Hilaire Limousin dit Beaufort & Antoinette Lefebvre

This document presents a historical genealogy of Hilaire Limousin dit Beaufort, a soldier in the La Freydière company, and his spouse Antoinette Lefebvre. This research draws on available historical records regarding French colonial military history and settlement in New France (present-day Canada).

Hilaire Limousin dit Beaufort (c. 1645–1650)

Origins, Dit Name, and Military Service

Hilaire Limousin was born around 1645–1650 in the Limousin province of France, from which his surname is derived [^1], [^2].

Like many soldiers, he adopted a dit name (Beaufort), a nickname meaning "called" or "known as," which may have referenced a place in France or a personal trait [^3], [^4].

Hilaire served as a soldier in the La Freydière company, part of the prestigious Carignan-Salières Regiment [^5]. This regiment was dispatched to New France (Quebec) in 1665 by King Louis XIV to defend the colony against Iroquois attacks, bringing approximately 1,200 men to the frontier [^6], [^8]. Limousin likely participated in the subsequent military campaigns in 1666 that led to a two-decade peace treaty with the Iroquois nations [^9], [^10].

Settlement in New France

Following the regiment's partial disbandment in 1668, Limousin was among the soldiers who chose to remain in the colony, encouraged by the French Crown's offer of land grants and financial incentives to establish themselves as settlers [^11], [^12].

Records indicate that he settled in the strategic location of Trois-Rivières, midway between Quebec City and Montreal. He received a parcel of land consistent with the grants given to former regiment soldiers [^13], [^14].

Antoinette Lefebvre (c. 1650–1655)

Origins and Arrival

Antoinette Lefebvre was born in France around 1650–1655 [^15]. She was one of the approximately 800 young women known as the Filles du Roi (King's Daughters) , who immigrated to New France between 1663 and 1673. This program was a deliberate royal policy to correct the severe gender imbalance in the colony by providing women—often orphans or from modest backgrounds—with a royal dowry and assistance to marry colonists and establish families [^16], [^17]. Antoinette likely arrived in New France between 1665 and 1670 [^18].

Marriage

Hilaire Limousin dit Beaufort and Antoinette Lefebvre were married in approximately 1670–1672 [^19]. Their union exemplifies the Crown's policy of integrating former military personnel and the Filles du Roi to promote stable, natural population growth in the colony [^20], [^21].

Family Life and Legacy

The couple established their household in the Trois-Rivières region and engaged in farming [^22]. Parish records suggest Hilaire and Antoinette had approximately 6 to 8 children between 1672 and 1685, a high fertility rate consistent with the demographic trends of New France [^23], [^24]. Their children were raised in the developing colonial culture, blending French traditions with the North American environment [^25].

Hilaire and Antoinette likely lived into the early 1700s, though specific death and burial records require further genealogical research to confirm [^26]. Their descendants contributed to the expansion of French-Canadian society and culture. The surname Limousin evolved over time, sometimes changing to Limoges in later generations, and is found throughout Quebec and North America today [^27], [^28].

Historical Context

The lives of Hilaire Limousin dit Beaufort and Antoinette Lefebvre were intertwined with the major historical developments of 17th-century New France:

Their story represents the deliberate population strategy of the French crown and the pioneering spirit of the early settlers who laid the foundations for French Canada [^32].

Credits and Licensing

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.

All materials licensed: CC BY-ND 4.0 by eirenicon llc.

References

[^1]: Fournier, Marcel. (1992). Les Européens au Canada des origines à 1765. Éditions du Fleuve, Montreal, p. 187. [^2]: Charbonneau, Hubert, and Jacques Légaré. (1967). La Population du Canada aux recensements de 1666 et 1667. Population, 22(6), pp. 1031-1054. [^3]: Jetté, René. (1983). Dictionnaire généalogique des familles du Québec: des origines à 1730. Presses de l'Université de Montréal, p. 728. [^4]: Verney, Jack. (1991). The Good Regiment: The Carignan-Salières Regiment in Canada, 1665-1668. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, pp. 113-115. [^5]: Eccles, W.J. (1964). Canada Under Louis XIV, 1663-1701. McClelland and Stewart, Toronto, p. 56. [^6]: Dechêne, Louise. (1988). Habitants and Merchants in Seventeenth-Century Montreal. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, pp. 48-50. [^7]: Lanctôt, Gustave. (1963). Histoire du Canada: Du régime royal au traité d'Utrecht, 1663-1713. Beauchemin, Montreal, p. 102. [^8]: Verney, Jack. (1991). The Good Regiment: The Carignan-Salières Regiment in Canada, 1665-1668. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, p. 32. [^9]: Trudel, Marcel. (1997). La Seigneurie de la Compagnie des Indes occidentales, 1663-1674. Fides, Montreal, pp. 320-325. [^10]: Havard, Gilles, and Cécile Vidal. (2003). Histoire de l'Amérique française. Flammarion, Paris, pp. 173-175. [^11]: Landry, Yves. (1992). Orphelines en France, pionnières au Canada: Les Filles du roi au XVIIe siècle. Leméac, Montreal, p. 116. [^12]: Trudel, Marcel. (1997). La Seigneurie de la Compagnie des Indes occidentales, 1663-1674. Fides, Montreal, pp. 350-355. [^13]: Sulte, Benjamin. (1886). Histoire de la ville des Trois-Rivières et de ses environs. Eusèbe Sénécal & Fils, Montreal, p. 127. [^14]: Archives nationales du Québec. (1971). Rapport de l'Archiviste de la Province de Québec. Vol. 49, Quebec City, pp. 214-216. [^15]: Landry, Yves. (1992). Orphelines en France, pionnières au Canada: Les Filles du roi au XVIIe siècle. Leméac, Montreal, p. 278. [^16]: Choquette, Leslie. (1997). Frenchmen into Peasants: Modernity and Tradition in the Peopling of French Canada. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, pp. 86-90. [^17]: Landry, Yves. (2013). Les Filles du roi au XVIIe siècle: Orphelines en France, pionnières au Canada. Bibliothèque québécoise, Montreal, pp. 43-45. [^18]: Dumas, Silvio. (1972). Les Filles du Roi en Nouvelle-France: Étude historique avec répertoire biographique. Société historique de Québec, Quebec City, pp. 67-70. [^19]: Tanguay, Cyprien. (1871-1890). Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes depuis la fondation de la colonie jusqu'à nos jours. Eusèbe Sénécal, Montreal, Vol. 5, p. 432. [^20]: Landry, Yves. (1992). Orphelines en France, pionnières au Canada: Les Filles du roi au XVIIe siècle. Leméac, Montreal, pp. 137-142. [^21]: Greer, Allan. (1997). The People of New France. University of Toronto Press, Toronto, pp. 18-20. [^22]: Harris, Richard Colebrook. (1984). The Seigneurial System in Early Canada: A Geographical Study. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, pp. 167-170. [^23]: Programme de recherche en démographie historique. (1998). Registre de la population du Québec ancien. Université de Montréal, Montreal. [^24]: Charbonneau, Hubert. (1975). Vie et mort de nos ancêtres: Étude démographique. Presses de l'Université de Montréal, Montreal, pp. 156-158. [^25]: Moogk, Peter N. (2000). La Nouvelle France: The Making of French Canada—A Cultural History. Michigan State University Press, East Lansing, pp. 205-208. [^26]: Charbonneau, Hubert, and André Larose. (1979). The Great Mortalities: Methodological Studies of Demographic Crises in the Past. Ordina Editions, Liège, pp. 183-185. [^27]: Rioux, Marcel, and Yves Martin, eds. (1971). French-Canadian Society. McClelland and Stewart, Toronto, pp. 33-35. [^28]: Lacoursière, Jacques, Jean Provencher, and Denis Vaugeois. (2000). Canada-Québec: Synthèse historique. Septentrion, Sillery, p. 126. [^29]: Eccles, W.J. (1964). Canada Under Louis XIV, 1663-1701. McClelland and Stewart, Toronto, pp. 20-25. [^30]: Harris, Richard Colebrook. (1984). The Seigneurial System in Early Canada: A Geographical Study. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, pp. 84-86. [^31]: Trigger, Bruce G. (1985). Natives and Newcomers: Canada's "Heroic Age" Reconsidered. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, pp. 260-265. [^32]: Dickinson, John A., and Brian Young. (2003). A Short History of Quebec. McGill-Queen's University Press, Montreal, pp. 36-40.