Catherine Baillon was the daughter of Alphonse de Baillon, Sieur de Valence et de la Mascotterie, and Louise de Marle. She was born around 1645, probably near Montfort-l'Amaury, Île-de-France, outside of Paris. Her parents were members of the minor French nobility. She came to New France around 1669 as a Fille du Roi and married Jacques Miville dit Deschênes on 12 November 1669 at Québec City. Together they had six children. Both Jacques and Catherine died on 27 January 1688 at Rivière-Ouelle, and it is likely they were victims of the smallpox epidemic that struck Québec in 1687.

Catherine Baillon's descent from King Philippe II Auguste of France (a descendant of Charlemagne and wife Hildegard) has been carefully researched in original sources by four genealogists who are well-known for their past accurate and well-documented works: René Jetté, John P. DuLong, Roland-Yves Gagné, and Gail F. Moreau. The website of the Catherine Baillon Royal Connection Research Association at http://www.habitant.org/baillon provides links to publications and other reference materials related to Baillon genealogical research.

Thousands of descendants of French-Canadian ancestors are able to claim royal blood by way of descent from Catherine Baillon, including the descendants of Marie Consigny, great-grandmother of Robert Alexander Perrault.

Marie Consigny was a great-grandaughter of Véronique Miville who, in turn, was a great-grandaughter of Catherine Baillon. In 1770, Véronique married Joseph François Consigny dit Sansfaçon, the son of a convicted salt smuggler deported to Canada in 1733, and through this marriage the link between Marie Consigny and Catherine Baillon is established. Thus, a royal connection is identified, and our lineage is extended back several hundred years to Charlemagne.

Yeah, right...

Skeptical?

Consider the fact that professional genealogical societies generally accept that statistically as much as 90% of the living population of Europe would be able to show Charlemagne in their direct line, if they could find the right records to trace back that far. The number drops to about 60-70% for persons living in the United States.

Such statistics mean that there is more than a 2 to 1 likelihood that Charlemagne is in our lineage, if we could trace back far enough. Of course, if the passage of time had preserved a history of their names, there is at least an equal likelihood that Charlemagne's stable boy or chambermaid would also appear in our lineage....

• Comments on Royal Descent
• FAQ - What is the point of family trees? (Snobbery, etc.)
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• Give Your Pedigree the Royal Treatment: Researching Noble Lines