Researching your Filles du Roi Pioneer Ancestors: French Canadian Matriarchs
“Rester, c’est exister; mais voyager, cest vivre.”
“To stay is to exist; to travel is to live.”
-Gustave Nadaud
Between 1663 and 1673, nearly 800 young women arrived in the colony of New France with a mandate to marry and populate the land for France. These women, who came to be called the Filles du Roi (Daughters of the King), originated primarily from respectable poor families or orphanages. When offered the chance at a better life, they embraced the opportunity and became the mothers of a new nation.
History - Why were the Filles du Roi recruited to French Canada?
Explorer, Jacques Cartier, first sailed into the Gulf of St. Lawrence in May of 1534. Over the course of three voyages, Cartier would claim what is now French Canada for the King of France.
Throughout the 1400-1600’s European monarchs vied for control of North America. Calling dibs on the land was not enough. Retaining a stake in the new world required pioneers to establish ownership and fill militia rosters. Without loyal occupants, the land could be overtaken by a rival monarch or reclaimed by the native people. In 1641, New France enumerated a paltry 240 inhabitants, compared to 50,000 in the nearby New England colonies. The population had only increased to 2,500 by 1660.
In his 1664 book (pictured below), Pierre Boucher explained the slow growth in the population of New France. Boucher described three of the primary “inconveniences” of life in the new world as 1.Our Iroquois enemies, 2.Mosquitoes in great abundance and 3.The length of winter. He also appears to take offense at the country being “vulgarly called Canada.” In light of his list of inconveniences, it is easy to imagine why the residents of New France were overwhelmingly male trappers and priests. In a desperate attempt to speed colonization, King Louis XIV (the Sun King), offered a dowry to young, single women who would be willing to sail to the new world, marry, and raise families. Recruiting took place primarily in Paris, Rouen and northwest France.
Arrival of the Filles du Roi in New France
Sources disagree on the exact number, but at least 764 women answered King Louis’ call for “strong, intelligent and beautiful girls of robust health, habituated to farm work” and set sail for New France between 1663 and 1673. These “Daughters of the King” were not of royal blood, but under the King’s financial sponsorship, receiving a dowry of 50 livres and a hope chest containing clothing, sewing needles, knives and other household sundries. Each candidate had to be approved by her parish priest as being free to marry. It was also necessary that the girls be of childbearing age and that “they be healthy and strong for country work, or that they at least have some aptitude for household chores.” Most of the women selected were better educated than their would-be suitors in New France, but the offer was better than they could dream of achieving in their current situation.
Upon arrival in New France, the women were housed in dormitories during their short courtship, an early version of speed dating. Most signed marriage contracts within the first few weeks. Because men vastly outnumbered the women, these girls could be very selective in choosing their spouse and they had the right to turn down an offer of marriage if it did not suit them. In order to make an informed decision, the girls asked questions about the suitor’s home, finances, land, and profession. The courtship meetings were closely monitored by government chaperones and a priest was at the ready when a match was agreed upon. After the marriage was consummated, the couple was given an ox, a cow, two pigs, a pair of chickens, two barrels of salted meat and eleven crowns. Life in the new world was not easy and many died of disease or Iroquois attacks, resulting in some of our Filles du Roi ancestors to remarry multiple times. King Louis’ strategy for populating the new world ended in success. By the termination of the program in 1673, the population of New France had risen to 6,700 people, an increase of 168% in the eleven years since it began.
Soldiers of the Carignan-Salieres Regiment
To help ensure the safety of new families 1200 soldiers of the Carignan-Salieres regiment set sail for New France in 1665. They established a series of forts along the Richelieu River, resulting in a measure of peace which helped the new colony to prosper. Nearly half of the troops settled permanently in New France after marrying Filles du Roi.
How to Identify Your Filles du Roi
Today, the Filles du Roi are a celebrated part of French Canadian heritage, much like the Mayflower pioneers in America. Both the “Société d’histoire des Filles du Roy” in Quebec, and the “American French Genealogical Society” in Rhode Island provide information, education, and genealogical research regarding the Filles du Roi.
Anyone who can prove descendency from a Fille du Roi is eligible for membership in the “La Société des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan”. With no surviving record naming all of the Filles du Roi, society founder and historian, Peter Gagné created a list which includes 768 “female emigrants – girls, women or widows – who went to Canada on the expenses of the King in convoys recruited and conducted by the French authorities”. Mr. Gagné includes biographies for all of the Filles du roi, including names of their husbands. The society website also provides a list of websites to assist with your research. Click the link below to see the list of Filles du Roi.
Sources
American French Genealogical Society. https://afgs.org/site/about-afgs/ : 2019.
Boucher, Pierre. Histoire Veritable et Naturelle des moeurs et productions du PAYS de la Nouvelle-France vulgairement dite le Canada. Paris, France : Chez Florentin Lambert, ruë Saint Iacques, vis à vis Saint Yues, à l’image Saint Paul, 1664. Image Copy. Internet Archive https://archive.org/ : 2019.
Brickdale, Eleanor Fortescue. “Arrival of the Brides.” Painting. ca. 1927. Digital Image. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Arrival_of_the_Brides_-_Eleanor_Fortescue-Brickdale.png : 2019.
Delmar, Judith Perrault. “Filles du Roi – Daughters of the King.” Blog Post. Perrault and Mosier…climbing the family tree. http://www.lookbackward.com/perrault/filleroi/ : 2019.
LeClerk, Jacques. “Histoire du français au Québec.” L’aménagement linguistique dans le monde. http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/francophonie/HISTfrQC_s1_Nlle-France.htm : 2019.
La Société des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan. https://fillesduroi.org/index.php : 2019.
Rousselot, L. “Officer of the Carignan-Saliéres 1666.” Painting. ca. 1931. Digital Image. Library and Archives of Canada. http://collectionscanada.gc.ca
Runyan, Aimie Kathleen. “Daughters of the King and Founders of a Nation: Les Filles du Roi in New France.” May 2010. University of North Texas. https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc28470/m2/1/high_res_d/thesis.pdf : 2019.
Société d’histoire des Filles du Roy. http://lesfillesduroy-quebec.org/ : 2019.