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 Scotia. Whether he died in France, arrived in Acadia, or died trying, he was one of the founding fathers through his two daughters, Michelle and Jeanne Aucoin.
Laleu
Martin Aucoin was baptized on August 26, 1595, at Saint-Pierre de Laleu, a church that now lies in ruins.
The priest scribed the record of his baptism for posterity. We would find it more than 400 years later.
Martin Aucoin’s 1595 baptism is recorded in Latin, found in La Charente Maritime archives, here.
I don’t read Latin, and certainly not Latin written in 16th-century French script. ChatGPT 4.0 came to my rescue, though.
Transcription:
Die 26 aprilis Anno Domini 1595 Martinus Aucoin filius Martini Aucoin et Barbelleae parochiam Dieslis in Xra fuit sacro sancto baptizatus receptus ab aquae et spiritu sancto abbas mae Joannes Godardus capellaniae S. Johannis in hunc anima
Translation:
On the 26th day of April in the Year of Our Lord 1595 Martin Aucoin, son of Martin Aucoin and Barbelle of the parish of Dieslis in Christ was received into holy baptism by water and the Holy Spirit by Father Joannes Godardus, chaplain of St. John’s in this parish.
Others have interpreted his first name to have been Martinus, the Latin form of Martin, and the surname to have been written as Aucoing. His mother’s name has been interpreted as Suzanne Barboteau.
Unfortunately, the first remaining parish records from this church begin in 1593, although the church itself was much older. It was built in the 12th century, partially rebuilt in the 15th century, half ruined at the end of the 16th century, and restored in 1592 – hence the reason why there weren’t earlier records. The bell tower was restored in the 17th century.
Given the church’s ruined state before 1593, the Aucoin family would have attended services and had their religious needs attended to in another nearby community before this church’s restoration. This strongly suggests that Martin’s family lived in or very near Laleu.
Cousin Mark, who provided this information, also discovered that Lalau is shown on the siege map of La Rochelle from 1627-1628 in Guy Perron’s wonderful blog.
Laleu is shown on the map of the siege to the left. Today, Laleu is part of La Rochelle, although sadly, we were not able to visit the ruins during our recent trip.
The tower and some walls remain, along with the cemetery.
Today’s streets are probably just paved versions of the old cobblestone pathways for donkeys and carts that drew fruits and vegetables to market and supplies back home again when Martin’s family lived there.
Walking along the Rue Notre Dame, the “street” adjacent to the church appears to be an alley, but it’s not.
You can see the centuries of history carved into the mortar and stones of the old buildings, still in use today. Calling this a one lane street is being generous. Note the very small car in the distance.
Some of the little “streets’, like the Rue de Rambouillet, are only large enough for a person.
In even earlier history, before the 1100s, soldiers from the Gallo-Roman empire established ports on the peninsula where Laleu and La Rochelle are found and harvested salt from the salt marshes.
That history was probably forgotten by the time Martin’s parents took their infant child to be baptized, likely the day of or the day after his birth, as was the custom.
I can see Martin’s parents standing inside the church, facing the chancery, as baby Martin was anointed with Holy Water and baptized by the priest – the words of the ritual spoken in Latin, of course.
I wonder if his parents understood Latin. They had surely witnessed hundreds of baptisms.
The ghost of the pillars that would have supported the gabled archways soaring overhead.
The baptismal font was probably towards the front of the church, perhaps near the altar or maybe in one of the side chapels.
Beautiful stained glass windows would have graced the openings, radiating their colorful rays across the church and perhaps baby Martin as well, a blessing message from the sun.
Today, only one side of the church partially remains, along with the rear wall that appears to be stabilized by the bell tower.
Martin and his parents would probably have entered through the door, on the side near the bell tower today.
The small door at the rear of the church would have been where the caskets were carried out of the church for burial in the cemetery outside.
Looking at the left side and rear of the cemetery, we see small buildings that I thought were ossuaries, where the bones in old graves are removed and stored so the graves can be reused. While the practice is foreign to those of us in the US, it’s the tradition in most of Europe, where land is very scarce. Upon further research, it appears that these are not ossuaries but apparently a type of mausoleum or grave house.
That doesn’t mean there wasn’t an ossuary, just that I don’t see one today. Of course, the burials remaining today are contemporary, some reaching back into the 1800s but more from a later date – certainly long after the church was restored the last time. Martin’s parents may repose here, but if so, we don’t know where. Clearly, the early graves are gone, given that this cemetery has been in use for at least 800 years, since the 1200s.
Generations of Martin’s family members may have watered this soil with their DNA and would have lived within a block or so of the church.
The Neighborhood
Directly across the street from the church at 4 Rue de L’Eglise, this ancient building and its walls remain. It appears to be from the time when the church stood, and I can’t help but wonder what it was? Did Martin walk past here? He surely did.
Everyone did because it was across from the church. In a small village, everyone walked past everyone’s house and knew their business, too. Most of the people were probably related.
What was this building? Could Martin’s family have possibly lived here?
It’s labeled as Foucaud Dominique on the map, and further investigation suggests it is or was an osteopath’s office.
The ancient walls surround and are incorporated into the homes and lives of the Laleu residents today, some of which might be descendants of Martin Aucoin and Suzanne Barboteau.
Possible Siblings
French Acadian researcher Jacques Nerrou recorded the following:
The Aucoin family was in La Rochelle in 1570 at the time that Martin (1) AUCOIN was born. He was a locksmith by profession in Cougne parish. He then went to St. Eloy.
During this time period, there seems to have been only one AUCOIN family living in La Rochelle. He married Suzanne BARBOTEAU in 1592. Records found give us the various spellings of this family name: Aucoing, Ancoing, Auconnois, Oguin, Angevin, this last derivation could come from a more ancient form of the name that would have originated in the Angers region.
Birth records were found for four children belonging to this couple:
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- Sebastien, baptized 27/09/1593 at St Pierre Laleu (La Rochelle) as his father, he became a locksmith.
- Martin (2), baptized 26/04/1595 at St Pierre Laleu (La Rochelle)
- Francois, Baptized 9/11/1599 at Cougnes
- Daniel, baptized 17/06/1604 at Cougnes.
Another marriage is reported for Martin Aucoin, the father, to Catherine Hilarin on July 10, 1606 in La Rochelle. If this is accurate, and it’s the same Martin Aucoin, that tells us that Suzanne Barboteau has died
Please note that I have NOT confirmed or verified any of the above information. I have not been able to use the French archives search feature for parish records successfully.
It’s also worth mentioning that there have been heated discussions about the surname and whether Angevin or Langevin is the same as Aucoin or if they are two unrelated families.
If baptism records are available for Aucoin family members, by any spelling, as indicated above, perhaps death records are too. It’s also possible that the witnesses for the various baptisms above can be associated with the records known to belong to our Martin Aucoin found in La Rochelle. That would serve as indirect evidence connecting the dots between these people.
If you have these records, additional information, or can figure out how to use the archives search features, please contact me.
Martin’s Life
Assuming that Martin Aucoin and Suzanne Barboteau are our Martin Aucoin’s parents, we know little more and nothing concrete. The first positive ID of our Martin is in La Rochelle in 1630, just a couple of years after the siege ended.
We can’t say positively that the Martin Aucoin baptized in Laleu in 1595, just 103 years after Columbus “discovered” America, is the same Martin Aucoin that was later found in La Rochelle, but Aucoin is an extremely rare surname, and Martin is not a common first name either. It’s certainly possible that if, indeed, Sebastian, Francois, and Daniel are the brothers of our Martin Aucoin, they named one of their sons Martin after their brother. It’s somewhat unusual that of the 19 children, 10 of whom were males, born to the younger Martin Aucoin found later in Acadia, born about 1650, none were given any of those three names.
About the time our Martin was reaching adulthood, a religious war would shape this part of France, and in particular, La Rochelle, dramatically.
The Edict of Nantes, signed in 1598 by King Kenry IV, granted the minority Protestants called Huguenots rights within the Catholic nation of France. Meant to quell the Wars of Religion in France; two decades later, the results were disappointing for France as a whole and catastrophic for some, especially in La Rochelle.
Catholics and Protestants
This map of La Rochelle was drawn in 1597 when our Martin Aucoin was just a toddler, in a more innocent time before the religious wars would take their toll during the following three decades.
It’s easy to see the city’s walls, the hospital, St. Bartellemy church, and possibly a small adjacent churchyard that equates to a cemetery, but I can’t tell for sure. There are at least four more churches scattered in different parishes, two of which can easily be identified here. At that time, the churches were shared between Catholics and Protestants, which was probably the only thing that saved them.
Several towers are in evidence, including the ones guarding the city gates. The main gate, by the harbor, still stands today.
The three massive towers guarding the harbor and quay, including the one with a terrifying gibbet cage, protected La Rochelle from attack from the sea and provided shelter for merchant ships offloading their wares in the portion of the harbor inside the city walls.
Coming or going, every ship sailed between those sentry towers.
La Rochelle, strategically located, became the Huguenot center of sea power and a hotbed of Protestant resistance to the Catholic government.
Henry IV of France, baptized Catholic but raised Protestant, balanced the interests of both but was assassinated in 1610 by a Catholic zealot. His son, Louis XIII, was only nine years old when his father died, and his mother, Marie de’ Medici, was named as the regent of France during her son’s minority, with the assistance of the powerful Catholic Cardinal Richelieu who would eventually betray her, as would her son. Marie was removed and exiled in 1617 by her son, who was only 16, causing revolts by regional nobles of both faiths, followed by the outbreak of the Thirty Years War in 1618.
In 1621, Louis XIII reestablished Catholicism in a formerly Huguenot region of Béarn, about 270 miles further south, resulting in an uprising and the escalation of tensions in La Rochelle.
The Huguenots were powerful and in control of La Rochelle, which, of course, was a part of France ruled by the French monarchy. While King Henry IV had been flexible and accommodating, his son, Louis XIII, was much less tolerant. The King had flexed his muscle, and La Rochelle certainly knew they might be next in his sights.
They were right. The blockade of La Rochelle took place in 1621 and 1622 during the King’s repression of the Huguenot rebellion.
Fort Louis was built just outside the La Rochelle city walls, guarding the entrance to the city. The King attempted to blockade La Rochelle by preventing Protestant access to the port by land and sea. As a Catholic carpenter, did Martin Aucoin help build this fort?
Isaac de Razilly with Charles de Menou d’Aulnay, men later associated with the founding and settling of Acadia beginning in 1632, commanded the French blockade fleet. Razilly lost an eye in that endeavor. They worked closely with Cardinal Richelieu.
This initial conflict lengthened into a stalemate, which resulted in the Treaty of Montpelier in October of 1622, ending hostilities, at least for the time being.
The Huguenots retained military installations in only two places, La Rochelle being one.
Neither side was happy with the terms of the agreement; both sides ignored it, and the tension reached a boiling point again by 1625 when the Huguenots occupied, and the French then recaptured Ré Island, off the Atlantic coast opposite the entrance to La Rochelle, illustrated above.
Martin would have witnessed all of this upheaval, knowing worse was coming, probably praying daily for the protection of his young family. He had been married about a decade.
In this painting, you can see the harbor and towers of La Rochelle, with Ré Island across the channel.
Perceiving an opportunity, in June of 1627, the English King Charles I sent a fleet of ships with more than 7,000 men to encourage a Huguenot rebellion at La Rochelle. In August, the English soldiers with 600 horses and 24 cannons surrounded the city. On September 10th, La Rochelle fired shots against the French King’s royal troops at Fort Louis, beginning the next Huguenot rebellion.
La Rochelle was the center of Huguenot resistance, aided by the English. Both sides were determined to be victorious.
For the French, Cardinal Richelieu acted as commander when the King was absent.
Cardinal Richelieu is depicted here at the siege of La Rochelle in both armor and his red cardinal cape and hat, standing on a dike.
La Rochelle can be seen here in 1630, completely surrounded by fortifications and troops. The French built a seawall nearly a mile long to prevent all supplies from arriving in La Rochelle
La Rochelle is shown here ringed by forts, with its harbor blocked by a nearly mile-wide blockade. On the peninsula at right, you can see the small village of LaLeu, outside the blockade perimeter. Based on the area left outside the perimeter, one can assume there wasn’t concern about French or Catholic loyalty in those regions.
Laleu looks small on this map.
Laleu looks much more realistic on this map and you can make out the church’s spires. Still, there are only about 43 houses, plus the church, of course. The church was the center of every village and the life of the villagers.
This bird’s-eye view drawn by Jacques Callot shows the area of La Pallice, near the bottom, and Laleu, a small village above LaPallice, during the siege.
I think this would have been Laleu on the Callot map, but I’m not positive.
The English sent two more fleets to resupply the Huguenots and relieve the residents of La Rochelle but were unsuccessful.
After 14 excruciating months, on October 28, 1628, the Huguenots surrendered the city to the French.
Along with other Huguenots, Jean Guitton, the Protestant mayor of La Rochelle, had vowed to defend La Rochelle to the death. Indeed, they did, but the resulting deaths weren’t their own. Instead, the residents died. Shockingly, the population was reduced from 27,000 to 5,000, but in the surrender painting above, the politicians in charge don’t appear emaciated.
After an unconditional surrender, confessing their sins, and asking the King for forgiveness, they were allowed to return to the fold. At 11 PM, the treaty was signed, and the following day, the emissaries from La Rochelle were brought before the King, who said to them, “I forgive you for your rebellions. If you are good and faithful subjects to me, I will be a good prince to you.” The Huguenots of La Rochelle retained their religious freedom, property, and possessions but not their military defenses.
Two days later, the royal troops entered the city and witnessed an utterly horrific spectacle. Only 5000 residents were left alive, and another 1000 would die within the next three months.
The soldiers handed out 10,000 loaves of bread immediately. The next day, they herded cattle and sheep into the city. More than 3000 carts of supplies were escorted by the soldiers, too, but those carts had a secondary purpose. The priest recorded that “so many corpses piled up without burial in the city.” Those corpses were removed from the streets before the King’s arrival on November 1st. They wanted to spare him the painful spectacle of the devastation the blockade had caused. The King was so moved by seeing “the poor inhabitants,” and that was AFTER the cleanup, that he took pity on them and shed tears. Yes, starvation is horrific. The King was staying at Laleu, which was clearly in much better shape than La Rochelle. Still, it must have been terrible in Laleu, too, knowing that people just a few miles away were literally slowly, agonizingly, starving to death.
Unfortunately, the Catholic church records in La Rochelle end in mid-July 1627 with a final entry in the registers of Sainte-Marguerite church. More than 20,000 deaths later, the next known service was held by Cardinal Richelieu on November 1st, in the same church where “all divine services” took place for “all the churches of La Rochelle.” Records indicate that there had been five churches and cemeteries, one for each of the parishes. Sainte-Marguerite was reconsecrated by Cardinal Richelieu, and six days later, burial records were resumed.
It’s unknown how the bodies were disposed of during the siege or before the King’s visit.
Where Was Martin Aucoin During This Time?
We don’t know where Martin was during this time, but we do know a few things.
The fact that the King stayed in Laleu indicates that the town was considered Catholic, loyal, and safe. It would have been in pretty good shape, all things considered.
Martin could have been there.
The church in Laleu was about two and a half miles or an hour away, on foot, from the center of La Rochelle. Of course, the King wouldn’t have been walking. He would either have been riding a horse or in a horse-drawn chariot, accompanied by both an entourage and many soldiers. Martin was probably watching from someplace and may even have been involved in some fashion.
Martin survived the siege, as did his wife, Barbe Minguett, and eldest daughter, Michelle, who, according to the later Acadian census documents, was born about 1618. Michelle’s age suggests that Martin married sometime between 1615, when he would have been 20, and 1617. In addition to daughter, Michelle, Barbe and Martin had son, Francois, who was born about 1622. They probably had more children as well, given the distance between known children.
We know with almost certainty that Barbe Minguet was the mother to both Michelle Aucoin and Jeanne Aucoin who were founders of Acadia, along with their respective husbands. The mitochondrial DNA of their descendants, inherited directly from their mothers all the way back to Barbe, matches.
If Martin Aucoin and his wife and at least two children were living in La Rochelle at the time of the siege, the chances of all four surviving would be nearly impossible. Only about 1 in 6 or 7 people survived. It’s most likely that Martin and his family were living in Laleu or nearby, someplace outside the walls of La Rochelle, during this time.
Furthermore, as a loyal catholic and carpenter, there would have been opportunity in La Rochelle after the siege was over.
The first child born in La Rochelle to Martin and Barbe was daughter Jeanne Aucoin who was baptized in Sainte-Marguerite’s church on November 26, 1630.
The Grim Reaper and a Second Chance
Unfortunately, while Martin and his wife, Barbe Minguet, escaped the grim reaper during the siege months, Barbe succumbed sometime between November 26, 1630, and January 20, 1632, when Martin married Marie Sallé at Saint-Barthélemy church, just a couple of blocks away from Sainte-Marguerite, but in a different parish.
The church of Saint-Barthélemy no longer exists, but the bell tower does and is getting a makeover. The church proper was located where the building with the white shutters sits today.
We know that several people were present at their wedding. The bride’s parents would have come from the neighboring parish of Cougnes, bringing the bride, of course. I can’t help but wonder why they weren’t married in her home church. In addition, there were several witnesses, many of whom were carpenters and other tradesmen. Some may have been relatives.
Again, ChatGPT translate assisted with the transcription, but couldn’t read everything.
The 20th of January of Saints Fabien and Sebastien were married Martin Aucouin, Carpenter, in this parish with Marie Sallé daughter of Jean Denys Sallé and Francoyse Arnaud of the parish of Cougnes and of the consent and ?é in pr Jean and Nicolas Jaque neau ? Locksmith, Arnaud Gyon carpenter, Pierre Dusaut carpenterr, Jony Bichaud butcher Martin Barraud carpenter and Jony Brossard butcher and Antoine Couisau Masson & more’r others
Fousseaume.
Parish Priest of St. Barthelemy Nicolas Jagueneau Louis D’Loyer Pierre elder Arnaud Gion Johing Broussard Bastien Jagueneau
The signature of Arnaud Gyon, a carpenter, on the marriage certificate of Martin Aucoin with Marie Sallé is the same as that on the baptismal certificate of Jeanne Aucoin, daughter of Martin Aucoin and Barbe Minguet in 1630. This confirms that it is the same Martin Aucoin in both documents, even if there is no mention of widowhood in his marriage certificate with Marie Sallé. Furthermore, we later find Marie Sallé in Acadia, living with Michelle Aucoin’s daughter and son-in-law.
Marie Sallé was born about 1610, so she would have been about 22 when she married Martin. Martin’s daughter, Michelle, was already 14, so Marie was just 8 years older than her stepdaughter, 12 years older than Francois, and about 21 years older than baby Jeanne. With the addition of her new son, Jean, a few months later, Marie bore the responsibility of raising four children.
We know they attended Saint-Barthélemy, so let’s take a look at the tower, the only part of the church left today.
Martin probably attended this church while he lived in this parish in La Rochelle after his daughter, Jeanne was born, but before he married Marie. Otherwise, they would probably have been married in Sainte-Marguerite had he lived in that parish.
The bells of Saint-Barthélemy would have summoned the worshipers.
Just ten days after Martin married Marie Sallé, a child, Nicholas Aucoin, was recorded in the burial records of Saint-Barthélemy. The child’s age is not given, and neither are his parents’ names, but given that we know Martin attended this church and no other Aucoin families are present, it makes sense that Nicholas belongs to Martin Aucoin and Barbe Minguet. I can’t help but wonder if this child was born to Martin and Barbe just before her death. Given Jeanne’s birth in November of 1630, Nicholas could have been born literally days to a few weeks before Martin married Marie Sallé in January of 1632, although that really doesn’t seem quite long enough.
This must have been an incredible blow to Martin. Now, the church bells were tolling for his child.
I wonder where Nicholas was buried. Was he an infant, perhaps the last child born to Barbe before her death, or was he older?
Maps of that time don’t show a cemetery adjacent to this church. Besides, after almost 25,000 deaths in the previous few years, there would have been no space left in the cemeteries anyway.
The priest would have had to consecrate ground someplace else for burials.
Martin would probably have looked out these windows, wondering to God why. Why take his wife and children? Why?
Then, his attention drifted back to what the priest was saying, assuming he understood Latin. Regardless, Martin would have understood the rituals. Blessing the child and praising God for taking the child to His glory and happiness of everlasting life.
The priest probably said the Mass of Angels, begging for consolation for the family. He would have worn white robes, not black, because the child had never sinned, and blessed the coffin before it was taken outside for burial where he would bless it once again.
Martin and Marie’s first child, a son, Jean Aucoin, was baptized inside these walls ten months later, on November 10, 1632. It was a much happier day, and they must have been thrilled!
Sadly, he died seven months later, on June 25th, 1633. The priest would have repeated the same ritual that by this time would have been all-too-familiar. Grief seemed to be the staple diet of La Rochelle.
Martin attended the funeral of his son in this church, again staring out what would then have been stained glass windows as the Priest’s voice droned on. Martin had heard funeral services far too many times. He probably knew them by heart.
Did Martin and Marie have more children? Did they move someplace else, to a parish whose registers no longer exist? Maybe more baptisms are waiting to be found.
Marie was only in her early 20s, so she had another 20 childbearing years ahead of her.
Did Martin have siblings? What happened to them? Where are they?
Where were Martin’s parents buried? Were they trapped in La Rochelle and perished during the siege? What happened?
Are there more records for Aucoin family members in this part of France?
Daybreak
Very early, at daybreak, just as the sun rose one April morning in La Rochelle, I traced Martin’s footsteps. I walked to where his daughter, Jeanne Aucoin, was baptized, and then to Saint-Barthélemy, where Martin remarried after Jeanne’s mother died, where Nicholas was buried, then son Jean was baptized and then buried. All those events in this church occurred between January of 1632 and June of 1633.
The shadowy fragments of Martin’s joy and sorrow both linger here.
When I visited that solitary morning, the church was under repair. I walked as far around the church tower as possible, hoping to find a way inside.
No luck.
Around back, I looked inside the dumpster, which held trash and scrap construction materials.
I saw something in the dumpster.
I took a closer look.
There it was.
Stone.
Stone from the church tower where the trajectory of Martin’s life changed.
Tossed away in the refuse pile, just waiting for me.
Be still my heart.
A gift from his heart to my heart.
Yes, Martin, I am here. I came to find you and share your life, your pain, and joy, your path and footsteps with your other descendants.
You know, don’t you?
From my soul to yours.
Thank you.
It hurt my heart to turn and walk away. Tore at my soul.
I kept looking back, tears streaming down my cheeks, until I reached the corner. I paused one final time, took one last look, drinking in what Martin would have seen, etching it in my mind forever, then turned and walked downhill towards the city gate and the quay.
But Martin knew that I was here, and just as I did, he turned and walked away one last time, too.
Acadia
We don’t know for sure if Martin Aucoin set sail for Acadia or if he died before his family immigrated.
Given that we know Marie and three of Martin’s children sailed for Acadia, now Nova Scotia, the church would have been their last stop, offering prayers for safe passage before they sailed between the towers standing sentry, guarding the opening into the harbor.
They would have gathered a few meager belongings, boarded a ship along the quay, and set sail between those towers.
Martin’s family, and Martin, if he sailed with them, would have turned around until the towers and La Rochelle were only a dot on the horizon, then looked forward to nothing but waves and sea. An uncertain future.
The siege and its aftermath clearly played a critical role in the settlement of Acadia. I can picture the destruction and destitution in the city that prompted many to welcome a chance for a better life in New France.
In 1632, de Razilly and d’Aulnay began encouraging settlement at La Hève, Acadia, now LaHave, Nova Scotia. In 1635, the settlement was moved to Port Royal, on the northern side of the peninsula.
Did Martin sail with the rest of his family through those towers, out the harbor, into the westward sun, headed for Acadia?
Or does he rest someplace in La Rochelle, or maybe at sea?
The Other Martin Aucoin
There’s another Acadian named Martin Aucoin. What happened to our Martin Aucoin, born in 1595, may, in part, be told by the story of the younger Martin Aucoin.
The younger Martin Aucoin is recorded in the 1686 census of Les Mines, Acadia, living in Beaubassin, age 35, which means he was born about 1651. In the 1693 census, he’s shown as age 46, so born about 1650. Importantly, he is NOT shown in the earlier Acadian censuses.
This Martin married Marie Gaudet about 1673, given that their first of 19 children, including a set of twins, was born in 1674.
The younger Martin’s burial was recorded in the Grand-Pré register on May 15, 1711, noted as around the age of 60, born about 1650 or 1651, and living on La Riviere des Canards. Unfortunately, this entry does not reveal his parents.
According to the deposition made in 1767 by this Martin’s grandson, Alexandre Aucoin, Martin came from France. (Doc. inéd., Vol. III, p. 106). Five others, all made by widows or widowers of other grandchildren of Martin Aucoin, include statements to the same effect (ibid., Vol. II, pp. 181, 193; Vol. III, pp. 22, 29, 127-128). All six of these depositions indicate that Martin Aucoin married Marie Gaudet. Only one, that of Claude Pitre (ibid., Vol. III, p. 29), adds the detail that their marriage took place at Port-Royal.
What NONE of these depositions says is that Martin Aucoin (the elder) is the father of the younger Martin Aucoin or that Marie Sallé was his mother. However, neither do the depositions for either Jeanne or Michelle. In fact, the elder Martin Aucoin is not mentioned in any of those depositions at all. In 1767, the French were interested in the most recent ancestor arriving in Acadia who was born in France, not necessarily ALL ancestors born in France.
The descendants of both Michelle and Jeanne Aucoin stated that they were born in France and came to Acadia with their spouses. For Martin the younger, it simply says he came from France. If Martin the elder was his father and Marie Sallé, his mother, they and their other children would not have arrived until after the younger Martin’s birth in 1650/1651 and before 1654, assuming the information about him being born in France is accurate. That’s the only possible window because there was no immigration from France to Acadia during the English occupation from 1654 to 1670.
So, if this Martin was born in France and arrived before 1654, he would have arrived as a child with his parents. There is no suggestion of a second Aucoin family. If he arrived after 1670, he may or may not have arrived with family members. There is no record of any Martin Aucoin in the 1671 census. Beaubassin was not founded until 1671-1672, so he wasn’t there yet.
Martin’s wife, Marie Gaudet, lived in Port Royal with her parents, who were shown there in 1671, 1678, 1693, and 1698. Marie is shown with her parents in 1671, age 14.
Martin would have HAD to have been living in Port Royal in 1673 when he married Marie. The couple likely packed up and went with Jacques Bourgeois to Beaubassin shortly thereafter.
So, here are the four possibilities for the Martin Aucoin born about 1650, in no particular order:
- Martin came from France, probably as the son of Martin Aucoin and Marie Sallé, between 1650 and 1654, when immigration stopped. If this is the case, Marie would have been about 41 or 42 years old, so having a child when Martin was born is certainly within the realm of possibility.
- Martin came from France between 1650-1654, the child of other parents. This is possible, but there is no trace of those other parents, nor is he found in the 1671 census.
- Martin came from France after the 1671 census, and before 1673 when he married Marie Gaudet and is therefore not the son of the older Martin Aucoin. This makes the most sense, especially when combined with a note by Stephen A. White, “Given the lack of dispensation, we do not believe that the husband of Marie Gaudet could be the second son of [Martin Aucoin] the carpenter of La Rochelle, but there still exists the possibility that he is related to the sisters Michelle and Jeanne, to a degree more distant.” Unfortunately, White does not identify which marriages he would have expected to find dispensations for. Knowing which marriages and in which generations would help immensely in eliminating potential upstream common ancestors. For example, could the younger Martin Aucoin have been the nephew or great-nephew of the older Martin Aucoin? For how many generations would a dispensation be required in each scenario?
- The last possibility is that the depositions regarding the younger Martin coming from France are incorrect and he was born in Acadia, but his parents came from France. This is possible but adds no evidence either way in terms of whether he is the son of the older Martin Aucoin.
Surely, with the same highly unusual name as the older Martin Aucoin, there had to be some connection. Even today, there are only three locations in France with clusters of the Aucoin surname, and one is a result of Alexandre Aucoin’s descendants who were deported back to France, arriving on Belle-Ile-sur-Mer in 1765.
More Upheaval in La Rochelle
It’s easy to imagine La Rochelle as peaceful after the siege, but that wasn’t the case.
In November 1661, 300 Protestant families were expelled from La Rochelle, probably some 3000 people. We have no reason to associate the Aucoin family with Protestant leanings, but witnessing the heartache and devastation might well encourage young Martin Aucoin to daydream about leaving for more peaceful lands – or at least land he believed to be more peaceful.
Perhaps this event motivated the younger Martin Aucoin, born about 1650, to leave as soon as he was old enough.
The Elder Martin Aucoin
We have two bracketing events defining the possible death of our Martin Aucoin.
We know Martin was alive when he was married in January 1632 and in February when his son was conceived. I’d also presume (I know, unsafe word) that he was alive later in 1632 when baby Jean Aucoin was born to Marie Sallé because otherwise, the father would have been noted as deceased in the baptismal record and in the subsequent death record for the baby in July of 1633.
It has been presumed (that word again) that Martin accompanied his wife, two daughters, and (possibly) one son to Acadia, although nothing more is ever heard about the son, and some researchers believe Francois was misidentified.
The elder Martin Aucoin’s daughter, Michelle, was born about 1618 in France and had her first child with Michael Boudrot about 1642. Michel Boudrot was already in Acadia by 1639, but he was associated with Charles d’Aulnay so it’s possible, given his position of responsibility as a Lieutenant, that he made trips back and forth to La Rochelle for or with d’Aulnay. Given Boudrot’s residence in Acadia, it’s probably most likely that the Martin Aucoin family immigrated about 1641 and Michelle married Boudrot shortly thereafter.
However, and this is a big however, it’s possible that Boudrot traveled back to La Rochelle where he met Michelle and her family. If Martin Aucoin was living, Boudrot could have encouraged the entire family to immigrate. Given what Martin had been through, it probably didn’t take much. If Martin had been thinking about Acadia anyway, the encouragement of a responsible Lieutenant who just happened to be courting his daughter might have been all that was needed.
If Martin had already passed away, Boudrot could have married Michelle and brought her, along with her stepmother and sister, Jeanne, back to Acadia with him. We do not know that the older Martin Aucoin set foot on Acadian soil, although I think it’s likely.
The elder Martin Aucoin’s daughter, Jeanne, was born in 1630 in La Rochelle and had her first child with Francois Girouard in 1648. We don’t know if she was married in Acadia or France, and we don’t really know for sure where her early children were born either. It’s most likely that she immigrated about 1641 with her parents and married Girouard in Acadia.
We know for sure that Martin Aucoin the elder was deceased by 1671 when Marie Sallé is listed in the census as the widow of Jean Claude and is living with the family of François Bourg, whose wife is the daughter of Michelle Aucoin and Michel Boudrot. In 1678, Marie is still living with the same family but is listed alone in 1686, age 86. If she actually was 86, she would have been born about 1600, meaning it’s very unlikely that she had a child in 1650 or 1651, effectively eliminating her as the mother of the younger Martin Aucoin. However, ages of the elderly tend to grow, and who would know exactly?
We have no further information about Jean Claude or when Marie married him, which would provide us with a hint as to when Martin died.
There is no record or suggestion of additional children born to Marie.
I was baffled for some time about why Marie Sallé’s marriage date to Jean Claude was quoted as “after 1651,” with no source given anyplace. I now realize that it’s because there was a presumption that the younger Martin Aucoin, born 1650/1651 was her son, and she remarried after the elder Martin Aucoin died.
Out on a Limb
I’m going out on a limb here.
We have no more information about Martin Aucoin, born in 1595, or his father, Martin Aucoin, assuming that the Martin baptized in 1595 is “our” Acadian Martin Aucoin, the father of both Jeanne and Michelle Aucoin, and husband of both Barbe Minguett and Marie Sallé. There appears to be unverified information about the mother of the Martin baptized in 1595 in Laleu. Following up on her name might, just might, produce additional information – although we are far back in time.
So would finding the records reported by researcher Jacques Nerrou.
Having said all of this, I have a really difficult time believing that the Martin Aucoin in La Rochelle just two years after the siege of La Rochelle ended was NOT the same man as the Martin Aucoin baptized in Laleu – in part simply because he and his wife and at least one child survived that horrific siege – so it’s unlikely they were actually living IN La Rochelle during that time.
Both Martin and Aucoin are unusual names, and when combined, especially when associated with each other, a family connection is very probable.
Given all of the information we do have, I really doubt that the younger Martin Aucoin, born about 1650 or 1651, is the son of Martin Aucoin and Marie Sallé, although he could be.
I think it’s more likely that the younger Martin Aucoin is the nephew or other paternal line relative of the older Martin Aucoin. Perhaps he had no family left in La Rochelle and followed his uncle to Acadia, some 20 or 30 years later.
If they are paternally related Aucoin men, that means that they would share the same Y-line DNA.
Fortunately, one of the descendants of Alexandre Aucoin, grandson of the younger Martin Aucoin, has taken a Y-DNA test. If Martin Aucoin the younger and Martin Aucoin the older share a direct paternal Aucoin male ancestor, the Y-DNA of Martin the younger represents the Y-DNA of Martin the elder. Of course, we will never be able to test direct paternal male descendants of Martin Aucoin the elder, because no sons survived.
Aucoin Y DNA
What does the Y-DNA of Alexandre Aucoin’s descendant tell us?
To begin with, I’m functioning with a handicap because the tester has only tested to the 37-marker level. Although he didn’t know a great deal about his genealogy, I was able to confirm his descent from the younger Martin Aucoin.
The good news is that he matches two other Aucoin men who have taken the Big Y-700 test and are haplogroup I-FTC21121. They also descend from Martin Aucoin born in about 1650. Ironically, they have both connected the dots in their trees from the younger to the elder Martin Aucoin, but there’s no source information. I understand why it seems logical, but given the evidence we have, it’s probably not accurate.
The great news is that they also match several other Aucoin men, but unfortunately, none appear to have descended from France other than through the younger Martin Aucoin.
However, there’s something else of interest.
One match is a man who descends from a French family that immigrated in the 1800s. His progenitor, with a different surname, say “XYZ,” was born in 1766 in Saint-Pierre, du Chemin, Vendée, Pays de la Loire, France.
This location is only about 49 miles from Laleu and LaRochelle where we first find the Aucoin family. Unfortunately, Mr. XYZ has not taken a Big Y test, so we don’t know how long ago they share a paternal ancestor.
The Discover Time Tree shows us that haplogroup I-FTC21121 was formed about 1588, which maps nicely to what we know about the younger Martin Aucoin.
The Aucoin and XYZ families are related, we just don’t know when or how far back in time, although it could be quite distant. Mr. XYZ only has six 12-marker matches and no others. His Y-DNA is clearly quite rare, not to mention that French men can’t test today. His lack of matches could be a function of rarity, lack of testers, or both.
I wonder if Mr. XYZ would agree to upgrade to the Big Y-700 test, because it would be as informative for him as for the younger Martin Aucoin family. We at least know we’re in the right part of France with his match to Martin Aucoin the younger. That test would tell us when their common ancestor lived.
Still, though, it doesn’t answer the question of whether our Martin Aucoin, born in 1595, and the younger Martin Aucoin, born about 1650, are descended from the same paternal line.
However, autosomal DNA might potentially be useful, assuming their common ancestor lived not too long before Martin’s birth. If Mr. XYZ also happens to autosomally match Acadians descended through Jeanne and Michelle Aucoin but NOT descended from Martin Aucoin the younger, that’s a HUGE hint that the two Martin Aucoins were related.
Could we be that lucky? How far out on this branch am I standing anyway???____________________________________________________________
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