Hélène Desportes (c. 1620–1675)

Hélène Desportes, often considered the first French child born in New France. Her life story embodies the resilience and foundational spirit of the early colony.

Birth and Early Life in Quebec

• Birth: The baptismal record for Hélène Desportes has not been found, but historians estimate she was born between 1620 and 1621 in Québec, Canada, Nouvelle France, shortly after her parents arrived.
  • Ethel Bennett, in the Dictionary of Canadian Biography, suggests she was "probably the first white child born along the shores of the St. Lawrence River."
• Parents: Hélène was the daughter of Pierre Desportes and Françoise Langlois.
• Migration: The Desportes family arrived in New France around 1619, settling near other early colonists like Louis Hébert and Abraham Martin. Hélène’s family was actively involved in the small settlement, which hosted sixty people by the winter of 1620.
  • Her father, Pierre Desportes, must have held some prestige, as he was a signatory of a petition to the King in 1621.

Return to France and Repatriation

• In 1629, following the conquest of Quebec by the Kirke brothers, the Desportes family was forced to return to France.
• Hélène's mother, Françoise Langlois, died in Dieppe, France, and was buried there on April 20, 1632.
• Hélène returned to Quebec around 1634, when the colony was restored to French control, likely accompanied by her uncle, Abraham Martin, and her aunt, Marguerite Langlois.
• In a testament to her mother’s connection to the founder of the colony, Samuel de Champlain’s will (dated December 25, 1635) named Françoise Desportes as an inheritor of "humble items like pins and cloths"—precious items in that era.

First Marriage and Widowhood (Hébert)

Hélène married into New France’s first farming family.

• Marriage: On October 1, 1634, at the Notre-Dame parish of Quebec, the 14-year-old Hélène married Guillaume Hébert (c. 1614–1639), the 20-year-old son of Louis Hébert and Marie Rollet.
• Children with Guillaume Hébert:
  1. Joseph Hébert (1636–1662)
  2. Françoise Hébert (1638–1716)
  3. Angélique Hébert (1639–unknown)
• Widowhood: Guillaume Hébert died on September 23, 1639, just two months after Angélique's birth. The 25-year-old widow was left in financial difficulty; the sale of her belongings brought in 367 livres, but her house was deemed "uninhabitable."
  • A surviving document requesting a guardian for her children bears Hélène’s signature, implying she was literate.

Second Marriage and Founding Family (Morin)

Widowed with three small children, Hélène married a second time shortly thereafter, securing stability for her family.

• Marriage: On January 9, 1640, in Quebec, she married Noël Morin (c. 1609–unknown), a wagon maker recruited from France.
• Children with Noël Morin (Total 12): | Child Name | Years | Child Name | Years | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Agnès Morin | 1641–1687 | Hélène Morin | 1647–1661 | | Germain Morin | 1642–1702 | Marie Morin | 1649–1730 | | Louise Morin | 1643–1713 | Alphonse Morin | 1650–1711 | | Nicolas Morin | 1644–(unknown) | Noël Morin | 1652–1666 | | Jean-Baptiste Morin | 1645–1694 | Charles Morin | 1654–1671 | | Marguerite Morin | 1646–1646 | Marie-Madeleine Morin | 1656–1720 |

Community Role and Status

• Midwife: Hélène served the community as a midwife, teaching the skill to her daughter, Françoise Hébert, who later served in the same capacity.
• Land Ownership: In 1663, Noël Morin was granted more land and became the Seigneur of the Rivière La Caille region, which later developed into Montmagny.
• Census Records: The family settled in Sainte-Geneviève and was recorded in the census records:
  • 1666: Noël (57) and Hélène (46), listed with their children and a domestic worker.
  • 1667: Listed again, having cleared 40 acres of land.

Death and Legacy

• Death: Hélène Desportes died on June 24, 1675, at approximately 54 years of age, at her son Alphonse’s house in Saint-Thomas, Québec, Canada, Nouvelle France. She was buried in Montmagny.
• Legacy: Hélène Desportes is remembered as one of the pivotal founding women of New France. Her two marriages and total of fifteen children were vital to the early population growth of the colony. Many Québécois and French Canadian descendants trace their lineage back to her, making her a symbol of the strength and resilience of the first European settlers in Canada.

Sources and Resources

The following resources detail the life and lineage of Hélène Desportes:

• Dictionnaire Biographique du Canada (Dictionary of Canadian Biography – DCB): Provides a scholarly account of her life, including her status as likely the first European child born on the St. Lawrence.
• Fichier Origine: A crucial resource for researching French-Canadian ancestry and early immigrants to New France.
• Dictionnaire généalogique des familles canadiennes by Cyprien Tanguay: Foundational genealogical resource detailing her marriages to Guillaume Hébert and Noël Morin.
• Notarial Records (BAnQ): Records held by the Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ) documenting her property and legal requests (like the guardianship document).
• Parish Registers (BAnQ): Church records (baptisms, marriages, burials) from Quebec City and Montmagny.
• Wikipedia and FindAGrave: Additional public information sources, noting her birth, death, and family connections.
• PRDH (Le Programme de recherche en démographie historique): A demographic and genealogical database of the Quebec population.
• The Builders of New France: General historical context for the conditions of early settlers.

Credits and Licensing

Compiled by Mark Rabideau, Opa & Professional Genealogist.

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