Filles du Roi & Filles à Marier
The Women Who Built New France
Your direct ancestors include women who crossed the Atlantic in the 17th century to marry, raise families, and establish the French-Canadian population. Their stories are documented through baptismal records, marriage contracts, census data, and court documents preserved in Quebec archives.
Between 1634 and 1663, small groups of women known as Filles à Marier (Girls to Marry) came to New France seeking husbands and new lives. Beginning in 1663, King Louis XIV formalized the program, sending approximately 800 Filles du Roi (King's Daughters) with royal dowries to populate the struggling colony.
These women became the maternal ancestors of millions. Studies suggest about two-thirds of all French Canadians can trace at least one line to a Fille du Roi. In this family tree, multiple Filles du Roi and Filles à Marier appear—some through single lines of descent, and at least one (Catherine Lemesle) through two separate paths that eventually converged.
Case Studies
Deep documentary analysis of individual women and their families
The Catherine Lemesle Case Study
When One Ancestor Appears Twice: Tracing a Fille du Roi Through Two Family Lines
From Norman merchant's daughter to double great-grandmother—how tracing two children's descendants across 85 years revealed that a 1757 marriage reunited family lines that began with a single Fille du Roi in 1672. A documentary exploration of pedigree collapse in colonial Quebec.
View Case Study → Connects to The Guilbault LineThe Louise Senécal Guilbault Case Study
Reconstructing the Life of a 17th-Century New France Pioneer
From orphan in Rouen to founding mother of New France—how cross-referencing baptismal records, marriage contracts, census data, and extraordinary court documents revealed strategic choices, mysterious gaps, and family conflicts of a Fille du Roi who left a legacy that shaped a continent.
View Case Study → Connects to The Guilbault LineThe Marie Chapelier Case Study
A Fille à Marier in Early New France
Marie Chapelier arrived in New France before the formal Filles du Roi program began. Her story illuminates the earlier wave of women who came to the colony seeking marriage and opportunity in the decades before royal sponsorship.
View Case Study → Connects to Souliere LineBlog Posts
Stories, research insights, and discoveries
Filles du Roi & Filles à Marier
Research methodology, family discoveries, DNA insights, and the stories of the women who built New France. New posts added regularly.
View All Blog Posts →Documentary Biography Series
Multi-episode explorations following one woman's complete documented life
Marie Lorgueil
The Complete Life of a Fille à Marier (1634–1700)
From Bordeaux baptism to Montreal burial—how systematic research assembled 50+ documents tracing one 17th-century woman's complete life. Strategic age deception, 80% child survival rate, and legal agency in widowhood.
Explore the Series →Episodes
- Bordeaux Origins
- The Atlantic Crossing
- Marriage and Motherhood
- The Years of Loss
- Widowhood and Agency
- Legacy and Descendants
Your Founding Mothers
Direct ancestors who came to New France as Filles du Roi or Filles à Marier
Filles du Roi
King's Daughters (1663–1673)
- Catherine Lemesle 8th ggm ×2 Case Study 1646–1721
- Louise Senécal 9th ggm Case Study 1647–1717
- Marie Guillaume 8th ggm 1652–1705
- Marie Gaillard 8th ggm Founding Mother 1647–1736
- Denise Marie/Marier 8th ggm 1654–1720
- Jeanne Barbier 8th ggm 1649–1689
- Marie Marguerite Provost 8th ggm 1655–1732
- Jeanne Françoise Petit 7th ggm Founding Mother 1656–1733
- Jeanne Juin 7th ggm Founding Mother c. 1655–c. 1689/97
- Marie Targer 9th ggm 1642–1712
- Françoise Baiselat Bizelan 9th ggm 1646–1694
- Madeleine Guerin 9th ggm 1647–1699
- Jeanne Chevalier 9th ggm 1614–1659
- Marie Marguerite Valade dit LaJeunesse 9th ggm 1647–1719
- Elisabeth Roy 9th ggm 1641–1709
Filles à Marier
Girls to Marry (1634–1662)
- Marie Lorgueil 9th ggm Series 1634–1700
- Marie Chapelier 9th ggm Case Study 1626–1697
- Marie Teste 8th ggm 1638–1701
- Jeanne Bitouset 9th ggm 1632–1707
- Jeanne Mercier 9th ggm 1626–1687
- Marie-Michelle Duteau dite Perrin 8th ggm Founding Mother 1639–1675
- Marguerite Gaulin 9th ggm 1627–1703
- Gillette Banne 9th ggm Founding Mother 1636–1672
- Marie Nicole Duchesne 8th ggm 1637–1703
- Anne Ledet 10th ggm 1631–1700
- Marie Riton 10th ggm Founding Mother 1623–1674
What's the Difference?
Filles à Marier came to New France between 1634–1662, often through private arrangements or religious organizations. Filles du Roi came between 1663–1673 under royal sponsorship, with dowries provided by King Louis XIV.
Also Connected by Marriage
Several additional Filles à Marier connect to these family lines through marriage rather than direct descent: Perrine Godin (1622–1670), Anne Lemoyne (1638–1725), and Anne Aymard Emard (1627–1700). Their stories interweave with your direct ancestors in the colonial Quebec community.
Connections to Family Lines
The Guilbault Line
Two Filles du Roi—Louise Senécal and Catherine Lemesle—connect directly to The Guilbault Line. Louise Senécal married Pierre Guilbault, the founder of the line. Catherine Lemesle's descendants married into the Guilbault family twice, creating the documented pedigree collapse explored in her case study.
Explore The Guilbault Line →Souliere Family Research
Multiple Filles à Marier appear in the Souliere family ancestry, including Marie Lorgueil and Marie Chapelier. Their stories illuminate the earlier period of female immigration to New France, before the formal royal sponsorship program began.
Explore French-Canadian Stories →Research Notes
Identifying Filles du Roi
Not all women who arrived in New France during 1663–1673 were Filles du Roi. The designation specifically refers to women who received royal dowry supplements (typically 50 livres from the King). Yves Landry's definitive research, published in Les Filles du roi au XVIIe siècle, documents approximately 770 confirmed Filles du Roi.
Pedigree Collapse in French-Canadian Research
The small founding population of New France means pedigree collapse is common—even expected—in French-Canadian genealogy. Researchers should anticipate finding the same ancestors appearing multiple times, particularly among the Filles du Roi and early male settlers.
Primary Sources
Key resources for Filles du Roi research include the PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique), BAnQ (Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec) for notarial records, and FamilySearch for digitized parish registers. The Fichier Origine database documents French origins for many immigrants.