Between 1663 and 1673, 768 Filles du Roi or "King's Daughters" emigrated to New France under the sponsorship of the French government as part of the overall strategy of strengthening the colony until it could stand on its own without economic and military dependence on France.
In 1663, about 2,500 colonists lived in New France, for the most part on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence between Québec and Montréal. With a constant threat from the Iroquois and the more populous English colonies on the Atlantic coast, the need to populate New France became a growing concern for Louis XIV and his colonial advisors. Through the early 1670s however, men of marriageable age far outnumbered the women of marriageable age. Unable to find a wife in Québec, a great number of male immigrants returned to France after their three-year term of service expired.
In 1663, the King took over direct control of the government of New France and initiated an organized system of recruiting and transporting marriageable women to the colony. On September 22, 1663, thirty-six girls—the first group of Filles du Roi—arrived in Québec.
The recruiting of Filles du Roi took place largely in Paris, Rouen and other northern cities by merchants and ship outfitters. A screening process required each girl to present
her birth certificate and a recommendation from her parish priest or local magistrate stating that she was free to marry. It was necessary that the girls be of appropriate age for giving birth and that "they be healthy and strong for country work, or that they at least have some aptitude for household chores."
The cost of sending each Fille du Roi to New France was 100 livres: 10 for the recruitment, 30 for clothing and 60 for the crossing itself—the total being roughly equivalent to $1,425 in the year 2000. In addition to having the costs of her passage paid by the state, each girl received an assortment of practical items in a case: a coiffe, bonnet, taffeta handkerchief, pair of stockings, pair of gloves, ribbon, four shoelaces, white thread, 100 needles, 1,000 pins, a comb, pair of scissors, two knives and two livres in cash. Upon arrival, the Filles received suitable clothing and some provisions.
All of the Filles du Roi first landed at Québec City where 560 remained, with 133 being sent to Montréal and 75 to Trois-Rivières. While awaiting marriage, they were lodged in houses in dormitory-style settings under the care of a female chaperone or directress where they were taught practical skills and chores to help them in their future household duties. Suitors would come to the house to make their selection, and the directress would oversee the encounters.
Every Fille du Roi had the right to refuse any marriage offer that was presented. After agreeing to marry, the couple appeared in front of a notary to have a marriage contract drawn up, and the wedding ceremony generally followed within 30 days. For the Filles du Roi, the average interval between arrival and marriage was four to five months, although the average interval for girls aged 13 to 16 was slightly longer than fifteen months.
In addition to any dowry of goods that the bride may have brought with her from France, each couple was given an assortment of livestock and goods to start them off in married life: a pair of chickens and pigs, an ox, a cow and two barrels of salted meat. The King's Gift of 50 livres is believed to have been a customary addition to the dowry, but only 250 out of 606 known marriage contracts make reference to an additional dowry given by the King. Once married, there was an incentive to have large families. A yearly pension of 300 livres was granted to families with ten children, rising to 400 livres for 12 children and more for larger families.
[Source: King's Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi, 1663-1673 by Peter J. Gagné. Pawtucket, RI: Quinton Publications, 2001. pp 15-42]
We have descended from at least 26 women known as "Les Filles du Roi" and they are:
Marie Marguerite Ardion (1636-1677),a widow, married Jean Rabouin, age 23
Francoise Boivin (1642-171), married Louis Lamoureux in 1668, at age 26
Jeanne Marie Burelle (1658-1724), married Andre Poudrete-Lavigne, at age 19
Marie Chapelier (1621-1697), married Robert Drouin, age 28
Marie Chevreau (1645-1724), married Rene Reaume, at age 20
Claude Damise (1643-1705), married Pierre Perthuis, at age 25
Isabelle Doucinet (1646-1710), married Jacques Bedard, at age 19
Anne Grimbaut (1650-1718), married Jean Joanne, at age 20
Marie Guillet/Guyet (1647-1716), married Pierre Ledoux, at age 21
Marie Marguerite Hedouin (1655-1718), married Francois Barbeau, at age 16
Marie Jallet (1653-1671), married Jean Lauze, at age 16
Suzanne Lacrois (1656-1718) married Jacques Savaria in 1672, at age 16
Marie Lamarre ( 1650-1708) married Guillaume Renaud in 1668, at age 18
Marguerite Laverdure (1646-2737), married Maurice Crepeau, at age 20
Marie Louise Lecoutre (1648-1689), married Nicolas Crevier-Bellerive, age 17
Elisabeth Agnes Lefebvre (1655-1725), married Francois Thibault, at age 15
Louise Menacier (abt 1636-1687), married Toussaint Ledran, at age 26
Marie Marguerite Moitie (1646-1701), married Joseph Elie Gauthier, at age 17
Marie Morin (1641-1725), married Noel Boissel, at age 18*
Marie Marguerite Pelletier (1645-1707), married Mathurin Renaud, age 24
Francoise Piloy-Depitie (1639-1713), married Antoine Lacasse, at age 26
Marie Robineau (1647-1700), married Jean-Pierre Forgues-Monrougeau, age 19
Anne Roy (1653-1719), married Nicholas Bouchard, at age 15
Jeanne Roy (1641-1721), married Etienne Bonnet-LaFortune, at age 29
Anne Talbot (1651-1740) married Jean Gareau-Stonge in 1670, at age 19
Anne Seigneur (also known as Anne Lord) (1649-1733) married Jean Bessette in 1668, at age 19 [see also St. Andre Bessette]
Catherine Pillat (1646-1717) married Nicholas Pierre Charon in 1665, at age 19. She was widowed in 1700 and later maried Sebastien Brison.
It is likely that Catherine Pillat-Pillard is not, in fact, a Fille du Roi but a First Nation descendant. No record of her immigration can be found. There is information that actually links her parentage to Chief Atsena of the Bear Nation of the Huron tribe and that she is Ouenta dit Catherine Pillard. This needs a closer look. [See http://www.geninfo.org/Pillard/La_Rochelle-E.htm ]
*Marie Morin is not directly related to our ancestor Pierre Morin dit Boucher.
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