“Origins” is the theme for Week 2 of 2024’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge.
It’s 1667. A 16-year-old girl stands on the deck of a ship. She’s exhausted and hungry after the long voyage from France. One meal each day and hardtack at night hasn’t filled her belly, and the rough passage made her vomit up her meager rations more than once. Maybe it wasn’t seasickness, but nerves? Fear and excitement mingle in her chest as she gazes at the coastline ahead. Nothing but trees as far as the eye can see! Though she was told this strange, new land she’s about to call home was untamed, nothing could prepare her for the vast wilderness before her. She already misses the bustling streets of Paris, but knows in her heart that she made the right decision. As an orphan, she had few prospects back home. Who would marry her without a dowry, regardless of how pretty and clever she is? In the New World those assets will matter, and besides – King Louis XIV is paying her dowry as well as her passage on this ship. She reminds herself just how lucky she is. Thanks to the King, she currently has more possessions to her name than she’s ever owned in her life, including the lovely new clothes on her back and a trunk full of necessities to get her started. She’s realistic. Nothing comes for free and her new, adult life won’t be easy. What does she know about farming? She’s a city girl through and through. She raises her chin as the wind whips tendrils of hair around her face, her mind churning with plans for the future. She’ll learn what she needs to know to survive. No, not survive, but thrive. She’s smart, and always plans ten steps ahead. Some of the other young women she’s befriended on the ship are so nervous about fulfilling their duty they’ll jump at the first marriage proposal they receive. Not her! She’s been told she’s beautiful and not to sound vain, but her mirror confirms it. She’s witty, and Lord knows she’s charming! The girl got in trouble with the nuns for flirting with the delivery men often enough. No, no jumping for her! She knows what she wants: a man with decent prospects who will provide for her and their future children, preferably handsome and hopefully not too old. Single men outnumber women 6:1 there, so she’s been told. Imagine having a choice! Unthinkable back in Paris! She’s determined to use her God-given assets to make the right match. She won’t squander this opportunity.
Between 1663-1673, approximately 800 women were sent to New France (Canada) by King Louis XIV to marry French settlers in order to encourage them to remain in the new land and promote population growth. These women later dubbed filles du roi or the "King’s Daughters,” ranged in age from 12 to 40 years old, though most were between the ages of 16 and 25. Like the fictitious girl above, many were orphans or girls from poor families. These brave young women left behind their lives in France to marry strangers and make new homes in the rugged wilderness of New France. If you have French-Canadian ancestry, you can likely trace your origins back to one or more filles du roi. They are considered the founding mothers of French-Canada.
New France was a land rich in resources such as timber and fur. King Louis XIV feared the booming British population in the colonies would take over the French colonies if they didn’t maintain a strong presence. That was easier said than done! The majority of the French in the New World were men - soldiers or workers contracted by private enterprises to trap fur or harvest lumber. When their terms of service were completed, most returned back to France instead of staying behind to clear and farm the land. In order to remain, they needed wives.
The King appointed Jean Talon, Count d’Orsainville, as the first Intendant of Justice, Public Order and Finance in New France. In addition to fur and timber, Talon was confident farming the rich land would create a lucrative revenue stream and serve the dual purpose of preventing the British from encroaching on their territory. He recognized the challenge with getting the men to stay was a lack of female companionship, so he instituted a government-sponsored program to send young women to the colonies. Though the idea of moving across the ocean to live in the wilderness didn’t appeal to women who had money, it was a wonderful opportunity for those who were less fortunate. Many of the women recruited to the program felt lucky to be chosen. The government paid 100 livres in fees for each woman, which included their passage, a recruitment fee, and money to gather a modest trousseau. They received a hope chest with personal goods and sewing supplies that were difficult to come by in the colonies. Each chest contained two coiffes (hoods), a comb, a belt, a pair of hose, shoes, gloves, a bonnet, shoelaces, four sets of laces, 100 needles, a thimble, thread, scissors, pins, two knives, and fine cloth. In addition to this, the government paid the women’s dowries – either in the form of a cash payment or in goods.
There are many misconceptions about the filles du roi. Rumors persist to this day that the women were prostitutes and criminals, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. They were held to high moral standards and needed a letter of recommendation from their parish priest. The women recruited from Paris, La Rochelle in Aquitaine, or Rouen and Dieppe in Normandy, were either virgins or widows of strong character. A few were even from noble or formerly wealthy families who had fallen on difficult financial times. Because life in the colonies was physically demanding and the voyage across the ocean was dangerous, the women had to be healthy and strong. Contrary to popular belief, the women also weren’t forced into arranged marriages. In fact, they enjoyed greater freedom in choosing their future husbands than they would have back in France. In 1666, there were 719 single men in New France and only 45 unmarried women between the ages of 16 and 40. Women not only had the freedom to choose their husband, but quite a selection to choose from! Chaperoned parties were set up so the new arrivals could meet and socialize with the local bachelors. They often paired up quickly, but women had the freedom to end their engagements and seek new partners. Many of them did so – sometimes several times before they found a suitable match and settled down. On average, it took the women five months to marry after arriving in New France.
Life was challenging for the new arrivals. Most early recruits were from large cities and knew nothing about farming and homesteading. Nuns taught the women basic skills, and friendly neighbors jumped in to help. They had no choice but to learn quickly. Despite the myriad of challenges, they enjoyed a better quality of life in French Canada than in France. Due to the abundant fresh vegetables, fish, and game available to them, people in the colonies lived longer than their counterparts back home.
The ultimate goal of the program was population growth. Of the 768 documented filles du roi, 737 married and had families. To encourage large families, Jean Talon offered what was essentially a “baby bonus” beginning in 1669. Married couples who had 10 or more living children were awarded 300 livres/year, and those who had 12 or more living children were awarded 400 livres/year. The earlier the residents married, the greater their potential to produce large families. Talon recognized this and created a marriage bonus. Men who married when they were 20 years of age or younger and women who married when they were 16 years of age or younger were paid 20 livres each on their wedding day. Talon’s program was a rousing success. Collectively these women gave birth to more than 4,500 children. The population more than doubled in size between 1663 and 1672, growing from 3,200 to 6,700.
Today, over 20 million Canadians and Americans can trace their ancestry back to one or more of these courageous female pioneers. At last count, I was able to trace myself back to 47 filles du roi, sometimes multiple times over. 16-year-old Andrée Caillaud married Denis Thibault – a carpenter who was 20 years her senior. Marie-Reine Charpentier was believed to be from an upper-class family. She married Louis Prinseau in 1672 and then Etienne Domingo dit Carabi in 1681. I’m descended from both unions. Jeanne Savenier, Jeanne Roy, Anne Seigneur, Marguerite Raisin, and Jacquette Michel all married Carignan-Saliéres Regiment soldiers – the first French regular troops in Canada. My ancestors Catherine Ducharme and Pierre Roy had 18 children, and certainly collected that baby bonus. These are but a handful of my filles du roi ancestors. Which of these remarkable ladies are in your family tree?
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