Daniel LeBlanc (abt. 1626 - abt. 1696)

Born about 1626 in Martaizé, Poitou, France [uncertain]

Husband of Françoise Gaudet — married about 1650 in Port-Royal, Acadie, Nouvelle-France

Descendants

Died about 1696 at about age 70 in Port-Royal, Acadie, Nouvelle-France

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Daniel LeBlanc is an Acadian. Join: Acadians Project Discuss: ACADIA

Biography

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Daniel LeBlanc migrated from France to Acadia.

The largest Acadian family stems from one pioneer named Daniel LeBlanc.^[1] He is said by many to have been born in France around 1626, but that hasn't been proven.^[2] His exact origins and parents are unknown. One theory is that he came from Martaizé.^[3][4] Another theory is that his parents were René LeBlanc and Jeanne Gaudet. Another theory is he was from Scotland, based on descendants' DNA test results.

Daniel arrived in Acadia sometime before 1650. According to some sources, he came to Acadia in about 1645 and settled on the north bank of the Port-Royal River (now the Annapolis River), to the northeast of the marsh at Belisle, about 15 kilometers above the fort at Port Royal and about a half mile below the chapel of St-Laurent.^[5]

Daniel (23), a farmer, married Françoise Gaudet (26) (born about 1623 in France; daughter of Jean Gaudet and Unknown (Inconnu) Gaudet) in 1650 in Port-Royal, Acadie, Nouvelle-France. She had been married to a man called Mercier.^[1] Their known children were:

1. Jacques LeBlanc (abt. 1651–aft. 1731) .
2. Françoise LeBlanc (abt. 1653–bef. 1687) .
3. Étienne LeBlanc (abt. 1656–bef. 1686) .
4. René LeBlanc (abt. 1657–1734) .
5. André LeBlanc (abt. 1659–1743) .
6. Antoine LeBlanc (abt. 1662–bef. 1730) .
7. Pierre LeBlanc (abt. 1664–abt. 1717)

Between about 1651 and 1664, the couple had 6 sons (Jacques, Étienne, René, André, Antoine, Pierre) and a daughter (Françoise), all born in Port-Royal.^[6][7]

Daniel and Françoise, like many of the Acadian pioneers, lived off the land, farming to feed their family. Their homestead was located east of the fort at Port Royal (Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada). The farm was on the north bank of the Dauphin (Annapolis) River to the northeast of the marshlands of Belisle.^[8][9][10]

In 1671,^[11] the homestead was comprised of 10 arpents of cultivated land (close to 8.5 acres).^[12] This acreage was fairly large for the settlement. Of the 56 households reporting cultivated land, only 12 had 10 or more arpents. The family also had 18 cattle and 26 sheep.

The 1678 Census reported Daniel and Françoise with 12 cattle & 12 acres [sic], and three boys.^[13]

In 1686, at Port Royal, Daniel LEBLANC, aged 60, was living with his wife, Francoise GODOT [sic], aged 60. They owned 2 guns and were living on 6 arpents of cultivable land with 15 cattle, 20 sheep and 7 hogs. By this time, five of Daniel's and Françoise's sons were married and settled in Port-Royal.^[14] Étienne no longer lived there. Their daughter Françoise had died. Within four years, the family's relative peace would be shattered by King William's War (1689-1697) with France.

In May 1690, Sir William Phipps^[15] captured Port Royal, destroyed the church, plundered the settlement, and forced the inhabitants to swear an oath of allegiance to the English crown. He appointed Charles La Tourasse, a former sergeant of the French garrison, to serve as English commandant and leader of a council to keep the peace and administer justice.^[16] Inhabitants were asked to choose six leading men to serve on the council and Daniel LeBlanc was among the chosen leaders.^[8] Phipps left Port-Royal within 12 days of arrival. Before the end of the summer, seamen from two ships looted Port-Royal and burned and looted between 28 and 35 homes and habitations including the parish church.^[17]

An English garrison was never established, possibly because the inhabitants refused to guarantee that the Indians would not attack if one was formed.^[16]

Dunn describes the feelings of the residents during this unsettling time:

Throughout this period of nominal English rule, French and English vessels anchored at Port-Royal at will, contributing to a sense of unease among the residents. New England vessels came to trade, to check on the inhabitants, and to take French prizes. When the English were not around, French privateers operated out of the port, attracting local young men as crew with the promise of plunder, and outfitting the ships from local suppliers... Port-Royal residents did not always appreciate the presence of the French privateers.

In 1693, an encounter between the vessel of French privateer Pierre Masisonnat dit Baptiste and an English frigate brought further misery. English investigations into the role of Acadians' assistance of privateer Baptiste resulted in the burning of nearly a dozen homes and three barns of unthreshed grain. In that year, the only remaining LeBlancs in Port Royal were 66-year-old Daniel, Françoise, and their youngest son Pierre and his family.^[18] Were their four sons convinced to move by the raids at Port Royal and the lure of available land in some of the newer villages?

Daniel died in Port Royal in his late 60s sometime between 1695 and 1698.^[19] His wife Françoise is listed as a widow, 80, living alone, on the 1698 census.^[20] During his life in Acadia, he had witnessed three changes in rule, from French to English (1654), to French (1667-70), and back to English (1690). Despite these disruptions, his family thrived.

Daniel's legacy in Acadia is profound. Five of his sons created families of their own. After they took wives, the four older LeBlanc sons moved to the Minas area, where they created a large extended family. The youngest son remained on his father's lands near Port Royal. (According to family genealogist Lucie LeBlanc Constentino: "... as was the usual way for the Acadians, the youngest son inherited the father's land.") His 31 married grandsons would have large families, and the LeBlancs would represent the most common name in Acadia.^[21] His daughter and granddaughters would marry into other large Acadian families, including Blanchard, Cormier, Boudrot, Haché, Landry, Doiron, Robichaud, and Allain.

Descendants placed a monument in 2014 near the ancestral homestead of Daniel and Françoise, near what is now Gesnor's Brook. See monumentleblanc.com.

Timeline

c1626 Birth, in France

1632 Treaty Saint-Germain-en-Laye cedes Acadia to France; Razilly brings ~300 settlers^[22]

Before 1650 Arrival in Acadia

c1650 Marriage to Françoise Gaudet

c1651 Birth of son, Jacques

c1653 Birth of daughter, Françoise

1654 British capture Port-Royal; French settlement ceases^[23]

c1656 Birth of son, Étienne

c1657 Birth of son, René

c1659 Birth of son, André

c1662 Birth of son, Antoine

c1664 Birth of son, Pierre

1667-70 Treaty of Breda cedes Acadia to the French; settlement resumes^[24]

1671 Daniel, Françoise, and their seven children live in Port-Royal

1670’s-1680’s Available farmland decreases; some leave Port-Royal to establish new villages.^[25]

1686 Daniel, Françoise, 5/6 sons live in Port-Royal; daughter died

1678Daniel, Françoise and their 3 sons live in Port-Royal.^[26]

1690 Phipps captures and sacks Port-Royal, coerces inhabitants' oaths of allegiance to English Crown, sets up local Peacekeeping Council and leaves within 12 days.^[15][27][16]

1690 Daniel chosen by inhabitants to serve on Peacekeeping council.

1690-93 Port-Royal subjected to raids (1690; 1693) with looting and burning.^[17]

1693 Daniel, Françoise & son Pierre’s family are the only remaining LeBlancs living in Port-Royal

Between 1695-98 Death, in Port-Royal, Acadia

DNA Analysis

The following e-mail is related to a claim by Robert LeBlanc that Daniel LeBlanc was the son of Sir William Alexander the younger from Scotland. ^[28] Much of the DNA evidence given by Robert LeBlanc to support his claim was addressed in 2014 by Arthur Owen,^[29] and his conclusion is that the common ancestor of Daniel and the Alexander family existed 1000 to 5000 years before present, and thus Sir William Alexander the younger could not be Daniel's father.

Based on the most recent DNA results, Daniel's Y-DNA terminal SNP is R-BY592 (R-L21>DF63>BY592),^[30] while for the Alexanders who claim a connection to Sir William Alexander the younger, it is R-BY11751 (R-L21>DF13>A848>BY3134>BY11751). ^[31] The formation of subclades DF13 and DF63 are believed to have occurred 4300 years before present.^[32]

E-mail message posted by Karen Theriot Reader-22, Rootsweb.com; From Rob White dit LeBlanc (rwhite at wesleyan.edu) in Jul 2011.

Text: Some of us who have had our DNA tested have found that our place of origin is not France but Scotland or Northern Ireland. Several of us have come to the realization that Daniel LeBlanc may have had a Mic Mac mother and a Scottish father named Alexander. Do you know of any Metis history which may offer us some clues to this mystery.

1. The name Daniel is not common in Acadian history.
2. None of his children named their children after him.
3. Family tree has acknowledged that the chance of Daniel being an Alexander is 95 percent.
4. LeBlanc means "the white" which might indicate that he was a white child born in Acadia (possibly the first). One LeBlanc family has heard this story carried down via oral family tradition.
5. Another "story" in the family tradition says that Daniel wore a kilt.
6. Daniel's origins have never been proven to have been from France, according to several researchers who have tried to show where he came from. They have only made suppositions, never proven, including Geneviève Massignon and d'Entremont.

Since we have no way of doing DNA on the female line on Daniel's side we have run out of ways to explore this avenue to come to the "truth" of the story.

Biographie

La plus nombreuse famille acadienne n'a qu'une seule souche, Daniel LeBlanc.^[1] Daniel est né en France vers 1626.^[2] Le lieu exact de sa naissance et l’identité de ses parents restent inconnus. Selon certaines sources,^[3][4] il était possiblement originaire de Martaizé. Une autre théorie suggère René LeBlanc et Jeanne Gaudet comme étant ses parents.

Daniel est arrivé en Acadie avant 1650.^[1] Vers 1650, il épousa Françoise Gaudet, fille de Jean Gaudet. Françoise était veuve d'un Mercier inconnue. Entre 1651 et 1664 environ, le couple a eu 6 garçons (Jacques, Étienne, René, André, Antoine, Pierre) et une fille (Françoise).^[6][7]

Daniel et Françoise, comme plusieurs pionniers acadiens, étaient des fermiers qui vivaient de la terre pour nourrir leur famille. Leur ferme était située à l'est du fort à Port-Royal (aujourd'hui Annapolis Royal, Nouvelle-Écosse, Canada), sur la rive nord de la rivière du Dauphin (Annapolis), au nord-est des marais de Belisle.^[8][9][10] S'étendant sur 10 arpents en 1671^[11], leur ferme était une des plus grandes dans la région. Des 56 ménages énumérés avec de la terre au recensement de 1671, seulement 10 possédaient 10 arpents ou plus.

Daniel semble avoir joué un rôle important dans la communauté en tant que gardien de la paix.

"Daniel LeBlanc fut l'un des notables à Port-Royal, et quand le 24 mai 1690 (N.S.), Sir William Phipps, qui venait de s'emparer de la place, exigea de la part des habitants de Port-Royal et de ceux de la rivière du même nom, de choisir six d'entre eux pour former un conseil afin de garder la paix parmi eux et d'y administrer la justice, Daniel Leblanc fut l'un de ceux sur qui le choix tomba."^[8]

Par l'an 1693, tous les enfants de Daniel et Françoise, sauf leur plus jeune Pierre et sa famille, étaient partis de Port-Royal.

Daniel est mort à Port-Royal^[33] avant le recensement de 1698, mais après d'avoir prêté le serment d'allégeance au roi d'Angleterre en 1695.^[19]

Les 31 petits-fils de Daniel qui se sont mariés ont eut de grandes familles qui ont assuré que le nom LeBlanc est aujourd'hui un des plus communs en Acadie^[21]. Ses filles et petites-filles se marieraient dans d’autres grandes familles acadiennes, y compris Blanchard, Cormier, Boudrot, Haché, Landry, Doiron, Robichaud, et Allain.

Research Notes

Disputed Origins, Spouse and Parents
Origin in France. Daniel has been suggested to be from the Martaizé region in Poitou (currently Vienne), France, due to being linked with the Gaudet family - but his precise origin in France remains unproven.^[4]

A recent article by Gregory Kennedy, "The Value of Historical Maps: Solving At Least Part of the Mystery of the Origins of the Acadians", demonstrates that old maps support this theory.

Potential previous marriage and daughter in France. One of the declarations at Belle-Île-en-Mer may lead us to believe that Daniel was previously married before his union to Françoise and even brought a daughter from that alleged first marriage to Acadia.^[34] In his article titled Origins of the Pioneers of Acadia, Stephen White notes that Father Archange Godbout has shown in an article entitled “Daniel Leblanc,” published in 1952 in the Mémoires de la Société généalogique canadienne-française (Vol. V, pp. 4-9), that Françoise was indeed Daniel's first wife, and the Marie mentioned is actually Marie Mercier, Françoise's daughter from a previous marriage.

"The place of origin and the ancestors of Daniel LeBlanc are unknown to us. Some have claimed that Daniel was descended from a noble Dauphine family, based on the research of H. Leandre D'Entremont (see J. Alfred Leblanc, The Origins of the Leblanc Family, Footprints of the Exiled: A LeBlanc Family Newsletter, Vol I, 1986, P. 7). But the proposed line (René to Alphone to Pierre) is from a Blanc or de Blanc family, rather than LeBlanc. (See MM. de La Chenaye-Desbois & Badier, Dictionnaire de la noblesse, 3rd ed, Paris, 1863, Vol III, P 314-317)." (translated) ^[7]

The name Le Blanc was written as two separate words until about 1800, when it was combined into one word.^[35]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3} White, Stephen A. La généalogie des trente-sept familles hôtesses des ""Retrouvailles 94"", Les Cahiers de la Société historique acadienne, vol. 25, nos 2 et 3 (1994). LEBLANC, 37 Families
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Recencements 1671, 1686 et 1693 / Calculated based on his age as given in the 1671, 1686, and 1693 censuses.
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1} Bona Arsenault, Histoire Et Généalogie Des Acadiens, (Leméac, 1978), Vol. 2 Port Royal, p.648.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} Massignon, Geneviève. "Les parlers français d'Acadie, enquête linguistique", Librairie Klincksieck, Paris, 1962, 2 tomes.p. 42
5. ↑ Karen Theriot Reader, Daniel LeBlanc;

   Bona Arsenault, HISTOIRE ET GENEALOGIE DES ACADIENS; 1625-1810, (Ottawa, Editions Lemeac, 1978) vol. 2, p. 648 (Port Royal);

   Daniel LE BLANC, born in 1626, originally from Martaizé, department of Vienne, France [sic] (footnote has reference: Genevieve Massignon LES PARLERS FRANCAIS D'ACADIE, vol. 1, p. 42). Daniel arrived in Acadia around 1645 and married around 1650 to Francoise GAUDET (widow of one MERCIER), daughter of Jean. There are seven children listed, born from 1651 to 1664. Another footnote says that according to Placide Gaudet, Daniel LeBlanc settled "on the north bank of the French River, to the northeast of Belisle marsh, about nine miles upstream from Port-Royal [Acadia] and a half-mile farther below St. Laurent chapel. (Reference: J. Jore, article in MEMOIRES DE LA SOCIETE GENEALOGIQUE CANADIENNE-FRANCAISE, vol. VI, nos. 6 & 7 (Apr-Jul 1955), p. 264).

6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} 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;

   Daniel LeBLANC, farmer, 45, his wife Françoise GAUDET 48; their seven children: Married: Françoise 18; Unmarried: Jacques 20, Estienne 15, Rene 14, Andre 12, Antoine 9, Pierre 7; cattle 18, sheep 26, 10 arpents of land.

7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2} 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. 983-984
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3} Le Bulletin des Recherches Historiques, vol XVIII, 1912, p. 357. (archive.org)
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} 1707 homestead location of Pierre LeBlanc (last son to live with father Daniel before he died). In Au Coeur de l'Acadie Acadian Settlement on the Annapolis River 1707 Map Parks Canada.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} Circa 1609 Map of Port Royal showing rivière du Dauphin. Map originally published in Canada: the Empire of the North by Agnes C. Laut.
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Charles Trahan's translations adding land holdings to 1671 Census
12. ↑ Statistics Canada 1 arpent= 0.845 acres
13. ↑ 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

    Daniel LeBlanc & Francoise Godet; 12 cattle & 12 acres; 3 boys: 20, 1658; 17, 1661; 15, 1663

14. ↑ 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: Daniel LEBLANC 60, Francoise GODET 60; 2 guns, 6 arpents, 15 cattle, 20 sheep, 7 hogs. In the original 1686 census at Port Royal Gaudet was listed as Godet.

15. ↑ ^{15.0 15.1} C.P.Stacey, “PHIPS, SIR WILLIAM,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003, accessed November 20, 2013
16. ↑ ^{16.0 16.1 16.2} C.Bruce Fergusson,“LA TOURASSE, CHARLES,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003, accessed November 20, 2013
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1 17.2} Dunn, Brenda. A History of Port Royal / Annapolis Royal 1605-1800. Nimbus Publishing, p 40,43
18. ↑ Tim Hebert, Transcription of the 1693 Acadian Census, at Port-Royal, Acadie 1693 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 62-108;

    Daniel LEBLANC, 66; Françoise GODET, his wife, 76; Pierre their son, 28; son of Pierre, Pierre, 7; Jean LAFORET, servant, 15; Marguerite LAPRINCESSE, 12; 20 cattle, 35 sheep, 9 hogs, 18 arpents, 3 guns.

19. ↑ ^{19.0 19.1} Karen Theriot Reader Daniel LeBlanc E-mail posting at <ACADIAN-CAJUN-L at rootsweb.com> #273 on 27 Jun 1999 by Lucie M. CONSENTINO (LucieMC at mediaone.net). Daniel LeBLANC promises fidelity to the king of England at Port-Royal dated Aug 1695; if made his mark [?]. (Reference: Massachusetts Archive; vol. II, fol540). [Check. Wasn't his wife a widow by Aug 1695?]
20. ↑ Tim Hebert, Transcription of the 1698 Acadian Census, at Port-Royal, Acadie1698 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 110-166;

    Francoise GOUDET widow 80.

21. ↑ ^{21.0 21.1} The First Acadian Pioneers. Translations of Stephen White's Genealogy Research by Lucie Leblanc Constantino
22. ↑ George MacBeath, Biography – RAZILLY, ISAAC DE – Volume I (1000-1700) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed November 20, 2013
23. ↑ William I. Roberts, 3rd, “SEDGWICK, ROBERT,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed November 20, 2013
24. ↑ In collaboration, “MORILLON DU BOURG,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed November 20, 2013
25. ↑ Pioneer Families in 1755, L’Histoire et les Histoires, University of Moncton
26. ↑ 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

    Daniel LeBlanc & Francoise Godet. 12 cattle & 12 acres. 3 boys : André 20, Antoine 17, Pierre 15.

27. ↑ Biography of William Phipps
28. ↑ http://www.danielleblanc.lglackin.com/
29. ↑ https://www.ancestry.co.uk/boards/surnames.leblanc/1014.1.1.1.1.1.1.1.2.1.1/mb.ashx
30. ↑ Re kit 167223. Broken link recuperated at https://web.archive.org/web/20180523075836/https://www.worldfamilies.net/surnames/leblanc/results
31. ↑ https://www.familytreedna.com/public/ALEXANDER-Y-DNA?iframe=ycolorized, kit #103207
32. ↑ https://www.yfull.com/tree/R-L21/
33. ↑ Déclaration de Jean LeBlanc à Belle-Île-en-Mer, Collection de documents inédits sur le Canada et l'Amérique, Tome 3ieme, Québec, 1890, p.42. (Archive.org)
34. ↑ Déclaration d'Honoré LeBlanc à Belle-Île-en-Mer, Collection de documents inédits sur le Canada et l'Amérique, Volume 2, L.-J. Demers, 1889, p.170. (Google Books)
35. ↑ Michel Marcotte. French name standardization.

See also:

• The Genealogy of the Thirty-seven Host Families of Homecoming 94

• Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 20 September 2019), memorial page for Daniel LeBlanc (1626–1696), Find A Grave Memorial no. 136480265, citing Garrison Graveyard, Annapolis Royal, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada ; Maintained by AW (contributor 47829810) Find A Grave: Memorial #136480265

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_LeBlanc_(settler)

• https://mesancetres.ca/daniel-leblanc/