Marguerite Anthiaume

Biography

Marguerite Anthiaume came from the parish of Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs in Paris, France, the daughter of Michel Anthiaume and Marie Dubois. In Montréal on January 12, 1676 she married André Jarret de Beauregard; their marriage contract was drawn up that same day by Bénigne Basset.

Their children’s records trace the family through communities along the St. Lawrence River downstream from Montréal, in present-day Québec, Canada. Marguerite was born in 1677 and baptized at Boucherville. Anne’s 1681 baptism belongs to the Contrecoeur register but was celebrated at Verchères; Marie and François subsequently appear at Contrecoeur.

André had died by the estate inventory in April 1692. Marguerite married again in 1692, to Pierre Fontaine dit Bienvenu. A marriage contract is dated April 13; the church wedding date is unknown. A daughter, Marie-Thérèse, was baptized in Montréal the following year.

Marguerite died at Varennes on October 4, 1699 and was buried the next day. Both of her marriages took place in Canada.

The burial listing places Marguerite Anthiaume at Cimetière Sainte-Anne (ancien), Varennes, Monteregie Region, Québec, Canada.

Madeleine de Verchères’s later narrative describes Marguerite, Fontaine and children arriving by canoe during the October 1692 attack. Once inside the fort, Marguerite urged departure for Contrecœur, fearing for the family’s safety, while Fontaine chose to remain with the defenders. The narrative does not identify the children individually. ACCOUNT