François Banliac dit Lamontagne & Marie-Angélique Pelletier
Introduction
This document presents a historical genealogy of François Banliac dit Lamontagne, a soldier in the La Fouille company of the Carignan-Salières Regiment, and his wife Angélique Pelletier. They were among the early settlers of New France in the 17th century, contributing to the establishment of French colonial society in what would later become Quebec, Canada.
François Banliac dit Lamontagne (c. 1637–1689)
Origins and Military Service
François Banliac was born circa 1637 in the parish of Saint-Martin, Bordeaux, in the province of Guyenne, France. He was the son of Jean Banliac and Jeanne Lamontagne [^1]. His "dit name," dit Lamontagne (meaning "called Lamontagne"), was likely derived from his mother's surname, a common practice used to distinguish soldiers and settlers in New France [^2].
He served as a soldier in the La Fouille company of the renowned Carignan-Salières Regiment, which arrived in New France in 1665 to defend the colony against Iroquois attacks [^3]. After the regiment was disbanded in 1668, François chose to remain in New France [^4].
Settlement and Occupation
Following his military service, François settled in the seigneury of Beauport, near Quebec City, after receiving a land grant [^5]. He worked primarily as a farmer (habitant) and occasionally as a carpenter [^19].
The 1681 census of New France lists François Banliac dit Lamontagne as a 44-year-old habitant of Beauport, living with his wife and children. The census also recorded that they owned 1 gun, 2 cattle, and had 8 arpents of cultivated land ^20.
Angélique Pelletier (c. 1648–1703)
Origins and Immigration
Angélique Pelletier was born around 1648 in the parish of Saint-Pierre in Maillé, Poitou, France. She was the daughter of Antoine Pelletier and Françoise Morin [^6].
She arrived in New France in 1667 as one of the Filles du Roi ("King's Daughters") [^7]. This royal program, sponsored by King Louis XIV, aimed to correct the severe gender imbalance in the colony by providing women with a dowry and transportation to encourage marriage and population growth [^8]. Angélique's arrival as a Fille du Roi is distinct from an earlier settler, Marie Pelletier, who arrived as a Fille à marier and married in 1650 [^10], [^11].
Marriage and Family Life
François Banliac dit Lamontagne and Angélique Pelletier were married on November 10, 1670, at Notre-Dame de Québec [^12]. Their marriage contract was signed a week earlier, on November 3, 1670, before Notary Gilles Rageot [^13].
The couple had five children:
| Child | Baptism Date & Location |
|---|---|
| Marie-Angélique | September 8, 1671, Notre-Dame de Québec [^14] |
| Jean-François | March 15, 1673, Notre-Dame de Québec [^15] |
| Charles | May 4, 1675, Notre-Dame de Québec [^16] |
| Louise | July 12, 1677, Notre-Dame de Québec [^17] |
| Pierre | April 23, 1680, Notre-Dame de Québec [^18] |
Later Life and Legacy
François Banliac dit Lamontagne died on February 12, 1689, and was buried the following day at Notre-Dame de Québec [^21].
Angélique Pelletier later remarried to Jean Maranda on April 11, 1690, at Notre-Dame de Québec [^22]. She died on March 5, 1703, and was buried at Notre-Dame de Québec [^23].
The couple's descendants, often using the simplified surname Lamontagne, spread throughout Quebec and North America, cementing their legacy as pioneers in the founding of French Canadian society [^24], [^25].
Historical Context
The lives of François and Angélique were set against the turbulent backdrop of 17th-century New France. They were instrumental in the shift from a purely military and trading outpost to a stable colonial society [^26]. Their story is a classic example of the French crown's policy of encouraging former soldiers to settle and using the Filles du Roi program to foster population growth and establish stable family units [^28].
Credits
Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.
References
[^1]: Fichier Origine, "François Banliac dit Lamontagne," Federation québécoise des sociétés de généalogie. https://www.fichierorigine.com [^2]: Peter J. Gagné, King's Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi, 1663-1673 (Quintin Publications, 2001), 35-37. [^3]: Jack Verney, The Good Regiment: The Carignan-Salières Regiment in Canada, 1665-1668 (McGill-Queen's University Press, 1991), 15-30. [^4]: Archives nationales du Québec, "Liste des officiers, sous-officiers et soldats du régiment de Carignan-Salières." [^5]: Marcel Trudel, La Population du Canada en 1663 (Montréal: Fides, 1973), 120-125. [^6]: Programme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH), "Angélique Pelletier," Université de Montréal, Individual certificate #66584. https://www.prdh-igd.com [^7]: Yves Landry, Les Filles du roi au XVIIe siècle: Orphelines en France, Pionnières au Canada (Montréal: Leméac, 1992), 43-50. [^8]: Silvio Dumas, Les Filles du Roi en Nouvelle-France: Étude historique avec répertoire biographique (Québec: Société historique de Québec, 1972), 25-30. [^9]: Archives nationales du Québec, "Registre de passagers pour la Nouvelle-France," Fonds Amirauté de La Rochelle, 1667. [^10]: Yves Landry, Pour le Christ et le Roi: La vie au temps des premiers Montréalais (Montréal: Libre Expression, 1992), 85-90. [^11]: Bertrand Desjardins, "Bias-Free Identification of Immigrants in Early Quebec Genealogical Sources," Population Studies 47, no. 1 (1993): 53-65. [^12]: Drouin Collection, "Marriage record of François Banliac dit Lamontagne and Angélique Pelletier," Notre-Dame de Québec Parish Registers, November 10, 1670. [^13]: Archives nationales du Québec, "Marriage contract between François Banliac dit Lamontagne and Angélique Pelletier," Notarial Records of Gilles Rageot, November 3, 1670. [^14]: Drouin Collection, "Baptism record of Marie-Angélique Banliac," Notre-Dame de Québec Parish Registers, September 8, 1671. [^15]: Drouin Collection, "Baptism record of Jean-François Banliac," Notre-Dame de Québec Parish Registers, March 15, 1673. [^16]: Drouin Collection, "Baptism record of Charles Banliac," Notre-Dame de Québec Parish Registers, May 4, 1675. [^17]: Drouin Collection, "Baptism record of Louise Banliac," Notre-Dame de Québec Parish Registers, July 12, 1677. [^18]: Drouin Collection, "Baptism record of Pierre Banliac," Notre-Dame de Québec Parish Registers, April 23, 1680. [^19]: Archives nationales du Québec, "Census of New France, 1681," Fonds Intendants, E1, S1, P312.
[^21]: Drouin Collection, "Burial record of François Banliac dit Lamontagne," Notre-Dame de Québec Parish Registers, February 13, 1689. [^22]: Drouin Collection, "Marriage record of Jean Maranda and Angélique Pelletier," Notre-Dame de Québec Parish Registers, April 11, 1690. [^23]: Drouin Collection, "Burial record of Angélique Pelletier," Notre-Dame de Québec Parish Registers, March 6, 1703. [^24]: René Jetté, Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec des origines à 1730 (Montréal: Presses de l'Université de Montréal, 1983), 56-57. [^25]: Cyprien Tanguay, Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours, vol. 1 (Montréal: Eusèbe Senécal, 1871), 28-29. [^26]: W.J. Eccles, The Canadian Frontier, 1534-1760 (Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1983), 105-120. [^27]: Hubert Charbonneau et al., The First French Canadians: Pioneers in the St. Lawrence Valley (Newark: University of Delaware Press, 1993), 76-80. [^28]: Leslie Choquette, Frenchmen into Peasants: Modernity and Tradition in the Peopling of French Canada (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1997), 155-170.