I discovered my Acadian family line nearly 20 years ago with the revelation of one single word – Blairfindie. Sometimes all you really need is one word. The right word, followed by a LOT of digging.
I’ve chased so many wild hares as a genealogist that I’m now surprised when one actually does pan out.
The Loyalty Petition
In 2008, somehow, I heard a rumor that there was a 1695 loyalty petition of the Acadians that was archived in Massachusetts. Massachusetts? How would it have gotten there? Retained by someone after they were deported, perhaps?
I doubted the petition actually existed, but I wrote to find out anyway.
Surprise!
Does the fact that this document was carefully guarded and included with someone’s meager possessions when they had literally no room on the 1755 deportation ships represent hope that the loyalty petition might yet save them? Would it say to their deporters, “See, we were always loyal? Our ancestors swore allegiance 65 years ago. Let us go home.”
I wish I knew. It was clearly viewed as important. Based on who signed, it probably came from Port Royal, having been renamed Annapolis Royal after being British captured by the British in 1710.
Signatures
One of my goals is always to find the signatures of my ancestors. The Acadians are particularly difficult because many of the church and other records no longer exist, so any signature is quite rare indeed.
Even if they don’t sign with an actual signature, instead making their mark, you know that “mark” is their signature and they physically made it, then and there. It may be the only tangible thing left of them, except perhaps for fragments of their DNA carried by their descendants.
Consequently, you know whether they did or did not know how to read and write.
You can speculate about how they learned to read and write, perhaps through their church, or why they didn’t.
You know who they stood with when signing this pledge that was given with the fervent hope of avoiding issues and remaining neutral in conflicts between the British Empire and France. Canada and the maritime territories were prize possessions in the wars, but to the Acadians, it was simply home. They didn’t want trouble, simply to co-exist peacefully.
The Acadians wanted nothing more than to be left alone with their families, diked fields, livestock, and Catholic churches.
Rest assured that the topic of signing this pledge was hotly debated, probably ad nauseum. No one knew what the future held nor the best course of action. I’m sure there were as many differing opinions as there were people.
The English were opportunists, neighbors to the south with whom the Acadians traded, legally or otherwise, and Protestant. Yes, that relationship was complex.
The Catholics wanted absolutely nothing LESS than to be forced to become Protestant, as had occurred in England beginning with the reign of Henry VIII and becoming worse during Queen Elizabeth’s reign in the second half of the1500s. They were afraid if they pledged loyalty to England that they would be forced to adopt the Protestant religion and be conscripted into the English war machine to fight their French brethren in Canada.
The European wars were reflected in battles, skirmishes, and raids in Acadia, colonies on the other side of the Atlantic. The Acadian answer was to attempt to remain neutral by not fighting FOR anyone.
The Acadians were continuously embroiled in some sort of conflict, most of it not of their own making and almost all of it out of their control or even sphere of influence.
In 1690, the English once again plundered Acadia, killing people and livestock and burning farms.
The Acadians agreed to sign a loyalty oath in order to diffuse the situation and not be viewed as “the enemy.” Not everyone signed, especially not men and families in the more remote areas and outposts. Omission doesn’t necessarily mean noncompliance or opposition. It may simply imply distance. Furthermore, not every signature is legible.
I wrote to the Massachusetts State Archives requesting a copy of this document in 2008. I shared it with other researchers at the time, but now I’m sharing it with all Acadian researchers.
The outside of the petition bears the date of August 1695.
The signatures are contained on one page.
Wee do swear and sincerely promise that wee will be faithfull and bear true allegiance to his Majesty King William King of England, Scotland, France and Ireland.
So helpe us God.
Written in both English and French, courtesy of Christophe.
Nous jurons et sinserment (= sincèrement) promettons
que nous serons fidelle (=fidèle) et porterons vraye (=vraie)
alégeance (=allégeance) à sa maiesté (=majesté) le Roy Guillaume
Roy Dangleterre Décosse (d’Angleterre, d’Ecosse) France et
Irlande.
Ainsy Dieu nous aide.
Note, “marque de” translates to “mark of,” meaning they could not sign their name and instead made their mark.
I had difficulty reading some of these names, so if you can decipher something I did not, or transcribed incorrectly, or know your ancestor to be on this list, please comment on the blog by column and number, and I’ll update the entry.
Updates:
- Additional information, not contained on the original list, which is provided here, is contained in parenthesis following the person’s name. Please see the comments for more details.
- Courtesy of Karen Theroit Reader, I’m adding the birth and death dates in parenthesis. These dates are clearly NOT in the original document. You can view Karen’s extensive and documented Acadian tree here. Please also see her comments.
- Also, please view the comments by Mark Deutsch for essential context, including that these oaths were not voluntary and were taken in 1690, not 1695. There is additional discussion about this topic and circumstances that are critical to Acadian history.
- Thank you to Christophe from France for assistance with both language and script translation and interpretation.
- Lucie LeBlanc Consentino added some comments on the DNAexplain Facebook page, so I’ll incorporate some of those here as well. Her list appears to have come from here and does add some valuable information, such as dit names, but contains omissions has some challenges as well. Since it’s in alpha order, we sometimes can’t correlate to the signatures.
- It’s also interesting to note that while the names morphed over time and have been standardized to some extent today, the people who signed their own names clearly spelled it “correctly” for themselves at that time. When there is a question about what they actually signed, I’ve included possibilities suggested by experts.
- Thank you to everyone who has contributed. There is such power in collaboration. Please see the comments for additional valuable genealogy information.
- Always remember to research carefully and check original documents when possible. We are all human and make mistakes:)
Column 1
- Allexandre Richard (1668-1709)
- John Bostorash? (x) La Marque (now Bastarache) (1658-1733, Karen Theroit reports that Stephen A. White (SAW from here forward) has standardized the name to Bastarache)
Column 2
- Louis Petit, missionnaire faisant les fonctions curiales au Port Royal (the missionary acting as parish priest at Port Royal – see comments)
- Etmanuel Le Bourgnes (possibly Borgnes) (Emmanuel Le Borgue 1676-before 1717, Karen things the other “things” are flourishes to his signature) (Lucie – Le Borgne de Bélisle – the recently deceased seigneur’s son)
- Charles Mellanson (Milanson?)
- Mathieu Martin (1636-bef 1725)
- Margue de (mark) Claude Terriot (1637-1725)
- Marque de (mark) Daniel Le Blanc
- Marque de (mark) Etienne Pellerin
- Pierre Lanoue
- Pierre Commeaux +(mark) (Per Karen, SAW uses Comeau) (Pierre le Jeune Comeau per Lucie ) le jeune translates to “the young”
- Jean Labat (Lucie – dit Le Marquis) – this one is very difficult as it’s under the fold line
- Marque de (+) Germain Savoye (Savoye 1654-after 1729) (Lucie – Savoie)
- Marque de (+) Jacob Girouer (possibly meant to be Girouard) (1621-1693 – SAW uses Girouard) (from Christophe – prononcer Girouère=Giroir=Girouard)
- Bonaventure (+) Terriot (1641-1731)
- Marque de (mark) Pierre le Celier (1647-1710 – SAW uses Cellier)
- Marque de (+) Pierre Godet
- Marque de (P) Guillaume Blanchard
- Marque de (t) Jean Belliveau (1652-1734) (from Christophe – à cette époque les U et les V s’écrivaient de la même manière)
- Illegible between above and below names but does not look to be a name. Karen indicates that she does not feel this is a name given the tight spacing above and below. I’m leaving this number because I feel it’s relevant to future researchers who may question this.
- Marque de Pierre Tibaudeau (1631-1704 – SAW uses Thibodeau)
- Martin (+) Blanchard (1647-after1718)
- Marque de (+) Charles Robichaux (Lucie – dit Cadet”
- Marque de (+) Bernard Bourg (1648-?)
- Jean (+) Corporon
- Alexandre (+) Girouer (1761-1744) (Christophe Griouer = Girouard)
- Marque de (mark) du Puelt (du Puit – 1637-after 1700 – SAW uses DuPuis) (du Puest per Christophe)
- Pierre Guillebaud (Guillebau – 1639-1703 – SAW uses Guilbeau)
- Marque de (+) Pierre Sibilau (1675-before 1703)
- Claude Gaidry (1648-after 1723 – SAW uses Guedry) (Christophe – possibly Guidry)
- Giraud (+) Guerin (Jerome Guerin – about 1665-after 1751)
- Jullién Lor
Column 3
- Marque de (mark) Pierre Commeaux
- Marque de (mark) Emanuel Hebert
- Marque de (mark) Jean Commeaux
- Marque de (o) Etienne Commeaux
- Marque de (+) Martin Bourg
- Marque de (LA) de Louis Alin (1654-1737 SAW uses Allain)
- Abraham Bourg
- Marque de (+) Jean Babinot (Babineau per Lucie, here at Babinot)
- Marque (+) de Jacques Leger (1663-1751) (Lucie – dit La Rosette)
- Marque de (mark) Francois Broussard (1653-1716) (Christophe – Preullard?)
- (partly illegible) Marque de (+) Pierre Martin
- Alexandre Bourg (1671-1760) (Lucie – dit Bellehumeur, nephew of Abraham Bourg)
- Marque (P) de Jacques Triel (1646-before 1700) (Lucie – dit Laperrière)
- Pierre (+) Landry
- Claude (C mark) Landry
- Jacques (+) Michel
- Martin (O) Richard
- Francois (J or F) Robin (1643-1706 – Karen thinks his mark is an F instead of a J, Christoph interprets as J)
- Claude (+) Dugats
- Pierre (+) Doucet sa marque
- René de Forest (1670-1751 – SAW uses “(de) FOREST”)
- Claude Petitpas
- Denis Petitot (dit Saint-Seine, born about 1662)
- Prudent Robichaux (1669-1756)
- Lourans Grangé (mark) sa marque (1643-about 1701)
- Laurens Doucet
- Bernard Godet
- John Faudel (mark) (his) marque (Fardel/Fredelle, 1643-after 1700) (Christophe – possibly Paucett?) (Lucie – an Englishman whose wife was a Gaudet)
In total, 61 men who were heads of households representing families signed the loyalty oath.
Here’s a second, lighter copy that may help with some signatures. Please feel free to download both.
My Ancestors
Four of my ancestors signed this oath, two with their mark and two signed.
Guillaume Blanchard and Pierre Doucet signed with their marks
René de Forest signed his name, although I couldn’t decipher his signature. (Thanks Karen.) I love this man’s R. I should practice and adopt it!
Jullién Lor signed his name, but it’s more than just a name…
Jullién Lor
Jullién Lor signed his name at the bottom of the second column, giving us a huge clue as to his heritage. In fact, I’d say he secretly gave us the answer.
Can you spot the clue?
First, although there was no standardized spelling at the time, we know he spelled his surname Lor, not Lord as was later recorded, nor Lore, Laur, or any other derivative. Jullien was the original immigrant who was born in the old country. But where was that?
There has always been some question about Jullién’s heritage, especially with a surname like Lord. Lord is not a French word. It’s English.
English soldiers were stationed at Fort Royal at various times, and the English did interact with the Acadians often and in many ways, at least when they weren’t warring.
So, was Jullién Lor English or French? We can pretty much rule out any other nationalities at this point, based on the history of the region at the time he appeared on the scene. He was not in the 1671 or 1678 census, at least not under his own name, but we know he was in the region before 1675 or 1676 when his first child was born.
Do you see that little accent over the e? It looks like this – é. It’s not a stray mark. It’s called l’accent aigu and is unquestionably French. It changes the pronunciation of the e to something sounding like “eh.”
In essence, Jullién just winked and whispered across 328 years that he’s French. Je suis français, mon petit-fils.
Thank you, Jullién, my wonderful six-times great-grandfather! I’m all ears if there’s anything else you’d like to say.
It’s a good thing we have this document, because it’s absolutely the ONLY record of Jullién’s signature that I’ve been able to find. And while we do have a few other hints, nothing is as conclusive as a message from Jullién himself!
I hope you find your ancestors too.
_____________________________________________________________
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I was only a few paragraphs in, and knew that I would love this story. Our ancestors carried so many hopes and endured so many hardships to make the way for our generation.
Very interesting, recently made a connection to Kinderhook, New York. Now I’m back in the 1600’s and so exciting to find actual records
Thank you for posting this. I am 1/4 Acadian from Nova Scotia (my grandfather was born there) and I recognize many of these names from my tree. I haven’t worked on this part of my tree in a while and while checking a few of these names against my tree I found that a kind soul has typed up the notations for the marriages of some of my ancestors. I know enough French to translate the marriage/death listings, but not enough to make reading the handwriting easy. I’m thrilled to have it in typed print. And I thank you for also transcribing the names into print as best you could read them. I’m going to go through all the names you listed and check them against my tree and notate on my tree those that signed.
Thank you for posting this document. Oddly enough, Column 3 Number 9 is Jacques Leger/Legar (possibly a distant relative of mine if he’s related to the South Carolina Leger/Legar’s that moved to Hancock County, TN).
Talk about a small world. Thank you.
This oath was actually forced upon the residents of Port-Royal by William Phips, commander of a force from Massachusetts that captured Port-Royal in May 1690 without a fight. Phips had seven ships, 64 cannon and 736 men, more than the entire population of Acadia. This was during King William’s War, mostly fought in Europe, as usual, but with North American involvement. In his own words, Phips reported, “We cut down the cross, rifled the Church, pulled down the High-Altar, breaking their images”; and on 23 May, “kept gathering Plunder both by land and water, and also under ground in their Gardens”. see Dictionary of Canadian Biography. http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/phips_william_1E.html
“An employee of the Compaignie d’Acadie had buried the cashbox, and Phips had him tortured until he revealed its location…The New Englanders also confiscated the 4,000 livres from the colonial treasury.” p. 89, “A Great and Noble Scheme” by John Mack Faragher.
“As the looting continued, Phips summoned the inhabitants hiding in the woods ‘forthwith to come in, and subject yourselves to the Crown of England…swearing allegiance to their Majesties, William and Mary of England, Scotland, France (sic) and Ireland, King and Queen’. Otherwise he declared, ‘you must expect no other Quarter, than what the Law of Arms will allow you. Fearing slaughter, the frightened residents cautiously returned to their homes. On 24 May, Phips administered the oath of allegiance to the adult males” p. 90, supra.
After giving orders to his men to impose this oath to everyone, both French and Native they could locate in Acadia, “and upon refusal hereof to burn, kill, and destroy them.”, he sailed back to Massachusetts. Later in 1690 Phips made an attempt to take Quebec with 34 ships and 2,300 men, but Governor Frontenac, familiar with Phips’ reputation of course refused surrender, and Quebec could not be captured. King William’s War ended in 1697 with the Treaty of Ryswick and Acadia was reaffirmed to be French, although the capture and pillaging of Prot-Royal had not resulted in any British government of the town and there was no attempt to exert control over the outlying villages or obtain oaths. The oath from the men of Port-Royal was promptly retracted as made under duress and fear for their lives.
But it’s always great to see our ancestor’s names, if not their signatures, on these old documents. It certainly proves their residency in and around Port-Royal in 1690.
Thank you so VERY much for this context. It explains why the one column was in English too. Also why there was no one from any other known location. This would suffice I would think for a 1695 head of household census for the Port Royal Acadian families. They must have been utterly terrified.
Also explains how it appeared in the Massachusetts archives too.
My pleasure. I know I had seen this before, somewhere online but am still looking for it. I have 6 ancestors and several great uncles on the list, but not the Brun family that I know were at Port-Royal. Maybe they refused to come in from hiding. Well, so much for trying to stay “Neutral”
Yea, that didn’t work very well did it.
But why the discrepancy in the date?
I know my ancestors were in Port Royal very early. I believe these two maybe misspellings my name: Girouard I column 2:
13. Marque de (+) Jacob Groueu
30. Giraud (+) Guerin
Great discovery! BTW did you mean Queen Elizabeth I, rather than Queen Mary?
Duh, I sure did. Thank you. Fixed now.
Love this old document with many of my ancestors’ signatures and marks.
You left off two between 11 and 12 in column 3:
11a – Alexandre Bourg
11b – marque de Jacques Triel (?)
How did I do that? I renumbered from that point because WordPress would not let me add 11a and 11b, so I thought it was better to address the comments that already had come in, then renumber and add those too. Thank you. There’s such power in working together.
Column 2
5. Mathieu Martin (1636-1733)
18. Probably Belliveau, an Acadian surname
20. marque Pierre Thibaudeau (1631-1704 my ancestor)
21. Martin Blanchard (1647-1718)
23. Bernard Bourg (1649-1725) my ancestor)
25. Alexander Girouea (Acadian surname Girouard)
27. Pierre Guilbeau (1639-1703 my ancestor)
29. last name could be Guidry, an Acadian surname
Thank you and I’d say you hit the ancestor jackpot too!!! I’ve updated the page.
So nice to see so many people who care so much about Acadian ancestry. You even got some of the leaders in the field to chime in!
Actually I have the names of ten (possibly eleven) ancestors on the list. (Shown with my numbering.)
I have (1) Bernard Bourg and his brother (2) Martin Bourg, plus their nephew (3) Alexandre Bourg. Bernard’s daughter Claire would later marry Joseph Dugas, the son of (4) Claude Dugas who is my ancestor on the list. Claude’s daughter Madeline would marry Jean Hebert, the son of (5) Emmanuel Hebert – another of my ancestors on the list.
I have brothers (6) Bonaventure and (7) Claude Theriot. Their sisters Jeanne and Catherine are represented, too. Jeanne was married to (8) Pierre Thibodeaux, and Catherine was married to (9) Pierre Guilbeau. Pierre Guilbeau had a daughter named Isabel who was married to Pierre Granger, the son of (10) Lawrence Granger, also listed.
Wow – what a find! I do not believe that it was the Acadians that kept the document, but the British authorities that were located in Boston.
The document was signed by the head of households of Port-Royal.
I am surprised that the list – which is like a census – is not already transcribed anywhere. There is a census of Port-Royal in 1693 on Lucie Leblanc-Consentino’s site. It is just two years before so many of the names should be the same and thus help with the transcription.
http://www.acadian-home.org/frames
Under “Census Records” choose : 1693
A LIST OF THE INHABITANTS OF PORT-ROYAL
Their Cultivated Land, Their Livestock and Firearms
And here is Julien Lord listed:
Jean AUCOIN widow (of Francois GIROUARD) 60, Julien LORD her son-in-law 41, Charlotte GIROUD his wife 33, Alexandre their son 17, Jacque 14, Pierre 12, Marie 6, Magdeleine 1; 20 cattle, 40 sheep, 10 hogs, 20 arpents, 2 guns.
For your list:
Column 1
Allexandre ? Schard – Alexandre Richard
John Bostorash? (x) La Marque – would be Bastarache nowadays
Column 2
Petits ?? Mnrconnaire Faisant? Les fretidna ?izriales au Port Royal
Petit, missionnaire faisant les fonctions curiales au Port Royal (the missionary acting as parish priest)
Etmanuel Le Bourgnes — Emmanuel Le Borgne
etc…
Thank you so much for the translation of those French words in column 2. I had no idea. I’m a bit of a fish out of water with French, especially script. I’ve updated the names too.
I was surprised it wasn’t translated someplace too. I know I shared it around, but now it’s available for everyone. I wonder what else is hidden away in archives someplace.
Pleased to be of help with the French anytime!
The internet is showing its full potential in endeavours like these.
I have many ancestors who lived in Port Royal, but some have turned out to be more interesting than other. One of these you have listed as :
Marque de (LA) de Louri Allen
He did not just put an X, but his initial LA. What is written here is Louis Alin, but he was called Lewis Allen when in Boston… I think that, in his case, not signing was not because he did not know how. I have seen other cases where someone signed one document but declared not being able to elsewhere later.
His descendants either fled or were deported. He had a property in Maine – two known descendants in Acadia – could there be others in what became the USA? Likely called Allen, it would be a tall order to find them. yDNA maybe…
There was an article about him in a New-Brunswick newspaper in 1994:
“There was only one family of the Allain name in Acadia: that of Louis Allain, a blacksmith and merchant probably born in France about 1655. Allain was well educated and appears to have settled in Port-Royal about 1687.
This was not his first trip to North America – two years before he purchased a property in Wells, Maine. On this 100 acres property there was a house and a third of a sawmill. A few month before purchasing his Maine property, Louis bought a share of 50 percent in a ship called Endeavour. Since he spoke English fairly well, trade with the New England merchants was no problem.
Around 1689, Louis married Marguerite Bourg, daughter of Antoine Bourg and Antoinette Landry. The marriage took place in Port Royal. She bore two children: Pierre, who settled at Grand-Pré, and Marie [my ancestor] who in 1715 married Nicholas Gauthier, a leading Acadian personality of his day.
Louis sold his old Wells property after 1720. He settled in Belair, in the vicinity of Port-Royal. There he built a grain mill and a saw mill. In addition, he plied this trade in a coastal vessel trading with the Bostonians.
Louis formed a partnership with Jean-Baptiste Naquin – called L’Étoile – who had also married a Marguerite Bourg and who lived on the upper part of the Port-Royal river. When Jean-Baptiste Naquin died in 1706, Louis Allain bought his property.
Louis corresponded with the governor of New France, Pierre Rigaud de Vaudreuil. However some of his letters sent by the French governor fell into the hands of the British governor of Annapolis Royal, Jean Doucett. Recognized as a businessman with a strong character, Louis was used by the French authorities as a negociator for the exchange of French and Acadian prisoners in Boston.
Louis retired from business at an advanced age and passed on his property to his daughter Marie and her husband Nicolas Gauthier. Louis Allain’s possessions included mills, houses, a store and several ships. After Louis Allain died at Port-Royal on July 16, 1737 Nicolas Gauthier continued his father-in-law’s commerce and became one of the wealthiest Acadians in Port-Royal.
In 1744, when France and Britain went to war again, Duvivier led an expedition to capture Port-Royal. He established his headquarters on Nicolas Gauthier’s property at Belair. The attempt failed and Gauthier was accused of collaboration with the enemy with the result that the Annapolis Royal government confiscated all his possessions. He had to flee with his family to Ile Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island).
Pierre Allain, son of Louis and of Marguerite Bourg, settled at Grand-Pré where he married Marguerite LeBlanc in 1717. He was likely in partnership or employed by his brother-in-law, Nicolas Gauthier. He is presumed to have been a navigator like his father, and he died at Brest during a voyage to France around 1745.
Pierre had thirteen children, including four boys: Louis, Pierre, Benjamin and Jean-Baptiste. Louis Allain married in 1748, at Beaubassin, Anne Léger, and settled at Petitcodiac, New Brunswick. Fearing deportation, he sought refuge with his family at Miramichi which was under the protection of commander Charles de Boishébert. He later settled at Bouctouche leaving his son Michel, married to Josette Savoie, at Néguac.
Pierre married Catherine Hébert and after the Deportation they settled in Louisiana.
Benjamin married Marie-Rose Bujold and settled at Carleton in the Gaspé peninsula where his descendants are numerous. Jean-Baptiste married Marguerite Cormier, in 1762, at Bécancour. Jean-Baptiste was at Saint-Ours, Que., in 1782.”
Contributed by Fidèle Thériault of Fredericton, New Brunswick. [Telegraph-Journal, Saturday, July 23, 1994; p. A8]
This is so interesting!
Hi Suzanne, as the oath was from May 1690, it predates the Census of 1693, and as you say should reflect most of the male heads of household present in Port-Royal and the surrounding family “villages” that lined the Rivière au Dauphin.
I wonder why the back of the document says August 1695. Can we translate the rest of that?
I suspect the date reflects when the document was found or archived by authorities in Massachusetts, following the death of William Phips. He died in London, England, in February of that year after being “summoned to England to answer charges against him.” He had been appointed governor of Massachusetts in 1692. The papers kept by high-ranking officials are often collected and kept after death for preservation. Several of these I’ve had cause to research over the years, including the Haldimand Papers, copied by Library and Archives Canada from the originals in England and the Preston Papers at the Library of Virginia.
The oath does not date from 1695, as the priest who signed at the top, Louis Petit, was taken as a prisoner, along with the French governor, to Boston in May 1690, one week after the oath. He was exchanged later that year in Quebec. In 1695 he was at the seminary at Quebec. After May 1690 when Phips left for Boston, the Acadians were left to govern themselves until a new French governor arrived. There was no reason to sign an oath in 1695 and no Bostonais to give it to.
Thank you so very much!!!
I think it is in English and says:
Port Royal to whom etc. Cap.
Fleetwood Emos Command’re.
y’e. Sorlings Frigatt gave ye
oath of Allegiance.
Aug’t. 6? 1695
Just a small thing: It was Elizabeth I who (mildly by the standards of the time) persecuted Catholics in England. Mary I (“Bloody Mary”) was a Catholic who persecuted Protestants.
You’re exactly correct and it’s fixed now. Thank you.
In the case of Martin Blanchard (my ancestor) do we think this is his actual signature vice a mark?
My mothers family were from the Leger’ dit Parisian family line stationed in the St. Lawrence River area by Louis the 14th, to protect the fur and lumber trade. I have beaucoup cousins in every DNA company I have tested. My particular Parisian family, ended up as lumber from Vermont to Old Quebec now New York along the St. Lawrence.
Most of those families changed their to a seemingly German or Irish names.
My line took of the “Ian” and added an “h” to hide as Irish from the Acadian Purges
Harold Locke.
My family names tooooooo many to count. Thanks for sharing this document. P
Thank you Roberta. One surname is of interest to me and likely a relative
whom I shall advise. Kind regards Carol
Roberta,
Thanks for posting this! Sixteen of the men are my ancestors.
I have some amendments to make.
Column 1, 1. Allexandre Rischard (1668-1709)
Column 1, 2. John Bastarash (1658-1733) (Stephen A. White standardizes this surname as BASTARACHE)
Column 2, 1 & 2. Petit ptre [priest] Missionnaire faisant
Les fonctions Curiales au Port Royal.
Column 2, 3. Emmanuel Le Borgne (1676-bef. 1717)
Column 2, 5. Mathieu Martin (1636-bef 1725)
Column 2, 6. Claude Terriot (1637-1725)
Column 2, 10. Pierre Commeaux (matches others from this family; SAW uses COMEAU)
Column 2, 12. Germain Savoye (1654-after 1729)
Column 2, 13. Jacob Girouer (1621-1693) (SAW uses GIROUARD)
Column 2, 14. Bonaventure Terriot (1641-1731)
Column 2, 15. Pierre Le Celier (1647-1710) (SAW uses CELLIER)
Column 2, 18. Jean Belliveau (1652-1734)
Column 2, 20. Pierre Tibaudeau (1631-1704) (SAW uses THIBODEAU)
Column 2, 21 Martin Blanchard (1647-after 1718)
Column 2, 23 Bernard Bourg (1648- )
Column 2, 25 Alexandre Girouer (1671-1744)
Column 2, 26 ——– du Puit (1637-after 1700) (SAW uses DUPUIS)
Column 2, 27 Pierre Guillebau (1639-1703) (SAW uses GUILBEAU)
Column 2, 28 Pierre Sibilau (1675-before 1703)
Column 2, 29 Claude Gaidry (1648-after 1723) (SAW uses GUEDRY)
Column 3, 1. Pierre Commeaux
Column 3, 6. Louis Alin (1654-1737) (SAW uses ALLAIN)
Column 3, 9. Jacques Leger (1663-1751)
Column 3, 10. Francois Broussard (1653-1716)
You skipped two:
Column 3, between 11 & 12. Alexandre Bourg (1671-1760)
Column 3, between 11 & 12. Jacques Triel (1646-before 1700)
Column 3, 16. Francois Robin (1643-1706) (I think his mark is an “F”)
Column 3, 19. René de Forest (1670-1751) (SAW uses “(de) FOREST”)
Column 3, 22. Prudent Robichaux (1669-1756)
Column 3, 23. Lorans Grangé (1643-about 1701)
Column 3, 26. John Fardel + his Mark (1643-after 1700)
See also web site:
https://greenerpasture.com/Places/ShowNews/45740
Karen Theriot Reader
KATheriot@aol.com
I think you win the “most ancestors on the list” prize. I hope you found several actual signatures.
I did find 4 actual signatures of my 16 ancestors (Yay!), which is about par for the percentage of literate Acadians at the time.
The term “l’aîné” is not on the document. The name below Pierre Commeaux is Jean Labat (who appears in DGFA-1) as signing the Oath. The name below Bonaventure Terriot is Pierre Le Celier (also in DGFA-1).
There is only one Claude Petitpas (the father had died before 1795), and below his signature is Denis Petitot. SAW put this in his “Ajouts et corrections” here: https://www.umoncton.ca/umcm-ceaac/files/umcm-ceaac/wf/wf/pdf/cor-dict.pdf
p 1296 (sept 2003) Famille de Claude Petitpas (1)
Aux Notes historiques, il faut en supprimer la seconde. Le greffier et notaire
Claude Petitpas était déjà décédé en 1695; c’est plutôt son fils du même nom qui a signé le serment de fidélité. [His son of the same name signed.]
On each side of Etienne Pellerin is Daniel Le Blanc’s mark and Pierre Lanoue’s signature. I don’t see the word “fils” anywhere.
KAT
I think Lucie’s list was derived from the web site I posted at the end of my first list.
https://greenerpasture.com/Places/ShowNews/45740
This posited a great many editorial additions, which are not on the actual document.
Karen
Hi Roberta, find here after my transcription :
Column 2
Nous jurons et sinserment (= sincèrement) promettons
que nous serons fidelle (=fidèle) et porterons vraye (=vraie)
alégeance (=allégeance) à sa maiesté (=majesté) le Roy Guillaume
Roy Dangleterre Décosse (d’Angleterre, d’Ecosse) France et
Irlande.
Ainsy Dieu nous aide.
1. Petit, pbre (abréviation de presbister=prêtre) missionnaire faisant
2. les fonctions curiales au Port Royal
3. Etmanuel Le Borgnes
4. Charles Mellanson (Millanson?)
5. Mathieu Martin
6. Marque de Claude Terriot
7. Marque de Daniel Le Blanc
8. Marque de Estienne Pellerin
9. Pierre Lanoue
10. Pierre Commeaux +(mark)
11. Jean Labat (?)
12. Marque de (+) Germain Savoye
13. Marque de (+) Jacob Girouer (prononcer Girouère=Giroir=Girouard)
14. Bonaventure (+) Terriot
15. Marque de (mark) Pierre Le Celier
16. Marque de (+) Pierre Godet
17. Marque de (P) Guillaume Blanchard
18. Marque de (t) Jean Belliveau (à cette époque les U et les V s’écrivaient de la même manière)
19. Illegible at crease but may not be a name
20. Marque de Pierre Tibaudeau
21. Martin (+) Blanchard
22. Marque de (+) Charles Robichaux
23. Marque de (+) Bernard Bourg
24. Jean (+) Corporon
25. Mecand (+) Girouer (=Girouard)
26. Marque de (mark) du Peust
27. Pierre Guillebaud
28. Marque de (+) Pierre Sibilau
29. Claude Gaidry (possibly Guidry)
30. Giraud (+) Guerin
31. Jullién Lor
Column 3
1. Marque de (mark) Pierre Commeaux
2. Marque de (mark) Emanuel Hebert
3. Marque de (mark) Jean Commeaux
4. Marque de (o) Etienne Commeaux
5. Marque de (+) Martin Bourg
6. Marque de (LA) de Louis Alin
7. Abraham Bourg
8. Marque de (+) Jean Babinot
9. Marque (+) de Jacques Leger
10. Marque de (mark) Francois Preullard?
11. (partly illegible) Marque de (+) Pierre Martin
12. Alexandre Bourg
13. Marque (P) de Jacques Triel
14. Pierre (+) Landry
15. Claude (C mark) Landry
16. Jacques (+) Michel
17. Martin (O) Richard
18. Francois (J) Robin
19. Claude (+) Dugats
20. Pierre (+) Doucet sa marque
21. René de Gonest(?)
22. Claude Petitpas
23. Denis Petitot
24. Prudent Robichaux
25. Lorans Grangé (mark) sa marque
26. Laurens Doucet
27. Bernard Godet
28. John Paucett? (mark) ? marque
Christophe from France
Thank you very much Christophe. I’m making the changes now. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate a native French speaker weighing in.
Between the 1693 & 1695 documents, you now have the parents of Julian Lor(e) ‘s wife & his family!!
Thank you so much for posting this, and for the wonderful comments that provide context. My wife and I are excited to see names that are or may be our ancestors…Hebert; Bourg; Richard; so many others. Looks like we have found an exciting way to spend a rainy Sunday in Houston.
Great post for anyone with connections to the Fundy shores of both Nova Scotia and New Brunswick (which was then part of Nova Scotia). I’ve taken the liberty of posting a reference to it on a Facebook page with large numbers of members associated with Annapolis Royal and nearby areas. I’ll also observe that many of those surnames are still prominent in the region.
I posted some corrections last night, but don’t see them here, so I will send again.
I am related directly to 16 of the men on this list. I have also confirmed the names against Stephen A. White’s Dictionnaire (DGFA-1).
There is a list of the names at the web site at the bottom, alphbetized.
Column 1, 1. Allexandre Rischard (1668-1709)
Column 1, 2. John Bastarash (1658-1733) (Stephen A. White standardizes this surname as BASTARACHE)
Column 2, 1 & 2. Petit ptre [priest] Missionnaire faisant
Les fonctions Curiales au Port Royal.
Column 2, 3. Emmanuel Le Borgne (1676-bef. 1717)
Column 2, 5. Mathieu Martin (1636-bef 1725)
Column 2, 6. Claude Terriot (1637-1725)
Column 2, 10. Pierre Commeaux (matches others from this family; SAW uses COMEAU)
Column 2, 12. Germain Savoye (1654-after 1729)
Column 2, 13. Jacob Girouer (1621-1693) (SAW uses GIROUARD)
Column 2, 14. Bonaventure Terriot (1641-1731)
Column 2, 15. Pierre Le Celier (1647-1710) (SAW uses CELLIER)
Column 2, 18. Jean Belliveau (1652-1734)
Column 2, 20. Pierre Tibaudeau (1631-1704) (SAW uses THIBODEAU)
Column 2, 21 Martin Blanchard (1647-after 1718)
Column 2, 23 Bernard Bourg (1648- )
Column 2, 25 Alexandre Girouer (1671-1744)
Column 2, 26 ——– du Puit (1637-after 1700) (SAW uses DUPUIS)
Column 2, 27 Pierre Guillebau (1639-1703) (SAW uses GUILBEAU)
Column 2, 28 Pierre Sibilau (1675-before 1703)
Column 2, 29 Claude Gaidry (1648-after 1723) (SAW uses GUEDRY)
Column 3, 1. Pierre Commeaux
Column 3, 6. Louis Alin (1654-1737) (SAW uses ALLAIN)
Column 3, 9. Jacques Leger (1663-1751)
Column 3, 10. Francois Broussard (1653-1716)
Column 3, between 11 & 12. Alexandre Bourg (1671-1760)
Column 3, between 11 & 12. Jacques Triel (1646-before 1700)
Column 3, 16. Francois Robin (1643-1706) (I think his mark is an “F”)
Column 3, 19. René de Forest (1670-1751) (SAW uses “(de) FOREST”)
Column 3, 22. Prudent Robichaux (1669-1756)
Column 3, 23. Lorans Grangé (1643-about 1701)
Column 3, 26. John Fardel + his Mark (1643-after 1700)
See also web site:
https://greenerpasture.com/Places/ShowNews/45740
Karen Theriot Reader
KATheriot@aol.com
Hi. Thank you. I’m not at the computer and I can’t make the corrections on the site reasonably by phone. So I was waiting so the corrections would still be in the “waiting” question so I can find them easily this afternoon. I’m very grateful for your work and not just these. Thank you.
Everything is updated now!! Thank you again.
Thanks Karen. I knew I had seen it someplace before.
I’ve identified 16 direct ancestors on this list. There are more if you count husbands of (abuncha)great-grandaunts, but I didn’t get DNA from them, so I’m sticking with the 16 that I could identify for sure. And I’m thrilled (!!) to have these. Thank you so much for posting this!
Next I should correlate to see which lineages we have DNA from in the Acadian Amerindian DNA Project, and which ones we need. We always want more than one male from different sons of an ancestor, if possible, to confirm. The more, the merrier!! https://www.familytreedna.com/public/AcadianAmerIndian?iframe=yresults
There are only two Hebert’s in the project, and both are from Etienne Hebert. My paternal line leads to the brother, Antoine. I’ll perform a verification on the lineage to make sure I have it right. I have several lines that include Heberts, but my Y line is the only one that leads to Antoine. It might be useful info for the DNA project. What test do you prefer? I know they can get pricey.
Yes, absolutely. The preferred test is the Big Y because it’s very specific. Sometimes we have some contributed project funds available to help offset. Let me check and I will email you. I’m excited!!!
Awesome. I’ve verified my paternal line to Antoine using the documentation and sources in Karen’s tree. We have almost all of the Father Hebert books at home so her sources are easy for me to verify once the exiled ancestor got to France and Louisiana. Where Karen stops on my line I can document from Father Hebert and personal records. Let’s do this!
From Lucie LeBlanc Consentino:
These are the names of the Acadians who signed the Oath of Allegiance in 1695. In August 1695, English authorities imposed on the Acadian inhabitants at Port-Royal an oath of allegiance to King William III. Many family heads signed or made their marks on the document that attested to their having taken the oath. Louis Allain, Jean Babineau, called Babinot, Jean Bastarache, Jean Belliveau, Martin and Guillaume Blanchard, Bernard and Martin Bourg, François Broussard, Pierre Cellier, called Le Cellier, Étienne, Jean l’aîné, Pierre l’aîné, and Pierre le jeune Comeau, Jean Corporon, Pierre Doucet, Claude Dugas, ___ Dupuis, Jean Fardel (an Englishman whose wife was a Gaudet), Pierre Gaudet, Jacob and Alexandre Girouard, Laurent Granger, Giraud (Jérôme) Guérin, Emmanuel Hébert, Claude and Pierre Landry, Daniel LeBlanc, Jacques Léger dit La Rosette, Pierre Martin, fils, Étienne Pellerin, Martin Richard, Charles Robichaud dit Cadet, François Robin, Germain Savoie, Pierre Sibilau, Claude and Bonaventure Thériot, and Jacques Triel dit Laperrière–all made their marks. Abraham and his nephew Alexandre dit Bellehumeur Bourg, Laurent Doucet, René Forest, Bernard Gaudet, Claude Guédry (as Gaidry), Pierre Guilbeau, Jean Labat dit Le Marquis, Pierre Lanoue, Emmanuel Le Borgne de Bélisle (the recently deceased seigneur’s son), Julien Lord, Mathieu Martin, Charles Melanson, Claude, père and Claude, fils Petitpas, Alexandre Richard, and Prudent Robichaud–all signed.
Lucie provided this information on the blog post on Facebook. I was able to update everything except “Jean l’aîné, Pierre l’aîné” who I could not identify, and the word “fils” between Pierre Martin and Etienne Pellerin, and “Claude, père and Claude, fils Petitpas.” I updated the dit names and other information.
Pierre l’aîné is likely Pierre Gaudet l’aîné, meaning the older, married to Anne Blanchard in the 1693 Census as Pierre Godet l’aîné, age 41 with Anne and nine children. The very next child of Denis Gaudet was also named Pierre, called lejeune, the younger, married to Anne’s sister Marie Blanchard. Pierre lejeune and his wife Marie are found in the 1693 Census in the household of his father Denis Gaudet/Godet, widower, age 70. Pierre lejeune is age 39, so just two years younger than Pierre l’aîmé. Why Denis named both Pierre escapes me. It is common to find a child named after one that recently died, but both named Pierre survived to marry sisters and have many children.
I like your new amended list and numbering, but have a few more quibbles:
Column 2, 1. & 2. Petit [first name Louis, the priest at Port Royal] Combining the two lines would necessitate renumbering the list.
Column 2, 3. Emanuel Le Borgne [with flourishes in signature]
Column 2, 13. Jacob Girouer
Column 2, 19. [I think this should not be considered a name, given the spacing of names above and below. It would thus again renumber the list.]
Column 2, 30. Giraud Guerin [Jerome Guerin (about 1665-after 1751)]
Column 3, 23. Denis Petitot (about 1662- ).
Column 3, 28. John Fardel (about 1643- )
Very nice work! I passed along the article to a friend doing her Canadian ancestry. She was very excited about finding a 8th great-grandfather. Then she wrote back and said she actually found four great-grandfathers on the list and countless great-uncles. It also gave her some dates of birth and death that she didn’t have. I’ll let her know about your updates. Thank you!
Wonderful.
In other British places there were sometimes similar name-lists expressing loyal support of those immigrants from other places, before some form of naturalization (or other citizenship instrument) existed. The big database companies sometimes have them, but often you need to look hard to find them elsewhere in archives or libraries.
Some of my people kept signing these until the government accepted them.
The repeats allow comparison of spelling variants, so that’s good for us.
But until they were accepted, they were unable to buy land: they had to rent from an agent* who had bought up heaps of land. I still don’t know whether these agents were benefactors or profiteers. But I do know my ancestors were not squeezed unduly and managed to thrive.
*Hence some land releases in parts of Australia had a large proportion of parcels held by a few investors. These maps are often the only ones we have for that period in each region. So the family lore can still be true about having a farm that early in that area.
I promise that this is my final posting on this!
The list that Lucie LeBlanc Consentino posted came from Steven Cormier’s massive and comprehensive web site “Acadians in Gray.” He did not use the original document, but based his two-part list on Stephen A. White’s English Supplement to Dictionnaire généalogique des familles acadiennes which had historical notes on which Acadians signed the list.
I have incorporated those notes into a list based on the original document, which can also be found online at:
FamilySearch.org, LDS Film #007702912, Image 737/1584.
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9YP-K9MF-Y?i=736&cat=1055547
Here is my new, revised, complete listing.
————————————————————————————————-
Wee do Swear and Sincerely Promise Nous Jurons et Sincerement
Promettons
That wee will be Faithfull and bear Que nous Serons Fidelle et
Porterons Vraye
True Allegiance to his Maj’ty. King Alegeance À La Maiesté le Roy
Guillaume
William King of England Scotland Roy D angleterre D ecosse
France et
France and Ireland Irlande
So helpe us God Ainsy Dieu nous aide
[Column one] Stephen A. White in the English Supplement to DGFA,
FAMILY no. x, page #
Allexandre Rischard Alexandre RICHARD, no. 5, p. 29 he signed
John Bastarash+Sa Marque Jean (Joannis) BASTARACHE dit Le
Basque, no. 1, p. 17
[Column two]
Petit ptre Missionnaire faisant Louis PETIT [no no., not mentioned by
les fonctions Curiales au Port royal SAW on this document] he signed
Emanuel Le Borgne Emmanuel LE BORGNE de Bélisle, no. 3,
p. 219 he signed
Charles Mellanson Charles MELANSON dit La Ramée, no. 2,
p. 247 he signed
Mathieu Martin Mathieu MARTIN, no. 6, p. 244 he signed
marque de + Claude Terriot Claude THÉRIOT, no. 2, p. 312
marque de + Daniel Le Blanc Daniel LE BLANC, no. 1, p. 209
marque de + Etienne Pellerin Étienne PELLERIN, no. 2, p. 272
Pierre Lanoue Pierre LANOUE, no. 1, p. 204 he signed
Pierre Commeaux + Pierre COMEAU the elder dit L’Esturgeon,
no. 4, p. 85
Jean Labat Jean LABAT dit Le Marquis, no. 1, p. 187 he signed
marque de + Germain Savoye Germain SAVOIE, no. 2, p. 306
marque de + Jacob Girouer Jacques dit Jacob GIROUARD, no. 2, p. 150
Bonaventure + Terriot Bonaventure dit Venture THÉRIOT, no. 3, p.
312
marque de+ pierre Le Celier Pierre CELLIER (LE SOLIER) dit Normand, no.
2, p. 73
marque de + Pierre Godet Pierre GAUDET the younger, no. 5, p. 140
marque de + Guillaume Blanchard Guillaume BLANCHARD, no. 3, p. 33
marque de + Jean Belliveau Jean BELLIVEAU, no. 2, p. 19
marque de Pierre Tibaudeau Pierre THIBODEAU, no. 1, p. 319
Martin Blanchard [blot] Martin BLANCHARD, no. 2, p. 32
marque + de Charles Robichaud Charles ROBICHAUD dit Cadet, no. 2, p.
294
marque + de Bernard Bourg Bernard BOURG, no. 4, p. 49
Jean + Corporon Jean CORPORON, no. 1, p. 92
Alexandre + Girouer Alexandre GIROUARD dit de Ru, no. 4, p. 150
marque de du Puit Michel DUPUIS, no. 1, p. 126
Pierre Guillebaud Pierre GUILBEAU, no. 1, p. 159 he signed
marque de + Pierre Sibilau Pierre SIBILAU, no. 1, p. 308
Claude Gaidry Claude GUÉDRY dit Grivois dit Laverdure, no.
1, p. 158 he signed
Giraud + Guerin Jérôme (Giraud) GUÉRIN, no. 2, p. 159
Jullién Lor Julien LORD dit Lamontagne, no. 1, p. 237 he signed
[Column three]
marque de P Pierre Commeaux Pierre COMEAU the younger dit Des
Loups-Marins, no. 6, p. 86
marque de + Emanuel Hebert Emmanuel HÉBERT, no. 5, p. 166
marque de * Jean Commeaux Jean COMEAU the elder, no. 3, p. 84
marque de O Etienne Commeaux Étienne COMEAU, no. 2, p. 84
marque de + Martin Bourg Martin BOURG, no. 5, p. 49
marque LA de Louis Alin Louis ALLAIN, no. 1, p. 4
Abraham Bourg Abraham BOURG, no. 6, p. 50 he signed
marque de + Jean Babinot Jean BABINEAU, no. 2, p. 15
marque + de Jacques Leger Jacques LÉGER dit La Rosette, no. 2, p.
221
marque + de Francois Broussard François BROUSSARD, no. 1, p. 63
marque + de Pierre Martin Pierre MARTIN, no. 2, p. 243
Alexandre Bourg Alexandre BOURG dit Bellehumeur, no. 8, p. 52
he signed
marque P de Jacques Triel Jacques TRIEL dit LaPerrière, no. 1, p. 327
Pierre + Landry Pierre LANDRY, no. 4, p. 195
Claude CL Landry Claude LANDRY, no. 5, p. 196
Jacques + Michel Jacques MICHEL, no. 2 [not listed by SAW]
Martin O Richard Martin RICHARD, no. 6, p. 291
Francois F Robin François ROBIN, no. 1, p. 296
Glaude + Dugat Claude DUGAS, no. 2, p. 120
Pierre + Doucet sa marque Pierre DOUCET, no. 2, p. 113
René deForest René (de) FOREST, no. 4, p. 134 he signed
Claude Petitpas Claude PETITPAS, no. 1, p. 275 he signed
Denis Petitot Denis PETITOT dit Saint-Seine, no. 1, p. 275 he signed
Prudent Robichaux Prudent ROBICHAUD, no. 3, p. 295 he signed
Lorans Grangé G sa marque Laurent GRANGER, no. 1, p. 157
Laurens Doucet Laurent DOUCET, no. 5, p. 114 he signed
Bernard Godet Bernard GAUDET, no. 6, p. 140 he signed
John Fardel + his mark John (Jean) FARDEL (FREDELLE), no. 1, p.
129
Thank you so much for this.
Thanks so much for posting this (and the comments). I am new to this website and was thrilled to find my ancestor, Pierre Guillebaud.
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Well now I know the Bourg family was deported my GGGGGGGGGGG grandmother. But my Allain side escaped stayed with the local indiands and fought back gorilla warfare if you want. One recored battle was Stonney Creek in Albert County NB. The English were coming ashore to roundup the acadians in Blanchard Village ( Hillsborough ) While another ship landed Edgett Landing south of Hillsborough. Allain and a Leger fella with some indiands ambush the English as they came ashore killed 11 wounded many more the ship left the area. Louis Allain JR knew the English would come back so they made there way to Boishebert island in the Miramichi river. If ever you make it to Buctouche NB the place is crawling with Allain’s. I like this site.