Madeleine Roy: The Bride of the Voyageur

 

Madeleine Roy: The Bride of the Voyageur

The year is 1701. The air in the little stone church at La Prairie is heavy with incense and the sound of wedding vows. Madeleine Roy (1684), born in this very community, stands beside Jean Perras dit Lafontaine. Her father, Pierre Roy dit Saint-Lambert, though now settled near Montreal, had ensured his daughter was tied back to the land and the fortunes of this vital crossing point.

Madeleine understood the weight of the Perras name. It was a name built on beaver pelts and debt; her new father-in-law, Pierre Perras, was a pioneer, and his wife, Denise Lemaistre, a Fille du Roi, brought the dowry capital that financed the early ventures. The Perras farm was profitable, but their true treasure lay in the west.

She knew what marrying Jean meant. He was not a farmer content with the fertile fields of the St. Lawrence. Jean was a man of the river, the canoe, and the far country. He had signed contracts to the Ottawa and to Michilimackinac, the great hub where the world ended and the wilderness began. His journeys were long, dangerous, and often silent.

Madeleine's life became a cycle defined by the fur trade calendar.

• Spring (The Départ): She would provision his canoe—salted pork, peas, and the last of the trade goods. She would watch him depart with the other men of the Perras and Leber clans, wondering if she would ever see his face again.
• Summer (The Wait): She managed the farm, supervised the younger children, and, critically, maintained the family's financial position. She dealt with the Montreal notaries and merchants—the very people her father, Pierre Roy, knew—who provided the credit that funded the expeditions. Every season was a gamble, and Madeleine was the banker.
• Fall (The Return): She would scan the river for the distinct silhouette of a returning canoe. If Jean returned, he brought furs—the rich, brown cargo that kept the family secure. If he did not, she would have to face the notary, settle the debts, and prepare the resources for the next year, just as many voyageur widows were forced to do.

Madeleine Roy, through her marriage, ensured the survival and continuity of the Perras/Lafontaine trading house. While her husband paddled for his life against the rapids and the wilderness, she held the economy of their enterprise steady in La Prairie and Montreal. She was the anchor of Saint-Lambert, providing the stability that allowed the Perras voyageur tradition to thrive for the next generation.

📜 Historical Facts: The Roy Dit Saint-Lambert Connection

The Roy dit Saint-Lambert family's primary role in the fur trade network was through strategic settlement and the provision of essential skills and stability, making them crucial supporting actors to the voyageurs they married into.

I. The Founders: Pierre Roy dit Saint-Lambert (1643–1721)

Your ancestor, Pierre Roy dit Saint-Lambert (maternal grandfather of your relation's wife), was a key figure in the early development of the Montreal area.

• Origin and Name: Pierre Roy arrived from La Rochelle, France. The dit name "Saint-Lambert" is particularly significant for your lineage. It likely refers to the parish or district in France from which he originated, but in New France, it became the established family name.
• Strategic Settlement: While your direct line of Roy's settled closer to Montreal (where Pierre died in 1721), the name Saint-Lambert is directly tied to the land across the St. Lawrence River from Montreal, adjacent to La Prairie. This entire region was the launch point for the western fur brigades. Families with land in this area were constantly involved in provisioning and ferrying supplies across the river.
• The Bride's Lineage: Pierre Roy's wife, Catherine Ducharme (died 1719), was an established figure in the young Montreal community. Marrying into such a family provided the Roy lineage with strong ties to the established society and economy of New France's commercial capital.

II. The Trade Link: Madeleine Roy (1684–1726)

Madeleine Roy's life directly links the Roy family's Montreal-area stability with the intensive fur trade life of La Prairie.

• La Prairie Birth: Madeleine's birth in La Prairie in 1684 confirms the Roy family's presence in the core fur trade village itself, even if their main property eventually lay elsewhere. She grew up amid the community we saw on the 1704 map.
• The Perras Alliance: Her marriage in 1701 to Jean Perras dit Lafontaine was a powerful strategic alliance between two key local families. The Perras clan was not just a minor player; Jean Perras was the son of Pierre Perras dit La Fontaine (9th GGF) and Denise Lemaistre (Filles du Roi), who were prominent landholders and financiers of the trade.
• Jean Perras's Activity: Jean Perras was an active voyageur and engagé:
• 1692: Hired to voyage to the 8ta8ois (Ottawa Indians).
• 1694: Hired for a voyage to Michilimackinac (the Great Lakes hub).
• Conclusion: Madeleine Roy married a man who was actively and repeatedly absent on long-distance voyages, meaning she was responsible for managing the household, the finances, and the potential debt or credit of a full-time fur trade family.

The Roy family's contribution was providing the social legitimacy and regional land connections that made the risk-taking Perras expeditions possible.

Above courtesy of Drifting Cowboy & Gemini AI.