Charlotte Girouard, also known as Anne, and in one case, Anne-Charlotte, was probably born in France about 1659 or 1660. Although, she may have been born after her parents arrived on the shores of Acadia, the place that would one day become Nova Scotia.
We really don’t know which of her names is technically accurate. One was probably her first name, and the second was a middle name. I suspect, based on the fact that she was buried under Anne, and she is recorded as Godmother for a granddaughter named Anne, clearly named after her, that her official name was actually Anne, but that she was called Charlotte much of the time. It’s worth noting that none of her children or grandchildren were named Charlotte. I’ll call her both here, as dictated by the documents where she was mentioned.
Our first record of Anne is found in the 1671 Acadian census, transcribed courtesy of Lucie LeBlanc Consentino, where Anne is listed with her parents, Francois Girouard, a laborer, age 50, and Jeanne Aucoin, age 40. Three of their children are married: Jacob, 23, Marie, 20, and Marie Magdaleine, 17. Children not married include Germain, 14, and Anne, 12. The family has 10 cattle and 12 sheep.
The first question this raises is why the youngest child in the family is age 12, and Jeanne Aucoin is only 40. She was born about 1631. Did she really stop having children at age 28, or did every child born between Anne in about 1659/1660 and the 1671 census die? That would have been at least five children, if not more.
Anne’s mother, Jean Aucoin, was born in La Rochelle, France. We know that in 1665, a ship, Le Saint-Sébastien, sailed from La Rochelle. The Girouard family may have been aboard or on other ships that sailed around the same time.
Per Karen Theriot Reader, a contingent of colonists was among the 1651 “200 Elite Men” of Jacques de Poix, Sieur de Saint-Mas. I can’t find anything more about these colonists.
The Acadian colonists’ lives consisted of terrifying events alternately interwoven with the normal, mundane events that happen in most human lives. Births, baptisms, marriages, raising food, family gatherings, church services, and, eventually, funerals. Those events that make us all human and give our lives meaning. The Acadians withstood many more challenges than most. We all encounter difficult times and are incredibly grateful when those times have passed. However, for the Acadian families – they never ended.
The battle for Acadia, including the Acadians, raged for more than a century. The Acadian people were caught in the vortex and were collateral damage in a war betwen mighty monarchies.
From 1654 to 1667, Acadia, meaning the area surrounding Port Royal and La Hève, was under English control, not French.
From 1666 to about 1670, France stopped sending settlers to New France for fear of depopulating the homeland. Therefore, it’s extremely unlikely that the Girouard family arrived between 1654 and 1670. In 1670, the French regained control of Acadia from the English, and several colonists arrived. Based on the 1671 census, we know that the Girouard family was there by that time, but we don’t know when they arrived. If Anne was born in Acadia around 1660, her parents would have been some of the earliest immigrants, probably arriving prior to 1654.
In 1667, France recovered Acadia by treaty, but the English didn’t actually leave until 1670. During this time, another 30 soldiers and 60 settlers were dispatched with orders to restore French authority and keep those English OUT.
In 1671, the census revealed that Acadia had a very small population with less than 400 non-Native residents in about 70 households, distributed along the 5 or 6 miles of the Rivière Dauphin above Port Royal.
Based on the following census, we know that Charlotte married Jullien Lor (Lore, L’Or, Lord, Laure) about 1675 in Acadia – probably joined in matrimony by the parish priest in the church in Port Royal.
Their first child, Alexander, blessed their marriage in 1676.
In the 1678 census, Francois Girouer and Jeanne Aucoin are shown with 15 acres and 18 cattle, along with Germain Girouer, age 22, but nothing more is listed.
Julien Lore is missing from this census, by any name, which has fueled speculation that he might have been one of the English soldiers, and not French. However, given that he signed the 1690 loyalty oath to the English, that’s unlikely. If he was an English citizen, he would not have needed to sign that oath to the British crown. Only the French needed to sign.
Government officials came and went in Acadia with an alarming frequency. The area was anything but stable. In 1684, a new governor was appointed, who described the Acadians as living simply and pastorally. He claimed they lived better than Canadians, never lacking meat or bread, but weren’t as industrious. He said they never put anything away for a bad year, and their dowries were small – a few francs and a cow in calf, a ewe, and a sow. Some wealthy families even had a feather bed.
Charlotte and her family certainly weren’t wealthy and probably slept on straw pallets.
Before the next census, both sons Jacques and Pierre Lord were born, along with at least two and probably three children who perished. Marie was born in 1685.
In the 1686 census, in Port Royal, Julien Lord is shown as age 33, Charlotte as age 26, Alexander, 10, Jacques, 8, Pierre, 5, and Marie, 1. Given this information, Charlotte was born about 1660 and therefore married about age 15. They are living beside her parents. Her father Francois Girouard is 70, and her mother, Jeanne Aucoin, is 55. Julien and Charlotte do not have any land or livestock, but her parents farm 5 arpents of land and own 13 cattle, 16 sheep, 8 hogs, and 1 gun, suggesting that Julien and Charlotte live in a separate house, but farm her parents’ land.
By this time, most of Charlotte’s siblings have settled in Beaubassin, but Charlotte’s brother, Jacob/Jacques, is living several houses away.
Daughter Anne, named for her mother, was born about 1687.
In 1688, the Acadians who were draining the marshes to obtain recoverable farmland were experiencing a labor and manure shortage. Long hours for everyone – sunup to sundown.
Two more children were probably born and died during this time.
On May 9, 1690, the Acadians were brutally attacked once again by the English. Their farms were torched and their homes plundered – for days on end. The mill and some upriver farms were spared, but we don’t know which ones. The Acadians were forced to swear an oath of allegiance.
English pirates followed, taking anything that was left and killing any remaining livestock for sport. Pure cruelty.
Life was hell. Based on the next census, I suspect that their homes didn’t survive. Anne’s father has died, and they are now living with her mother.
In 1692, daughter Magdelaine was born.
In the 1693 census, Charlotte, age 33, is shown with husband Julien Lord, age 43, living with Charlotte’s mother, Jeanne Aucoin, age 60, widow of Francois Girouard, in or near Port Royal. They have son Alexander, 17, Jacque, 14, Pierre, 12, Marie, 6 and Magdeleine, 1. They own 20 cattle, 40 sheep, 10 hogs, and 2 guns and farm 20 arpents of land.
This puts Charlotte’s birth year at about 1660 and confirms her marriage date at about age 15 in about 1675.
They are also shown one house away from Charlotte’s brother, Jacob. Discrepancies in various census documents about how closely they live to him probably stem from either a difference in the census taker’s path, or recording the results out of order.
Another child probably died, then son Louis or Jean-Baptiste, based on different census records, was born about 1695. He (or they?) probably died too, but not as an infant.
In 1696, the English attacked – again burning and slaughtering animals. This time, however, they also ruined the dykes so the Acadians couldn’t plant crops.
Another nameless child died.
In 1697, Acadia was returned to the French by treaty. Life should be better now!
In the 1698 census, Charlotte is shown in the Port Royal census, age 38, as the wife of Julien Lord, age 46. They have several children: a son, Jacques 20, Marie 18, Pierre 16, Anne 11, and Jean-Baptiste 3. Julien has done well. They have 20 sheep, 12 hogs, 21 arpents of land, 6 fruit trees and 1 gun.
I can see Charlotte picking apples, at least eventually, as soon as they are large enough to bear fruit.
Their eldest child, Alexander, is missing from the census, and daughter Marguerite was born the same year.
Charlotte’s age indicates that she was born in 1660.
The 1700 census lists Charlotte’s mother, Jeanne Aucoin, widow of Francois Girouard, age 87, as the head of household. Clearly, Julien Lord, age 48, noted as her son-in-law, and Charlotte, age 40, were living with her mother and farming the farm, an arrangement that assuredly benefited everyone. Their children were listed as Alexandre, 24, Jacques, 21, Pierre, 18, Louis, 5, Madelaine, 8, and Marguerite, 2. Charlotte’s age indicates that she was born in 1660 and was married in about 1675.
The population has grown to about 2000 Acadians, four or five times what it was 29 years earlier.
Of course, the question is, whose farm was it, and where was it located? We know where Julien Lord’s children lived, and we know where Charlotte’s brother who established the Girouard Village lived. We also know where the wife of Charlotte’s youngest brother, Marie Bourgeois, lived – just upstream from the Girouard Village.
The Bourgeois and Girouard families lived about a mile and a half apart, as the crow flies, and the Girouard Village was about 6 miles as the crow flies from Julien Lord. Of course, the river was a winding route, so slightly longer by batteau or canoe. However, Charlotte’s brother, Germaine, clearly married the Bourgeois neighbor girl. One saw their neighbors more often than they saw anyone else.
The location is further hinted at by the fact that Jeanne Aucoin and Charlotte Girouard Lor’s neighbor in 1700 was Charlotte’s brother, Jacob (Jacques) Girouard, age 53, with his wife Marguerite Goutrot.
The wonderful GIS maps at Map Annapolis show us where they lived and provide additional information.
Clearly, they lived very close to Jacques Girouard.
In 1701, Anne’s age is given as 41, so she would have been born about 1660. They have 17 cattle, 15 sheep, 12 hogs and live on 10 arpents of land in or near Port Royal. They also have two guns.
While Anne’s youngest children are still being born, her eldest are beginning to marry. Anne’s son, Alexandre, married Marie Francoise Barrieau not long before the remaining Catholic parish records began in 1702.
In the 1703 census, no ages are given for residents other than the head of household, and Julien’s wife is not listed by name, nor are their 4 boys and 4 girls. There are 4 arms-bearers within the family, and they live in or near Port Royal.
Based on the census, it looks like a female child was born after 1703, and a male between 1701 and 1702 who died before 1707.
Son Charles was born in 1703 or 1704
One final daughter may have been born after Charles.
Attacks were launched by the English again in 1704. Settlements and churches were looted, and dams were “dug down” and destroyed.
In the 1704 census, the family is listed only under the dit name “La Montagne.” Is there a reason for this?
Anne stood up as godmother for her namesake granddaughter, Anne Lore born to son Alexander on April 5th, 1705. That must have been a glorious day of celebration.
The 1707 census does not show Julien and Charlotte’s family at all.
Peace, such as it was, was short-lived. Anticipating more conflict, Fort Anne was expanded with a new powder magazine and barracks.
Amidst this unfolding disaster, on November 19, 1708, Jacques married Angelique Comeau. I hate to say life went on like normal, because I’m sure nothing was “normal,” or maybe normal had become living under a cloud of constant fear.
In 1708 and 1709, escaped prisoners from English corsairs reported that the English were planning to attack – soon.
The long-anticipated and much-dreaded assault came on September 24, 1710, heralded by five warships carrying 3,400 troops. The Acadians, with 300 soldiers, stood no chance of successful resistance. Now, the only question was one of survival.
Anne, at age 51, must have been terrified for her husband, her sons, and her family in general. Did she take her children up the mountain behind their home and join the Mi’kmaq people there?
Cannons boomed, echoing up and down the river, the sounds of war reaching even the most distant homesteads with their ominous warning. The meager band of Acadians attempted to defend themselves. The fort was under siege.
A lost cause, the Acadians relented and pledged allegiance to the Queen of England. Port Royal was renamed Annapolis Royal. England was now in charge.
Amazingly, the local Acadian men were allowed to leave the fort with at least a few shreds of dignity and not slaughtered.
In 1711, the local priest was captured by the English and taken to Boston.
Anne’s daughter-in-law, Angelique Comeau, died not long after the birth of her second child, who was born on September 22, 1711. Her son, Jacques, wouldn’t remarry for a decade, so it’s certainly possible that Anne raised, or at least assisted with raising, those children.
Church services weren’t held during this time because baptisms weren’t recorded until months later, in February 1712.
Daughter Anne married Mathieu Doucet a few weeks later on June 15, 1712.
At first, the English tried to force the Acadians to leave and relocate elsewhere. However, about the time the Acadians decided they actually wanted to leave, the British soldiers realized they couldn’t survive without the Acadians to feed them. Then, the Acadians were forbidden to leave, which had the effect of making them want to leave all the more.
France ceded Acadia to England with all her residents in April of 1713 – a dark day indeed. France abandoned Acadia and decided to focus on Louisiana instead. One source reported that in the last 100 years, France had sent less than 200 colonists to Acadia. It’s truly amazing that any survived.
At this point, the Acadians decided they wanted to leave and join other French families in other parts of New France. Enough is enough.
On January 16, 1714, daughter Magdelaine married.
In 1714, in the only English census, Julien is recorded in the census only by his “dit name,” or nickname, “La Montagne,” along with his wife, 3 sons, and 2 daughters living “near the fort” in Port Royal.
Unfortunately, the censuses ceased at this point in time.
On June 17, 1715, son Pierre Lore married Jeanne Doucet.
The English shut the gates to the fort, prohibiting trade with both the soldiers and the Native people. Boats were seized. Now, the Acadians were being held hostage in their own land.
In 1717, the Acadians, under significant duress, relented and decided to stay under peaceful terms, which upset their allies and kin, the Mi’kmaq, who were afraid the Acadians would “sell out” to the English.
What a mess!
Daughter Marguerite married Joseph Amiraux on January 30, 1718.
The “stay or go” and under what conditions yo-yo continued through 1720. I can only imagine the constant frustration and upheaval in the Acadian community. Those neighborly discussions must have been plenty heated!
The English continued to pressure the Acadians to take a new loyalty oath, and the Acadians continued to refuse. The Acadians, unable to travel by water, begin to carve out a cart road to Minas, determined to walk away, literally. The governor caught wind of that plan and stopped all work, prohibiting all moves.
The Acadians were declared to be both ungovernable and stubborn – which makes me laugh right out loud. That’s a heritable trait!
Anne’s son Jacque married for a second time in 1721 to Charlotte Bonnevie.
Julien died in 1724, leaving Anne-Charlotte a widow at about 64 years of age. His death and burial entry were never completed in the church records, which makes me wonder about “the rest of the story.”
How did she survive after that? According to the best information we can squeeze out of existing records, and sometimes the absence of records, Charlotte would have had one unmarried daughter and one unmarried son remaining at home. Charles married two years after his father died, so he may have already been managing the farm by that time. Unfortunately, without a census, we really have no idea about the household structure.
It’s probably safe to say that Anne lived with her children and helped however she could. There was always food preparation, making clothes, bathing children, and a myriad of chores to be completed within the home.
Life went on – it had to. There were chores to do if anyone wanted to eat.
Anne’s youngest child, Charles, married Marie-Josephte Doucet on February 19, 1726. I hope this brought the family at least some joy – at least for a few days.
Children
Anne or Charlotte had several confirmed children, some known by name and some only by their presence in a later census. Based on “blank spaces,” she probably gave birth to several others as well.
- Alexandre Lord (1676-1740) married Marie Francoise Barrieau before 1702, when existing parish records began.
- Possibly a child that died
- Jacques Lord 1679-died circa 1742, married Angelique Comeau in 1708 and then Charlotte Bonnevie in 1721.
- Probably a child that died
- Pierre Lord 1682-1738 married Jeanne Doucet in 1715
- Possibly a child that died
- Marie Lord 1684/1687-died after 1733 when a Marie witnessed a baptism, if this was her.
- Anne Lord 1687-1770 died in Trois Rivieres, Quebec, married Mathieu Doucet in 1712
- Probably two children that died.
- Madeleine Lord 1692-1780 married Francois Amiraut in 1714
- Probably a child that died
- Louis Lord also recorded as Jean-Baptiste Lord 1695-died sometime after 1714
- Marguerite LORD 1695/1698-died before Nov. 1768, married Joseph Amiraux in 1718
- Probably two children based on the census – a female who died after 1703 and a male born 1701/1702 and died before 1707
- Charles Lore 1703/1704-1776 died in Varennes, Quebec, married Marie-Josephte Doucet in 1726
- One daughter found on the census
Charlotte’s children are very difficult to sort out, in part because of the censuses that recorded the number of children, but no names.
Charlotte probably brought at least 17 and possibly 18 children into the world, and buried at least 9 of them as children. It’s agonizing to bury a child, but I suspect it’s even more heart-wrenching to bury your adult child. We know that Charlotte did exactly that, at least five times.
Nine of her children lived to adulthood, but only four outlived Charlotte.
Daughter Marie appears to have never married and died sometime after 1733.
Pierre died on January 17, 1738, leaving a wife and eight children.
Alexandre died on October 5, 1740, leaving a wife and 13 children. Anne would have been 80 sometime that year.
Her son, Jacques, died sometime around 1742, so it’s hard to say whether he outlived his mother. He left a wife and nine living children.
Some of Anne’s children, like Louis, Jean-Baptiste, and Marie, simply disappear from the records, a silent testimony to their demise. Before 1702, no church records remain, and even after 1702, we know that many are incomplete.
And, of course, Charlotte probably buried many of her grandchildren who were born before her death, too.
The grim reaper was a regular visitor, and the Catholic cemetery beside the St-Jean-Baptiste church near the fort was a busy place indeed.
Infant deaths and stillbirths often weren’t recorded, so we don’t really know how many grandchildren Anne had. We know that some lived into adulthood, but others are questionable, or we know that they died before Anne.
| Child | # of Known Children | Questionable or Died | Comment |
| Alexander | 12 | 2 ? | |
| Jacques | 10 | 5 ? | |
| Pierre | 7 | 1 died in Le Havre, Normandy | |
| Marie | 0 | ||
| Anne | 7 | 1 died in Le Havre, France | |
| Madeleine | 4 | 4 ? | |
| Louis | 0 | ||
| Marguerite | 9 | 2 ? | |
| Charles | 5 | 1 died | |
| Total | 54 |
The good news is that four of Anne’s children survived the deportation in 1755 and died in Quebec. Let’s hope that many of the questionable individuals survived and we simply lost track of them in the deportation. Anne had only been deceased for 13 years by the time that occurred. It’s also interesting that two of her grandchildren were deported back to France, landing in Le Havre. Those families eventually provided depositions about Anne-Charlotte’s parents.
We don’t know what caused the deaths of Anne’s children. For those who do have death records, no cause of death is provided. Something may have happened in 1742 because Anne, one of her children, and one of her adult grandchildren died within a short span of time.
One thing is for sure: Acadia was anything but peaceful. Warfare was nearly constant, with the English attempting to burn or starve the Acadians out over and over again.
It’s absolutely amazing that Anne survived 80+ years in that environment. She also lived there for most of the century or so that Acadia was actually a viable colony. It’s nothing short of luck that they weren’t simply wiped off the map. Call it stubbornness if you want – I’ll call it tenacious.
Anne Finally Rests
Anne’s death was recorded in the parish register as Anne Girouard dit la Montagne. She died on January 10th, 1742, at about 80 years of age, the widow of Julien Lor dit La Montagne.
Anne’s original death record is found in the Nova Scotia archives, here.
FamilySearch shows a different record, though. This copy looks to be a recopied or transcribed version. Note the word “Lord” in this copy but not in the left-hand margin of the original document.
Anne or Charlotte, or whatever combination of those names, would have been given a Catholic burial and then interred in the same cemetery as her husband, parents, children, and other relatives. A white wooden cross probably marked her final resting place. Her family would have visited from time to time, and thought of her each Sunday as they arrived to worship. Right up until no Acadians could worship there anymore.
Anne would have heard the distant mass for another 23 years until the church was silent and the Acadians were no more.
Now, no markers remain, and the exact location of these graves has been lost to time. We simply know they are there. The graves were destroyed during the forced deportation of the Acadians in 1755 – one last insult. The English attempted to remove even the final vestiges of the Acadian families. Today, known as the Garrison Graveyard, the Acadian section is marked only by grass. A place of reflection and reverence for those brave Acadians who settled and tamed these wild shores.
I doubt the Acadian settlers ever dreamed that the Indians and wild beasts were much less dangerous than the wrath and greed of the vengeful English.
Anne’s life was difficult – incredibly difficult, beyond something I can even imagine. She lived her entire life under the constant threat of warfare on the horizon. Sometimes, it wasn’t just a threat – it rolled over them like one devastating storm after another. I wonder how many homes were burned and how many family members died at the hands of the English.
I’ve long suspected, but will never know, that both her father, Francois, and husband, Julien met their deaths in some kind of accident or skirmish. Her father was elderly, but Julien was not – and warfare was unrelenting and ever-present.
Grand-maman
Anne lived her life surrounded by her 54 known grandchildren and at least 33 great-grandchildren who were born in her golden years. That had to bring her joy.
When Anne reached the age where she was unable to help with the hard work in the fields or patching the dikes, she assuredly could assist by watching over her brood of grandchildren, regaling them with stories of far-away France, a trip in a sailing ship across the wild sea, and a grandfather, or great-grandfather named Julien who was an oh-so-brave soldier.
How I yearn for the chance to sit quietly at her feet, unnoticed among the others, absorbing her captivating stories. I can close my eyes and hear her voice…
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