Marie Anne Benoist (abt. 1697 - abt. 1754)

Born about 26 Feb 1697 in St. Laurent, Paris, Ile De France, France

Wife of Pierre Rachal — married 1721 in Natchitoches, LA

Descendants

Died about 7 Nov 1754 at about age 57 in Natchitoches, Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana

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Biography

Note: Birth date is a guess based on ? {citation needed}; Death date is burial date from record. The burial record puts her age at "about" 70 on 7 Nov 1754. [1684] First record found in source cited is May 12, 1729, baptism of Elisabeth.

Children records found: Elisabeth, Jacques, Marie Louise, Jeanne, Louis, and Barthelemy

May 15, 1729, baptism of Elisabeth Rachal, born May 12, 1729, legitimate daughter of Pierre Rachal and Marianne Benoist. Godparents: Joseph Verger (s) and Elisabeth Dubois (x).^[1] June 6, 1748, after three bans, marriage of Mathieu Monnet dit St. Morice, soldier detached from the company of Benoit at this post, native of Paris, parish of St. Sulpice?, legitimate son of Claude Monet, native of Paris, and of [illegible] . . . and . . . Elisabhet Rachal (s), native of this parish, legitimate daughter of Pierre Rachal dit St. Denis, soldier detached in this post, native of Isle d'Olorn, and Marie Anne Benoit, native of Paris. Witnesses: De Blanc (s), Rondin (x), Alorge (s), Pain (s), Verger (s), and Mr. Dominique [Monteche] (x). ^[2]

December 6, 1735, baptism of Jacques Rachal, born December 4, 1735, legitimate son of Pierre Rachal and Marie Anne Benoit. Godparents: Jacques Chevalier, soldier, and Anne chaniau, habitant (x).^[3]

July 28, 1737, baptism of Marie Louise Rachal, born July 27, 1737, legitimate daughter of Pierre Rachal dit St. Denys, corporal of the garrison, and Marie Anne Benoit. Godparents: Pierre Alorge (s), sergeant, and Marie Dauphine (x). ^[4] Married January 8, 1752 Pierre Noel Gallien (x) native of Quebec, parish of Beauport, pishopric of Quebec, legitimate son of Pierre Gallien, a native of Quebec and of Marie Morier, a native of the Isle d'Oriant. ^[5]

August 13, 1739, baptism of Jeanne Rachal, legitimate daughter of Pierre Rachal dit St. Denis of the parish of St. Denis de Leron [d'Oleron] in St. Onge, and of Marie Anne Benoist of the parish of St. Laurens of [illegible]. Godparents; Pierre Cusson (x), habitant, and Jeanne Piquery (s), wife of Robert [Avard]. ^[6]. Married April 7, 1755, Charles Francois Leveque, a native of Canada, parish of St. Anne, bishopric of Quebec, legitimate son of deceased Maturin L'eveque, native of Canada, parish of St. Anne, and of deceaed Marie Madeleine Marein, native of the parish of Baptisquant [Batiscan] in Canada.^[7]

Marriage: July 23, 1753, marriage of Louis Rachal dit Blondain, soldier of the company of Montbrun, native of this parish, legitimate son of Pierre Rachal, a native of the Isle d'Oleron and of Marie Anne Benoist, a native of Paris ... and ... Marie [le] Roy, native of this parish, legitimate daugher of deceased Etienne [le[ Roy and of Louise Francoise Gilot, a native of Chalanton. Witnesses: Bertran (s), Vandan (s), Rondin (x) Blanc (s), Bunel (s). ^[8]

December 19, 1758, marriage of Barthelemy Rachal (x), son of Pierre Rachal and Marianne Benoit . . . and .. . Marie Lamalaty (x), daughter of Louis Lamalati and of Jeanne Victoire Garcie. Witnesses: "the father" (x), Sr. Dominique Monteche (x), Dupain(s), Jacques Lambre (x). ^[9]

Burial

November 7, 1754, burial of Marie Anne Benoit, a native of Paris, about seventy years of age. Died after last rites. ^[10]

Other events mentioning Maris Anne Benoist/Benoit/Benois

June 23, 1753, baptism of Louise, adult negresse belonging to Marie Anne Benois. Godparents: Chevalier de la Ronde (s) and Louise Francoise Triche. ^[11]

September 29, 1737, baptisms of Nicolas dit Docla and Judith, adult negroes belonging to Sr D;Herbanne. Godparents of Nicolas: Pierre Rachal and Marie Anne Benoit (x); godparents of Judith: Pierre Besson (x) and Marguerite Victoire Gonzales (x). ^[12]

From scholarly research published on the internet cited at the end of excerpt.

Also included in the 34 enumerated whites were one German settler and eight "wives of soldiers." At least four of the latter were newly-married femmes de force sent to the colony under one or more convictions for prostitution, debauchery or theft. 8 Heretofore, historians have treaded delicately upon this subject, expressing the general consensus that most such females who arrived in the colony were either unjustly charged or else they led such dissolute lives after deportation that they died young and without progeny.

The former conclusion has yet to be adequately substantiated or disproven, and the general assumption that these females left no issue may well be due to the past reluctance of Louisiana families to trace their lines of ascent to an ancestress so charged.

On the contrary, an analysis of the colonial records at Natchitoches specifically, and in the colony as a whole, clearly proves that the femmes de force or filles de joie, as they are variously called, were both worthy and fertile citizens. None of the ladies enumerated on that first census of the Natchitoches post in 1722 had any hint of scandal attached to her name after her settlement at Natchito~hes. Generally speaking, the same appears to be true of many of their fellow shipmates who settled with new husbands at other colonial posts and whose descendants periodically wound their way upriver to settle on -the Natchitoches frontier.

An analysis of the population existing within the Natchitoches jurisdiction on the eve of the Louisiana Purchase, 1803, indicates that at least 22 percent (Anglo newcomers excluded) were known to descend from one or more of the femmes de force who arrived in Louisiana aboard the La Mutine and the La Baleine in 1719. Historic Pathways, Elizabeth Shown Mills

Other information, accuracy unknown but may provide clues for further research

Marie Ann Benoist came over on the ship "Mutine" she was classified as "girl sent from Paris by order of the king. Fille-du-Roi " She was sent to Louisiana with a group of female convicts (femmes de force) to be wives to the colonists. She was somewhat different because all of the other women were exiled for life for prostitution. She was exiled for life for blasphemy. All others were tried in public court but she was tried in the king's private chambers. Rumor is that she said "no" to the wrong person. Some records indicate that she, along with her father Mr. Benoist, were exiled here for Blasphemy for five years. In records her father Micheal Benoist was also exiled for blasphemy for five years. He was a soldier in the French army stationed at Mobile, Louisiana, Nouvelle France now known as Mobile, Alabama.^[13]

Sources

• Source: NATCH Title: Abstracts of the Catholic Church Registers of the French and Spanish Post of St. Jean Baptiste des Natchitoches in Louisiana: 1729-1803; Compiler: Elizabeth Shown Mills; Volume II; Cane River Creole Series; Polyanthos, New Orleans; 1977; Personal Copy.

• Footnote from Lonely Colonist Seeks Wife: The Forgotten History of America’s First Mail Order Brides by MARCIA ZUG 330. Spear, supra note 324, at 49. Cadillac requested women after the Baron ship’s arrival. “Many of these women did not come voluntarily to Louisiana. In 1719 ninety-five women arrived aboard the Mutine, ‘sent by the king,’ while thirty-eight ‘exiled women’ arrived aboard the Deux Frères and Duc de Noailles. Working against voluntary emigration to Louisiana was the fact that the colony suffered from an unsavory reputation among the common people of France.”

Text: Since the 4th of March, nineteen of them have been married off. From those who came by the Le Chameau and La Mutine, ten have died. So that fifty-nine girls are still provided for. This will be difficult, as these girls were not well selected . . . . whatever vigilance exercised upon them, they could not be restrained

1. ↑ Source: #NATCH #518. pp. 63-64
2. ↑ Source: #NATCH #353. p. 45
3. ↑ Source: #NATCH #32. p. 7
4. ↑ Source: #NATCH # 78. p. 11
5. ↑ Source: #NATCH #721. p. 88; Bride's entry #745. p. 94
6. ↑ Source: #NATCH #180. p. 24
7. ↑ Source: #NATCH # 734. p. 91
8. ↑ Source: #NATCH # 727. p. 89
9. ↑ Source: #NATCH # 752. p. 95
10. ↑ Source: #NATCH # 777. p. 97
11. ↑ Source: #NATCH #560. p. 69
12. ↑ Source: #NATCH #82. p. 12
13. ↑ [https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:2:3SD9-LD1 Family Tree

Acknowledgements