Recently my eldest son, while driving and listening to CBC Radio, heard an interview with an author. This author had written a book about a young woman in New France in the 1660’s who was believed to be “possessed”. Knowing my interest in Quebec history, he alerted me to the book which was The Possession of Barbe Hallay: Diabolical Arts and Daily Life in Early Canada by Mairi Cowan.

The name Hallay immediately caught my attention. A quick check of my genealogy database showed I have an ancestor Marie Halay, whom I blogged about here. I bought the book at my local independent book store. Sure enough, this Barbe is the younger sister of my direct ancestor Marie Hallay (sometimes spelt Halay or Halle).

The book, besides being an intriguing investigation of Barbe Hallay’s possession, is an extensive look at the circumstances in which our French-Canadian ancestors lived in the 1660’s. Cowan describes her research and writing as microhistory. From page 9 of this book she explains:

“Most conspicuously, microhistories focus on a single object with great attention to detail and a close reading of sources. They combine the small scale with larger ones, both through insisting on the importance of wider historical context when interpreting evidence, and by asking questions with broad historical and contemporary resonance.“

This is a very worthwhile read, even more so if you have a direct connection to this family. The parents were Jean Baptiste Hallay and Mathurine Valet. They had 4 children:

Marie who married Joachim Girard

Barbe who married Jean Carrier

Elisabeth who married Guillaume Albert

Jean Baptiste who married firstly Marie Marguerite Maranda, and secondly Marie Drapeau.

You can listen to the CBC interview here.