Individual Details
Anne Marie Bellehache
(Abt Jun 1655 - 7 Dec 1718)
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.
Events
| Birth | Abt Jun 1655 | Ecos, Eure, France |  | ||
| Christen | 10 Jun 1655 | Saint-Denis, Eure, France | | ||
| Immigration | Sep 1673 | Departed La Rochelle on 11 July 1673, on the ship 'L'Espérance', carrying 51 Filles du Roi; arrived at Québec on 03 Sept 1673 - Québec, Canada, New France | |||
| Arrival | 3 Sep 1673 | New France | |||
| Marriage | 9 Sep 1673 | Charlesbourg, Québec, Canada, New France - Gilles L'Espine Bourret | | ||
| Death | 7 Dec 1718 | Charlesbourg, Québec, Canada, Nouvelle-France | | ||
| Burial | 8 Dec 1718 | Charlesbourg, Québec, Canada, Nouvelle-France | | ||
| Alt name | Marie Bellehache | ||||
| Reference No | C347 | |
Families
| Spouse | Gilles L'Espine Bourret (1642 - 1726) |
| Child | Anne-Michelle Bourret (1674 - 1735) |
| Child | Jeanne Bourret (1678 - 1747) |
| Child | François Bourret (1683 - 1759) |
| Child | Catherine Bourret (1686 - ) |
| Child | Marie-Anne Bourret (1689 - 1745) |
| Father | Pierre Bellehache (1625 - 1673) |
| Mother | Marie Burelle (1630 - ) |
Endnotes
1. Diane Lebrun , "Ancestors of Calixte Perreault," pp. 1-137; Unpublished family tree, 2025-02-04, Al Perreault, Calgary, AB, Canada.
2. "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK18-C416 : Mon Mar 31 18:31:38 UTC 2025), Entry for Marie Bellehache..
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7. Institut généalogique Drouin; Université de Montréal, "Programme de recherche en démographie historique (PRDH)," database, Québec; Institut généalogique Drouin; Université de Montréal, PRDH - Programme de recherche en démographie historique (https://www.prdh-igd.com/: accessed ), ; citing ALL of Quebec's Catholic baptisms and burials as well as all of Quebec's marriages for 1621-1861.
- PRDH - Couple/Family Record of Louis JUTRAS & Marie Edesse DIONNE SANSOUCY (120318)
- PRDH – University of Montreal – Programme de Recherche en Demographie Historique
- PRDH-IGD Programme de recherche en démographie historique - the Université de Montréal
8. Diane Lebrun , "Ancestors of Calixte Perreault," pp. 1-137; Unpublished family tree, 2025-02-04, Al Perreault, Calgary, AB, Canada.
9. René Jetté, Professor, historian, demographer and Quebec genealogist., Genealogical Dictionary of Quebec Families Dating to 1730 (Montréal, Quebec, Canada: University of Montreal Press, 1983), .
10. Diane Lebrun , "Ancestors of Calixte Perreault," pp. 1-137; Unpublished family tree, 2025-02-04, Al Perreault, Calgary, AB, Canada.
11. BAnQ Québec.
12. "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK18-C416 : Mon Mar 31 18:31:38 UTC 2025), Entry for Marie Bellehache..
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16. "Canada, Deaths and Burials, 1664-1955", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F259-YFN : 1 February 2020), Marie Bellehache, 1718..
17. "Find a Grave Index", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK18-C416 : Mon Mar 31 18:31:38 UTC 2025), Entry for Marie Bellehache..
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21. "Canada, Deaths and Burials, 1664-1955", , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F259-YFN : 1 February 2020), Marie Bellehache, 1718..
22. Diane Lebrun , "Ancestors of Calixte Perreault," pp. 1-137; Unpublished family tree, 2025-02-04, Al Perreault, Calgary, AB, Canada.