Cast of Characters

Many people played a significant role in Jeanne’s life, some directly and some more tangentially:

There are three main characters (besides Jeanne, of course!). One of them is relatively well-known: Robert Levesque, Jeanne’s second husband (1679-1699). He is, after all, the ancestor of René Levesque, Premier of Québec from 1974-1977 and primary architect of the Separatist movement in Québec. Because of this interest in him, there is already a book devoted to his life and a chapter in the first volume in a 28-volume set on Québec Pioneers, “Nos Ancêtres.”

The other two main characters are relatively unknown:

Jeanne’s first husband, Guillaume Lecanteur (1671-1678). Information about Lecanteur is sparse. He does not merit a chapter in Nos Ancêtres. To date, there has been only a little research on him, probably because he left no descendants other than his sons who died before marrying and left no children.

Stories about Jean Baptiste François Deschamps de la Bouteillerie, Jeanne’s third husband (1701-1703), appear in several books, as the seigneur and founder of Rivière Ouelle, and in two monographs about his family. There is no chapter about him in the 28-volume set “Nos Ancêtres,” presumably because he also was not survived by male descendants in Canada or perhaps also because he was a nobleman. Deschamps was married to Catherine Gertrude Macart from 1672 until1681.

Then there are those who played a more tangential role in Jeanne’s life:

Jacques Cartier, explorer from St. Malo in Brittany who claimed New France in the name of King Francis I in 1534.

Samuel Champlain, explorer from the west coast of France who founded Quebec in 1608.

Jean Baptiste Colbert – Louis XIV’s minister of Finance, and the major architect of the decision to aggressively settle the colony of Quebec and of the Filles du Roi program.

Louis XIV — King of France from 1643 until 1715 and chief sponsor of the Filles du Roi program.

Louis de Buade, Comte de Frontenac et de Palluau (“Frontenac”) — Governor General of New France from 1672 to 1682 and from 1689 to his death in 1698.

Jean Talon – Intendant of Québec from 1665 to 1668 and from 1670 to 1672, responsible for ensuring the Filles du Roi program was properly executed in Québec.

Others who appear throughout her life, including her three surviving sons, are described in the appropriate posts.