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Marguerite Langlois

Identity and Family

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: Born around the early 17th century – circa 1602. She possibly originated from Dieppe, France [1:1].
  • Siblings: 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 their son Jean would be baptized in 1616 [5, 6].

Known Children of Marguerite Langlois & Abraham Martin

  1. Jean Martin (1616–) born in France
  2. Eustache Martin (1621–) reportedly the first French child born in New France
  3. Marguerite Martin (1624–1679)
  4. Hélène Martin (1627–before 1653)
  5. Pierre Martin (1630–) born in France
  6. Marie Martin (1635–1699)
  7. Adrien Martin (1638–)
  8. Magdelaine Martin (1640–1688)
  9. Barbe Martin (1643–1660)
  10. Anne Martin (1645–1717)
  11. 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.
  • Alternate Account of Arrival and Marriage:
    • This account suggests Marguerite (17) and her sister, Marie (19), both single with few prospects, decided to accompany their brother-in-law, Pierre Desportes (a director in the Company of 100 Associates), to the New World in 1620.
    • They reportedly arrived at Tadoussac aboard the Le Sallemande on August 30, 1620, and were transferred to the Kebec Habitation.
    • Also on board were Abraham Martin, his wife Guillemette Couillard (whose brother was already there), and their six-year-old daughter Anne.
    • This version states Abraham’s wife died soon after they reached their home, and Marguerite and he were married on October 24, 1621, in Kebec.
  • Return to France: In 1629, Hélène 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.
  • Return to Canada: The Martin family returned to New France in 1633, when Canada was returned to France. Abraham reportedly became a royal boat pilot [7].
  • Champlain Connection: When their daughter Hélène Martin was born in 1627, Champlain himself acted as her godfather. Champlain left a legacy in his will 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.”
  • Legacy: The land that they had to clear would become an important historical site. The land where Abraham Martin and Marguerite Langlois raised their children was 32 acres of meadow on the St. Charles River, and the famous “Côte d’Abraham” was the path they used to water their animals. The land is historically known as the “Plains of Abraham.”
  • Midwife: 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 [10, 11].

  • Known witnesses: Noël Morin, Pierre Biron, and Jacques Raté.
  • Officiating Priest: Father Henry de Bernières.

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 René Branche reads (page 1):

“et de la part de ladite future épouse l’honorable homme Noël Morin habitant du pays son nepveu.” (and on the part of the said future wife the honorable man Noël Morin resident of the country her nephew.)

  • The only Noël Morin in the colony at that time were Noël Morin and his son Noël Morin. The son was only 13, thus not an “honorable homme.”
  • Noël Morin’s parents are known, and neither is named Langlois or Martin.
  • Thus, Noël could only be considered a nephew of Marguerite by marriage. He was the second husband of Hélène Desportes, who was herself the daughter of Françoise Langlois.
  • This connection shows that Marguerite and Françoise are sisters.

Sources

Additional Sources

  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 démographie 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 régime français, par Pierre Georges Roy et Antoine Roy; 27 Vol + index 1-8 Marriage contract of René 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, Québec, Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1979,” database with images, FamilySearch (July 16, 2014), Québec > Notre-Dame-de-Québec > Baptêmes, mariages, sépultures 1621-1679 > image 231 of 512; Archives Nationales du Quebec (National Archives of Quebec), Montreal. ↩︎
  13. Roy 1899, vol. 1, p. 77 ↩︎
    • Additional Sources listed in original text:
      • FamilySearch, BMS, Marriage – René 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, Lévis : imprimé à la Revue du notariat, 4 volumes
      • Sicard de Carufel, p. 19
      • Tanguay, Cyprien (1871-1890), Dictionnaire généalogique 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 Québec (Collection Drouin), 1621 à 1997 – Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection: Institut Généalogique Drouin IGD (membership) https://www.genealogiequebec.com

Credits

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.