Madeleine Sophie was born prematurely in a massive fire on December 12th, 1779. She was considered very fragile and was very tiny, so early the next morning she was baptised in a church. Since there had been no time to call the prearranged godparents, Louis, Madeleine’s older brother and a local woman going to church stood in as godparents.
Madeleine Sophie’s family were financially comfortable-which meant they weren’t in debt but weren’t overly wealthy either. Her father Jacques was a cooper and vine grower, both well-paid jobs. Madeleine Sophie had two older siblings, but there was a wide age gap between her and her two siblings. Marie Louise, her older sister, was 9 years older than Sophie. Louis, a very intelligent boy, was born 11 years