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Marie Thibault & Jean Rolandeau

Marie Thibault (c.1660-1711) & Jean Rolandeau (1650-1715)

This document details the lives of Marie Thibault, a Fille du Roi, and her husband, Jean Rolandeau (dit Laurendeau), a carpenter and pioneer settler of Montmagny.

Marie Thibault (c. 1660 – 1711)

Origins and Arrival

Marie Thibault was born around 1660 in France.

  • Status: She was one of the King's Daughters (Filles du Roi), women whose immigration to New France was sponsored by the French Crown to boost the colony's population.[^1]
  • Immigration: She arrived in Quebec in 1670.[^2]
  • Dowry: She was granted a dowry of 50 livres by the King, as recorded in the Registre des Filles du Roi.[^2]
  • Death: She died on August 18, 1711, in Quebec, Canada.[^5]

Jean Rolandeau dit Laurendeau (1650 – 1715)

Origins and Career

Jean Rolandeau was born on January 21, 1650, in Marsilly, Aunis, France, to Louis Rolandeau and Laurence Chauveau.[^3]

  • Immigration: He immigrated to New France in 1672.[^3]
  • Occupation: He was a carpenter by trade.[^4]
  • Land Ownership: He initially acquired a 40-arpent (approx. 34-acre) land grant near Quebec City in 1675. He later expanded his landholdings in Montmagny to 120 arpents by 1700.[^4][^14]
  • Community Role: He served as a churchwarden in Montmagny, overseeing the construction of the local chapel in 1705.[^15]
  • Death: He died on February 2, 1715, in Montmagny, Quebec, Canada.[^5]

Marriage and Family

Marie Thibault and Jean Rolandeau were married on April 24, 1680, in Quebec City.[^5]

  • Marriage Contract: The contract, drafted by Notary Romain Becquet on April 20, 1680, included a rare clause allowing Marie to retain control of her dowry and inherited property, reflecting her status as a Fille du Roi.[^6]
  • Children: They had seven children, all of whom used the dit name Laurendeau (a variation of Rolandeau):
Name Birth – Death Years Spouse/Key Detail Source
Marie-Anne Laurendeau 1681–1745 Married François Parent in 1702; owned a farm in Montmagny. [^7]
Catherine Laurendeau 1685–1759 Married François Boutin in 1710; Boutin was later a militia captain. [^8]
Geneviève Laurendeau 1687–unknown Received a dowry of 200 livres in her father's 1715 will. [^9]
Louise Laurendeau 1689–1762 Married Jean Gendron in 1713; descendants settled in Acadia. [^10]
Charles Laurendeau 1692–1734 Inherited his father’s carpentry tools and Montmagny land. [^11]
Anne Laurendeau 1695–1770 Married Pierre Anger-Marot, a fur trader, in 1715. [^12]
Marguerite Laurendeau 1698–unknown Only her baptism record survives. [^13]

Historical Context

The success of the Laurendeau family in Montmagny, a town founded in 1672, mirrors the overall growth of New France. Between 1663 and 1715, the colony's population grew rapidly from 3,000 to 20,000, a surge driven significantly by the efforts of immigrants like Jean Rolandeau and the 770 Filles du Roi, whose lineage forms the foundation of modern French-Canadian ancestry.[^16][^17]

Credits

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.

Sources

[^1]: Landry, Yves. Les Filles du Roi au XVIIe Siècle. Leméac, 1992. [^2]: "Registre des Filles du Roi." Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ). BAnQ Collection. [^3]: "Passenger List of La Rochelle, 1672." French National Archives. Archives Nationales. [^4]: "Land Grant to Jean Rolandeau, 1675." Notarial Records of New France (BAnQ, CN601, S3). View Record. [^5]: "Marriage Record of Marie Thibault and Jean Rolandeau." PRDH-IGD. PRDH-IGD Database. [^6]: "Marriage Contract, 1680." Notary Romain Becquet (BAnQ, CN601, S3). View Contract. [^7]: "Marie-Anne Laurendeau Marriage, 1702." Parish of Sainte-Famille Records (BAnQ, CE401, S19). [^8]: Trudel, Marcel. Histoire de la Nouvelle-France. Fides, 1963. [^9]: "Last Will of Jean Rolandeau, 1715." Notary François Genaple (BAnQ, CN601, S3). View Will. [^10]: "Gendron Family Genealogy." Acadian Historical Society. Acadian.org. [^11]: "Land Inheritance of Charles Laurendeau, 1715." Montmagny Land Registry (BAnQ, TL401, S1). [^12]: "Marriage of Anne Laurendeau, 1715." PRDH-IGD. PRDH-IGD Database. [^13]: "Baptism of Marguerite Laurendeau, 1698." Quebec Parish Records (BAnQ, CE401, S20). [^14]: "Montmagny Land Registry, 1700." BAnQ, TL401, S1. View Registry. [^15]: "Churchwarden Records of Montmagny, 1705." Montmagny Historical Society. MontmagnyHistory.org. [^16]: Dechêne, Louise. Habitants and Merchants in Seventeenth-Century Montreal. McGill-Queen’s Press, 1992. [^17]: Charbonneau, Hubert. The First French Canadians. University of Delaware Press, 1993.