The Plains of Abraham

Noel Simard's Bride in New France was Mary-Madeline Racine.  Women were rare in New France, and Madeline was from an old and respected family.  Her mother was the daughter of Abraham Martin, an early explorer of New France.

The Martin family tree. 

Abraham Martin supposedly sailed with Champlain (founder of Quebec City). His dit name, or nickname, was L'Ecossais, or the Scot. He may have had a trading route with Scotland, an untrustworthy person, or simply of Scottish descent. He was known as a King's Pilot for his navigation of the waters around Quebec.

He is rumored to have had children with several women. However, he was married, and his wife Marguerite eventually joined him in Quebec. He was arrested toward the end  of his life for sexual relations with a sixteen year old girl. 

There is a park in Quebec City called The Fields of Abraham that was his farm when he was alive. A battle in the Seven Years War, known as the French Indian War in the US and the War for Conquest in Canada, was fought there. This war ended in 1763 and resulted in the transfer of the territory of New France to the British. 

Etienne Racine settled in Quebec around 1634. He married Marguerite Martin in 1638 when she was 14, and they had ten children. 

Etienne returned to France in 1647 to recruit new settlers and returned the next year. For his recruitment work, he was awarded a large tract of land in what would become Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré.  He and his wife Marguerite are considered the founders of that town. 

Fumichon, Normandy, France, where Etienne Racine was from, is near the top, and Montpellier France where Abraham Martin was from is at the bottom.

A plaque commemorating Etienne Racine and Marguerite Langlois Racine at Basilica of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré north of Quebec City, and just north of Chateau Richer