Les filles du roi
    extracted from various sources by Ken Roy

The filles du roi, or King's Daughters, were some 770 women who arrived in the colony of New France (Canada) between 1663 and 1673, under the financial sponsorship of King Louis XIV of France. The filles du roi were part of King Louis XIV's program to promote the settlement of his colony in Canada. Some 737 of these women married and the resultant population explosion gave rise to the success of the colony.

Our Ancestors

The following are some of our ancestors who were amongst the King’s Daughters (filles du roi).

    Abraham, Marguerite

    Marguerite Abraham married twice -- first to Joseph Ozanie Nadeau dit Lavigne according to contract dated 6 November 1665, and then to Guillaume Chartier on 31 January 1678

    LeRoy, Marie Anne

    Marie Anne LeRoy married Jean Rodrigue (João Rodrigues) on 28 October 1671. Marie Anne LeRoy is the daughter of François Le Roy and Anne Bourdais of St. Germain, Paris, France.

    Major, Marie

    Marie Major married Antoine Roy dit Desjardins on 11 September 1668 at Notre Dame de Québec. Marie was the daughter of Jean Major who had been the receiver for the Baron of Hanqueville-en-Vexin and Marguerite Le Pelé. Marie was orphaned from both parents and brought goods estimated at 300 pounds value to the marriage. Antoine on the other hand contributed 100 pounds, his allocation as an ex soldier.

    The Roy/Major couple only had one son, Pierre who in 1691 married Marie Anne Martin, the daughter of Joachim Martin and Anne Charlotte Petit. Pierre had 10 children with his first wife, Marie Anne Martin, 6 children with his second wife, Angelique Hautin, and 3 children with his third wife, Marie Delugré.

    Sergine Desjardins has written a very good historical novel on Marie Major which makes you feel like your are right there on the premises as the events unfold. (Note this book is in French). See Sergine's web site and click on Marie Major for a brief summary of her novel. New According to her latest message in January, 2010, her historical novel is in the process of being translated to English.

    Michel, Jacquette

    Jacquette Michel married André Mignier on 23 October 1668 in Québec, Canada. Jacquette was the daughter of the late Jacques Michel and of Jeanne DuPont and the widow of Jean Gardin, from Ste-Catherine de La Flotte Parish, Île-de-Ré, archdiocese of La Rochelle, in Aunis province. She arrived from France in 1668, carrying possessions with an estimated value of 100 pounds. She died on 28 November 1710 in Rivière Ouelle

    Savonnet, Jeanne

    Jeanne Savonnet was married three times. In 1670 she married Jean Soucy dit Lavigne, a farmer on l’Île aux Oies. After Jean's death, she became the wife of Damien Bérubé, a mason at l’Islet on 22 August 1679. Finally she became on 7 November 1692 Madamme François Miville dit LeSuisse, a miller and seigneur of Rivière Ouelle.

    She was the daughter of Jacques Savonet and Antoinette Babillotte of Paris. Jeanne Savonnet never knew her father. Her mother Antoinette Babillette also abandoned her to public charity due to lack of funds and means of sustaining her.

    In 1669, Jean was working for Pierre Bécart, seigneur a lîle aux Grues. It is most likely from him that he obtain a land concession on l’Île aux Oies where he built his house in 1674.

    Jean and Jeanne Soucy had four children:

    Anne born on 5 September 1671 at l’Île aux Oies

    Pierre born on 13 April 1673

    Marie Anne born on 15 February 1675 at l’Île aux Oies

    Guillaume born on 5 April 1677

    Jean died around 1678 leaving Jeanne with four young children. She remarried Damien Bérubé at l’Islet on 22 August 1679 and had 7 additional children.

List of female Roy ancestors

While members of the Roy Family association have substantiated 20 or more Roy ancestral lines with living descendants in Canada and the United States, those lines are all from the male or Roy surname perspective. It would be interesting to know how many of the Roy female ancestors still have descendants today. It would be of further interest to discover whether any of these female lines were related to the male lines. The following is a list of female Roy Ancestors shown on the King’s Daughter’s web site.

    Roy, Anne first married Nicolas Bouchard on Sep. 30, 1670 and then married Claude Guimond on 8 October 1685. The LDS Ancestral File shows her as Anne LeRoy, the daughter of Pierre LeRoy and Anne Fleury. In all likelihood, Anne Roy married to Claude Guimond still has ancestors living today if all Guimonds descend from this line.

    Roy, Catherine first married Pierre Salvail according to contract dated 13 November 1673 and then married Jean de Miray before 1669

    Roy, Élisabeth first married Pierre Paillereau contract 12 Octobert 1665, then married Antoine Leblanc dit Jolicoeur on 25 January 1670, and later married Charles Flibot on 16 May 1688

    Roy, Jeanne first married Étienne Bonnet contract 26 January 1670 and then married Jean Péladeau dit St-Jean, 1670

    Roy, Marguerite married Hilaire Chardonneau on 27 July 1665

    Roy, Marie married Pierre Pérusseau on 8 March 1666

    Roy, Marie married Mathurin Thibodeau dit Lalime on 11 July 1667

    Roy, Marie-Anne first married Mathieu Binet dit Lespérance on 21 Octobert 1670 and then married Abel Simon before 29 January 1704

References

    Landry, Yves: Les Filles du roi au xvii'ème siècle (Leméac, 1992)

    Reisinger, Joy and Courteau, Elmer: The King's Daughters (1988, Sparta).

    La Société des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan provides a list of the filles du roi, or King's Daughters, who arrived in the colony of New France (Canada) between 1663 and 1673, under the financial sponsorship of King Louis XIV of France

    The King's Daughters© Les Filles Du Roi by Robert Chenard on his French Connection web site, initially published in the April 30 and May 14, 1995 issues of the Morning Sentinel and Kennebec Daily Journal, provides an excellent brief history. (Note this site is no longer online)

Home Home  Our Roy and Boucher Family

icon Last updated 5 May 2023