The Filles à Marier or “marriageable girls” were sent to New France by relatives, religious organizations or on their own free will to help populate the colony. In New France, men outnumbered females six to one, prompting officials to aggressively recruit women in France willing to enter into marriage contracts and then make the voyage to settle in the new world. Over 200 young women, not sponsored by the King with a dowry, immigrated to New France from 1634 to 1663 seeking a better life. Peter J. Gagné defined the qualifications to be considered a fille à marier as follows: arrived in New France before September 1663; of marriageable age (12 thru 45); married or signed a marriage contract in New France, or have signed an enlistment contract; not accompanied by both parents; not accompanied by or joining a husband.
The term King's Daughters or Filles du Roi refers to the approximately 800 young French women who immigrated to New France between 1663 and 1673 as part of a program sponsored by King Louis XIV. The program, initiated by Jean Talon, was designed to boost New France's population both by encouraging male colonizers to settle there, and by promoting marriage, family formation and the birth of children.
Below are some links to help with your maternal ancestral research and to add some colour to their lives.
List of Filles du Roi (King's Daughters)
Les Filles à marier (1634-1662)
La Société des Filles du roi et soldats du Carignan
Société d'histoire des Filles du Roy
Before the Kings’s Daughters, 1634-1662
