Sylvie Asselin describes how she came to be involved in Société d’histoire des Filles du Roy

Sylvie Asselin explains how she became a member of Société d’histoire des Filles du Roy.

[Sylvie Asselin] When I was young, my mother was really interested in genealogy. She’d already traced our family trees on both her maternal and paternal sides, the two conventional lines everyone knows.

But in her heart, she felt there was a family branch missing, the one from mother to daughter, or as she used to say, “from tummy to tummy.” I love that expression, because that’s really what it’s about. So, she set out to trace it. And we traced it right back to a particular woman, and that’s what’s known as the “matriline.”

Ten or so years later, Société d’histoire des Filles du Roy was created. Out of curiosity I decided to go and see what it was all about. And that’s how I came to realize that our matrilineal ancestor was a Fille du Roy. So, with a bit of research, and a dose of curiosity… we joined a historical society to find out more about the Filles du Roy. Who were they? And what we learned was that they were part of our history, here in New France, from 1663 to 1673. I jumped at the opportunity to personify my ancestor.

I felt connected to her right away. I wanted to understand why she had left her native land and crossed the ocean. It’s one thing to say “We’re going there to build a country,” but what could have led her to make that decision? You really put yourself in their shoes. The historical society gives us a chance to personify those women who, to my mind, paved the way to us being where we are today.

Our goal was to pay tribute to them, to give them a voice. And that’s how I feel about it, too. The matriline is something really special. And the historical society’s aim is to give those women a voice, to give them a name. So, you see, there are women throughout the province paying tribute to them.

And here, too, in the Côte-de-Beaupré region. My ancestor is here, in Côte-de-Beaupré. I’ve walked on her land; I’ve walked in her footsteps. I love it, it’s like an adventure. I’m still doing it, and I encourage you to do it, too.

Video produced by Aux Trois Couvents, a place of cultural discoveries, 2019