The
Women of Ville-Marie
Pioneers of Seventeenth-Century Montréal |
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About the book The Women of Ville-Marie is a history of the founding and early years of Montréal with an emphasis on the lives of the French women, the ordinary and the prominent, who came and settled at Ville-Marie (later known as Montréal) in the seventeenth century. These women left families, friends, and the familiar behind. They bravely crossed the Atlantic, hoping to find a life in New France better than what they could expect in the old country. Many were young and single or widowed and seeking a husband. Along with the men, they established Ville-Marie in the middle of the wilderness. They put their lives on the line in times of great danger and uncertainty. Most survived, and some thrived. This is a thoroughly researched and well-cited work of nonfiction offering historical background and context for the lives of these heroic pioneer women.In the spring of 1642, Paul de Maisonneuve and Jeanne Mance, along with some forty French settlers, set foot on Montréal Island and founded Ville-Marie, intending to establish it as a model Christian community. Eight years later, the settlement had only about fifty settlers. It was difficult recruiting men and women to settle in this fledgling colony. Ongoing conflict with the Iroquois Confederacy and the brutally cold winters were powerful deterrents to settlement on the island. Survival of the colony was often in doubt. The efforts and determination of those committed to staying eventually paid off. Slowly, the settlement took root, with an economy based on the fur trade. By 1715, Montréal, as Ville-Marie had come to be known, was a thriving frontier town of nearly 5,000 inhabitants, eagerly embracing the possibilities of the eighteenth century. The women were every bit as much a part of its success as the men. Read an excerpt from the book The Lachine Massacre, 1689 (Chapter 19) For an Index of Individuals mentioned in the book, click here. From the authorBetween 1840 and 1930, close to one million French Canadians immigrated to the United States. I am one of the more than ten million Americans alive at the beginning of the twenty-first century who can trace at least a part of their ancestry to those French who settled along the Saint Lawrence River in the seventeenth century. Few of us speak French or know much about our French Canadian roots. This book is the outcome of research into the history of early Montréal. I wanted to tell the stories of my French-Canadian ancestors, as well as the stories of many other women who settled there in the seventeenth century. More than anything, I wanted to slip ordinary people into the pages of history so that we could see them in the context of their place and time. Context is everything in telling the story of these courageous pioneers of Montréal. From a reader This is "an in-depth history of this Canadian settlement which ultimately built the foundation to what is today's Montréal. This well researched book begins with those in France who first conceived of this new settlement, through its many difficulties and successes. Susan's attention to, and research of, the individuals who gave their complete devotion, and often their lives, for Ville-Marie makes this book a valuable genealogical resource. She brings to life the women who contributed in big and small ways to this piece of Canadian history. Susan has certainly written a wonderful book not only about the women of Ville-Marie but of the men and children who toiled alongside them. It is one of the best overall histories of Montréal's beginnings that I have read." -- Bill Kane, historian and former journal editor of La Société des Filles du Roi et soldats Carignan. About the author Susan McNelley is a reader, writer, researcher, family historian, and travel enthusiast. She lives with her husband on the central coast of California. Many years ago, she traced her personal ancestry back to seventeenth-century Québec and to Hélène Desportes. Thus began a quest to learn more about what life was like for the early colonists of New France and led to the researching and writing of two books. Hélène's World: Hélène Desportes of Seventeenth-Century Québec was published in 2013 and The Women of Ville-Marie: Pioneers of Seventeenth-Century Montréal in 2022. Both are meticulously researched and documented. Available on Amazon.com List Price of Paperback: $19.95 Kindle eBook: $9.99 Paperback: 365 pages Publisher: Etta Heritage Press, CA USA Language: English ISBN-13: 979-8-218-00321-0 Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.92 inches The book is also available for purchase in Canada at Amazon.ca
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