Anne Dodin: The Life and Death of a Fille du Roi

Anne Dodin came to New France as a member of the Filles du Roi, a group of about 800 women who arrived between 1663 and 1673 as part of a program sponsored by King Louis XIV. Although Anne’s life was relatively short, her death was especially tragic. If you’re one of her descendants, follow along as I explore the life and death of Anne Dodin.

Early Life

Anne Dodin was born around 1651 in Loix de l’Île-de-Ré, Aunis, France, to Jacques Dodin and Marie Gauchére. Her father had reportedly died before August 1669, but it is unclear when her mother passed away.

Historical records show several variations of the family name, including Bodin, Dodin, Doudain and Dosdain.

The Filles du Roi

Anne Dodin was one of the Filles du Roi. As previously mentioned, this group of about 800 women arrived in New France between 1663 and 1673 under a program sponsored by King Louis XIV. The King provided each woman with a dowry and paid for her passage to the colony. On average, the Filles du Roi married within five months of their arrival, resulting in 606 marriages and more than 4,500 children being born over the following decade.

Dodin arrived in Québec on June 30, 1669, aboard the Le St-Jean-Baptiste. She brought goods valued at 300 livres and received an additional gift of 50 livres from the king.

Marriage and Family

Anne Dodin entered into a marriage contract with Jean Mouflet, son of Michel Mouflet and Sébastienne Girard, on August 17, 1669. He had arrived in 1665 as a soldier of the Naurois company of the Carignan-Salières regiment.

Anne married Jean on August 19, 1669, at Notre-Dame de Québec. They went on to have eight children: Anne Mouflet, Pierre Mouflet, Jean Baptiste Mouflet, Marguerite Mouflet, Louis Mouflet, Marie Mouflet, Angélique Gabrielle Mouflet and Marie Suzanne Mouflet.

The family settled in Ste-Anne near Batiscan but left before December 1680, settling in Lachine, where their son Louis was baptized in December 1680. Their last three children, Marie, Angelique and Marie Suzanne, were also born in Lachine. 

Anne Dodin’s Death

On August 5, 1689, the Iroquois attacked Lachine. Known as the Lachine Massacre, which was part of the Beaver Wars, approximately 1,500 Mohawk warriors attacked the small 375-person settlement, killing 24 people and taking more than 70 others as prisoners. 

During the attack, Jean Mouflet was taken prisoner. He was later killed, though the exact date of his death is unknown. Three of Jean and Anne’s children — Marguerite, Louis, and Angélique — were also taken captive and/or killed during the massacre.

Anne Dodin’s fate is less certain. She was last recorded as living on February 22, 1688, when her youngest child, Marie Suzanne, was baptized. After this date, no further records definitively place her in New France’s surviving documentation. 

At the marriage of her daughter Marie to François Meloche on October 25, 1700, Anne was not listed as deceased, although her husband was. By the time Marie Suzanne married Vincent Henry on February 25, 1710, both Jean and Anne were recorded as deceased. WikiTree lists Anne’s death as occurring before February 1710.

Because there is no direct record confirming when or how she died, it is presumed that she died in the Lachine Massacre with other members of her family.

My Connection to Anne Dodin

I have a couple of connections in my family tree to Anne Dodin through my mother’s parents. 

First Lineage

1. Anne Dodin (abt. 1651 – bef. 1710) and Jean Mouflet (abt. 1648 – aft. 1689)
2. Marie Mouflet (1683 – abt. 1757) and François Meloche (1676 – 1741)
3. Pierre Meloche (1701 – 1760) and Jeanne Caron (1709 – 1757)
4. Thérèse Meloche (1732 – abt. 1805) and François Eustache Janis (1713 – 1771)
5. Genevieve Janis (1751 – aft. 1790) and Claude Thomas Reaume (1743 – 1827)
6. Laurent Reaume I (1771 – 1820) and Josephe Marie Villers (1782 – 1834)
7. Genevieve Reaume (1804 – 1848) and Edouard Bondy (1801 – 1850)
8. Eli Bondy (1827 – 1894) and Marguerite Baron (1832 – 1898) 
9. Joseph Edward Eli Bondy (1858 – 1944) and Amelia Isabella Brush (1864 – 1935)
10. Pearl Leafy Bondy (1885 – 1966) and Edward Walter Grondin (1886 – 1973) 
11. Walter Grondin (1910 – 1998) and Mary Catherine Higgins (1908 – 1983)
12. Martha Grondin (Born 1950) and Gary Willis (Born 1946) – my parents

Second Lineage

1. Anne Dodin (abt. 1651 – bef. 1710) and Jean Mouflet (abt. 1648 – aft. 1689)
2. Marie Mouflet (1683 – abt. 1757) and François Meloche (1676 – 1741)
3. Pierre Meloche (1701 – 1760) and Jeanne Caron (1709 – 1757)
4. Pierre Meloche (1730 – 1805) and Marie Catherine Guignard (1736 – 1805)
5. Etienne Meloche (1764 – 1814) and Marie Anne Reaume (1780 – 1816) 
6. Etienne Meloche (1799 – 1839) and Florence Pouget (1804 – 1857) 
7. Olive Meloche (1828 – 1916) and Patrice Barron (1822 – 1898)
8. Catherine Barron (1854 – 1939) and Antoine Solomon Renaud (1853 – 1926)
9. Mary Zoé Renaud (1878 – 1935) and Abraham Joseph Higgins (1875 – 1950) 
10. Mary Catherine Higgins (1908 – 1983) and Walter Grondin (1910 – 1998)
11. Martha Grondin (born 1950) and Gary Willis (born 1946) – my parents

Do you want to know more about the earliest settlers of New France? Check out New France’s Founding Families and Their Fascinating Stories.