Marie Anne (Annetje) Louise Christiansen

source: Rootsweb (original source link was removed)

• Born: Abt 1675-1676, Corlaer (Schenectady), NY, US
• Baptized: 12 Jul 1699, Notre-Dame-Cathédrale, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Marriage: Moise DUPUIS 21 Jul 1697, Reformed Dutch Church, Albany, NY, US
• Died: 26 Oct 1750, Laprairie, Quebec, Canada
• Buried: 27 Oct 1750, La-Nativité-de-la-Bienheureuse-Vierge-Marie-de-Laprairie, Quebec, Canada

General Notes:

Marie Anne (Annetje) Louise Christiansen:

Analysis: Marie Anne was reportedly born ca. 1672/1676 in Corlaer (Schenectady), NY(1). A record of her birth has not been found. She married Moise DUPUY on 21 Jun 1697 in the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany, NY(2). Moise was indicated as being from Canada, but both were living in Albany at the time of the marriage. On 12 Jul 1699, Marie Anne was baptised into the Roman Catholic religion in Montreal, Quebec(3). On that occasion, her parents were stated as being Christian CHRISTIANE and Maritie Ysbrantes ELDERS. (Since Christian was married to Maritie’s sister, Elizabeth near the time of the reported birth year of Marie Anne it is generally believed that her birth mother was more likely Elizabeth ELDERS[ZEN]). Elizabeth died between 1685 and 1692, so Marie Anne may have considered Maritie to be her mother at the time of her baptism, 7-14 years later.

Moise DUPUY and a “semi-black” woman named Anna had an illegitimate child, Jean Baptiste, who was baptised in the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany on 27 Dec 1696(5). The question is whether or not the “semi-black” woman was Marie Anne CHRISTIANSEN. (One researcher suggests that the term, “semi-black” could have referred to a person with part African, Indian or even Portuguese ancestry. However, in the church records, Indians are generally referred to as heathens.) A Jean Baptiste DUPUY was not subseqently associated with this couple, suggesting that he died at a very young age or that he was not, in fact, the offspring of this couple.

There is great disagreement amongst genealogists and descendents on the parentage of Marie Anne (Annetje) Louise and on the identification of her as the “semi-black” mother, named only as Anna, at the baptism of an illegitimate child of Anna and Moyse Depuis, baptized in the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany on 27 Dec 1696. The following is one interpretation, but certainly not the only interpretation, that can be drawn from the meager data discovered about this individual. Should additional information become available in the future, this analysis could change significantly. And should a different interpretation of the data seem to be more reasonable, this interpretation may be modified.

By at least July 1703, Marie Anne and Moise were in Laprairie County, New France when their 3rd legitimate child, Marie Francoise was born and baptized(4).

Also playing into this analysis is the information that one Marie Louise CHRISTANCIEN, living “at La Prairie” in 1702, who had been a captive of the Indians in New France, was compensated 60 livre, apparently having been previously ransomed from the Indians by the French and deciding to remain in New France(6). There should be little doubt that this is the same individual as Marie Anne CHRISTIANSEN, the wife of Moise DUPUY.

It is likely that Marie Anne had been abducted by the Indians during one of their forays into New England during the early days of the French and Indian war. And she then being raised by the Indians for a period of time, was ransomed by the French. The French-Indian raid on Corlaer, Marie Anne’s reported birth place, in 1689 could have resulted in her capture and transport to Canada, but according to an account of this event by Peter Schuyler on 15 Feb 1690, no women were taken captive(7). Specifically he indicates that Corlaer was burned and they brought back prisoners and horses laden with spoils and he states: “But ye Snow was so Extream Deep yet it was impossible for any woman to march a mile. So yet they took one but men and boys that could march”.

Based on the above information, this is my speculation:

Marie Anne CHRISTIANSEN, born Corlaer in 1675/1676, was taken captive as a young girl and carried to New France by Indians during the early days of the French and Indian wars. She remained in New France with the Indians for several years being partially assimilated into their culture. Upon being ransomed by the French in the last decade of 1600, she returned to her family in NY. In my opinion, it is doubful that the Anna, mother of the illegitimate child with Moise DUPUY, was the same person as Marie Anne CHRISTIANSEN. Marie Anne was identified by her full name in the same church book, barely 6 months later and it would seem that had she been the same person as Anna, mother of the illegitimate child, her full name would have been given in the baptism of the illegitimate child.

Because of the uncertainty of her birth date, a possibility suggested by some researchers is that Marie Anne was an illegitimate child, the product of a liaison between a Christian man–possibly Christian CHRISTIANSEN–and an African slave during the family’s time in Corlaer(8). The uncertainty of Marie Anne’s birth year in source materials, but in all sources seen to date, apparently prior to the first marriage of Christian CHRISTIANSEN, would tend to support this theory. If true, it is possible the Marie Anne was the same as Anna, mother of the illegitimate child, Jean Baptiste, baptized in 1696.

An alternative analysis might state that possibly at some time during her stay in New France Marie Anne may have met Moise DUPUY and maintained an acquaintance with him after returning to NY. In 1696, they produced the illegitimate Jean Baptiste, and then in Jul 1697 they married. At some point following their marriage in 1697, they returned to New France. Their first born legitimate child was Charles, reportedly having been born before 1699 at an undetermined location in New France(9). Their second born, Marie Angelique, was born before 1701, also in an undetermined location in New France. Their third born, Marie Francoise, was born and baptised in Laprairie, New France in Jul 1703, showing that the family was definitely in New France at least by this time. Most of the children born to them following this time were baptized in Laprairie.

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More About Marie Louise Christiansen (aka: Annetje Christiaansz)
Baptism: July 12, 1699, Montreal, Ile-de-Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Children of Moise Dupuis and Marie Christiansen are:

1. Marie Angélique Dupuis, born 1697 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada; died in Quebec, Canada; married Guillaume Beaudoin.
2. Marie Francoise Dupuis, born July 11, 1703 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada; married Michel Beaudoin September 21, 1725 in Longueuil, Chambly, Quebec, Canada; born August 14, 1695 in Beauport, Bellechasse, Quebec, Canada; died December 22, 1767 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, Quebec, Canada.
3. Charles Dupuis, born 1704 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada; died in Quebec, Canada; married Marie Thérèse Tremblay February 09, 1728 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, Quebec, Canada.
4. Anne Marguerite Dupuis, born June 04, 1705 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada; died in Quebec, Canada; married Hilaire Girardin August 16, 1729 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada.
5. Marie Anne Dupuis, born 1706 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada; died in Quebec, Canada; married Nicolas Francois David May 14, 1730 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada.
6. Francois Dupuis, born February 14, 1709 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada; died September 19, 1764 in St-Philippe, LaPrairie, LaPrairie, Quebec, Canada; married Marie Anne Roy January 12, 1733 in St-Philippe, LaPrairie, LaPrairie, Quebec, Canada.
7. Marie Charlotte Dupuis, born November 16, 1711 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada; died in Quebec, Canada; married Pierre Laporte February 06, 1747 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada.
8. Marie Barbe Dupuis, born June 12, 1715 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada; married Paul Leriger-Laplante November 17, 1733 in LaPrairie, LaPrairie, , Quebec, Canada.

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(1) In the 1600’s, Schenectady was known by the French and Indians as Corlaer. The name Corlaer came from the name of Arent Van Curler (or Van Corlaer), a Dutch colonist who came to “New Netherland” in 1637 to assist in the management of Rensselaerswyck, the estate of his cousin Kiliaen Van Rensselaer. Arent made friends with the Native Americans, mediating on several occasions between the Indians and the colonists. In 1662 he purchased a tract of land in the Mohawk Valley and founded there what today is Schenectady.
(2) Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany, New York, 1683-1809, excerpted from Year Books of the Holland Society of New York, p. 29. http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/gen/albany/refchurch.html.
(3) The Population of Quebec Before 1800, Programme de Recherche en Démographie Historique (PRDH), Universite de Montreal, Gaetan Morin, Editeur. Subventionne par le Fonds de L’autoroute de L’information (http://www.genealogy.umontreal.ca/en/main.htm). Certificates #210975 & #21959.
(4) PRDH Certificate #18059.
(5) Records of the Reformed Dutch Church of Albany, New York, 1683-1809, p. 73.
(6) New England Captives Carried to Canada Between 1677 and 1760 During the French and Indian Wars; Coleman, Emma Lewis; Portland, Maine 1925, Volume One, pp.121-124.
(7) New England Captives Carried to Canada Between 1677 and 1760 During the French and Indian Wars, pp. 181-182.
(8) Moise Dupuis-Coureur de Bois; Campbell, Rita (http://ourworld.cs.com/-ht-a/raymdupuis/Moise.html?mtbrand=CS-US)
(9) PRDH Certificate #7851.