Marguerite Langlois 1665 Death

Marguerite Langlois

Marguerite Langlois (late 16th / early 17th century ~1602 – 1665)

Parents:

The names of her parents are unknown and she has no family relationship with Noël Langlois.[1]

Some sources indicate that Guillaume Langlois and Jeanne Millette were her parents, and that she was one of four children born in St. Xiste, Montpelliers, France.

Birth:

She was born around the early 17th century – circa 1602. She possibly originated from Dieppe, France.[1:1] Some sources indicate that she was the sister of Françoise Langlois.[2][3]

First Marriage:

Before 1621,[4] Marguerite Langlois, aged approximately 19, married Abraham Martin known as “l’Écossais” (the Scotsman), aged approximately 32, at an undetermined location in France, presumably in Dieppe where Jean would be baptized in 1616.[5][6]

Known Children of Marguerite Langlois & Abraham Martin:

  • Jean Martin (1616-) born in France
  • Eustache Martin (1621-) reportedly the first French child born in New France
  • Marguerite Martin (1624-1679)
  • HĂ©lĂšne Martin (1627-before 1653)
  • Pierre Martin (1630-) born in France
  • Marie Martin (1635-1699)
  • Adrien Martin (1638-)
  • Magdelaine Martin (1640-1688)
  • Barbe Martin (1643-1660)
  • Anne Martin (1645-1717)
  • Charles Amador Martin (1648-1711) priest

Life in New France:

Marguerite Langlois lived in Canada, New France.

Migration to New France:

First mention in Canada: 1619. She arrived with her husband and two children.

According to some accounts, in 1619, Henri De Montmorency II and Samuel Champlain were recruiting workers for New France, with preference given to young men with families. At the time, many French people were becoming disillusioned with conditions at home in the aftermath of the costly Religious Wars. Unemployment was high and the cost of living even higher. When her brother-in-law, Pierre Desportes, a director in the Company of 100 Associates, announced that he would be going to the New World, the seventeen-year-old Marguerite and her nineteen-year-old sister, Marie, decided to accompany them.

Both were single at the time, with few prospects, and since it was reported that there were many bachelors in the new colony but a shortage of eligible women, they felt they had nothing to lose. Additionally, Françoise had just given birth to her first child, a girl named Marie HélÚne, and they would be able to help her. Coincidentally, the little girl would grow up to marry Guillaume Hébert, son of Louis Hébert and Marie Rollet.

This account suggests they arrived at Tadoussac aboard the ‘Le Sallemande’ on August 30, 1620, and from there were transferred to the Kebec Habitation, where Pierre would be employed. Also on board were Abraham Martin, who had been to the area before; his wife Guillemette Couillard, whose brother was already there; and their six-year-old daughter Anne.

According to this version, Abraham’s wife died soon after they reached their home, and Marguerite and he would be married on October 24, 1621, in Kebec.

In 1629, HĂ©lĂšne Martin, Marguerite Martin, Marguerite Langlois, and Abraham Martin dit l’Écossais returned to France following the capture of Quebec by the Kirke brothers. Their son Pierre was baptized in Dieppe (St-Jacques) on August 1, 1630.

The Martin family returned to New France in 1633, when Canada was returned to France. Abraham reportedly became a royal boat pilot.[7]

When their daughter HĂ©lĂšne Martin was born in 1627, Champlain himself acted as her godfather.

HélÚne Bouillé, wife of Samuel de Champlain, reportedly spent a great deal of time with the Langlois sisters during the four years she spent at Kebec. It was clear that she was unhappy in her situation and often confided in them, so when she returned home to France permanently, it came as no surprise.

Marguerite’s husband also had a personal friendship with Champlain. In his will, Champlain left a legacy to Marguerite Martin, their second child, “to help her to marry a man of Canada,” and additional funds to Abraham himself “to be spent for clearing land.”

The land that they had to clear would become an important historical site, known as the “Plains of Abraham,” after British Forces led by General James Wolfe and the French under the Marquis de Montcalm sealed the fate of New France in 1759. However, the land where Abraham Martin and Marguerite Langlois raised their children was 32 acres of meadow on the St. Charles River, and the famous “Cîte d’Abraham” was the path they used to water their animals.

Marguerite Langlois served as a midwife on at least one occasion, at the birth of Marie Lefebvre in 1657.[8]

Second Marriage:

After her first husband Abraham Martin died on September 8, 1664, Marguerite Langlois and René Branche signed a marriage contract on January 11, 1665, before notary Pierre Duquet.[9]

On February 17, 1665, at Notre-Dame de Québec, Marguerite Langlois, aged approximately 63, married René Branche, aged approximately 24, son of Jean Branche (before 1625-) and Jeanne Bardon (before 1625-), from the parish of Notre-Dame de Fontenay in Poitou, in the presence of known witnesses Noël Morin, Pierre Biron, and Jacques Raté, with Father Henry de BerniÚres officiating.[10][11]

Death:

On December 17, 1665, at the age of approximately 63, Marguerite Langlois died in Quebec and was buried on December 19, 1665, at the parish of Notre-Dame de Québec.[12]

The inventory of Abraham Martin dit l’Écossais’s possessions was conducted on October 7, 1664, before notary Pierre Duquet.[13]

Research Note

Marguerite Langlois sister to Françoise Langlois, the evidence:

The relevant text from the marriage contract between Marguerite Langlois and RenĂ© Branche attached in PDF format to Marguerite’s profile reads: “et de la part de ladite future Ă©pouse l’honorable homme NoĂ«l Morin habitant du pays son nepveu.” (page 1)

The only NoĂ«l Morin in the colony at that time were NoĂ«l Morin and his son NoĂ«l Morin. Any others with this name were born after this marriage contract. It is highly unlikely that this referred to the son, since he would have been only 13 at the time, thus not qualifying as an “honorable homme” (honorable man).

NoĂ«l Morin’s parents are known, and neither is named either Langlois or Martin. Thus NoĂ«l could only be considered a nephew of Marguerite by marriage; he was the second husband of HĂ©lĂšne Desportes, who was herself the daughter of Françoise Langlois. Thus Marguerite and Françoise are shown to be sisters.

Sources

Additional Sources:

  • FamilySearch, BMS, Marriage – RenĂ© Branche – Marguerite Langlois
  • Fichier Origine 290146 Abraham Martin
  • Perche-quebec.com
  • Roy, Joseph-Edmond (1899-1902). Histoire du notariat au Canada depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu’à nos jours, LĂ©vis : imprimĂ© Ă  la Revue du notariat, 4 volumes
  • Sicard de Carufel, p. 19
  • Tanguay, Cyprien (1871-1890), Dictionnaire gĂ©nĂ©alogique des familles canadiennes, 7 vol., pp. 85, 344, 415
  • Tanguay, Cyprien (1886). A Travers les Registres. p. 17
  • Actes d’état civil et registres d’église du QuĂ©bec (Collection Drouin), 1621 Ă  1997 – Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection: Institut GĂ©nĂ©alogique Drouin IGD (membership) https://www.genealogiequebec.com

  1. Perche-quebec.com ↩ ↩

  2. (see “Françoise Langlois, Pierre [Desportes]’s wife and Marguerite’s sister”) ↩

  3. Francogene.com, file Unknown Langlois father of Françoise and Marguerite, with DNA data ↩

  4. PRDH: Le Programme de recherche en dĂ©mographie historique (membership): union: 86 ↩

  5. Note: Marriage date around 1615 or before 1621; Marriage location Dieppe (region); Spouse Marguerite Langlois; Remarks: He resided on rue d’Écosse in Dieppe, hence his nickname. Two children were baptized in Dieppe (St-Jacques): Jean, on 09-23-1616 (Jehan Filie, godfather and Colette Chignart, godmother); and Pierre, on 08-01-1630. Abraham returned to France in 1629 after the capture of Quebec by the Kirke brothers, then returned to the country with his wife in 1633. ↩

  6. Fichier Origine 290146, Abraham Martin ↩

  7. Fichier origine 290146 ↩

  8. Quebec, Vital and Church Records (Drouin Collection), 1621-1997 – Drouin IGD ↩

  9. BAnQ Notarial acts index Inventaire des greffes des notaires du rĂ©gime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 Marriage contract of RenĂ© Branche and Marguerite Langlois, widow of Abraham Martin (January 11, 1665). Vol II pg 116 Notary Pierre Duquet ↩

  10. FamilySearch, Marriage 2 ↩

  11. Marriage IGD ↩

  12. Burial, “Canada, QuĂ©bec, Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979,” database with images, FamilySearch (July 16, 2014), QuĂ©bec > Notre-Dame-de-QuĂ©bec > BaptĂȘmes, mariages, sĂ©pultures 1621-1679 > image 231 of 512; Archives Nationales du Quebec (National Archives of Quebec), Montreal. ↩

  13. Roy 1899, vol. 1, p. 77 ↩

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