Hélène Desportes1,2

F, b. between July 1620 and 24 October 1621, d. 24 June 1675
FatherPierre Desportes b. 1600
MotherFrancoise Langlois b. c 1601, d. 20 Apr 1632
Signature of Helene Desporte
     Hélène was born between July 1620 and 24 October 1621 in ville de Quebec, Quebec, Canada.3,4,5 In 1629, she was returned to England & thence to France with her family & other French residents of Quebec when it was taken over by the English. She returned to Quebec, arriving on 16 May 1633, under the guardianship of her aunt & uncle, Marguerite Langlois & Abraham Martin, her parents having died. While living with her aunt and uncle, Margeurite trained Helene in midwifery. She actively practiced this profession the remainder of her life. Hélène married Guillaume Hébert on 1 October 1634 in ville de Quebec at the Basilica of Notre Dame.6 Hélène's husband, Guillaume, died on 23 September 1639 in ville de Quebec leaving her a widow.7 A contract for the marriage of Hélène & Noël Morin was signed on 27 December 1639 in ville de Quebec, Quebec, Canada. The contract was written by Martial Piraube. It states that Noel's parents were Claude Morin and Jeanne Moreau and that he was born in the parish of St-Etienne, Comte Robert, Brie. The contract also gives Helene's parents as Pierre Desportes and Francoise Langlois and that she was the widow of Guillaume Herbert. It also states that Helene was a native of Notre Dame Quebec before the English takeover..8 Hélène married Noël Morin on 9 January 1640 in ville de Quebec at the Basilica of Notre Dame. He gave his bride a dowry of 200 livres.9 After their marriage, Noel and Helene moved into the house measuring 24 by 18 feet that Helene brought to the marriage. The couple lived there with Noel practicing his profession as a cartwright until 26 April 1645 when he was granted 50 arpents of land on the Sainte Genevieve Coast. Over the next 20 years he built “three frame dwellings, two of which had a heated room each, cellar and attic, the third serving as a shop and attic above, with a barn and two-and-a half arpents enclosed with stakes and serving as a barn.” All of this was later sold for 800 livres. On 6 February 1650, he signed a contract to build a house 30 by 20 feet with 6 feet under the beams there at Sainte Genevieve Coast. The couple and their family remained there for the rest of their lives. In 1653, the governor of New France ceded to Noel a large property. This land grant included a title, Sieur de Saint Luc, with Noel being a fief to the West Indies Company. On 4 January 1671, Noel and Helene recorded their intentions that all their possessions, real and personal, to be divided between their two sons, Charles and Alphonse. They, in turn, are to support their parents and give their sister, Madeleine, 300 livres when she married. 1666, Hélène and her husband, Noël, were listed on the Canadian Census in Comte de Quebec, Quebec, Canada. Enumerated in this household were Noel Morin [57 years], his wife: Helene Desportes [46 years], Nicolas [22 years], Jean-Baptiste [21 years], Charles [11 years], Alphonse [15 years], Marie-Madeleine [9 years], Marie-Charlotte Depoyctiers [25 years][widow], her husband: Joseph Hebert [deceased] & Jean Ballie [26 years].10 1667, Hélène and her husband, Noël, were listed on the Canadian Census at Comte de Quebec. Enumerated in this household were Noel Morin [58 years], his wife: Helene Desportes [48 years], Alphonse [17 years], Charles [13 years], Marie-Madeleine [10 years], Zacharie Jolly [17 years] & Jean Ballier [28 years].10 Hélène departed this life on Monday, 24 June 1675 in Montmagny, Montmagny County, Quebec, Canada, at the parish of St-Thomas. She died at the home of her son Alphonse.11

Important Notes: Among the Quebec Baptismal records, was found one that contained the name of Helene Desportes, dated 11 January 1640. This is not her baptismal record, but for Native Americans, of whom Helene was the sponsor & namesake for one. This record was kindly transcribed by Maryanne Legrow - “Missions de la Novelle France Baptisa 4 Sauvagesses a la chapelle de Kebec.”.

Family 1

Guillaume Hébert b. c 1614
Children

Family 2

Noël Morin b. 1609, d. 10 Feb 1680
Children

Citations

  1. [S1577] Ethel M. G. Bennett, Helene Desportes, Volume 1 - DESPORTES, HÉLÈNE, said to be the first white child born in New France, daughter of Pierre Desportes and Françoise Langlois; m. Guillaume Hébert 1634; d. 24 June 1675.
    The date of Hélène’s birth has not been definitely fixed. Dionne says that she came to Quebec with her parents in 1613, Sulte that she was born in Quebec about 1622. Statistics from other sources indicate that she was 14 years old in 1634, 38 in 1659, 46 in 1666, and 48 in 1667. Anne Hébert, according to Champlain, had died in childbirth previous to 1620; but since there is no further mention of her child, it was presumably still-born. Eustache Martin was born in October 1621. If, however, we assume Hélène’s birthdate to be 1620, which seems most probable, her claim is established as being the first white child born alive in the St. Lawrence region. (Sulte, to be sure, claims for Guillemette Hébert the honour of being the first-born Canadienne, on the assumption that Louis Hébert had his wife with him in Acadia in 1606, but Lescarbot’s evidence refutes this (History (Grant).)
    Pierre Desportes probably came to Quebec in 1614 with Abraham Martin: their wives were sisters. Desportes’ occupation is not known, but he must have had some standing in the community and sufficient education to be able to write, for he signed on behalf of the inhabitants the document of 1621 appealing to the king. No other facts are known about him. (He is not to be confused with Pierre Desportes de Liguère, to whom the Compagnie de la Nouvelle-France ceded Île Royale (Cape Breton) in 1636.) Neither of Hélène’s parents witnessed her marriage contract, drawn up in Quebec in October 1634.
    Her husband was Guillaume Hébert. About this only son of Canada’s first settler little is recorded except an occasional instance of his helping the priests in their relations with the savages. Since he had inherited half his father’s land, which included some acres on the St. Charles as well as the original site above the cliff, it is to be assumed that his chief occupation during his short life was the cultivation of his fields. He was but a little boy when he came to Quebec with his parents in 1617, therefore probably still in his twenties when he died in 1639. Three children were born of this marriage, one of whom died in infancy. The other two were a Son Joseph and a daughter Françoise (b. 1638) who married Guillaume Fournier, 1651.
    Hélène’s second husband was Noël Morin (1616–80), a wheelwright, who became one of the early pioneers of Montmagny. Their son Germain was consecrated to the priesthood by Mgr Laval* in September l665, the first Canadian-born priest. Another son, Jean-Baptiste (1645–94) was a member of the Conseil Souverain. A daughter, Marie*, was the first Canadian-born nun.
    Ethel M. G. Bennett.
  2. [S1582] Helene Desportes, Hélène Desportes is often cited as the first white child born in Canada, New France. There is considerable disagreement about when she was born and, in particular, if she was born in Quebec or before she arrived on the continent.[1] Her parents were French habitants Pierre Desportes (1580- after 1629), who was in charge of the warehouse in Quebec as well as the village baker, and his wife Françoise Langlois (c1595- after 1629), who settled in Quebec. Her father was a lawyer in the Parlement de Paris and an investor in the Company of 100 Associates which funded Champlain's colony.
    Her godmother was Madame Hélène Boullé, the wife of Samuel de Champlain. In his will, Champlain left her 300 livres (about $15,000 in 1997).
    After the fall of Québec City in 1629, Hélène and her parents, along with Champlain were transported to London, and then back to France. Shortly after peace was restored in 1632, Hélène returned to Québec, possibly with Champlain who arrived back in Québec on May 16, 1633.
    On the first of October 1634, Hélène married Joseph Guillaume Hébert, son of Louis Hébert and Marie Rollet. Joseph's family had remained in Québec during the occupation and had the first farm there. His father Louis Hébert had been involved in early expeditions to Port Royal with Champlain and others.
    After Joseph Hebert died in 1639, Hélène was left with three living children. She then married Noël Morin, a native of the parish of St-Étienne in Brie-Comte-Robert, a village near Paris, on January 9, 1640, in Quebec City. They had 12 children.
    Perhaps aided by having personally brought 19 of her own children into the world, Hélène learned the profession of sage femme, which is the French expression for midwife. She passed that profession on to two of her daughters.
  3. [S1557] Genealogy of Canada: Birth: circa 1620 - Helene Desportes, daughter of Pierre Desportes & Francoise Langlois, at Quebec, Canada [Research Program in Historical Demography] - www.nosorigines.qc.ca/GenealogieQuebec.aspx?genealogy.
  4. [S506] Note: It is said that Helene was the God daughter of Samuel de Champlain's wife, Hélène Boullé. who 1st came to Quebec in July 1620. No record has been found of this baptism. If true, she was born after July 1620 & before the birth of her cousin, Eustace Martin baptized 24 October 1621, the 1st noted on the list of baptisms at Notre Dame. She has also been noted as the 1st French child born in Quebec that survived.
  5. [S1577] Ethel M. G. Bennett, Helene Desportes, Volume 1 - DESPORTES, HÉLÈNE, . . . The date of Hélène’s birth has not been definitely fixed. Dionne says that she came to Quebec with her parents in 1613, Sulte that she was born in Quebec about 1622. Statistics from other sources indicate that she was 14 years old in 1634, 38 in 1659, 46 in 1666, and 48 in 1667. Anne Hébert, according to Champlain, had died in childbirth previous to 1620; but since there is no further mention of her child, it was presumably still-born. Eustache Martin was born in October 1621. If, however, we assume Hélène’s birthdate to be
    1620, which seems most probable, her claim is established as being the first white child born alive in the St. Lawrence region. (Sulte, to be sure, claims for Guillemette Hébert the honour of being the first-born Canadienne, on the assumption that Louis Hébert had his wife with him in Acadia in 1606, but Lescarbot’s evidence refutes this (History (Grant).)
    Her husband was Guillaume Hébert. About this only son of Canada’s first settler little is recorded except an occasional instance of his helping the priests in their relations with the savages. Since he had inherited half his father’s land, which included some acres on the St. Charles as well as the original site above the cliff, it is to be assumed that his chief occupation during his short life was the cultivation of his fields. He was but a little boy when he came to Quebec with his parents in 1617, therefore probably still in his twenties when he died in 1639. Three children were born of this marriage, one of whom died in infancy. The other two were a Son Joseph and a daughter Françoise (b. 1638) who married Guillaume Fournier, 1651.
    Hélène’s second husband was Noël Morin (1616–80), a wheelwright, who became one of the early pioneers of Montmagny. Their son Germain was consecrated to the priesthood by Mgr Laval* in September l665, the first Canadian-born priest. Another son, Jean-Baptiste (1645–94) was a member of the Conseil Souverain. A daughter, Marie*, was the first Canadian-born nun.
  6. [S1596] Drouin Institute: Marriage: 1 October 1634 - Guillaume Hebert and Helene Desportes; at Notre Dame de Quebec. - www.genealogiequebec.com.
  7. [S1598] Research Program In Historical Demography: Individual Certificate Number 25064 - the date and place of his death is noted in his inventory dated Piraube.
  8. [S1598] Research Program In Historical Demography: Marriage Contract Number 94107.
  9. [S1596] Drouin Institute: Marriage: 9 January 1640 - Noel Morin and Helene Desportes, widow of Guilluame Herbert; at Nortre Dame de Quebec - www.genealogiequebec.com.
  10. [S1598] Research Program In Historical Demography.
  11. [S1557] Genealogy of Canada: Death: 24 June 1675 - Helene Desportes at Quebec. - www.nosorigines.qc.ca/GenealogieQuebec.aspx?genealogy.