▁contrib utors . ▁Many ▁were ▁or ph ans ▁with ▁very ▁me ag re ▁personal ▁poss essions , ▁and ▁with ▁a ▁relatively ▁low ▁level ▁of ▁liter acy . ▁ ▁Soci ally , ▁the ▁young ▁women ▁came ▁from ▁different ▁social ▁background s , ▁but ▁were ▁all ▁very ▁poor . ▁They ▁might ▁have ▁been ▁from ▁an ▁el ite ▁family ▁that ▁had ▁lost ▁its ▁fortune , ▁or ▁from ▁a ▁large ▁family ▁with ▁children ▁" to ▁spare ." ▁Official s ▁usually ▁matched ▁women ▁of ▁higher ▁birth ▁with ▁officers ▁or ▁gentlemen ▁living ▁in ▁the ▁col ony , ▁sometimes ▁in ▁the ▁hopes ▁that ▁the ▁nobles ▁would ▁marry ▁the ▁young ▁women ▁and ▁be ▁encourag ed ▁to ▁stay ▁in ▁Canada ▁rather ▁than ▁return ▁to ▁France . ▁A ▁few ▁women ▁came ▁from ▁other ▁European ▁countries , ▁including ▁Germany , ▁England , ▁and ▁Portugal . ▁ ▁Integr ation ▁into ▁New ▁French ▁society ▁▁ ▁The ▁women ▁dis emb ark ed ▁in ▁Quebec ▁City , ▁Tro is - R ivi ères , ▁and ▁Montreal . ▁After ▁their ▁arrival , ▁their ▁time ▁to ▁find ▁hus b ands ▁varied ▁greatly . ▁For ▁some , ▁it ▁was ▁as ▁short ▁as ▁a ▁few ▁months , ▁while ▁others ▁took ▁two ▁or ▁three ▁years ▁before ▁finding ▁an ▁appropriate ▁husband . ▁For ▁the ▁process ▁of ▁choosing ▁a ▁husband , ▁and ▁the ▁marriage , ▁most ▁cou ples ▁would ▁officially ▁get ▁engaged ▁in ▁church , ▁with ▁their ▁priest ▁and ▁witness es ▁present . ▁Then , ▁some ▁cou ples ▁went ▁in ▁front ▁of ▁the ▁not ary , ▁to ▁sign ▁a ▁marriage ▁contract . ▁Mar ri ages