Destruction of Key Registers of Pre-Deportation Acadia
A Continuation of the Discussion Concerning the Destruction of Key Registers of Pre-Deportation Acadia: This folder contains copies of various documents proving the destruction, or loss of the registers of a few key parishes of pre-Deportation Acadia relating to the “Mixed-Blooded Acadians.”
The first document that I’ve chosen to discuss concerns “Père Jean-Baptiste de Gay Desenclaves.” Although I won’t be providing any biographical information concerning Père Desenclaves in the current summary because it would take too much time to do so, I will note that in addition to many of the captured inhabitants of the Cape Sable region during the three “raids” (which I won’t be discussing either) of the region by New England/British Troops, he was eventually sent to prison on George’s Island (in present-day Halifax Nova Scotia). From Halifax, these prisoners were then shipped from Halifax to Englandon November 09, 1759 (where they landed around December 29, 1759), and finally reached Cherbourg, France on January 14, 1760. This would have been a long, stressful, and chaotic voyage following what was clearly a very violent and traumatic series of three raids of the Cape Sable region in only three years. Therefore, one can only wonder what happened to the parish registers maintained by Père Desenclaves during his time spent among the “Acadians” of the Cape Sable region.
Well, the answer to this question can be found in an article that was published on pages 183 to 187 of the May to June, 1929 (Vol. 04, No. 03) issue of the “Société d'Histoire du Canada’s” periodical entitled, “Nova Francia.” This article is properly entitled, “Acadiens: Certificats Concernant l' État-Civil. 1764” and concerns six certificates of depositions given by the Priests who were in charge of various parishes in Acadia prior to, and during the Deportation years. This article contains not only full transcriptions of these certificates, but also a transcription of a May 03, 1764 letter written by the “Abbé de l'Isle-Dieu” (Pierre de La Rue) at Paris, France describing the certificates and providing some information concerning each of the six Priests who gave the depositions. According to a footnote found on page 183, the original copies of these documents can be found in the “Archives du département d’Ille-et-Vilaine” in Rennes, France.
One of the six depositions transcribed in “Acadiens: Certificats Concernant l' État-Civil. 1764” is especially important to the current discussion because it was given by “Père Jean-Baptiste de Gay Desenclaves” on April 09, 1764 at “Stiriex la pereche” (Saint-Yrieix-la-Perche), France. A transcription of Père Desenclaves’ deposition can be found on page 186 of the May to June, 1929 (Vol. 04, No. 03) issue of “Nova Francia” however, before I provide this deposition to you, I will first make note of what the “Abbé de l'Isle-Dieu” (Pierre de La Rue) has to say about Père Desenclaves in his May 03, 1764 letter. This excerpt can be found on page 184 and reads as follows:
“… Que le quatrième M. Desenclaves, est entré en Acadie en 1742 Et qu’il y est resté jusqu’en 1759. s’etant successivement Réfugié dans différents Postes, avec une partie de ses habitans pour se soustraire à la poursuite et à la persecution des Anglois, qui enfin le firent Enlever en 1759 au Cap de Sable, ou il fut surpris, arreté et d’ou il fut conduit en france…”
This loosely translates to:
“… That the fourth M. Desenclaves, entered Acadia in 1742 and that he stayed there until 1759. Having successively refugeed in different posts, with a portion of his inhabitants to evade the persuit and the persecution of the English, who finally removed him in 1759 at Cap de Sable, where he was surprised, arrested and from where he was taken to France …”
Now that we have discussed what the “Abbé de l'Isle-Dieu” (Pierre de La Rue) had to say about “Père Jean-Baptiste de Gay Desenclaves” only a few years after he was captured at Cape Sable and sent to Europe, as stated-above, I will now provide you with Père Desenclaves’ April 09, 1764 deposition, which can be found on page 186 of page 186 of the May to June, 1929 (Vol. 04, No. 03) issue of “Nova Francia” and reads as follows:
“ D je soubsigné ancien missionaire de l’accadie certifie a tous ceux quil appartiendrai que je suis d’autant moins en état de produire et de remettre les registres de baptêmes de mariages et inhumations que j’ay tenus dans les differents postes que jay desservis qu’ayant esté oblige de me retirer des premiers, pour pourvoir a ma sûreté, et a celle de mes habitants et quayant esté forcement enlevé du dernier nommé le cap de Sable et transféré en france il ne ma pas été possible de sauver et demporter avec moy les registres dont on me demande aujourdhuy la représentation, et la remise, en foy de quoy et pour y suppléer, jay cru pouvoir signer et délivrer la presente declaration, et la certifier comme conforme ala plus exacte vérité
a St iriex la pereche ce 9e avril 1764
DE GAY DESENCLAVES ptre”
This loosely translates to:
“ D I undersigned former Missionary of Acadia certify to all those whom it concerns that I am not in the state to produce and to return the registers of baptisms of marriages and burials that I had held in the different posts that I have served that having been forced to flee from the first, to provide for my safety, and to that of my inhabitants and that having been forcibly removed from the last named the Cap de Sable and transferred to France it was not possible for me to save and to take the registers with me which I am now being asked to represent, and to deliver, in faith of what and to provide it, I thought I could sign and deliver the present declaration, and certify it as compliant with the most accurate truth
at St iriex la pereche this 9th April 1764
DE GAY DESENCLAVES Priest”
The importance of “Père Jean-Baptiste de Gay Desenclaves’” April 09, 1764 deposition should be very straightforward, as it is simply that it informs us through first-hand knowledge that Père Desenclaves’ registers from his time spent in Acadia between 1742 and 1759, of especially notable importance being those of the Cape Sable region, went missing during the events surrounding his own capture by Major Roger Morris and his Troops in the fall of 1758.
The fact that “Père Jean-Baptiste de Gay Desenclaves’” registers went missing and were likely since destroyed either by fire or by decay, is very significant because it not only erases many important birth, marriage, and burial records from the historical record of Acadia, but it is also the second time that registers of the pre-Deportation/Deportation years Cape Sable region were lost and/or destroyed because as we know from elsewhere in this collection, “Sieur Charles de Menou d’Aulnay” not only burned “Sieur Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour’s” “Fort Saint-Louis” at Port La Tour, Cape Sable when he attacked it in 1642, but he also razed the church and monastery during the same attack. Unfortunately, this would have destroyed the parish registers from the first documented wave of intermarriage between the “French” and the First Nations Peoples of the Cape Sable region.
As we know from various discussions found throughout this collection, “Sieur Charles de Menou d’Aulnay’s”destruction of Fort Saint-Louis is detailed in a letter written by “Sieur Charles de Saint-Étienne de La Tour” on October 27, 1644 letter, of which a copy can be found in the “FamilySearch” (Church of Latter Day Saints) record collection entitled, “Massachusetts State Archives Collection, Colonial Period: Volume 2. 1638-1720,” which can be found on “FamilySearch Microfilm 007702912.” This letter can be found on pages 199 and 200 of this microfilm (pages 484 and 485 of the collection). Further information concerning this letter can be found in our discussions concerning “Folder #127” of “Volume 1” of this collection, “Folder #190” of “Volume 2” of this collection, “Folder #213” of “Volume 3” of this collection, and “Folder #391” of “Volume 4” of this collection.
The fact that at least these two noted sets of registers of the pre-Deportation Cape Sable region were lost and/or destroyed is an enormous blow to Researchers who are attempting to document the true history of intermarriage in the Cape Sable region, such as myself, because the historical record for this region is very scant as it is, let alone missing the parish registers from when Priests actually did reside in the area prior to the Deportation.
It is especially important to note the destruction of the registers of the Cape Sable region because as we have seen throughout this collection, this was a region of high Fur Trade activity throughout pre-Deportation Acadia and therefore, one of high rates of intermarriage between the “French”/“Acadians” and the First Nations Peoples of the region if we are to believe many of the documents discussed throughout this collection concerning the Cape Sable region.
I will acknowledge that there are a couple of surviving records relating to offspring of the original intermarriages at Cape Sable that we have discussed throughout this collection, such as the record of the December 27, 1632 Baptism of “André Lasnier,” the mixed-blooded son of “Loys Lasnier” (Louis Lasnier) (a Catholic Christian of Dieppe in Picardie, France) and of “une femme Canadienne” (“a Canadian woman”). As we know from many summaries in this collection, such as that relating to “Folder #120” of “Volume 1,” this baptism occurred at the parish of Saint-Jean de Libourne in Gironde, France, not in Acadia. According to information found in this Baptismal record, André was “nay en Canada coste de l’Acadie, et au Pin de La Tau” (“born in Canada, coast of Acadia, and at Port de La Tour”) in present-day Southwestern Nova Scotia/historic Cape Sable, was brought back to France, and was baptized when he was about twelve years old (born circa 1620). As we have seen throughout this collection, during this time period, “une femme Canadienne” (“a Canadian woman”) would have meant a First Nations woman.
Despite the fact that the Baptismal record of “André Lasnier” has been found, it does not change the fact that his Baptism occurred in Libourne in Gironde, France when he was approximately 12 years old, not in Acadia where he was born circa 1620 at Port de La Tour, Cape Sable.
That being said, the key message that I hope you’ve taken from the current section of this summary is simply that the parish registers of the pre- and during-Deportation region of Cape Sable, Acadia were destroyed not only once, but twice. This is very important information to remember because historic Cape Sable is a region that we have seen throughout this collection to have been somewhat of a “hotspot” of Fur Trading activity and consequently, intermarriage between the First Nations Peoples of the region and the “French”/“French Neutrals”/“Acadians”of the region.
Documentation concerning the next registers of discussion, those of the pre-Deportation parish of Saint-Joseph/Saint-Joseph-des-Mines at the Rivière-des-Canards, tells us that these registers were also lost and/or destroyed during the chaos of the Deportation.
Evidence to prove this assertion can be found in the same previously-discussed article that was published on pages 183 to 187 of the May to June, 1929 (Vol. 04, No. 03) issue of the “Société d'Histoire du Canada’s” periodical entitled, “Nova Francia” and is properly entitled, “Acadiens: Certificats Concernant l' État-Civil. 1764.” As we know from above, this document contains six certificates of depositions given by the Priests who were in charge of various parishes in Acadia prior to, and during the Deportation years.
That being said, another of the six depositions transcribed in “Acadiens: Certificats Concernant l' État-Civil. 1764” is especially important to the current discussion because it was given by “Abbé Lemaire,” former Parish Priest of the parish of Saint-Joseph/Saint-Joseph-des-Mines at the Rivière-des-Canards on April 13, 1764. This deposition was given at the parish of “Stgermain Lauxerrois” (Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois) in Paris, France and reads as follows:
“ F Je soussigné ancien Missionaire De la paroisse St Joseph de là riviere aux Canards Dans Lacadie Dioceze de Quebec dans Lamerique septentrionalle Certifie a tous Ceux a qui il apartiendra que quoique Monsieur Labbé de Lisle dieu vicaire general du Dioceze de Quebec mait demandé depuis mon retour en france Les registres de bapteme Mariage et sepulture que je tenois dans ma Mission Je me suis trouvé hors Detat dy satisfaire attendu que Jai été enlevé a force armée par Les ordres du gouvernement anglois et mené a halifax dou Lon ma fait embarquer pour Leurope sans que Jai pu prendre ny emporter avec moy Les dits registres et pas meme mes propres papiers, en foy de quoy et de tout ce que dessus Jai signé Les présentes et Certifié que Le Contenu en La presente declaration est conforme a La vérité, a paris le treiziemme avril 1764
Lemaire pretre habitué a
St germain Lauxerrois”
This loosely translates to:
“ F I undersigned former Missionary of the Parish Saint Joseph of the Rivière aux Canards in Acadia Diocese of Québec in North America cerftify to whom it may concern that although Monsieur the Abbé de l’Isle Dieu Vicaire General of the Diocese of Québec asked me since my return to France the registers of baptism marriage and burial that I held in my mission I found myself out of the state to satisfy what is expected as I was removed by military force by the orders of the English Government and led to Halifax from where I was made to embark for Europe without I was unable to take or bring with me the said registers and not even my own papers, in faith of what and of all that which below I signed the present and certify that the contents and the present declaration is conformed with the truth, at Paris the thirteenth April 1764
Lemaire Priest accustomed to
St Germain Lauxerrois”
The loss of the registers of the parish of Saint-Joseph/Saint-Joseph-des-Mines at the Rivière-des-Canards is a huge blow to the research of the mixed-bloods of Acadia because as we know from our discussion relating to “Folder #34” of “Volume 1” of this collection, it was at “Grand Pré, river Canard and Pizziquid” (“Grand Pré, Rivière-des-Canards and Piziquid”) where “Lieutenant-Governor Paul Mascarene” noted there to have been “a great number of Mulattoes”(“Acadians” of “Indian” and “French” blood) residing in his“Nova Scotia Council Minutes” from January 04, 1744-5. As a direct result from the loss and/or destruction of these parish registers, we may never know who exactly Lieutenant-Governor Mascarene was referring to at the Rivière-des-Canards, as the historical record for that region is very scant as it is, let alone with the loss and/or destruction of its registers.
Next, we find evidence of even more destroyed registers relating to these January 04, 1744-5 “Nova Scotia Council Minutes” on page iv of “Appendice A. 3ième Partie”of “Volume II” of renowned Acadian Genealogist and Historian, Placide Gaudet’s 1906 book entitled, “Généalogie des Familles Acadiennes: Avec Documents: Rapport Concernant les Archives Canadiennes Pour l'Année 1905. En Trois Volumes.” As you will see, in the following excerpt from page iv, many volumes of the registers of the parish of Saint-Charles-des-Mines in Grand Pré, Acadia, although they survived the Deportation, unnecessarily succumbed to destruction in the late-nineteenth century through careless storage methods:
“… A l’époque de leur expulsion, les Acadiens emportèrent à la Louisiane les registres de l’église Saint-Charles de la Grand-Prée qui formaient cinq volumes commençant en 1687 et se terminant en 1755. Ils furent confiés au curé de la paroisse Saint-Gabriel d’Iberville qui ne paraît pas en avoir pris grand soin. Dans l’automne de 1893, une inondation du presbytère de Saint-Gabriel détruisit entièrement deux volumes de ces registres et une partie des autres. Deux ans après, Sa Grandeur feu Mgr O’Brien, archevêque d’Halifax, fit copier ce qui restait et au printemps de 1899 je fus chargé d’en faire un duplicata pour le bureau des archives du Dominion. Ces registres commencent en 1707 pour se terminer en 1748. Il y manque plusieurs baptêmes, mariages et sépultures…”
This loosely translates to:
“… At the time of their expulsion, the Acadians carried the register of the parish of Saint-Charles de la Grand-Prée to Louisiana which formed five volumes beginning in 1687 and ending in 1755. They were entrusted to the Priest of the parish of Saint-Gabriel D’Iberville who did not seem to have taken great care of it. In the fall of 1893, a flood of the Presbytery of Saint-Gabriel completely destroyed two volumes of these registers and a part of the others. Two years later, his Greatness the late Mgr. O’Brien, Archbishop of Halifax, copied what was left and in the spring of 1899 I was tasked with making a duplicate for the Dominion Archives office. These registers began in 1707 and ended in 1748. There are several baptisms, marriages and burials missing…”
“Généalogie des Familles Acadiennes: Avec Documents: Rapport Concernant les Archives Canadiennes Pour l'Année 1905
As we can clearly see in this very important excerpt, many of the registers of the parish of Saint-Charles-des-Mines in Grand-Pré, Acadia were, in fact, destroyed in the fall of 1893 by a flood due to improper storage methods. As a direct result of this flood, only portions of the records from 1707 to 1748 currently exist from the original five-volume set of registers, which were originally comprised of Baptismal, Marriage, and Burial records from the years 1687 to 1755.
Unfortunately, the destroyed registers of the parish of Saint-Charles-des-Mines contained extremely valuable genealogical information that would have most definitely allowed us to positively identify many, if not all of the “Mulattoes” (“Acadians” of “Indian” and “French” blood) who were stated by “Lieutenant-Governor Paul Mascarene” to have been residing in the region of Grand Pré in the previously-mentioned January 04, 1744-5 “Nova Scotia Council Minutes.”
Before we move on to another region of discussion, I will note in relation to the third settlement mentioned in “Lieutenant-Governor Paul Mascarene’s” January 04, 1744-5 his “Nova Scotia Council Minutes,” “Pizziquid” (Piziquid), renowned Acadian Genealogist, Stephen A. White states on pages xix and xx of “Volume I: A-G” of his 1999 “Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes. Première Partie 1636 à 1714 en Deux Parties” that there were two parishes in the region of “Piziquid” (present-day Windsor, Nova Scotia) prior to the Deportation, as the area was divided into two settlements, “Pisiquit (est)” (East Piziquid) and “Pisiquit (ouest)” (West Piziquid). The parish for East Piziquid was called “Ste-Famille” (Sainte-Famille) and the parish for West Piziquid was called “Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption.” Unfortunately, as per page xix, the registers of both of these parishes are also “perdus” (lost). Once again, we have no real insight into who the “Mulattoes” (“Acadians” of “Indian” (First Nations) and “French” blood) that Lieutenant-Governor Mascarene claimed to have been residing at Pizziquid” (Piziquid) in 1744-5 were, as the known/surviving historical record for this area is also very, very scant.
Moving along, the next registers that we will discuss are the “non-existent- to-begin-with”registers of the regions of Mirliguesche and La Hève, Acadia, both of which we have seen throughout this collection were regions that were heavily inhabited by people and families of mixed-blood.
So where exactly is the proof that registers were never actually kept in these areas? Well, the proof of this can be found in the “The Trial of Five Persons for Piracy, Felony, and Robbery, who were Condemned, at a Court of Admiralty for the Trial of Piracies, Felonies and Robberies, Committed on the High Seas, held at the Court-House in Boston, Within His Majesty's province of the Massachusetts-Bay in New-England, on Tuesday the Fourth day of October, Anno Domini, 1726. Pursuant to His Majesty's Royal Commission, Founded on an act of Parliament made in the Eleventh and Twelfth years of the Reign of King William the Third, Entituled, An act for the more Effectual Suppression of Piracy; and made Perpetual by an act of the Sixth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King George,” which was printed for T. Fleet by S. Gerrish in 1726. As we know from our discussions concerning “Folder #45” of “Volume 1” of this collection and “Folder #211” of “Volume 3” of this collection, this document is a published transcription of actual Court documentation concerning the trial of multiple mixed-blooded descendants of “Philippe Mius d’Entremont II”and his second First Nations wife, “Marie” (Unknown Surname).
In case you’ve forgotten, hung after this 1726 trial (which resulted from an alleged act of “Piracy” in the region of La Hève, Acadia) were a“Frenchman” named “John Baptist Jedre” (Jean-Baptiste Guédry I), John and his mixed-blooded wife, “Madeleine Mius'” son, “John Baptist Jedre” (Jean-Baptiste Guédry II), two of Madeleine's “Indian” (First Nations people) brothers, “Philip Mews” (Philippe Mius III)and “James Mews” (Jacques Mius). As we’ve seen in our discussions from this collection concerning this trial, Jean-Baptiste I, Madeleine, Philippe, and Jacques can all be found on the 1708 census of Acadia as residents of the La Hève region however, Jacques and Philippe were residing in the “Sauvage” (First Nations) section of La Hève, while their brother-in-law, Jean-Baptiste I and their full-sister, Madeleine were residing in the “Francois” (“French”)section of La Hève. A man named “John Missel” (Jean Michel?) was also hung as an “Indian” (First Nations man) as an outcome from the trial.
To quickly summarize the situation, this document is a published version of court documents relating to a trial for allegations of “Piracy” committed in the vicinity of “Malegash” (Merliguesch) along the Eastern Coast of Acadia. The trial occurred in Boston, Massachusetts on October 15, 1726 and the Ratification of the 1725 “Treaty of Peace and Friendship” placed a key role in the final outcome of the trial, which was that the five males alleged of committing this act were hung on November 13, 1726 at Boston.
Now that I’ve reviewed the situation surrounding “The Trial of Five Persons for Piracy, Felony, and Robbery, who were Condemned, at a Court of Admiralty for the Trial of Piracies, Felonies and Robberies, Committed on the High Seas, held at the Court-House in Boston, Within His Majesty's province of the Massachusetts-Bay in New-England, on Tuesday the Fourth day of October, Anno Domini, 1726. Pursuant to His Majesty's Royal Commission, Founded on an act of Parliament made in the Eleventh and Twelfth years of the Reign of King William the Third, Entituled, An act for the more Effectual Suppression of Piracy; and made Perpetual by an act of the Sixth year of the Reign of our Sovereign Lord King George,” it’s now time to provide you with the evidence found in this document that confirms that the registers of the regions of Mirliguesche and La Hève, Acadia were “non-existent- to-begin-with.” This evidence can be found on page 13 and concerns the “John Baptist Jedre Junior” (Jean-Baptiste Guédry II) who was involved in the alleged act of Piracy.
As per page 13 of “The Trials of five persons for piracy, felony and robbery, who were found guilty and condemned, at a Court of Admiralty for the trial of piracies, felonies and robberies, committed on the high seas, held at the court-house in Boston, within His Majesty's province of the Massachusetts-Bay in New-England, on Tuesday the fourth day of October, anno domini, 1726. Pursuant to His Majesty's royal commission, founded on an act of Parliament made in the eleventh and twelfth years of the reign of King William the Third, entituled, An act for the more effectual suppression of piracy; and made perpetual by an act of the sixth year of the reign of our sovereign Lord King George,”“After the Evidences for the King were heard, Mr. George Hughes, Advocate to the Prisoners at the Bar pleaded in their Behalf” the following:
“… But, May it please your Honours, The Case of the young Lad at the Bar, John Baptist Junior, is distinguished from that of his Father on account of his tender Years; being (as his Father informs me) not fourteen Years of Age; an age which renders a Person incapable in the Law, of committing any Crime so as to be punished with Death, he being set upon the same Foot with a Mad man by my Lord Coke upon Lit, pag 247 b who says, “That in Criminal Causes, as Felony, &c. the Act and Wrong of a Mad man shall not be imputed to him, for that in those Causes, Actus non facit reum, nisi Mens sit rea: And he is Amens (id eft) fine mente, without his Mind and Discretion, and Furiosus solo furore punitur, A Mad man is only punished by his Madness-And so it is an Infant, until he be of the Age of Fourteen, which in Law is accounted the Age of Discretion.
It cannot be expected I should produce any Evidence of the Age of this Lad, who was born and educated in the Woods among the Wild and Salvage Indians, where no Register of Births or Burials is kept, he knows not his own Age but by the Information of his Father, who here declares in public Court, his son is but Fourteent this Fall; there is no Evidence to disprove him in this Assertion, and where the Scale is but even, Your Honours will give the Balance in favour of Life…”
This excerpt is very important for two reasons. The first of these reasons is that it provides us with an approximate year of birth for “John Baptist Jedre Junior” (Jean-Baptiste Guédry II), which according to this information was circa 1712, as is was asserted by his “Lawyer, George Hughes” that Jean-Baptiste II was approximately fourteen years old at the time of the trial in 1726.
The second, and most important reason, is that “Lawyer, George Hughes” claimed that “It cannot be expected I should produce any Evidence of the Age of this Lad, who was born and educated in the Woods among the Wild and Salvage Indians, where no Register of Births or Burials is kept.”The importance of this claim is that it strongly suggests that parish registers were not kept in such isolated settlements along the Eastern Coast of Acadia, such as “Malegash” (Merliguesch).
As we have seen throughout this report, such isolated pre-Deportation settlements, especially those along the Eastern Coast of Acadia have historically been concluded by Historians and Genealogists to have been mixed-blooded, or “Métis” communities.
Therefore, the fact that registers were never kept in the regions of Mirliguesche and La Hève, Acadia, both of which we have seen throughout this collection were regions that were heavily inhabited by people and families of mixed-blood, is yet another blow to the evidence supporting this claim, as we will never truly know the exact numbers of intermarriages that occurred in these isolated regions.
Before I close the summary relating to this folder, I will point out that renowned Acadian Genealogist, Stephen A. White published a list of the thirty six known parishes of pre- and during-Deportation Acadia, Île Saint-Jean (present-day Prince Edward Island), Île Royale (present-day Cape Breton), and Terre Neuve (present-day Newfoundland) and provides details about what happened to the registers of each of these parishes on pages xvii to xxii of “Volume I: A-G” of his 1999 “Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes. Première Partie 1636 à 1714 en Deux Parties.” Although it is very important to make mention of this list, I’ve chosen not to discuss this list in any greater detail than I have in the current summary simply because doing so would be well-beyond the scope of the current summary.
In conclusion, the documents discussed in the current summary/found in this folder are extremely important additions to this collection. While these documents are important for a multitude of reasons, the primary reason, is that they prove without-a-doubt that the written record of pre-Deportation, and often post-Deportation Acadia is far from being complete, especially in such isolated Fur Trading areas often reported to have been inhabited by many mixed-blooded individuals and/or families, such as the regions of Cape Sable, Mirliguesche, and La Hève.
This evidence significantly contradicts claims made throughout history, especially in more recent years, such as that “the written record of Acadia is very complete” and that “The parish registers of pre-Deportation Acadia clearly demonstrate a low frequency of intermarriage between First Nations Peoples and “Acadians.””Clearly, very few registers of pre-Deportation Acadia survived to the present-day and even still, as we saw in this summary, registers for certain remote areas like Mirliguesche and La Hève were not even kept in the first place. So how can one make a “valid” claim against frequency of intermarriage based solely on parish registers and a few surviving censuses when in fact surviving written record from pre-Deportation, and often post-Deportation Acadia is very scant or non-existent?
This is especially important to consider seeing as how, as we have seen throughout this collection, many Officers (both French and English), Governors, Priests, etc. routinely made reference to high rates of intermarriage between the “Sauvages”/“Indians” (First Nations Peoples)and the “French Neutrals”/“Acadians” in their surviving pre-, during-, and post-Deportation written correspondences?
Also worth noting, is that mtDNA and Y-DNA testing has “blown apart” many genealogical theories relating to “French purity” of certain ancestors of pre-Deportation Acadia (yet at the same time, disproved the alleged First Nations roots of others). As we have seen throughout this collection, examples of this can be found in the Y-DNA testing results of present-day direct male descendants of “Germain Doucet 1641)” and in the mtDNA testing results of present-day direct female descendants of “Anne-Marie (Unknown Surname),” both of which has repeatedly shown these two individuals to have been of First Nations descent.
However, as we have seen many times throughout this collection, it is my firm opinion that DNA testing should never have been required to prove the First Nations roots of these two individuals, as there has been a lot of surviving circumstantial evidence found for both “Germain Doucet (1641)” and “Anne-Marie (Unknown Surname)” to strongly suggest their true ancestries. I won’t be discussing this circumstantial evidence in the current summary as it can be found in various summaries throughout this collection. Yet for some reason the Y-DNA and mtDNA testing results for the descendants of these two individuals came as a shock to many people and certain individuals often heavily criticized the results and tried to dismiss them.
I will close this summary but noting however, that Y-DNA and mtDNA testing is only able to provide insight/proof of the origins of the direct paternal lineage (father to father to father, etc.) and the direct maternal lineage (mother to mother to mother, etc.) of a present-day descendant of the inhabitants of pre-Deportation Acadia, respectively. This is a very significant limitation of these two otherwise solid DNA testing methods, as current mtDNA and Y-DNA testing methods do not allow for testing of what I call “zig-zagging descent” (for ex. Mother to father to mother to mother to father, etc.). It is because of this limitation that we are currently unable to, and may never know the true origins of certain early ancestors of Acadia, as current methods require a solid lineage back to them from the person tested, such as a direct male lineage to find the paternal ancestry of an ancestral male and a direct female lineage to find the maternal ancestor of an ancestral female.
Therefore, we are currently unable to determine through mtDNA testing the maternal roots of a female ancestor who did not have any known direct female descendants or the paternal roots of a male ancestor who did not have any known direct male descendants. We are however, very lucky that males can do both mtDNA testing and Y-DNA testing, but females can only do mtDNA testing.
Basically, both Y-DNA and mtDNA testing are very young sciences with much room for improvement, yet current testing methods have allowed us to “shatter” multiple erroneous historical claims of certain ancestors from pre-Deportation Acadian being of only the “Noblest of French roots”and has allowed for the truth (although it sometimes was not necessary for DNA testing to “shatter” these erroneous claims) to prevail and allow the Indigenous ancestry of certain ancestors come to light.
There really isn’t much else to say than what has been said throughout the current summary except for me to re-emphasize that relying on parish registers or censuses as sole determinants of the roots of our ancestors of pre-Deportation Acadia is a highly fallible method simply because as we know from the current summary, and many summaries found throughout this collection, the surviving written record of pre-, during-, and post-Deportation Acadia is very scant at best and some isolated regions of Acadia did not even maintain parish registers or were not even enumerated on known surviving censuses.
*Additional Information:
Although I’d chosen to not include it in the main summary for this folder, the following is my own brief summary of pages xvii to xxii of “Volume I: A-G” of renowned Acadian Genealogist, Stephen A. White’s 1999 “Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes. Première Partie 1636 à 1714 en Deux Parties,”which as stated in the current summary, lists and details what happened to the registers of the thirty six known parishes of pre- and during-Deportation Acadia, Île Saint-Jean (present-day Prince Edward Island), Île Royale (present-day Cape Breton), and Terre Neuve (present-day Newfoundland).
According to pages xvii to xxii of “Volume I: A-G,” the registers of the parishes that were located in Acadia, on Île Saint-Jean (present-day Prince Edward Island), on Île Royale (present-day Cape Breton), and on Terre Neuve (present-day Newfoundland) that have been lost and/or were destroyed are as follows:
The parish of Saint-Laurent “en haut du Port Royal” (“Above Port Royal”) (in Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of Sainte-Anne in Chebogue (Tébok)/Cape Sable (in Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of Notre-Dame in Pobomcoup (in Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of Saint-Louis at the Pointe-de-Beauséjour (In Acadia) = Were lost/destroyed by moisture when they were buried.
The parish of Notre-Dame-de-la-Visitation in Chipoudy (in Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of Sainte-Anne in Tintamarre (in Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of (?) (unknown name) at Baie-Verte (in Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of (?) (unknown name) at Memramcook (in Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of Sainte-Anne at Médoctec/Pays-Bas (in Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of Saint-Joseph/Saint-Joseph-des-Mines at the Rivière-aux-Canards (In Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of Sainte-Famille in East Piziquid (in Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption in West Piziquid (in Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of Saints-Pierre-et-Paul in Cobequit (in Acadia) = Were lost/destroyed possible at sea with those of the Pointe-Prime.
Sainte-Famille in Pentagouët (in Acadia) = Lost.
The parish of Notre-Dame–des-Anges in Plaisance (in Terre Neuve) = Lost.
The parish of Île Saint-Pierre in Saint-Pierre (in Terre Neuve) = Lost.
The registers of the Louisbourg Hospital (on Île Royale) = Lost but two alphabetical lists of the names and dates of the deaths of Soldiers for 1719 to 1742 with a few notations from 1754, 1755, and 1758 exist.
The parish of Saint-Pierre at Port-Toulouse (on Île Royale) = Lost.
The parish of Sainte-Claire in Petit-Dégrat (on Île Royale) = Lost.
The parish of Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Secours at Port-d’Orléans/Niganiche (on Île Royale) = Lost.
The parish of Saint-Anne at Port-Dauphin (on Île Royale) = Lost.
The parish of Scatary at (?) (unknown location) (on Île Royale) = Lost.
The parish of Sainte-Famille at Malpèque (on Île Saint-Jean) = Lost.
The parish of Saint-Louis at the Rivière-du-Nord-Est (on Île Saint-Jean) = Lost.
The parish of Saint-Paul in Pointe-Prime (on Île Saint-Jean) = Lost/Destroyed at sea.
Based on this list, I believe it more than appropriate to conclude that the registers of most parishes that were located in/on pre-Deportation Acadia, Île Saint-Jean (present-day Prince Edward Island), Île Royale (present-day Cape Breton), and Terre Neuve (present-day Newfoundland) have been lost and/or destroyed and therefore, it is impossible to know the true frequency of intermarriage between the “French”/“French Neutrals”/“Acadians”and the First Nations Peoples of these regions.
To provide you with a better understanding of the parish registers that have actually been found and preserved, those that have been partially found and preserved, or those that were found and parts of them later destroyed (which as we know from this summary was the case with the registers of the parish of Saint-Charles-des-Mines at Grand-Pré, Acadia), I will now provide you with Genealogist, Stephen A. White’s list of the registers from the parishes of pre-Deportation Acadia, Île Saint-Jean (present-day Prince Edward Island), Île Royale (present-day Cape Breton), and Terre Neuve (present-day Newfoundland) that fall into one of these three categories. According to pages xvii to xxii of “Volume I: A-G” of Mr. White’s 1999 “Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes. Première Partie 1636 à 1714 en Deux Parties,” these registers are as follows:
The parish of Saint-Jean-Baptiste at Port-Royal/Annapolis Royal (in Acadia) = Exist for the years 1702 to 1755.
The parish of Notre-Dame-du-Bon-Secours/Notre-Dame-de-l’Assomption at Beaubassin (in Acadia) = Exist from 1679 to 1686, 1712 to 1723, 1732 to 1735, 1740 to 1748.
The parish of (?) (unknown name) at Petitcoudiac (in Acadia) = Exist from 1753 to 1757.
The parish of Saint-Charles-des-Mine at Grand-Pré (in Acadia) = Exist from 1707 to 1748. As discussed elsewhere in this report, a large portion of these registers were destroyed by a flood in the fall of 1893.
The parish of Notre-Dame-des-Anges at Louisbourg (on Île Royale) = Exist from 1722 to 1745 and from 1749 to 1758.
The parish of Notre-Dame-du-Bon Secours at La Baleine (on Île Royale) = Exist from 1714-1745 and from 1750 to 1757.
The parish of Sainte-Claire at Lorembec (on Île Royale) = Exist from 1714-1745 and 1750 to 1757.
The parish of Saint-Esprit at Saint-Esprit (on Île Royale) = Exist for 1724, from 1726 to 1737, from 1741 to 1745, and for 1749.
The parish of (?) (unknown name) at Port-aux-Basques (in Terre Neuve, but the Missionary was from Île Royale) = Exist for 1740.
The parish of Saint-Jean-l’Évangéliste at Port-Lajoie (on Île Saint-Jean) = Exist from 1721 to 1744, and from 1749 to 1758.
The parish of Saint-Pierre at Saint-Pierre-du-Nord (on Île Saint-Jean) = Exist for 1724, from 1728 to 1730, from 1732 to 1747, for 1749, and from 1751 to 1759.
Hopefully it has become apparent that contrary to what many people may believe, the registers of most of the parishes located in/on pre-Deportation Acadia, Île Saint-Jean (present-day Prince Edward Island), Île Royale (present-day Cape Breton), and Terre Neuve (present-day Newfoundland) have been lost and/or destroyed over time and as I recently stated, it is currently, and will likely remain impossible to know the true frequency of intermarriage between the “French”/“French Neutrals”/“Acadians” and the First Nations Peoples of these regions.
Chris Boudreau
