Marie Rollet was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

woman and early settler in Quebec. Her second husband,

Louis Hébert Louis Hébert (c. 1575 – 25 January 1627) is widely considered the first European apothecary in the region that would later become Canada, as well as the first European to farm in said region. He was born around 1575 at 129 de la rue Saint ...

, was apothecary to

Samuel Champlain Samuel de Champlain (; Fichier OrigineFor a detailed analysis of his baptismal record, see RitchThe baptism act does not contain information about the age of Samuel, neither his birth date nor his place of birth. – 25 December 1635) was a Fr ...

's expeditions to

Acadia Acadia (french: link=no, Acadie) was a colony of New France in northeastern North America which included parts of what are now the Maritime provinces, the Gaspé Peninsula and Maine to the Kennebec River. During much of the 17th and early ...

and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

on 1606 and 1610–13. When she and her three surviving children traveled with her husband to Quebec in 1617,http://www.biographi.ca/fr/bio/rollet_marie_1E.html "En 1617, avec son mari, Louis Hébert, et ses trois enfants, elle arriva de Paris à Québec, pour y trouver la famine, la maladie et les conflits avec des Amérindiens." she became the first European woman to settle in Quebec. Her eldest daughter Anne's marriage to Étienne Jonquet in 1618 was the first recorded in Quebec. While Anne died in childbirth in 1619, she left many descendants through her other two children. According to the ''

Dictionary of Canadian Biography The ''Dictionary of Canadian Biography'' (''DCB''; french: Dictionnaire biographique du Canada) is a dictionary of biographical entries for individuals who have contributed to the history of Canada. The ''DCB'', which was initiated in 1959, is a ...

'', Hébert routinely provided medical treatment to First Nations peoples, and the entire family had friendly ties with First Nations people. Her husband Louis Hebert died in 1627, and she remarried in 1629. Quebec was captured and occupied by British

privateers A privateer is a private person or ship that engages in maritime warfare under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign or deleg ...

in 1627, during the Anglo-French War of (1627–1629). Although the English returned many of the settlers to France, Rollet and her family, remained. David Kirke, the leader of the English occupiers, had brought a seven year old enslaved boy from Madagascar. Kirke sold the boy to Olivier Letardif. This was the first recorded sale of an African slave in Quebec. Letardif, in turn, gave the boy to Rollet's daughter Guillemette Couillard. Rollet and Couillard arranged for the child to have some religious and practical education, and he was baptized

Olivier Le Jeune Olivier Le Jeune (died ) was the first recorded slave purchased in New France. Olivier was a young boy from Madagascar, believed to have been approximately seven years of age when he was brought to the French colonial settlement of Quebec in New ...

, in 1633. According to the ''

'' after the end of British occupation, in 1632, "her house became the home of indigenous girls given to the Jesuits for training."

References

{{Authority control French emigrants to Canada 1649 deaths 17th century in Quebec