The history of the Winters family reaching back to French Canada and France is rich and exciting. It includes some of the earliest settlers in Quebec - from the famed "Filles du Roi" or "Daughters of the King" to the wild and interesting Marie Brazeau. There are a lot of great stories to enjoy!
First to establish the lines back into French Canadian history - here are the maternal and paternal trees for Theotisme Tougas dit LaViolette:
First to establish the lines back into French Canadian history - here are the maternal and paternal trees for Theotisme Tougas dit LaViolette:
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Theotisme Tougas dit LaViolette's Paternal Side
and the Fascinating Story of Marie Brazeau
From the forward to the English translation of "The First Tougas in New France" written by Jocelyne Tougas and edited by Luke Tougas (translated from the original which is "Marie Brazeau: Femme en Nouvelle-France" written by Rémi Tougas):
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Guillaume Tougard wanted to make a better life for himself when he decided to enlist and come to Canada. After all, he was risking a lot. Fighting Indians in North America wasn’t a typical career choice even in the late 17th Century. His three years of service finished, he decided to settle in New France. That he should decide to marry Marie Brazeau, an inn-keeper in Montreal, twelve years older than he was, who already had four children and a “reputation”, is an indication that Guillaume cared little for gossip and wasn’t afraid of taking on family responsibilities. He was quite convincingly a hard working man. In addition to being a wheelwright, he worked a plot of land, maintained an orchard and supported Marie at the inn.
As for Marie Brazeau, the least one can say is that she was a woman of character. Her path is atypical. She wasn’t yet 20 years old when she traveled to New France with a newborn baby and without her husband. She acquired property in Montreal and managed her own affairs, signing her name firmly at the bottom of numerous contracts. She enjoyed the company of men and married four times. She had twelve children, three of which were out of wedlock. A keen businesswoman, creative, independent and strong willed, she did what she needed to ensure her family’s well-being. We can follow the lineage of Guillaume and Marie’s sons, Guillaume, Gabriel and Charles. I can’t help but wonder whatever became of their daughters once they were married. Marie-Anne died giving birth, but what about Marie and Pélagie? |
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You can read the English version of the book here:
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In current day Montreal, the site of Marie's tavern is where the Hotel Pierre Du Calvet Montreal (currently closed) sits, on Bonsecours between Rue St. Paul E and Rue Notre Dame. Marie's original tavern was wood, and after a large fire, Montreal made a law that the new buildings had to be built from stone, so the building was replaced in the 1700s with what is now the hotel.
Here is a drawing of the original Marie Brazeau House (1692):
Here is a drawing of the original Marie Brazeau House (1692):
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Here is the current location on the map and the current facade:
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Theotisme Tougas dit LaViolette's Maternal Side
Les Filles du Roi ("Daughters of the King")
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From the online list of Daughters of the King, Marguerite Laverdure's contact of marriage to Maurice Crepeau appears. The French term “Filles du Roi” translates literally as “the daughters of the King.” Between 700 and perhaps 1,000 young, single women traveled to Quebec City, Trois Rivières, and Montréal from 1663 to 1673 as a part of a program managed by the Jesuits and funded by King Louis XIV.
As a Fille du Roi, a woman received the King’s support in several ways. The King paid one hundred livres to the French East India Company for the woman’s crossing, as well as furnishing a trousseau.[8] The Crown paid a dowry for each woman; this was originally supposed to be four hundred livres, but as the Treasury could not spare such an expense, many were paid in kind. |
Louis XIV, King of France
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As was the case for most emigrants who went from France to New France, 80% of the Filles du Roi were from the Paris, Normandy and Western regions. The Hôpital-Général de Paris and the St-Sulpice parish were big contributors of women for the new colony. As such, most of the Filles du Roi were from urban areas. A few women came from other European countries, including Germany, England, and Portugal. Those who were chosen to be among the Filles du Roi and allowed to emigrate to New France were held to scrupulous standards, which were based on their "moral calibre" and whether they were physically fit enough to survive the hard work demanded by life as a colonist. The colonial officials sent several of the Filles du Roi back to France because they were judged below the standards set out by the King and the Intendant of New France. The Filles du Roi represented approximately eight percent of the total immigration under the French regime, which at first glance may appear to be a very slight number. Yves Landry points out, however, that while the total percentage may appear low, these 770 women represent a full half of all the female immigrants to French Canada between 1663 and 1674. Furthermore, a full two-thirds of all French-Canadians can trace their ancestry back to one or more Fille du Roi.
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Boatloads of potential brides known as les Filles du Roi, (the daughters of the king), were sent out from France to provide brides for veterans of the Carignan-Salieres and other bachelors in the colony. On the arrival of the women bachelors were given fifteen days to conduct courtships and seal partnerships.
The ship that Marguerite Laverdure sailed in from Normady to Canada was called Le St-Jean Baptiste and the captain was Pierre Fillye. They sailed from Le Port De Dieppe, Normandy France on November 4, 1665 and arrived in New France on October 2, 1665. This ship was not part of the regimental ships. Aboard were 82 women & 130 workers. The ship weighed 300 tons. The crossing to New France was subject to all sorts of perils: weather, pirates, and illness among the crew and passengers. With these uncertainties, the duration of the crossing varied. In 1665, it took New France's new Intendant, Jean Talon, 117 days to reach Québec; in 1678, the Arc-en-ciel made the trip in 35 days. Taking into account the requirements of the navigational season, it was better to set sail from France before May 1 and from Québec before the end of September. Since ships were not very large in the 17th century, accommodations on board were quite modest, and space was limited. Often, food and merchandise were spoiled by water seepage, and passengers had to make do with cold meals and soggy bedding. So great were the risks involved in reaching these far-off destinations, that surviving the dangers and perils of the sea depended as much on chance as on luck. Despite everything, most of the sailors and passengers arrived safely. |
Le Port de Dieppe, Normandy France
Model ship of the Le Saint Jean Baptiste
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The Filles du Roi spent as little as a few weeks or as long as several years in Quebec before choosing a husband from among the settlers. The majority of the immigrants had no considerable financial resources, and therefore depended on the colonial government to provide temporary housing while the young men paid court to the new arrivals. This task fell to the religious communities: namely, the Congrégation de Notre-Dame under the supervision of Mother Marguerite Bourgeoys in the region of Montreal and the Ursuline sisters of Quebec City led by Marie de l’Incarnation. Though brief in many cases, this preliminary period in the colony proved an important experience for the Filles du Roi before they entered into life in the colony as brides.
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Illustration of the Quebec Port where the ship Le Saint Jean Baptiste arrived in 1665
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Shortly after their arrival in the New World, the Filles du Roi set out on their primary objective: to secure a husband. The rituals of courtship and marriage differed in many ways for the Filles du Roi in comparison to other women of their era. The religious communities that housed the Filles du Roi closely supervised their courtships with the male settlers. According to Dumas, the men of the colony visited the immigrants during three predetermined days out of the week under the close supervision of the religious communities that housed them as well as the Intendant or one of his deputies.
In Anne Hébert’s novel Le Premier Jardin she promotes a common belief about the Filles du Roi, nearly imitating the Baron de la Hontan word for word, in stating “The fattest ones were chosen first, during the course of brief visits to the house lent for this purpose by Madame de la Peltrie. It was better for them to be fleshy in order to resist the rigors of the climate.” The basic premise is true; the colonists of the era desired heavier women for the practical reason that they would better survive the harsh Canadian winter. Lachance explains further that fleshy women were not only practical for the climate, but also fashionable for the time. “Skinniness became,” Lachance states, “synonymous with ugliness, poor health, and often poverty.”
Colbert’s edict of 1670 in New France required all single men to marry within two weeks of the arrival of the Filles du Roi, or else face severe financial hardships. We can understand that many of these men may have been desperate to persuade one of the immigrants into a hasty marriage. Our Marguerite Laverdure and Sgt. Maurice Crepeau secured their marriage contact within 10 days of her arrival.
In Anne Hébert’s novel Le Premier Jardin she promotes a common belief about the Filles du Roi, nearly imitating the Baron de la Hontan word for word, in stating “The fattest ones were chosen first, during the course of brief visits to the house lent for this purpose by Madame de la Peltrie. It was better for them to be fleshy in order to resist the rigors of the climate.” The basic premise is true; the colonists of the era desired heavier women for the practical reason that they would better survive the harsh Canadian winter. Lachance explains further that fleshy women were not only practical for the climate, but also fashionable for the time. “Skinniness became,” Lachance states, “synonymous with ugliness, poor health, and often poverty.”
Colbert’s edict of 1670 in New France required all single men to marry within two weeks of the arrival of the Filles du Roi, or else face severe financial hardships. We can understand that many of these men may have been desperate to persuade one of the immigrants into a hasty marriage. Our Marguerite Laverdure and Sgt. Maurice Crepeau secured their marriage contact within 10 days of her arrival.
Interesting links about our French-Canadian pioneer family:
Account of the lives of Maurice Crépeau and Marguerite Laverdure: https://www.tfcg.ca/mauricecrepeau-and-margueritelaverdurewww.tfcg.ca/mauricecrepeau-and-margueritelaverdure
Account of the lives of Charles Gauthier de Boisverdun and Catherine Camus: https://www.tfcg.ca/charles-gauthier-and-catherine-camuswww.tfcg.ca/charles-gauthier-and-catherine-camus
https://acanadianfamily.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/early-french-canadian-pioneers-the-gauthiers-of-quebec/acanadianfamily.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/early-french-canadian-pioneers-the-gauthiers-of-quebec/
https://acanadianfamily.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/early-french-canadian-pioneers-the-crepeaus-of-quebec/acanadianfamily.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/early-french-canadian-pioneers-the-crepeaus-of-quebec/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35292449/marie_louise-paquet www.findagrave.com/memorial/35292449/marie_louise-paquet
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Chauvin-121www.wikitree.com/wiki/Chauvin-121
https://montreall.com/hotel-chateau-pierre-du-calvet-a-piece-of-history/
Account of the lives of Charles Gauthier de Boisverdun and Catherine Camus: https://www.tfcg.ca/charles-gauthier-and-catherine-camuswww.tfcg.ca/charles-gauthier-and-catherine-camus
https://acanadianfamily.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/early-french-canadian-pioneers-the-gauthiers-of-quebec/acanadianfamily.wordpress.com/2017/04/12/early-french-canadian-pioneers-the-gauthiers-of-quebec/
https://acanadianfamily.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/early-french-canadian-pioneers-the-crepeaus-of-quebec/acanadianfamily.wordpress.com/2014/04/10/early-french-canadian-pioneers-the-crepeaus-of-quebec/
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35292449/marie_louise-paquet www.findagrave.com/memorial/35292449/marie_louise-paquet
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Chauvin-121www.wikitree.com/wiki/Chauvin-121
https://montreall.com/hotel-chateau-pierre-du-calvet-a-piece-of-history/