Jean Blanchard (abt. 1611 - abt. 1686)

Born about 1611 in France

Descendants

Died about 1686 at about age 75 in Port Royal, Acadie, Nouvelle-France [uncertain]

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Biography

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Jean Blanchard migrated from France to Acadia.

This profile is part of the Blanchard Name Study.

Jean Blanchard was the ancestral patriarch of the Acadian Blanchard family. He was born about 1611 in France. Stephen White remains silent on Jean's location of birth in France, presumably due to the lack of birth records, and no parents are given. ^[1] (See Research Notes above regarding False Parentage.)

Jean (30) married Radegonde Lambert (20) (born about 1621 in France) in 1642. According to depositions of two descendants, Jean came from France "with his wife". Some interpret this phrase literally while Stephen White and Father Godbout argue that it only means that they both came from France, not that they came from France together and at the same time. (See Declarations of Belle-Isle-en-Mer).^[2] Their known children were:^[3]

1. Madeleine Blanchard (abt. 1643–bef. 1683) .
2. Anne Blanchard (abt. 1645–abt. 1714) .
3. Martin Blanchard (abt. 1647–abt. 1717) .
4. Guillaume Blanchard (abt. 1650–aft. 1716) .
5. Bernard Blanchard (abt. 1653– ) .
6. Marie Blanchard (abt. 1656–aft. 1714)

Jean owned a lot adjoining the side of the old Fort in Port Royal (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada). Historian André-Carl Vachon believes that Jean Blanchard and his wife Radegonde Lambert arrived in Acadie in 1640 since their house was built near the fort. ^[4] According to Stephen White, he was among five who had received one of the first grants at Port Royal.^[1] It is not clear how long the family lived near the fort. This land was expropriated in 1705 for the extension of the fort of Port-Royal and presumably belonged to his heirs at that time.^[1]

The first mention of Jean and Radegonde in Acadia is in the 1671 census of Port-Royal.^[5] He is listed as a plowman (laboureur). They are already around 60 and 50 years old respectively, and their 6 children, aged between 15 and 28, are living with them. They own 12 cattle, 9 sheep and 5 "arpents" of land.

By 1678, Jean and Radegonde resided with their son Guillaume and his family.^[6] Guillaume's farm was situated miles away from the Fort on the north side of the Dauphin (Annapolis) River, east of the Belisle Marsh. Dunn explains the move of families away from the Fort after it was captured by the British in 1654:

"During the years of British rule, most of the Port-Royal population moved upriver away from the town. Using the agricultural practices initiated under D'Aulnay, the Acadians dyked and cultivated extensive salt marshes along the river and raised livestock. Through necessity, residents had reached an accommodation with New England traders who had become their sole source for the goods that they could not produce themselves... New England traders exchanged their goods for Acadian produce and furs... There were seventy to eighty families in the Port Royal area in 1665."^[7]

In 1686, at Port Royal, Jean BLANCHARD, aged 75, was living with his wife Radegonde LAMBERT, aged 65. He died after the 1686 census.^[8]

Timeline

c1611 Birth, in France

1632 Treaty Saint-Germain-en-Laye cedes Acadia to France; Razilly brings ~300 elite men

1636 D'Aulnay brings the first French families to settle permanently

c1642 Marriage to Radegonde Lambert, in France

c1643 Birth of daughter, Madeleine

c1645 Birth of daughter, Anne

c1647 Birth of son, Martin

c1650 Birth of son, Guillaume

c1653 Birth of son, Bernard

1654 British capture Port-Royal; French settlement ceases

c1656 Birth of daughter, Marie

1667-70 Treaty of Breda cedes Acadia to the French; settlement resumes

1671 Residence, Port-Royal

1678 Residence, Port-Royal

1686 Residence, Port-Royal

after 1686 Death

Research Notes

False Parentage
Jean Blanchard’s parents are not known. He is often listed with parents named Guillaume Blanchard and Huguette Poirier, but this is actually false; it is the result of confusion with Jean's son, Guillaume Blanchard, and his wife Huguette Gougeon (aka Poirier).(See discussion here.)

Birthplace in France Unknown
Several trees, including that on Family Search, have shown a place of origin as Vienne, Isère. These are without sources and they appear to have confused Vienne, Isère (which was in the Dauphiné, now the Rhône-Alpes), with Martaizé, Poitou (today Vienne). The latter, however, is associated with the incorrect parentage of Guillaume Blanchard and Huguette Poirier (see notes above).

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Stephen A. White, Patrice Gallant, and Hector-J Hébert. Dictionnaire Généalogique Des Familles Acadiennes. Moncton, N.-B.: Centre D'études Acadiennes, Université De Moncton, 1999, Print. p. 143-144.

   Jean BLANCHARD, born around 1611 [no parents given], a "laboureur," married around 1642 to Radegonde LAMBERT; six children.

2. ↑ Stephen A. White, Origins of the Pioneers of Acadia, According to the Depositions made by Their Descendants at Belle-Ile-en-Mer in 1767 English Translation, Publication: University of Moncton, Centre d'études acadiennes; Online
3. ↑ Miller-DiMaggio family tree; owner Jack, published by Rootsweb.com; Ancestry.com; updated: 2012-12-13 02:19:07; Hugette Poirier
4. ↑ André-Carl Vachon, La colonisation de l'Acadie: 1632-1654, Tracadie, Éditions La Grande Marée, 2022, p. 85
5. ↑ Tim Hebert; Transcription of the 1671 Acadian Census, at Port-Royal, Acadie. 1671 Census Transcribed. The original census can be found at Census microfilm C-2572 of the National Archives of Canada “Acadie Recensements 1671 – 1752,” Images 3-14;

   Jean BLANCHARD, 60, wife, Radegonde LAMBERT 42; Children (married): Martin 24, Madeline 28, Anne 26; (unmarried): Guillaume 21, Bernard 18, Marie 15; cattle 12, sheep 9, 5 arpents.

6. ↑ Tim Hebert; 1678 Port Royal Acadian Census noting that the correlations for this census were done by Rev. Clarence J. d'Entremont, Fairhaven, Massachusetts.1678 Census

   Jean Blanchard & Radegonde Lambert; Guilleaume Blanchard Hugette Gougeon; 6 acres 17 cattle 1 gun; 2 boys 3 1675; 6/M 1678; 1 girl 5 1675.

7. ↑ Dunn, Brenda. A History of Port Royal / Annapolis Royal 1605-1800. Nimbus Publishing, p15-20 (French Settlement); p 23-24 (1654 Capture of Port-Royal); p25-27 (the English period 1654-1670); p27-37 (French Sovereignty).
8. ↑ Tim Hebert; Transcription of the 1686 Acadian Census, at Port-Royal, Acadie 1686 Census Transcribed. The original census can be found at Acadian Census microfilm C-2572 of the National Archives of Canada “Acadie Recensements 1671 – 1752,” Images 15-60;

   at Port Royal: Jean BLANCHARD 75, Radegonde LAMBERT 65.

See Also :

• Steven A. Cormier, "Acadians Who Found Refuge in Louisiana, February 1764-early 1800s", Acadians in Gray, Appendices BLANCHARD, accessed at http://www.acadiansingray.com/.
• Note, this link to Find A Grave has inaccurate information. It is not indicative of an actual burial. Port Royal and Amherst are around 350 km apart. Very unlikely distance to travel for a burial around 1686, and an unlikely place for a reinternment later. No tombstone has been found. Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 13 September 2019), memorial page for Jean Blanchard (1611–1686), Find A Grave Memorial no. 66789468, citing Amherst Cemetery, Amherst, Cumberland County, Nova Scotia, Canada ; Maintained by Gordon George Gibson (contributor 47379404) . Find A Grave: Memorial #66789468. See G2G discussion
• tree Nos Origines
• Fidèle Thériault, Les Familles de Caraquet: Dictionnaire Généalogique, Incluant Les Pionniers Des Paroisses de Bas-Caraquet, Bertrand, Grande-Anse, Paquetville, Maisonnette, Et Saint-Simon. Éditeur F. Thériault, 1985, 493 pages.