, Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760 (AFGS 1968), page 31.
3 Tanguay, Cyprien, Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Canadiennes, Vol 1, 1608-1700 (Global Heritage Press, 2001 with permission of la Société généalogique Canadienne-Française), page 17.
4 Gagné, Peter J., King's Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi, 1663-1673 (Pawtucket, RI: Quinton Publications, 2001), page 595.
Les Filles du Roi
The French term "Filles du Roi" translates literally as "the daughters of the King." Between 700 and perhaps 1,000 young, single women traveled to Quebec City, Trois Rivières, and Montréal from 1663 to 1673 as a part of a program managed by the Jesuits and funded by King Louis XIV. These hardy immigrant women married and raised families. In fact, many of them raised large families in the tradition of the day. Many of their sons and daughters went on to also have large families, and so on and so forth for generations. As a result, millions of living people are descended from this group of pioneer women.
In the mid-1600s, most of the people arriving in what was then called New France were young French men intent on farming or fur trapping. Relatively few women traveled to the new land, which created a problem for these young men: there were very few women of marrying age. As if the farmers and fur trappers didn't have enough competition finding wives, King Louis XIV sent almost 1,200 soldiers of the Carignan-Salières regiment to Québec in 1665 to fight the Iroquois Indians, who were aggressive and killed many settlers. The soldiers were deployed at strategic points of the territory to defend the colony and its residents. The regiment was successful, and a peace treaty with the Iroquois was signed on 10 July 1667. The Regiment then returned to France but left behind 400 soldiers and officers, aged between 19 and 30, who all agreed to remain in the country as settlers. With an additional 400 young men added to the colony, the marriage problems worsened. Jean Talon, intendant of New France, carried out the colony's first census. He recorded that the population was a bit more than 3,000, with 719 unmarried males and only 45 unmarried females living in the colony. This did not bode well for the future of the settlement. In the custom of the day, the oldest daughter of a family in France received as large a dowry as possible from her parents to improve her chances of marriage. Dowries often included furniture, household articles, silver, land, or other inherited goods. Younger daughters of the same family typically received smaller dowries. Daughters of impoverished families often received no dowry at all, which reduced their chances of finding a suitable mate. These younger daughters were prime candidates for an opportunity in the New World. Starting in 1663, the French government recruited eligible young French women who were willing to travel to New France to find husbands. The King of France offered to pay for transportation to New France of any eligible young woman. He also offered a dowry for each, to be awarded upon her marriage to a young Frenchman. Each woman's dowry typically consisted of 1 chest, 1 taffeta kerchief, 1 ribbon for shoes, 100 needles, 1 comb, 1 spool of white thread, 1 pair of stockings, 1 pair of gloves, 1 pair of scissors, 2 knives, about 1,000 pins, 1 bonnet, 4 laces, and 2 silver livres (French coins). Many also received chickens, pigs, and other livestock. Because the King of France paid the dowries instead of the parents, these women were referred to as the "Daughters of the King," or "Filles du Roi."
Their travels must have been difficult. In 1664, the Conseil Souverain reported to the French minister for the colonies, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, that sixty of the 300 people who embarked at La Rochelle the previous year had died at sea before reaching New France.
In France Madame Bourdon was made responsible for one hundred and fifty girls whom the king sent to New France in vessels from Normandy. She wrote that the young women in her charge gave her plenty of exercise during such a long voyage since they were of all kinds and conditions. Some were very badly brought up and very difficult to handle. Others were better bred and gave Mme. Bourdon more satisfaction.
There are many contradictory stories about the origins of these women. Some stories claim that they were mostly prostitutes who were forced onto ships in French harbors and sent to New France against their will. Other stories claim that these women were mostly recruited by Jesuits who insisted upon accepting only women of the finest moral character. The truth is probably somewhere between these two extremes. About 40 Daughters, called Daughters of Quality (filles de qualité), were from wealthy upper class families and had dowries of over 2000 French pounds. Several of the Daughters of Quality have provable descents from royalty. On 27 October 1667, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Colbert, Quebec intendant Jean Talon confirmed the recent arrival of the first young ladies. Jean Talon wrote: “Instead of the 50 that your despatch had me hope for, 84 young girls were sent from Dieppe and 25 from La Rochelle. There are fifteen or twenty from quite good families; several are real young ladies and quite well brought up…” The vast majority of the group was of French origin, although there were girls of other nationalities as well. According to the records of Marie de l' Incarnation, who knew many of these women, there were among them one Moor, one Portuguese, one German, and one Dutch woman. Those who arrived safely usually found husbands within a few weeks. In fact, there are records of some of the young women marrying within days after their arrival in New France. Since many of them produced large families, hundreds of thousands - if not millions - of people in North America today can find one or more of these young women in their family tree.
An alphabetical listing of all the Filles du Roi and their husbands is available on the Encyclopedia of Genealogy at: http://www.eogen.com/FillesduRoi
You can find a lot more information about the Filles du Roi on the World Wide Web. Some of the better sites include the following list:
In English:
A Scattering of Seeds: The Creation of Canada: http://www.whitepinepictures.com/seeds/i/12/sidebar.html
Museum of New France – Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation: http://www.civilization.ca/vmnf/popul/filles/s-fil-en.htm
An essay by Peter Gagné on Quintin Publications' Web site: http://www.quintinpublications.com/fdr_intro.pdf
La Société des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan at http://www.fillesduroi.org/
In French:
Les Filles du Roi by Bob Way at: http://pages.infinit.net/jcstd/frintro.html
Les Filles du Roi at Mouvement estrien pour le français: http://www.mef.qc.ca/filles_du_roi.htm
Les Filles du Roi at http://perso.wanadoo.fr/alain.perron/fillesduroy.htm
Memoire de Sieur Jean Talon at: http://www.mcq.org/histoire/filles_du_roi/
A chart of the origins of the young women may be found at The Musée de la civilization and the Musée de l'Amérique française: http://www.mcq.org/histoire/filles_du_roi/plan.html
If you do not read or speak French, the above sites can be translated into English by using the machine-generated translation services available at Google and at AltaVista. The results will be grammatically incorrect and even humorous at times, but still quite readable.
“Partner
ID No: 6405
Firstname: Madeleine
Name: Despres
Gender: F
Occupation:
Born: 1655 about
Parish/City: St-Sauveur, Paris
Country: France
Death: 18 December 1712 - Age: 57
Parish/City: St-Jean, Île d'Orléans
Country: Canada
Burial / Source décès 18-12-1712
sépulture 19-12-17112 St-Jean, I.O. PRDH Union
Information, Other Kids, Notes etc.
Elle n'est pas la mère de Genevieve Simon
(CT 30-08 Becquet) avec Nicolas Audet dit Lapointe
Fille de François et Madeleine LeGrand” ®4166
According to the American-French Genealogical Society website, most people who can trace their ancestry to Canada are descended from one of the 800 women who settled there as part of a program that began in 1663. This program was called “les Filles du Roi,” or “the King’s Daughters.” King Louis XIV, who sponsored the program, sent about 800 women, of lower status, to New France to help populate the area and encourage others to settle there. It was a program that encouraged marriage, family, and, of course, having children. In fact, after marriage, each family would receive an annual stipend depending on the number of children produced, with 10 being the goal! This was not the only program that sent women and young girls to New France to marry, but it is the one most well-known in Canadian genealogy. The interesting part of this program was that the King’s Daughters were able to choose a husband. It is said that when the ship carrying the women docked in each port, there were interviews between these women and the men of the town. How amazing that a lower-class woman could choose her husband! I can only imagine the questions that might be asked: “Do you have any livestock?” “How large is your house?” “What is your occupation?” I think, above all, these women wanted someone to care for them, in this new land to which they were unaccustomed – what else would they ask? It is remarkable that those of us who are of French-Canadian descent can trace our ancestry back to these 800 brave women, who sailed to New France, docked at each port, interviewed a future spouse, and chose their future in seconds. Not common for a female in the mid-seventeenth century!
[1] Daughters of the King List of Names.
ChildrenNicolas (Died as Infant) (1671-1672)
Nicolas (1672-1751)
Pierre (<1674-<1715)
Jean-Baptiste (1675-1728)
Madeleine (1677-1761)
Joseph (ca1680-<1732)
Joachim (<1680-<1752)
Nicolas’ Infant (Stillborn) (1680-1680)
Marie (1682-1775)
François (1684-?)
Marguerite (1686-<1758)
Innocent (1689-1774)
Geneviève (1694-<1734)