Vital Information
| Field | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Full Name | Jeanne Braconnier | Quebec parish records; Edeline genealogy |
| Born | ~1651 | Estimated from marriage records |
| Birthplace | Paris, France (11th arrondissement) | Edeline genealogy; Gagne 2000 |
| Died | 20 Feb 1711, Montreal, New France (hospital) | Quebec parish records |
| Father | Nicolas Braconnier (d. ~1651, Paris) | Edeline genealogy |
| Mother | Charlotte-Claude Brunet (Paris) | Edeline genealogy |
| Spouse (1) | Crespin Thuillier dit LaTour (m. 18 Sep 1673, Quebec City) | Quebec parish records |
| Spouse (2) | Charles Edeline (m. 16 Oct 1675, Boucherville) | Quebec parish records |
| Children by Crespin | Jacques Thuillier (Aug 1674, d. Jul 1675); Jeanne Thuillier (Jan 1676) | Edeline genealogy |
| Children by Charles | Catherine Therese (1677), Charles (1678), François (1680), Pierre-Jean (1681, d. 5 days), Pierre (1683), Marie-Anne (1685), Angelique (1687, d. infant), Agathe (1688), Louis-Antoine (1690), Jean-Baptiste (1693) | Edeline genealogy; Quebec parish records |
Their Story
Paris and the Decision to Go
Nothing is known of Jeanne Braconnier's early life except that she was born around 1651 in the 11th arrondissement of Paris to Nicolas Braconnier and Charlotte-Claude Brunet. What circumstances led a Parisian woman to sign a contract to cross the Atlantic is unrecorded, but in 1673, she became one of the last Filles du Roi.
Fille du Roi
Between 1663 and 1673, Louis XIV sponsored the transport of an estimated 800 women to New France to address a severe gender imbalance in the colony. Each woman received a dowry and passage in exchange for a promise to marry a settler. The program was suspended in 1672 when the bride shortage was thought to be over, but Governor Frontenac requested 60 more women the following year. Jeanne was among this final group of 60.
The 60 Filles du Roi of 1673 departed La Rochelle and arrived at Quebec City on 3 September 1673. The ship is most commonly identified as L'Nativite (captain Thare Chaillaud), though some researchers cite L'Esperance (captain Guyon Basset) or La Nouvelle-France. The uncertainty reflects the fragmentary nature of 17th-century French colonial shipping records. Within a week, a marriage contract was drawn up for Jeanne to marry Louis Chapacou, son of a settler named Simon Chapacou. Something caused the marriage to be called off, and it was annulled on the 15th. Just three days later, on 18 September 1673, Jeanne married Crespin Thuillier dit LaTour, a young widower who had recently lost his first wife. Louis Chapacou did not find another wife until 1681.
Boucherville and Loss
Jeanne and Crespin settled in Boucherville, a community near Montreal. For a woman from Paris, she had to adapt quickly to life on the American frontier. Within a year, she gave birth to a son, Jacques, in August 1674, but the baby died before his first birthday in July 1675. Jeanne became pregnant again, and then suffered another loss when Crespin himself died.
Marriage to Charles Edeline
Jeanne found a new husband in Charles Edeline, also a Parisian, who had arrived in New France around 1669. He was a shoemaker and farmer who had recently acquired land in Longueuil. They married 16 October 1675 in Boucherville. In January 1676, Jeanne gave birth to Jeanne Thuillier, the child conceived with Crespin. A year later, Catherine Therese was born, the first of ten children with Charles.
Their son Pierre, born 30 June 1683, became the first baptism performed in Longueuil, a detail recorded in the parish chronicle.
Charles served as the church beadle at Longueuil, a role he held until his death. Together they raised a large family through the rigors of colonial life. Of their twelve children (two by Crespin, ten by Charles), most survived to adulthood, an unusual achievement for the era.
Death
Around age 60, Jeanne became ill and was hospitalized in Montreal. She died there on 20 February 1711. Charles survived her by only a few months, dying in October 1711, also at the hospital in Montreal.
Legacy
Through her daughter Catherine Therese Edeline (1677-1715), who married Bertrand DeBluche dit la Serre, Jeanne is an ancestor of the Tesson dit Honore family of colonial Missouri, the LaFleur family, and ultimately the Dickinson and Giles families of St. Louis. She is a direct ancestor of Ira Mollett Giles (1902-1970).
Document Sources
| Document | Type | Vault Note |
|---|---|---|
| Quebec parish records (marriage, baptism, burial) | Vital records (primary) | Via PRDH and Drouin Collection |
| "My Ancestry & their descendants plus misc research" | Compiled genealogy | Denis Paul Edeline, RootsWeb |
| King's Daughters and Founding Mothers 1663-1673 | Published genealogy | Peter Gagne, 2000 |
| Généalogie du Quebec et d'Amérique française | Online database | nosorigines.qc.ca |
| Brève chronologie de la paroisse de Saint-Antoine de Longueuil | Parish history | Parish chronicle |
| Marriage contract with Louis Chapacou (annulled 15 Sep 1673) | Notarial record | Referenced in Edeline genealogy |
Data Discrepancies
| Field | Source A | Source B | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Birth year | ~1651 (Edeline genealogy) | ~1651 (WikiTree) | Consistent; estimated from first marriage at ~age 22 |
| Charles Edeline death | 27 Oct 1711 (WikiTree) | "October 1711" (Edeline genealogy) | Consistent |
| Spelling of DeBluche | "DeBlunche" (Edeline genealogy) | "DeBluche" (WikiTree) | Variant spellings; both used in records |