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Banne, Benoit dit Nivernois, Charles, Chefdeville and 16 others
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  •
    Marie-Madeleine Michelande (c.1635 - 1695)
    The town of Aunis is located about 22 kms away from La Rochelle where many of the Filles au Marier sailed from. Sources: Burial: Généalogie Québec, www.genealogiequebec.com - acte/20189 OOCity In...
  • Jeanne Mignon (1636 - 1701)
    Buried was contracted to marry Jean. One of the filles à marier* Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy : May 21 2023, 15:34:20 UTC
  • Marie Mésange (1643 - 1692)
    Sources=* Location info: Saint-Laurent, Isle d'Orléans =Notes=* NOTE about place of birth: some sources place Ste-Madeleine de la Ventrouze in Chartres. This is incorrect. This location is a parrish in...
  • Jeanne Marie Merrin (c.1636 - 1711)
    Jeanne Merrin livedin Canada, Nouvelle-France.The Jarry family were one of the early settlers of Montreal. The Grande Recrue, Jeanne Mance, took money that was intended for the local hospital and used ...
  • Catherine-Marie Marchand (1642 - 1713)
    Catherine was not a fille du roi. I found a book on the Internet through Quintin Publications, Inc on Before the King's Daughters. www.quintinpublications.com You can view the list of females that were...

Introduction

Most of us are familiar with the story of the King's Daughters or Filles du Roi; the state sponsored program that brought almost 800 single women to Quebec in the early days of the French settlement, but what is not so well known is the story of the Filles à Marier. Between 1634 and 1662; 262 young ladies braved the elements to begin an uncertain future in the backwoods of Canada.

When the Company of 100 Associates began their settlement scheme, their plan of recruiting only families proved to be too costly, so instead they signed on single men; tradesman and labourers; who would be indentured for three years. However, this meant that more than 80% of the colonists were men, so even if they decided to stay at the end of their term, there was little hope of them starting a family, unless they chose a Canadian girl. But, since her family would never allow her, or her children, to leave their village; the company directors needed to avoid this from happening.

So instead, they began recruiting "marriageable young girls", who would first sign a contract in France and then be given passage and a small dowry to become the wife of a Quebec settler. You might wonder why these young girls (many under 16), would risk the dangers and hardships, which by now most of France were well aware of; but believe it or not; for many it was the best option.

At the time, marriages were arranged, so if the girl's family did not have the means to provide a sutable dowry, her only option was to become a nun, if she was Catholic; or marry beneath her station. In the case of the young Filles a Marier, though a marriage contract must be signed before departure, she had every right to refuse the union, once she met her husband-to-be. As a matter of fact, many of them did just that, and were provided safe passage home.

Below is a list of all the women brought over under this plan. Some were sponsored by their church, a company associate or merchant. Others were of minor noble families; cousins or sisters of men already in the colony. Marguerite Bourgeoys and Jeanne Mance, also escorted several, training them in the necessary domestic skills, and ensuring that they would be well looked after. Later, critics of the plan tried to say that all the girls were prostitutes taken off the streets of Paris, but this was rarely, if ever, the case. Most settled down, raised families and formed the roots of many French-Canadian families.


Take a virtual tour of Marguerite Bourgeoys’ Historic Chapel at Montreal's oldest chapel and congreation site, Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours. This land was originally donated by Paul Chomedey de Maisonneuve, the chosen founder and first builder of Montreal.

Filles à Marier — “Marriageable Girls”.
LookingBackward.com

Between 1634 and 1663, 262 filles à marier or “marriageable girls” emigrated to New France representing one quarter of all the single girls arriving in New France through 1673. They were recruited and chaperoned by religious groups or individuals who had to assure and account for their good conduct. In general, they were poor, although there were some members of the petty nobility among their ranks.

Filles à Marier
As opposed to the Filles du Roi who emigrated between 1663 and 1673, the filles à marier came alone or in small groups. They were not recruited by the state and did not receive a dowry from the King. They were promised nothing but the possibility of a better life. If they survived the perils of the crossing, they lived with the daily threat of death at the hands of the Iroquois. If they survived the Iroquois, they had to deal with the hard life of subsistence farming, harsh winters spent in a log cabin that they may have helped build, epidemics of smallpox and “fever” and difficult and often dangerous childbirth.

Crossing the Atlantic was a dangerous undertaking in the 1600s, and it is estimated that 10% of all passengers en route to New France died during the crossing. Sickness and disease were the main factors contributing to deaths at sea. Passengers were forced to share the hull with livestock that was either being shipped to the colony or served as meals during the crossing. While the passengers may have been permitted on deck during good weather and calm seas, storms forced their confinement to the hull where they were shut in not only with the livestock, but also with the odor of latrine buckets, seasickness and the smoky lanterns used for lighting. The climate and close quarters fostered the rapid spread of diseases such as scurvy, fever and dysentery. Under such conditions, very little could be done for those who were suffering. The method for dealing with the dead was to sew them up in their blankets and throw them overboard during the night.

The filles à marier chose to emigrate under perilous conditions to a wilderness colony because the advantages offered by the colony were great enough to make them forget the dangers of the crossing and rude character of colonial life. In France, the girls would have had little or no choice in their marriages because arranged marriages were the norm for the artisan and working classes as well as for the elite. Parental consent was required for men under the age of 30 and women under the age of 25. Young girls were placed in convent schools or pensions only to await a marriage in which they had no choice or to become a nun. In New France, these women could choose whom they wanted to marry and had the freedom to change their minds before the marriage took place.

Most of the filles à marier belonged to the rural class and were the daughters of peasants and farmers. A small number were from urban families, the daughters of craftsmen, day laborers and servants, while an even smaller number were the daughters of businessmen, civil servants, military men and the petty nobility. Their average age was 22, and more than one-third had lost at least one parent. About 20% were related to someone who was already a colonist. Most were married within a year of their arrival in New France. While waiting to find a husband, many of the girls lodged with religious communities –either the Ursulines in Québec City or the Filles de la Congrégation Notre-Dame in Montréal– although about 100 filles à marier lodged with individuals.

Peter J. Gagné has defined the qualifications to be considered a fille à marier as follows:

  • Must have arrived before September 1663
  • Must have come over at marriageable age (12 thru 45)
  • Must have married or signed a marriage contract at least once in New France or have signed an enlistment contract
  • Must not have been accompanied by both parents
  • Must not have been accompanied by or joining a husband

[Source: Peter J. Gagné, Before the King’s Daughters: The Filles à Marier, 1634-1662, (Pawtucket, RI: Quinton Publications, 2002), pp 13-38]

Where Are They From?

An objective of this project is to post the origin of the Filles à Marier by the provinces they are from. Stay tuned...

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(Reference)

The List ~ la liste

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  • Pacreau, Marie
  • Panie, Isabeau
  • Panie, Marie
  • Paré (Paris), Claire-Françoise
  • Parenteau or Parentelle, Marie
  • Patou, Catherine
  • Paulo, Marie
  • Pavie, Marie
  • Pelletier, Jeanne
  • Pelletier or Peltier, Marie
  • Péré, Marie or Marie-Suzanne
  • Perrault, Marguerite-Cécile
  • Picard, Marguerite
  • Picoté de Belestre, Perrine
  • Pinet de La Chesnaye, Marie
  • Pinson, Marie-Marthe
  • Poireau, Jeanne
  • Poisson, Barbe
  • Poisson, Mathurine
  • Poitiers dite Buisson, Marie-Charlotte
  • Pomponnelle, Marie
  • Pontonnier, Marie
  • Potel, Jacqueline
  • Pournin or Pournain, Marie

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  • Saint-Père, Catherine
  • Saint-Père, Jeanne
  • Saulnier (Duverdier), Françoise
  • Sauviot, Marguerite
  • Simon, Marie
  • Sinalon, Jeanne
  • Soldé, Jeanne
  • Soulinier, Marie
  • Surget, Madeleine

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Sources
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