Age of Majority in Canada, Nouvelle-France to Quebec, Canada [closed]

Question

Hello group: I have seen various documents over the years that give different ranges of what ages constituted a "fille majeure" and a "fils majeur" over the centuries from New France through to more modern times of at least 1915 or so. Does anyone have a concise tables of the dates and the male and female age of majority from New France to Quebec in at least 1915?

Thank you, Jim

Answer 1

hi Jim,

Under French régime the age of majority was 25.  This applied to both male and female.  Age at which they could marry is a different issue, girls could marry starting at age 12, boys age 15 or 16 (I forget which, the issue didn't arise much).

After the English conquest, it did some hop-skipping around

En Nouvelle-France, la majorité est établie à 25 ans^[; 21 ans de 1763 à 1774 ; 25 ans de 1774 à 1782 ; 21 ans de 1782 à 1971. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majorit%C3%A9_civile

Since 1972, age of majority in this province has been 18.  Prior to that it was 21.  My brother married right after the law changed, would have had to wait otherwise as my parents were not going to sign the paper allowing him to marry.  My parents were right.  She dumped him a few years later.

Comments

Hello Danielle: Thank you for this. Just to clarify, do these ages apply to "fils mineur ou majeur' and "filles mineure ou majeure" when the priest puts this in a marriage record?

Merce beaucoup, Jim

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yes, they do, although sometimes the priests erred in the age estimations on such.  Or didn't even mention it.

By the way, fille is the correct term, no S at the end, unless plural, fils is the masculine form and can be both singular and plural.

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Hi Danielle: Yes, sorry, I know better. My French is getting quite rusty.

Thanks again for the help. Jim

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don't worry about it, you should have seen what Google translate did with one poor guy.  XYZ fils became XYZ wire