Clik here to view.
First Aid for the Holidays: It’s OK to Grieve, Just Breathe
As you begin this article, I want to assure you that it ends on a VERY positive note, with tools to help you or others who find themselves in a dark place. The holidays is a very difficult time for...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Winning the War with Grinch
I really considered saying nothing this holiday season because it’s been really a difficult year However, I’ve always been quite transparent with my readers, so I invite you to listen while I talk to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Uncle William Claxton’s Remarkable Century – 53 Ancestors #416
As a genealogist, we are always cautious when we hear reports of someone who lives to be over 100 years old. Sometimes we find “evidence,” but the “go to” is always that we’re actually looking at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Honoré Lore or Lord’s 1818 Estate Inventory Provides a Window Into His Life
Honoré Lore, or Lord (1742-1818) lived an incredibly interesting life. He was born near Annapolis Royal in Nova Scotia, survived the Acadian exile, and served in the Revolutionary War at Fort Albany in...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Miss Connie – Quilt Sister, Angel of Mercy, Legacy of Hope
Miss Connie concluded her earthly journey last night, slipping peacefully away in the early hours, just before dawn. Her life was a cherished gift to us for a time, and now she has returned to the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Anne Charlotte Girouard (c1660-1742), Tenacious Acadian Octogenarian
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...
View ArticleClik here to view.
François “dit Lavaranne” Girouard (1616/1621-1686/1690) – Guns, Farms &...
François was born between 1616 and 1621, someplace in France. François’s surname, Girouard was spelled a myriad of ways including Giroir, Girrior, Gerrior, Girouer and Giroud. However, Girouard really...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Honoré Lore’s Land and His Neighbor’s Farm – 52 Ancestors #420
My friend, Suzanne Lesage, successfully located the land of Honoré Lore mentioned in his estate in 1818. In essence, she has achieved what I believed to be impossible and, in doing so, has brought...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Marie Charlotte Bonnevie (c1703-after 1742): One Fourth Native & Not Her...
Marie Charlotte Bonnevie was born about 1703 to Jacques Bonnevie and Françoise dit d’Azy Mius, probably in Port Royal, Acadia. However, the Port Royal parish records begin in 1702 and she’s not there,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Françoise Mius (c1684-c1715): Mi’kmaq, Acadian, French & English Culture...
There’s more that we don’t know about Françoise than we do. We can infer some information from the facts we have. Françoise Mius was born between 1684 and 1687, probably closer to 1684, in a Native...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Philippe Mius (c1660-after August 1726), Disaster: Piracy & the Dead Man’s...
Philippe Mius, also sometimes referenced by his dit name of “d’Azy,” was born around 1660 in Pobomcoup, now Pubnico, to his father, Philippe Mius Sr., and Madeleine Helie. His parents were French,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jeanne Aucoin (1630-1718), Following Her Path in LaRochelle – 52 Ancestors #424
Her name is Jeanne, Jeanne Aucoin, pronounced Ah-QUON. I whisper her name because she is oh so near and dear to my heart. You see, she is my seventh great-grandmother, and I’ve walked in her footsteps....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Martin Aucoin (1595-after 1633), Carpenter, Survived the Siege of La Rochelle...
Martin Aucoin lived in a time of great upheaval in France. Somehow, he survived a religious war, or more precisely stated, wars. He may or may not have made the trip from France to Acadia, today’s Nova...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Françoise Dugas (1679-after 1751): Goodbye Port Royal – 52 Ancestors #426
Françoise was born about 1679 in Port Royal, the daughter of Claude Dugas and Françoise Bourgeois. The first record we find of Françoise Dugas is the 1686 census, where she is living with her parents...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Claude Dugas (1649-1732), Acadian Octogenarian Armorer – 52 Ancestors #437
Claude Dugas lived more than four score years in Acadia and witnessed a lot of changes during his lifetime. Witnessed is probably far too weak a word. Claude was born about 1649 in Port Royal to...
View ArticleClik here to view.
La Chaussée – French Birthplace of Acadia – 52 Ancestors #427
Many of the families that settled Acadia in the New World in what is now Nova Scotia originated in the Poitou region of France before deciding to embark on a life-altering journey to the New World...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Acadian Homecoming – 52 Ancestors #428
You might have noticed that I haven’t published a 52 Ancestors article recently. You might also have noticed that I’ve been swamped with conference season this fall, and while that’s part of it,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jean Gaudet (1575-after 1671), Abraham of Acadia – 52 Ancestors #429
Jean (Jehan) Gaudet (Godet) was given the nickname of the “Abraham of Acadia” by Father Archange Godbout because his descendants are so numerous. In fact, Jean has the most known descendants of any of...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wilkes County Secrets Revealed about the Braddock Harris and Ann Alexander...
Recently, I received a lovely email from Jason Duncan. Roberta, In an article that you wrote on November 17, 2019, you mentioned Braddock Harris and his wife Rachel Hickerson....
View ArticleClik here to view.
Jacques Bonnevie (c1660-c1733) Speaks from Beyond the Grave about Port Royal...
Ahh, my daughter – you’re here! In Louisbourg. I’m overjoyed, and my heart sings! I thought no one would ever come. That no one would ever find me. But alas, you have! It’s been almost 290 years since...
View Article