Introduction

Between 1663 and 1673, the King’s Daughters played a fundamental role in the foundation of New France.
These young women, sent by King Louis XIV, did not only marry settlers: they also gave birth to thousands of descendants, shaping the population of present-day Quebec.

Who were the King’s Daughters?

The King’s Daughters were around 800 young women sent by King Louis XIV between 1663 and 1673 to help populate New France, today’s Quebec.
Their mission was to marry settlers, build families, and ensure the colony’s long-term survival.

These women were chosen by the royal administration, mainly among young orphans or those living in charitable institutions such as the Hôpital Général of Paris, but also among women from modest backgrounds in the French provinces.

Geographic origins

  • Mostly from Paris (about one third), where the Hôpital Général played a key role in their selection and supervision.

  • Other regions: Normandy, Brittany, Poitou, Aunis, Saintonge, and sometimes more distant provinces such as Provence or Languedoc.

The recruitment process

Each King’s Daughter had to meet strict criteria:

  • Verified morality: they had to present a certificate of good conduct, confirming they were not prostitutes or women of ill repute.

  • Serious commitment: recruitment was also motivated by the desire to control settlement in New France, ensuring these women integrated into stable and productive family structures.

The royal dowry

Each woman received a dowry of about 50 livres (in money, clothing, or household goods).
This dowry, funded by the King, was intended to ensure stable marriages and to help the future brides establish their households.

The crossing

The King’s Daughters traveled in groups, aboard merchant ships, in fairly rudimentary conditions.
The journey, which could last several months, was dangerous, due to weather, disease, and overcrowding on board.
Many died at sea or from illness during the voyage.

Upon arrival in New France, they were welcomed by the Ursulines or other religious institutions before meeting interested settlers.
Marriages were arranged very quickly, often within a few weeks, and living conditions were very different from those they had known in France.

The ships of the King’s Daughters: a difficult journey to New France

The King’s Daughters crossed the Atlantic aboard ships that were mainly merchant vessels.
These ships carried settlers, soldiers, and goods, but also groups of King’s Daughters sent by King Louis XIV. The journey to New France was a formidable ordeal, and conditions on board were extremely harsh.

Among the best-known ships that carried these courageous women were:

  • Le Saint-Nicolas (1667): One of the most famous ships for transporting King’s Daughters to Quebec. It is often mentioned in the archives for having completed a difficult but successful crossing.

  • Le Marie (1670): This ship made several voyages between France and New France, including one in 1670 during which it carried a group of King’s Daughters.

  • Le Fleur-de-Lys (1665): This ship also transported women from France to Quebec. Its crossing is notable for the difficult weather conditions it encountered.

  • Le Saint-Jean-Baptiste (1668): This ship was among those that carried several King’s Daughters in the following years. The voyage was long, but the ship arrived safely in Quebec.

  • Le Bonaventure (1664): This vessel transported a group of King’s Daughters along with other settlers and soldiers. Like many ships of the time, it faced extremely harsh sea conditions.

  • La Nouvelle-France (1663): One of the first ships to make this crossing, carrying a group of King’s Daughters at the very beginning of immigration to Quebec.

These ships were often filled with goods, settlers, and sometimes even prisoners.
The journey lasted several months, and conditions on board were particularly rough. Overcrowding, poor food quality, and the risk of disease (such as dysentery or typhus) were common. Epidemics claimed many lives among the King’s Daughters as well as other passengers.

Despite these hardships, the King’s Daughters crossed the Atlantic to begin a new life in New France. Their courage and determination left a lasting mark on the history of Quebec’s settlement.

Maritime archives

French maritime archives, such as those in Brest and La Rochelle, preserve valuable documents about the voyages between France and New France.
In these archives, you can find captains’ logbooks and passenger manifests. Even though some records are incomplete, certain passenger lists and ship references still exist today.

Parish records and Quebec archives

The parish registers of New France (baptisms, marriages, burials) sometimes mention passengers who landed in Quebec or Montreal.
These documents may include marriage records specifying that the King’s Daughters married newly arrived settlers.

Where to consult these archives

If you wish to consult these records, several accessible sources are available:

  • National Archives of France – Department of Naval Archives: for documents related to maritime voyages and ships.

  • Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec (BAnQ): registers and documents linked to the immigration of the King’s Daughters can be consulted here.

  • Généalogie Québec: an online resource that allows you to explore passenger lists and genealogical archives specific to New France.

Marriage and settlement of the King’s Daughters

Upon their arrival in New France, the King’s Daughters were often received by religious institutions, mainly the Ursulines in Quebec and the Augustinians in Montreal. These communities played a key role in the integration of the young women into colonial society.

Why were they placed under the care of religious communities?

1. Social organization and control
Religion and the Church were at the heart of colonial life. French society in the 17th century was highly structured, and morality was considered essential. The nuns, as respected figures, were seen as guarantors of moral order and social integration. Their presence ensured that the King’s Daughters would integrate into society in a respectable and orderly manner.

2. Housing and protection
The religious communities were the first to provide safe lodging for the King’s Daughters, often in convents or religious houses. These places offered not only a temporary refuge, but also a structured environment, away from the dangers of the colony, including high mortality and disease.

3. Matchmaking with settlers
The nuns were often responsible for organizing marriage meetings. They arranged encounters between settlers and the King’s Daughters, ensuring that the marriage process was properly supervised and that the men could provide guarantees of stability (housing, work, land).
The King’s Daughters could then accept or refuse suitors, which provided a certain level of protection for these women far from their homeland.

4. Training and education
The religious communities taught the King’s Daughters the basics of colonial life: agriculture, cooking, and sometimes reading. They played a key role in helping the young women adapt to an environment very different from the one they had known in France.

5. Spiritual and moral framework
The nuns ensured that the integration of the King’s Daughters followed Christian values and the social codes of the time. They also made sure these women were ready to found Christian families, in line with the expectations of colonial society and King Louis XIV.

6. Guarantee of continuity
The rapid marriages of the King’s Daughters were not only a matter of social integration, but also of ensuring the colony’s growth. The nuns played a role in this rapid structuring of society by helping young women settle into households where they could have children.
In this sense, the religious communities were key actors in colonial stability.

Summary

The religious communities provided social, moral, and logistical protection for the King’s Daughters, ensuring a secure environment for their successful integration into the colony.
Their role was essential to the rapid adaptation of these women and contributed significantly to the creation of Quebec society.

Marriage and settlement of the King’s Daughters (with the challenges)

Upon their arrival in New France, the King’s Daughters were often received by religious institutions, mainly the Ursulines in Quebec and the Augustinians in Montreal. These communities played a key role in integrating the young women into colonial society.

The challenges they faced

  • Mortality during the crossing:
    The conditions of the transatlantic journey were harsh. The King’s Daughters often faced epidemics aboard ships, and about 10% of them died during the voyage. The most vulnerable women, often of poor or orphaned backgrounds, were the hardest hit.

  • Difficult living conditions in New France:
    Once they arrived, life in the colony was particularly demanding. The harsh climate, poor sanitary conditions, and epidemics (notably smallpox and dysentery) caused the loss of many women and their children.

  • Return to France:
    Although uncommon, some women did return to France. These returns were not easy and were often motivated by personal failures or an unbearable life in New France.
    However, such cases were rare (less than 10% of the King’s Daughters).

The genealogical impact of the King’s Daughters

The King’s Daughters played a crucial role in the demographic development of Quebec, founding thousands of families and contributing to the growth of the French-Canadian population.

The immediate impact on the population of New France

The King’s Daughters had a rapid and significant effect on the colony’s settlement:

  • In less than 10 years, the population of New France doubled, rising from about 3,000 inhabitants in 1663 to nearly 7,000 in 1673.

  • These women helped stabilize the population, ensuring rapid population growth and reducing the severe gender imbalance (which was roughly 1 man for every 6 to 10 women).

Archives and genealogical research: a limit before 1660

  • Limits of the archives:
    It is important to note that genealogical records related to the King’s Daughters rarely allow research to go beyond the 1660–1670 period. This is due to the uneven survival of records and the lack of complete documentation before and after their arrival.

  • As a result, Quebec genealogists are often limited to tracing ancestors back to the first generations born in New France. Civil records and parish registers are mainly available from 1663 onward, while earlier traces are much rarer.

  • Genealogical research therefore often focuses on the reconstruction of “cousin networks” and closer family lines from the 1670–1680 period, since information about the earliest generations is more difficult to obtain.

Cousin networks and genealogical heritage

  • Cousin relationships are central to Quebec genealogy. In the absence of records reaching further back than the 1660s, genealogists often focus on family links and shared ancestors.

  • This can lead to fascinating discoveries, but the deep roots (before 1660) remain uncertain for many descendants.

  • Quebec genealogy is therefore strongly shaped by this chronological limit, yet it remains extremely rich and closely connected to the lineage of the King’s Daughters, due to the scale of their descendants.

A strong and lasting lineage

  • Despite these limits, the genealogical impact of the King’s Daughters is massive.
    70 to 80% of French-Canadian descendants can today trace their ancestry back to these pioneering women, thanks to family names passed down through generations.

Conclusion

The King’s Daughters were the founders of the Quebec population, but the archives limit genealogical research to the period after 1660–1670. Quebec descendants can trace their lineage to that time, while earlier research often remains partly uncertain.
Nevertheless, the impact of these women is still visible today through extended family networks and the transmission of a strong genealogical identity.

Sources and recommendations for genealogical research

1. Church and parish archives

  • Parish registers are the main sources for tracing the ancestors of the King’s Daughters. These records contain information on baptisms, marriages, and burials, starting from the year 1663.

  • The archives of the Catholic Church were carefully preserved in most regions of Quebec. However, researchers should be aware that some information may be difficult to read or missing in the earliest records.

2. Archives of the Hôpital Général of Paris

  • The Hôpital Général of Paris played a central role in the selection and departure of the King’s Daughters. Information about their recruitment, social background, and origins can sometimes be found in these archives.

  • These documents provide insight into the women chosen for the royal project, although they do not always include details such as the surnames of their descendants.

3. Genealogical databases

  • Généalogie Québec: an online resource that allows you to consult detailed lists of the King’s Daughters and trace certain family lines. It is useful for identifying founding surnames and linking families together.

  • Ancestry.com and MyHeritage: these platforms also contain records and profiles related to the King’s Daughters. They can help reconstruct lineages using marriage records and baptism entries.

4. Genealogical studies and specialized publications

  • Several specialized works have been published on the King’s Daughters. These books compile research, lists, and family histories, and can be valuable resources for researchers.

5. Tips for genealogical research

  • Focus on family lines: in Quebec genealogy, it is often easier to trace direct descendants of the King’s Daughters by focusing on more recent generations rather than the earliest ones.

  • Family reunions: these gatherings can provide valuable clues and reconnect distant branches of the same family. They are an excellent way to discover forgotten links and common ancestors.