Les Filles du Roi, the King’s Daughters, played an instrumental role in helping New France to grow its population. As a result, many French Canadians and those with French ancestry can trace their roots back to these women. I have dozens of the King’s Daughters in my tree, and many of them have interesting or tragic stories. Let’s take a look at who les Filles du Roi were, the role they played in New France, and a few of the King’s Daughters I’m related to.
Who Were les Filles du Roi?
During New France’s earlier days, its population consisted of fur traders and missionaries. For every woman, there were six men. The British colonies to the south boasted a larger settler population, with a farm-based economy, allowing men to bring their wives and children
To fix the gender imbalance in New France, King Louis XIV sent between 770 and 850 French women between the ages of 15 and 30 to the colony between 1663 and 1673. They are known as les Filles du Roi. These women were sent to marry the male settlers and populate New France.
The king paid for their passage and provided each woman with a dowry. In addition, the women also received a pair of hose, a pair of shoes, a bonnet, gloves, a comb, a belt and various sewing supplies.
When the King’s daughters arrived in New France, they sailed down the St. Lawrence River, stopping in Quebec City, Trois Rivieres, and Montreal. At each stop, the women met the men and decided whether they wanted to marry them or move on to the next location.
The Legacy of the Filles Du Roi
Of the Filles du Roi who came to New France, 737 married French settlers. These marriages led to a baby boom in the colony unlike any since. From 1663 to 1672, the population grew from 3,200 to 6,700. By 1680, the population had reached almost 10,000 colonists. New France had more food and resources than France and enabled the women were able to have numerous children and also live longer lives. On average, les Filles du Roi had 6.4 children.
Today, two-thirds of French Canadians can trace their lineage back to some of the Filles du Roi. Their impact extends beyond Quebec. Famous people including Hillary Clinton, Madonna, and Angelina Jolie have some of these women in their family trees.
My les Filles du Roi Ancestors
So far, I have discovered 24 les Filles du Roi in my family tree, and I am sure I will find more. Here are the King’s Daughters that I am related to:
Anne Dodin
This Filles du Roi arrived in New France on June 30, 1669, onboard the ship Le St-Jean-Baptiste. She married Jean Mouflet dit Champagne, a soldier of the Naurois company of the Carignan-Salières regiment, on August 19, 1669. They lived near Ste-Anne near Batiscan and reportedly had eight children together: Anne Mouflet, Pierre Mouflet Champagne, Jean Baptiste Mouflet Champagne, Marguerite Mouflet Champagne, Marie-Suzanne Mouflet dite Champagne dite Rousset, Angelique Gabrielle Mouflet Champagne, Marie Suzanne Mouflet Champagne and Louis Mouflet Champagne. Jean Baptiste died in childhood.
There is some confusion over when Anne Dodin died. On WikiTree, contributors estimate her death to be between February 22, 1688, and February 25, 1710. I believe she died on August 5, 1689, during the Lachine massacre, which was part of the Beaver Wars. Her husband, Jean Mouflet, died around that time as well.
Anne Dodin is listed as being part of the group that is considered dead or kidnapped. However, during her daughter Marie Mouflet’s marriage to François Meloche, it doesn’t explicitly say she’s dead, possibly due to the error of the priest. Not only did Anne Dodin and her husband Jean Mouflet die during the attack, but so did two of her children, Marguerite Mouflet Champagne and Angelique Gabrielle Mouflet Champagne.
Marie de la Mare
Marie de la Mare arrived in New France on July 3, 1668, on the ship La Nouvelle France. She was 18 years old. On November 27, 1668, she married Guillaume Regnault. They had 10 children: Louis Renaud, Jean Bernard (Regnault) Renaud, Marie Anne Renaud, Louise Renaud, Pierre Renaud, Jeanne Élisabeth Renaud, Marie Marguerite Renaud, Joseph (Renaud) Regnault, Marie Thérèse Renaud and Joseph Renaud.
In 1686, the Filles du Roi, Claude Philiberthe Pahin, was accused of assaulting Marie Debure, who was also a member of les Filles du Roi. Marie de la Mare was a witness in the trial against Claude. All three women had been living in Charlesbourg, New France. Claude was fined 20 livres to the king, 55 livres of civil interest payable to the victim, and an additional sum of 15 livres as a pension for the assault.
There were additional disputes that followed, but they ended in 1691. There were no subsequent mentions of Claude Philiberthe Pahin in the colony.
Élisabeth Doucinet
Élisabeth (Isabelle) Doucinet was just 19 years old when she arrived in New France in 1666. Her sister Marguerite Doucinet had arrived in 1662 as one of les Filles à marier. In 1666, Élisabeth married Jacques Bédard. They had 17 children together. Unfortunately, three died in infancy.
In 1671, Élisabeth made some interesting accusations of witchcraft in the colony. She accused Perrine Moreau of being a witch, testifying in the Provost Court of Quebec that Moreau’s family were sorcerers. Despite her claims, the priests of Batiscan vouched for Perrine Moreau, regarding her as an honest woman and a good Christian. Consequently, Moreau was cleared of the witchcraft accusations and a fine of 20 pounds was imposed on anyone who violated this prohibition.
Marie Madeleine Plouard
Marie Madeleine Plouard sailed from Dieppe, France, on June 10, 1667, when she was only 17 years old. She arrived in New France on September 25, 1667. Initially, she was engaged to Jean Cosset in November 1667. He chose not to marry her, so they annulled it.
On January 21, 1670, she married Jacques Viau dit L’espérance in Montreal. The couple settled in Longueuil, Quebec. They had six children: Bertrand (Viau) Viau dit Lespérance, Marie Madeleine Viau, Michel (Viau) Viau dit L’Espérance, Jacques Viau, Marie Marguerite Viau and Jeanne Françoise Viau.
Marie Madeleine did not live a very long life. She passed away sometime between 1683 and 1684 when she was either 30 or 31 years old.
Interested in knowing more about New France and its early settlers? Check out New France’s Founding Families and Their Fascinating Stories.
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