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This section is about the brave young women who emigrated from France to the wilds of the New World in the 1600's.
From 1608 on, the government of France actively pursued the settlement of New France (Quebec). Quebec City was founded in 1608, and Montreal was founded in 1642, and they had one common need - families. Although there were quite a few men living in New France, there was a significant shortage of women. If the government of France had any hope of settling New France, they needed to keep the men there. Many of these men served in the military forces that kept order in the area, and others were merchants, farmers, and young men who had signed indenture contracts to work in New France.
By 1660, the population had only grown to about 2,500 in the St. Lawrence Valley. There weren't enough young people to maintain a viable population growth. The soldiers that served in the area were members of the Carignan-Salieres regiment, and when these solders were released, the government wanted them to remain in New France.
The decision was made to offer young women in France the opportunity to move to New France and marry. They were sponsored by the King of France, hence their name "Filles du Roi" (or Daughters of the King). The French sovereign at that time was Louis XIV, the famous and colorful "Sun King". The government of France paid for the girls' journey from France to New France and also gave the girls a dowry. However, the government often didn't pay the dowry, so the girls who had funding from their families managed much better than the girls who came with no ready cash.
Among these young women who are our ancestors are Anne Bellesoeur (married Nicolas Massard), Jeanne Juin (married Bernard Dumouchel dit Laroche), Marie Renaud (married Francois Leroux dit Cardinal), Madeleine Le Quay (married Jacques l'Archeveque), and Jeanne Anguille (married Francois Allard).
The young women in France learned about this opportunity to move to New France from the parish priests, who were well-educated and very familiar with the New World because of their missionary work there. Some of the women were from noble families. Some were from middle class families. These women usually received a small dowry from their families. However, some of the women came from the lower classes, a few were even prostitutes, and came with the clothes on their backs and little else.
The majority of the women originated from Ile-de-France, or Francia, from which France got its name. The second largest group came from Normandy. The typical possessions these women had were:
The King's dowry was handed over to the colonial ministry after the marriage ceremony was completed. The dowry consisted of 50 French pounds, if the marriage was to a soldier, and 100 French pounds, if the marriage was to an officer. Perhaps some goods would have been given to the couple as well, such as a cow, a case of pork, or some tools. The average Dowry, when received, was under 100 French pounds.
The practice of importing these young women was ended in 1673, when war broke out between Holland and France, and the King's funds were needed for the French armies.
The following is a quote from Allard F. Romeo. "Pierre Allard (1653-1703) et sa famille - histoire et genealogie, Montreal, 1973. 29 p."
"The women came from every economic and social class. Many were orphans or widows. Many were penniless. The majority were from larger towns and the adaptation to the very primitive living conditions of the wilderness must have been extremely difficult. Few found the fulfillment of the dreams they must have had, and talked about with their companions in the weeks it took to cross the Atlantic. Most of them, amazingly, adapted well and today they can count among their descendants more than 5 million Canadians and Americans spread from 'sea to shining sea'."
The prettiest girls married first of course. As a result, most of these women debarked at Quebec City, the first stop in the colony.
People married young in New France. Birth registration was very important at this time since King Louis, by decree on April 12, 1670, ordered all inhabitants having 10 living children to be paid by the government 300 livres each year. Those having 12 children were paid 400 livres. Men were required to marry by age 20, or women by age 16, or they would incur a fine. This resulted in many early marriages in the 17th Century. Among our ancestresses who married early were Marie Archambault 12, Francoise Pelletier 13, and Marie Louise Tessier 13.
A good source for information on the Filles du Roi can be found at http://www.fillesduroi.org/French/Filles_du_Roi/Filles/filles.html. The English version can be found at http://www.fillesduroi.org/Daughters/daughters.html.
For more information on this colorful period of Quebec history, go to http://www.warmuseum.ca/vmnf/popul/filles/s-fil-en.htm.
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www.padraigan.com pat.bachand@sproule.com |
| September 2003 |