Emily

The Diary of Renée Moxley Renée Moxley was the youngest daughter in her family of 11, and lived a frugal life near Quebec City on a seigneurie in Ile d’Orleans. At school, her teacher Madame Marie had instructed the students to write a diary on their lives in the coming days.

Dear Diary, I am glad that Madame Marie has given me this diary to practice my writing. After working with my sisters in the garden, helping Mama weave cloth and feeding our chickens, it makes me happy to be able to sit down and just relax. Because it is Papa’s birthday today, Mama is in the kitchen now baking a maple syrup pie to celebrate. She is using the maple sap we collected two nights ago from our own trees. Making the sap was so much fun! Anyways, when Papa and the rest of my siblings come back into the house, we will all sit down for today's dinner of bread and soup. I will try to eat it as quick as I can so that I can eat the rare dessert. It seems that something like this always happens every year. Then, our whole family will sit in front of the fire and listen to each other tell stories. I will tell them about being able to read, and maybe teach Mama and Papa how. When they were little, their lives were too busy for them to go to school. Papa and Uncle Dominique were the ones that actually made our wooden house. Tonight will be //tres magnifique!//

 When Papa, Zacharie and Luc came back from planting this year’s seeds, they announced something exciting over story time. Because we had such a great year, we would be going into town! Right after church this Sunday, we will take our goods and walk to the nearest dock. Never had I gone to town before. I had always been too little. After we get to the dock, Théodore says that we must take a boat. He says it will take us directly to another dock right outside a spice stand. I hope we have enough goods after paying the stupid seigneur to trade for some cinnamon. I do love cinnamon! Because there will be many rich merchants on the street, Camille says that I have to look presentable, so I'll be able to dress up and wear as many pretty ribbons as I like! Usually, Madame Marie never lets us wear ribbons at school. I have never seen my family in such high spirits. I pray to God that we will have another year just like this one.

Dear Diary,  Something very interesting happened last weekend. When my family went to town to trade our goods, we found that we had a lot of things to trade with. To my delight, we were able to buy quite a bit of cinnamon. Because we were in high spirits, Papa decided on the spot for us to visit Uncle Dominique. My uncle lives on the shore of the St. Lawrence River, in Fort Frontenac near town. We got to travel by horse and carriage! When I got out of the carriage, I saw an older girl walking around, looking at my uncle’s land. She looked kind and had pretty clothes, so I went up to talk to her, and ask where her clothes were from. She said her name was Marie Leblanc and that her clothes had been brought over from France. We started talking about the latest fashion, and I was surprised to find that it had changed very much from the last time I heard my sisters talking about it. Soon, it was getting dark and my family had to go back home. With a sigh I said good-bye to my new found friend and travelled back to Ile d’Orleans. It was only later that I found out from Mama that that girl was the seigneur’s daughter! No wonder she had such nice clothes !

 Dear Diary, I can’t wait until next Sunday! Our seigneur here on Ile d’Orleans is getting married! His wedding will take place during church, and all the habitants on his land are allowed to attend. Papa and Mama have been busy preparing a wedding gift for the couple. Mama is making a bundle of candles, and Papa is going to give some wheat. I’ve seen his soon-to-be wife Élisabeth Aubergelle   , and I’ve heard that she’s a fille du roi. I wonder if she’s in love with him. I doubt it though. Almost everyone around here marries for finanancial reasons. I think Élisabeth Aubergelle is very lucky to be able to marry someone so rich. Camille says that there will be a lot of food, like bread, fresh vegetables, meat and dessert. I overheard Luc say that there will be beer there too. I wonder if I’ll be able to try some. Even though weddings are supposed to be in winter, I’m glad that there’s one in spring. These past few weeks have been really eventful!

References:  Baldwin, Douglas. __New Frances and the Fur Trade.__ Calgary: Weigl Educational Publishers Limited, 2003. Cranny, Michael.__Crossroads: A Meeting of Nations__. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1998. Cruxton, J. Brady and Robert J. Walker. __Community Canada__. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 1993. Dicks, Stewart K. __Les Canadiens: The French in Canada 1600~1867.__ Scarborough, Ontario: Prentice-Hall of Canada Limited, 1980 Skeoch, Eric. __Life in New France__. Toronto: Grolier, 1980.

Smith, D.C. __The Seigneury of Longueuil.__ Canada: Ginn and Company, 1971.