Before his marriage, Jean-Baptiste had previously been involved (in the style of the country) with a native woman who had borne his children. Marie-Anne was tolerant and accepting of the children arising from this previous relationship, although the other woman was jealous and reportedly threatened to poison her. Despite this incident, the Lagimodières generally had good relationships with the Aboriginal peoples they encountered. Marie-Anne was often regarded as an object of curiosity by the Natives during her travels as she was invariably the first white woman they had ever seen (some were even led to believe that she possessed supernatural powers).