Marie LeLong

Biography

Marie Lelong was baptized as Magdeleine at Toussaint parish in Rennes, in Brittany in northwestern France, on December 2, 1648. Her parents were Mathurin Lelong and Perrine Morel, whose surname was also read as Moret. The French research identifies siblings baptized in Rennes and at Visseiche, giving Marie a family history before her Atlantic crossing.

She reached New France in 1671 as a Fille du roi. In October she made a marriage contract with the former soldier René Dumas dit Rencontre, then married him at Notre-Dame in Québec city, on the St. Lawrence River, on October 12. Their household subsequently appears in the records of the settlements south of Montréal.

Children’s baptisms trace that geography. Françoise was baptized at Boucherville in 1673, Anne at Sorel in 1676, and Jeanne at La Prairie in 1679. A local history places the family’s move from Chambly to La Prairie in 1678.

In the La Prairie entry of the 1681 census, Marie and René appear with four daughters: Marie, Anne, Jeanne and the infant Louise. Their household had two cows and seven arpents under cultivation. A second entry at Chambly differs in ages and children; its discrepancies remain unresolved.

Marie continued bearing children during the 1680s. Her son François was born in July 1687, only months before her death at La Prairie on December 14. He died in February 1688. Marie’s colonial life had lasted sixteen years, much of it recorded through the births and baptisms of her children.

The burial listing places Marie LeLong at Cimetière Nativité de la Sainte-Vierge, La Prairie, Monteregie Region, Québec, Canada.