Related to Me

Name: Anne Marie Bellehache
Birth: 1652 in Rouen, Normandie, France.
Marriage: 9 September 1673 to Gilles L’Espine Bourret in Charlesbourg, Québec, Canada.
Death: 7 December 1718 in Charlesbourg, Québec, Canada.

Fille du Roi / King’s Daughter

Anne Marie Bellehache was born in 1652 in Rouen, in the Normandy region of France^[1]. Like many young women seeking opportunity and a new life in the Americas, she journeyed across the Atlantic as one of the Filles du Roi—“Daughters of the King”—a group of women sponsored by King Louis XIV to help settle and grow the population of New France^[2].

On 9 September 1673, Anne Marie married Gilles L’Espine Bourret in Charlesbourg, near Québec City^[3]. As part of her passage and settlement agreement, she brought with her a dowry of 200 livres, a modest yet meaningful contribution that reflected both royal support and her own commitment to establishing a new household in the colony^[4].

Anne Marie lived the remainder of her life in Charlesbourg, where she and Gilles raised their family and took part in the shaping of early colonial society. She passed away on 7 December 1718, at the age of 66, leaving behind descendants whose roots run deep in the history of Québec^[5].

Footnotes

1. Baptismal records of Rouen, Normandie, France.
2. Colonial immigration documents, Archives of New France, Filles du Roi, 1663–1673.
3. Marriage register of Charlesbourg Parish, 1673.
4. Notarial marriage contract, Charlesbourg, 1673.
5. Burial records, Charlesbourg Parish, 1718.