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Between 1634 and 1663, 262 /filles à marier/ or "marriageable girls"
emigrated to New France representing one quarter of all the single girls
arriving in New France through 1673. They were recruited and chaperoned
by religious groups or individuals who had to assure and account for
their good conduct. In general, they were poor, although there were some
members of the petty nobility among their ranks.
As opposed to the /Filles du Roi/ who emigrated between 1663 and 1673,
the /filles à marier/ came alone or in small groups. They were not
recruited by the state and did not receive a dowry from the King. They
were promised nothing but the possibility of a better life. If they
survived the perils of the crossing, they lived with the daily threat of
death at the hands of the Iroquois. If they survived the Iroquois, they
had to deal with the hard life of subsistence farming, harsh winters
spent in a log cabin that they may have helped build, epidemics of
smallpox and "fever" and difficult and often dangerous childbirth.
Crossing the Atlantic was a dangerous undertaking in the 1600s, and it
is estimated that 10% of all passengers en route to New France died
during the crossing. Sickness and disease were the main factors
contributing to deaths at sea. Passengers were forced to share the hull
with livestock that was either being shipped to the colony or served as
meals during the crossing. While the passengers may have been permitted
on deck during good weather and calm seas, storms forced their
confinement to the hull where they were shut in not only with the
livestock, but also with the odor of latrine buckets, seasickness and
the smoky lanterns used for lighting. The climate and close quarters
fostered the rapid spread of diseases such as scurvy, fever and
dysentery. Under such conditions, very little could be done for those
who were suffering. The method for dealing with the dead was to sew them
up in their blankets and throw them overboard during the night.
The /filles à marier/ chose to emigrate under perilous conditions to a
wilderness colony because the advantages offered by the colony were
great enough to make them forget the dangers of the crossing and rude
character of colonial life. In France, the girls would have had little
or no choice in their marriages because arranged marriages were the norm
for the artisan and working classes as well as for the elite. Parental
consent was required for men under the age of 30 and women under the age
of 25. Young girls were placed in convent schools or pensions only to
await a marriage in which they had no choice or to become a nun. In New
France, these women could choose whom they wanted to marry and had the
freedom to change their minds before the marriage took place.
Most of the /filles à marier/ belonged to the rural class and were the
daughters of peasants and farmers. A small number were from urban
families, the daughters of craftsmen, day laborers and servants, while
an even smaller number were the daughters of businessmen, civil
servants, military men and the petty nobility. Their average age was 22,
and more than one-third had lost at least one parent. About 20% were
related to someone who was already a colonist. Most were married within
a year of their arrival in New France. While waiting to find a husband,
many of the girls lodged with religious communities --either the
Ursulines in Québec City or the /Filles de la Congrégation Notre-Dame/
in Montréal-- although about 100 /filles à marier/ lodged with individuals.
Peter J. Gagné has defined the qualifications to be considered a /fille
à marier/ as follows:
* Must have arrived before September 1663
* Must have come over at marriageable age (12 thru 45)
* Must have married or signed a marriage contract at least once in
New France or have signed an enlistment contract
* Must not have been accompanied by both parents
* Must not have been accompanied by or joining a husband
[Source: /Before the King's Daughters: The Filles à Marier, 1634-1662/
by Peter J. Gagné. Pawtucket, RI: Quinton Publications, 2002. pp 13-38]
The source of this text is at
http://www.delmars.com/family/marier.htm
Thanks to "Pat in Vancouver" on the Trottier list for making me aware of
this.
Jacques
List admin
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Jacques L'Heureux, Columbia, Maryland
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