đź‘‘ Daughters of the King: Quebec Settlement Data
We are honored to share a remarkable research project on the Filles du Roi—France’s “Daughters of the King”—who arrived in New France between 1663 and 1673. This dataset, generously contributed by Nicole Gallant-Nunes, offers a detailed and statistically rich portrait of the 765 women who helped shape the early population of Quebec.
Nicole’s work synthesizes baptismal, marriage, census, and burial records alongside data from PRDH-IDG, GenealogieQuebec, and other scholarly and genetic sources. The spreadsheet includes estimated ages, marriage and childbearing patterns, mortality rates, geographic origins, and social status indicators such as literacy, noble ancestry, and dowry amounts.
đź“Š Highlights from the Dataset
- 765 women identified as Filles du Roi, with 609 bearing at least one child
- Over 4,500 children born to these women, with an average of 7.5 children per mother
- 1,564 children died before age 17, many within their first year
- 258 Filles du Roi came from Paris, with others from Normandy, La Rochelle, Champagne, and beyond
- 159 married soldiers from the Carignan-Salières Regiment
- 32 women were of known noble ancestry; 181 could sign their names
- 182 women had 10 or more children
- The average age at arrival/marriage was 22; average death age was approximately 59
- One woman, Anne Lemaitre, lived to about 100 years old
This research also documents the lives of women who returned to France, those who died young, and those whose stories remain partially hidden due to incomplete records. Nicole’s methodology is transparent and flexible—she welcomes inquiries about couples not appearing on the list and encourages collaborative refinement.
🔍 About the Researcher
Nicole Gallant-Nunes has graciously granted permission to share this work with ACGS members. If you have questions, corrections, or would like to learn more about her criteria and sources, please contact her directly at:
📧 [email protected]
⚠️ Disclaimer: This dataset is the independent research of Nicole Gallant-Nunes and is shared with permission for educational and genealogical reference. As with all secondary sources, users are encouraged to verify information against original records before citing in their own research.
Full title of Nicole’s project is, The Filles du Roi Informational and Statistical Project Spreadsheet by Nicole Gallant-Nunes, Professional Genealogist, published September 7th, 2024.
