Most were single French women and many were orphans. Their transportation to Canada and settlement in the colony were paid for by the King. Some were given a royal gift of a dowry of 50 livres for their marriage to one of the many unmarried male colonists in Canada. These gifts are reflected in some of the marriage contracts entered into by the Filles du roi at the time of their first marriages.
Some of these women married and the resultant population explosion gave rise to the success of the colony. Click here for a listing of the F illes du roi. Click here for a listing of soldiers marrying Filles du roi. About Us. History of the Society. President's Corner.
Benefits of Membership. Become a Member. King's Daughters. Regiment Soldiers. Source Notes. New France by the Numbers. Sample our Journal. More About Our Ancestors. Members Login. Resources for Research. Articles for the Journal. If they were, they have not survived to our day or have never been found. Occasionally, a reference was made in the official correspondence regarding the number of Filles du Roi , as in when Talon referred to the 84 girls sent from Dieppe and 25 from La Rochelle the previous year.
For nine out of ten women in this time frame, this means a marriage or marriage contract. But is this an accurate means of determining when they arrived in New France? Who qualifies as a Fille du roi? Campeau, Charles Vianney webmaster. Pawtucket, RI: Quintin Publications, Landry, Yves. Volume 1.
Trudel, Marcel. La population du Canada en
