Élisabeth-Louise Toupin

Life and times

General historical context. This section describes the times and places this person lived in. It is not documented fact about them; “likely” means just that.

Places

1. Beauport, New France (Quebec, Canada) 1710-1760

What was happening

• 1711 The Walker Expedition Threatens Quebec · Quebec and the St. Lawrence River, New France
  In the months following her infancy, Élisabeth-Louise's family in Beauport would have likely mobilized for defense against the approaching British naval fleet until it ran aground on the St. Lawrence. Source
• 1713 Treaty of Utrecht and Imperial Consolidation · New France
  Growing up in the seigneurial manor lands of Beauport, Élisabeth-Louise would have likely experienced a sustained period of agricultural stability and population growth following peace with Britain. Source
• 1744 King George's War and Colonial Atlantic Blockade · New France
  Managing her domestic household through her first widowhood, Élisabeth-Louise would have likely contended with soaring costs for imported cloth, salt, and domestic supplies caused by British naval blockades. Source
• 1755 Great Expulsion of the Acadians and Influx of Refugees · Quebec, New France
  Living near Quebec City, Élisabeth-Louise would have likely assisted or witnessed displaced Acadian families arriving along the St. Lawrence shores seeking shelter from British deportation. Source
• 1757 Severe Food Shortages and Wartime Rationing in New France · Beauport and Quebec, New France
  With young children in her home, Élisabeth-Louise would have likely faced strict bread rationing and livestock quotas imposed across the St. Lawrence parishes during the Seven Years' War. Source
• 1759 Battle of Beauport and Devastation of the Beauport Shore · Beauport, New France
  In the final year of her life, Élisabeth-Louise would have likely suffered terrifying upheaval as French entrenchments in Beauport repelled British landing parties amid relentless naval bombardment. Source

In context

Élisabeth-Louise Toupin lived her entire fifty-year life on the Beauport coast along the St. Lawrence River during the zenith and ultimate collapse of the French empire in North America. Born in Beauport in September 1710 to Ignace Toupin and Marie-Élisabeth Dupras, she was raised in the seigneurial society of New France. As an infant, her family weathered the naval invasion panic of the 1711 Walker Expedition. Following an early marriage to Joseph Marcoux and his passing, she married Joseph-Louis Ménard in February 1746, giving birth to several children, including Jacques Ménard in 1750. Her life was defined by the cyclical hardships of colonial frontier life, including King George's War and the severe Atlantic trade blockades that drove up prices of domestic goods. During the Seven Years' War, food shortages and strict rationing plagued the Beauport parish under Intendant Bigot's corrupt administration. In the summer of 1759, British naval bombardment and the Battle of Beauport brought warfare directly to her doorstep. Élisabeth-Louise survived to witness the Battle of Sainte-Foy in the spring of 1760 before passing away in Beauport on June 3, 1760, as French rule came to an end.