King's Daughters and Founding Mothers: The Filles du Roi is an essential reference for anyone with French-Canadian ancestry. It is an extensively-researched biographical dictionary of the nearly 800 women and girls sent from France to Quebec at the King's expense between 1663 and 1673. By founding families and inciting male immigrants to remain in the colony, these women are credited with assuring the survival of New France.
This eBook is a revised edition of the two print volumes of the book and is updated with corrections and new information. It includes:
• Comprehensive biographies of all the Filles du Roi, including a wealth of information never before available in English;
• Biographies of 36 women incorrectly identified as Filles du Roi;
• Clickable cross-references between biographies, showing the relationships and interactions between the women;
• A concise but comprehensive historical introduction explaining the need for the program, the lives of the girls in France, dispelling misconceptions about the Filles du Roi, and giving a history of the program in Canada;
• A working definition of who can be considered a Fille du Roi;
• A table of all the King's Daughters by year of arrival;
• An appendix with lists and supporting documentation;
• A bibliography with links to selected original documents online.
• A glossary of terms used in the text;
• A thematic index;
• An index of husbands.
Individually and collectively, the story of the Filles du Roi is both fascinating and fundamental to French-Canadian genealogy and to all those who descend from these brave and remarkable women.
"I thought everything possible had already been written about the subject, but I was wrong. [Gagné has] skillfully synthesized disparate sources and added some new insights. Also, [the] style makes reading a joy."- Ivan Robinson, former president of the French-Canadian Genealogical Society of Connecticut
