Information kindly submitted by James
Alfred Locke Miller, Jr.
with other information added by me where known
From the book "Old Mobile Fort Louis de la Lousiane 1702-1711"
by Jay Higginbotham, (University of Alabama Press): Describes their shipboard
experiences and the travel to Mobile. It also tells whom they actually
married, and there are some children named when it was known or documented.
Jay
Higginbotham is the archivist in Mobile, Alabama. There are
notes which reference the resource where the information was found, dates
etc..
Some of the young ladies died of illness after arrival or fell ill aboard
ship.
Recruitment in Paris excerpt: "Screening the prospects in the
summer of 1703, the bishop approved twenty girls reared in virtue
and piety.. who are accustomed (also) to labor and diligence.." Some of
the girls had been locally connected with parisian religious communities,
such as the "filles du Reverend Pere Barre'" (a charitable and education
order closely associated with the Seminaire des Missions Etrangeres),
the Communaute de l'Annonciation on the rue du Bac and the
Couvent de Notre-Dame la victorie de Lepante a Picpus.
"Responsibilities of supplies and niceties for the girls was fell to
the wife of the man who was to captain the ship carrying them to Louisiana,
Madame
Guymont DUCOUDRAY.
Some of the Girls were:
Louise - Marguerite HOUSSEAU had come from a town outside of
Paris- Tours. Married Guilliame BOUTIN.
Renee GILBERT had come from a town outside of Paris- Chantilly.
Married Jean ROY.
Marie-Catherine PHILIPPE was sixteen yeras of age, daughter
of Charles PHILIPPE, a respected resident of Meaux-en-Brie....
Gabrielle SAVARAY, daughter of Pierre SAVARY and
Jeanne
FAUTISSE, had been born the 285h of January 1684 in parish of Saint-Denis
where her godfather, Plomier DESELUSE had been an important merchant.
Married Jean Baptiste SAUCIER. For more about this couple
visit Early Families of the
French Colony Mobile.
Marie-Marguerite DUFRESNE, aged fourteen was a daughter of Charles
DUFRESNE, Seiur Dumotel, a squire of the parish of Saint-Germain.
Married Jean Baptiste ALEXANDER. For more about this couple visit
Early
Families of the French Colony Mobile.
Marie Therese BROCHON, "...not as well born, perhaps, but of
no less piety.". Married Pierre BROSSARD.
Angelique DROUIN
"...not as well born, perhaps, but of no less
piety." Married Jean B. La CROIX dit GRIMAULD
Jeanne- Louise BURELLE, aged twenty
Genevieve BURELLE, aged seventeen. Married Claude TREPANIER.
Marguerite BURELLE, aged fifteen. Married Gilbert DARDENNE.
The three BURELLE girls ."..needed no endorsement by Saint-Vallier,
for they were to be accompanied by their parents, Etienne BURELLE and
Marguerite
ROUSSEAU, as well as by their yhounger brother Louis.The elder
BURELLE, by profession a pastry cook, was no stranger to the
New World. Born in Paris (Saint-Severin, Ile-de-France)
in 1656, he had emigrated to Cap Saint-Ignace in Canada at
an early age where he married Marguuerite, widow of Mathurin
DUCHERON, dit DESLAURIERS, on Nov 10, 1682. Siring four children, BURELLE
migrated to Quebec from Capt Saint-Ignace, where a son Vital,
was born, after which he returned to Paris with his family about
the turn of the century. Eager to return to the New World, the pastry
cook seized the opportunity for free passage after learning of Saint-VALLIER's
search for Colonists."
Jeanne-Elisabeth Le PINTEAUX *
Jeanne-Catherine de BERENHARDT *
Marie-Francoise de BOISENRAUD (la fille superieure) *
* "...acted with some authority over the slightly younger girls,
in concert with Sister Marie Malbecq (chosen by Saint Vallier
himself)
and Monsieur Le ROUX."
Louise-Francoise LeFEVRE died of yellow fever after arrival
at Fort Louis, buried that same afternoon.
For a complete list of names of the Girls and their Spouses and some
of the offspring, visit Marriages
of the Pelican Girls
Names and genealogies of the Cassette Girls--"Pelican Girls"
who came to Mobile as brides for the French Marines in 1704. |