JEAN ROY, FRANCOISE BOUET AND THEIR CONNECTION TO
JEANNE MANCE
The paragraphs
below provide a brief description of the life of Jeanne Mance
as outlined on various Internet sites which describe her contributions to the
founding of New France. Links are
provided below to these sites. This page
is not meant to provide a complete view of Ms. Mance’s
life but is, instead, provided to show the connection between Jeanne Mance and my ancestors, Jean Roy and Francoise Bouet.
JEANNE MANCE (baptized 12 Nov 1606) was the Foundress of the Montreal (Ville Marie) Hôtel-Dieu
hospital. She was one of the first women
settlers in Canada and is considered to be the co-founder of Montreal (along
with Paul de Chomedey de Maisonneuve). (Biography)
In 1640, Jeanne learned from her cousin of
opportunities to do mission work amongst the aboriginal people of New France
(Canada). So with an introduction from her cousin, she went to Paris,
where she met with Father Charles Lalemant, priest in
charge of the Jesuits in Canada. He in turn, introduced her to Madame Angélique de Bullion, widow of the French Superintendent of
Finance under Louis XIII and daughter of the King's
secretary. Angelique was a very wealthy and powerful woman and it was
her who proposed that Jeanne Mance establish a
hospital similar to the Hôtel-Dieu de Québec, at
Ville Marie. The only stipulation was that Angelique's name be kept out of it,
and it wasn’t until after her death that others learned of her generosity. So
in May of 1641, Jeanne Mance boarded one of two ships
leaving for New France, and with Governor Maisonneuve,
founded Montreal in September 1642. The foundation agreement for The Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal was signed in Paris on January 12,
1644 and the hospital was built the following year. Jeanne’s 'secret'
benefactress sent furnishings and supplies and the hospital was soon open for
business.
Not large, the wooden building measured 60
feet long by 24 feet wide, with six beds for men and two beds for women. It was
surrounded by a stockade and a trench and served Montreal until 1654, when a
larger building was constructed. (One Woman’s Devotion)(The Angel of Ville Marie)
In 1650 she visited France in the interests of
the colony, and brought back 22,000 livres of the
60,000 set apart by Madame de Bullion for the foundation of the hospital.
Back in Montreal by 1651, Jeanne realized that
the struggle against the Iroquois had become more and more bloody and
recurrent. “The Iroquois,” wrote Sulpician Priest
Francois Dollier de Casson,
“having no more atrocities to commit . . . because there were no more
Hurons to destroy, . . . turned their
attention towards the île de Montreal
. . . ; there is not a month in this summer when our book of the
dead has not been stained in red letters by the hands of the Iroquois.” Jeanne Mance had to close the hospital and take refuge in the fort.
All the settlers did the same. On the abandoned sites it was necessary to put
garrisons; “we were getting fewer every day,” added Dollier
de Casson.
(Note: The attacks by the Iroquois had been going on since shortly after
the settlement of Montreal.)
At the end of the summer of 1651 Governor
M. de Maisonneuve, discouraged, and even
profoundly distressed at the sight of settlers whom he loved and had undertaken
to protect falling continually around him, resolved to bring an end to this
slaughter at whatever cost. It was clear that they would all meet the same fate
sooner or later. He would go to France, and try to obtain assistance in order
to bring a good number of soldiers back to Ville-Marie. Or else, if he failed
to gain the support of the Associates of Montreal, he would abandon the
undertaking and order the settlers to return to France.
It was then that Jeanne intervened. She went to
M. de Maisonneuve’s house and said to him that
“she advised him to go to France, that the foundress
had given her for the hospital 22,000 livres, which
were in a certain place that she pointed out to him, – and that she would
give him the money so that he could get help.” M. de Maisonneuve
accepted the proposal in principle. Before making a final decision he wanted to
pray, meditate, and consult the chaplains. He was also thinking about the way
to compensate Madame de Bullion for the loss of the capital that she was
putting at his disposal. He sailed for France a few weeks later. By her advice
to the Governor, Jeanne Mance had just saved
Montreal, for M. de Maisonneuve came back with
help. (La Grande Recrue de 1653) (Carignan-Salieres Regiment)
In January 1657, Jeanne fell on the ice and
suffered a broken forearm, became incapacitated and had to withdraw from her
nursing duties. Although she had longed for additional help at Hôtel-Dieu de Montréal, she needed the assistance of Hospitallers now more than ever.
In 1658 Jeanne made a second trip to France to
secure religious women/nuns to assist her in her work as well as obtain medical
attention for her painful and incapacitating forearm/wrist fracture. On 2 February 1659 while in Paris, Jeanne
prayed at Saint-Sulpice where Father Jean Jacques Olier's (founder of the Society of the Priests of Saint Sulpice) heart had been preserved. Supposedly, Jeanne was miraculously
cured. (Jeanne Mance)
Before leaving France, Jeanne and Marguerite Bourgeoys went to La Flèche, to
receive the three Daughter Hospitallers of St. Joseph
from the convent of La Flèche (Judith Moreau de Bresoles, Catherine Mace, and Marie Maillet)
that had been chosen by Jérôme le Royer for this
Canadian foundation. (Jérôme le Royer had worked unceasingly with Father Jean
Jacques Olier to found the Notre-Dame de Montréal
Society which acquired the title to the Island of Montreal and began to
accumulate supplies for the ocean voyage. Mr. le Royer successfully
recruited Paul de Chomedy, sieur
de Maisonneuve to lead the expedition.)
Before leaving La Flèche,
several families were recruited to accompany Jeanne Mance
on the return trip to Montreal. Many of
these families were from village of Marans – a short
distance from La Rochelle. Included in
this group was my ancestor – Jean Roy.
Jean’s name is included in a contract dated May 5, 1659 between Jeanne Mance, residing on the Island of Montréal, and Jacques Mousnier, merchant of La Rochelle, for the transport to
Québec, aboard the ship Saint-André, of 31 persons, including women and
children.
Contract (Jean Roy’s name is listed on
line 10 – middle of the page)
Before leaving for New France, however, Jean Roy
was united in marriage to Francoise Bouhet/Bouet. Jean and
Francoise were married in La Rochelle (Department of Charente Maritime) on 5
June 1659 at Notre-Dame-de-Cougnes. Surprisingly, Jeanne Mance
witnessed and signed the couple’s marriage record:
On July 2, 1659 – less than one month after their
marriage, Jean Roy and Francoise Bouet set sail with
Jeanne Mance aboard the Saint-André. Also on board the ship was
Simon Cardinal (Cardinau) and his wife, Michelle Garnier. Supposedly,
Simon Cardinal was the uncle of Francoise Bouhet/Bouet but, to date, their connection has not been
established via sacramental records.
Other passengers were Oliver CHARBONNEAU and his wife, Marie, who was
the sister of Michelle Garnier as well as Pierre Goguet (listed as Goyet) and his
wife, Louise (also a sister of Michelle Garnier).
The Saint-Andre had been previously used as a
floating hospital and was likely not properly sanitized. This resulted in a rough passage as the
plague broke out on board. About 8 people fell ill and died during the voyage
and were buried at sea. They arrived in Quebec on 7 September 1659. And another 10 died shortly after their
arrival. The remaining passengers were
the first colonists to settle on the high hill of the St. Lawrence, a town
known as "Ville Marie."
