Charles Bernard (abt. 1612 - bef. 1651)

Born about 1612 in France

Husband of Andrée Guyon — married about 25 Sep 1639 in Saint-Jean-du-Pérot, La Rochelle, Aunis, France [uncertain]

Descendants

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Biography

Charles Bernard migrated from France to Acadia.

Notice: several researchers suggest that the Acadian couple Unknown Bernard & Andrée Guyon, parents of Marie and Jeanne Bernard, is the same couple as Charles Bernard & Andrée Guyon who married in France in 1639 and had 2 children, Guillaume and Dominique, before emigrating to Acadie. These connections are hypothetical and are marked uncertain.

Facts:
What is known for certain is that Andrée Guyon (abt.1615-aft.1686) married an Unknown Bernard around 1644 and gave birth to Marie Bernard around 1645 and Jeanne Bernard around 1646, possibly in Acadie. Their father's first name was unknown but their daughters used Bernard as their last name, as shown in their records and the Acadian censuses.^[1] No documents in Acadie specify the place of origin of this family or confirm the presence of Unknown Bernard in Port-Royal where Andrée, Marie and Jeanne lived.

Hypothesis:
Records found in La Rochelle, France, show a couple named Charles Bernard, a sailor from the parish of Saint-Sauveur, and Andrée Guyon from the parish of Saint-Jean-du-Pérot, married on 25 September 1639 at La Rochelle, (St-Jean-du-Pérot). The witnesses were Pierre Guyon, Charles Bernard and Mathelin Guyon. The parents were not named. ^[2][3][4][5]

Their first child Guillaume was baptized on 22 August 1640 at Saint-Bathélémy, La Rochelle.^[6] He passed away 2 months later.^[7][3]

Their daughter Dominique was born in November 1641^[8] and died in July 1643.^[9][3] Her godparents were Jacques Leboeuf a ship's captain, and Dominique Asquin, wife of Bernard Marrot de Cougnes, also a ship's captain. As noted by Racines et Rameaux Français d'Acadie in a Facebook post, sailor Charles Bernard and his family could have crossed the Atlantic to Acadie on one of the ships of Leboeuf or Marrot.^[10]

It is believed that this couple left France for Port-Royal after 13 March 1644 (Charles was at Jeanne Bouton's baptism in La Rochelle) because there aren't any traces of them in the records of La Rochelle after that date.^[3] Researchers suggest that they were the parents of Marie (ca 1645) and Jeanne [ca 1646), possibly born in Acadie, but there are no records to prove the location of their birth. ^{[3][1] [11] [12]}

Charles died before 1651 since Andrée Guyon was married to Antoine Belliveau around that time.

Research Notes

Post on the Facebook page of Racines et Rameaux Français d'Acadie dated 21 November 2016 ^[10]

"Longtemps on donné pour époux André Bernard à Andrée Guyon et dit qu'Andrée Guyon était la fille de François Guyon. Déjà ce François Guyon est baptisé le 7 mars 1611 à La Rochelle et Andrée Guyon vers 1615/1616 (François Guyon aurait été un peu jeune pour être père). En fait le premier mari d'Andrée Guyon s'appelait Charles Bernard. Le mariage a eu lieu le 25 septembre 1639 à Saint Jean du Perot à La Rochelle et Andrée Bernard était née à Moutiers sur le Lay en Vendée fille de Pierre Guyon et de Thyphaine Pannier. Ils avaient rejoint l'Acadie vers 1644 sur l'un des bateaux des capitaines Marot ou Le Boeuf où Charles Bernard exerçait son métier de matelot. Ces 2 capitaines de navires se trouvent ainsi que leurs épouses parrains et marraines des premiers enfants de couple nés et décédés à La Rochelle. Devenue veuve en Acadie Andrée Guyon épousera vers 1650 Antoine Belliveau."
(Translation : "For a long time we gave André Bernard to Andrée Guyon as a husband and said that Andrée Guyon was the daughter of François Guyon. Already this François Guyon was baptized on March 7, 1611 in La Rochelle and Andrée Guyon around 1615/1616 (François Guyon would have been a little young to be a father). In fact, Andrée Guyon's first husband was called Charles Bernard. The marriage took place on September 25, 1639 in Saint Jean du Perot in La Rochelle and Andrée Bernard was born in Moutiers sur le Lay in Vendée, daughter of Pierre Guyon and Thyphaine Pannier. They had joined Acadia around 1644 on one of the boats owned by Captains Marot or Le Boeuf where Charles Bernard exercised his trade as a sailor. These 2 ship captains are, along with their spouses, godfathers and godmothers of the couple's first children who were born and died in La Rochelle. Widowed in Acadia Andrée Guyon will marry around 1650 Antoine Belliveau. ")

Translation of an article in Acadie Nouvelle by Denis Savard “Has the husband of Andrée Guyon been found?”^[13]

“Charles Bernard, sailor from La Rochelle
His first name has remained a mystery until recently, but it may have been found in La Rochelle, shortly before the family left for Acadia. Since we do not have documents in Acadia which specify the place of origin of this family, we cannot be sure to have found the right one. For example, there may be another Andrée Guyon who also married a Bernard. If it's unlikely, it's not impossible. In the registers of the parish of Saint-Jean-Perrot in La Rochelle, which includes the Port of La Rochelle district, we find on September 25, 1639 the marriage of Charles Bernard with Andrée Guyon. Curiously, their marriage contract was drawn up 19 months earlier, in front of the notary Pierre Moreau. Charles is a sailor and seems to already work on ships. His prolonged absences may have delayed the marriage. The marriage contract is normally concluded in the days or even weeks preceding the marriage. Witnesses to the marriage contract are the husbands of Charles Bernard's cousins, from Saint Hilaire La Palud, where a notary also named Charles Bernard practices. It is possibly the place of origin of this Bernard family, according to researcher Jacques Nerrou. But neither the marriage certificate nor the marriage contract name his parents, which is rather odd. To the couple was first born a boy, Guillaume, baptized in the parish of Saint-Barthélémy in La Rochelle, on August 22, 1640. The latter did not survive two months and died in October. Then comes a girl, Dominique, who was baptized on November 18, 1641 in the same parish. She probably did not survive, as she was later unknown in Acadia. Charles Bernard, sailor, is still present in La Rochelle in December 1643 and in March 1644, where he is godfather of Charles Moysan then of Jeanne Bouton. The two Acadians from this couple, Jeanne and Marie, were born around 1644 and 1645. They may have been born in Acadia.”

From Jacques Nerrou, "André Bernard était-il l'époux d'Andrée Guion? (II)" ^[14]

Grâce au travail de madame Viviane Bachelier qui m’a fait connaître le document, on trouve à La Rochelle, chez le notaire Moreau, le contrat de mariage de Charles Bernard et Andrée Guyon. Ce contrat de mariage nous conforte pour le métier de marin de Charles et nous apporte une précision importante sur celui d’Andrée Guyon, elle était servante de Suzanne Delacour, veuve de Jacob Vankisse. Sur ce contrat de mariage, les témoins du marié étaient ‘’Jacques Gouju, barrilier à cause de Marguerite Boutin, Estienne Bession, saulnier, cousin germain à cause d’Andrée Viault’’, pour la mariée les témoins étaient ‘’Jean Maquaire cousin à cause de Gabrielle Cimber’’. Et surtout, il est fort intéressant de noter les informations sur la mariée. Andrée Guyon est ‘’née à Moutiers sur Lay, paroisse de Mareuil, fille de Pierre et de défunte Typhaine Pannier’’. (Translation: Thanks to the work of Mrs. Viviane Bachelier who introduced me to the document, we find in La Rochelle, at the notary Moreau, the marriage contract of Charles Bernard and Andrée Guyon. This marriage contract comforts us for Charles' profession as a sailor and brings us an important precision on that of Andrée Guyon, she was a servant of Suzanne Delacour, widow of Jacob Vankisse. On this marriage contract, the groom's witnesses were Jacques Gouju, cooper, because of Marguerite Boutin, Estienne Bession, salt merchant, first cousin because of Andrée Viault, for the bride the witnesses were Jean Maquaire cousin because of Gabrielle Cimber. And most importantly, it is very interesting to note the information about the bride. Andrée Guyon was “born in Moutiers sur Lay, parish of Mareuil, daughter of Pierre and the late Typhaine Pannier”.)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Karen Theriot Reader Page for Marie Bernard citing Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes, Première Partie 1636-1714 - Stephen A. White - 2 vols., Moncton, New Brunswick: Centre d'Études Acadiennes, 1999 - p. 125 - Marie, born around 1645, daughter of unknown BERNARD & Andrée GUYON [who married 2nd when Marie was about 6 years old to Antoine BELLIVEAU.]
2. ↑ Archives en ligne : La Charente-Maritime, Registres paroissiaux, pastoraux et d'état civil, GG 352, La Rochelle, Collection communale, Paroissial, Mariages, Paroisse Saint-Jean-du-Pérot, 1632-1655, p. 19/61 (right page last entry) Entry for Charles Bernard and Andrée Guyon Marriage
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} Marcel Walter Landry Andrée Guyon, belle-mère de René le cadet Landry 1620-1693 at Généalogie des Landry à travers le monde, accessed October 2020
4. ↑ Marcel Walter Landry Charles Bernard at Généalogie des Landry à travers le monde, accessed October 2020
5. ↑ Karen Theriot Reader Page for Charles Bernard at Geneanet
6. ↑ Archives en ligne : Charente-Maritime. Registres paroissiaux, pastoraux et d'état civil. GG182 La Rochelle, (St-Bathélémy) Baptêmes, 1630-1655, page 67 of 165. (right page 1st entry) Guillaume Bernard Baptism 22 August 1640
7. ↑ Archives en ligne : Charente-Maritime. Registres paroissiaux, pastoraux et d'état civil. GG183 La Rochelle, (St-Bathélémy) Sépultures 1630-1650, page 142 of 198. Guillaume Bernard Burial 14 October 1640
8. ↑ Archives en ligne : Charente-Maritime. Registres paroissiaux, pastoraux et d'état civil. GG182 La Rochelle, (St-Bathélémy) Baptêmes, 1630-1655, page 77 of 165. Dominique Bernard Baptism 18 November 1641.
9. ↑ Archives en ligne : Charente-Maritime. Registres paroissiaux, pastoraux et d'état civil. GG183 La Rochelle, (St-Bathélémy), collection communale, paroissiale, Sépultures, 1630-1650, page 158 of 198. Burial Dominique Bernard 25 July 1643.
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1} https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1485080864842343&id=632846796732425
11. ↑ Karen Theriot Reader Page for Jeanne Bernard citing Stephen A. White, DICTIONNAIRE GENEALOGIQUE DES FAMILLES ACADIENNES; 1636-1714; Moncton, New Brunswick, Centre d'Etudes Acadiennes, 1999, 2 vols.; pp. 125 & 439
12. ↑ Denis J. Savard Page for Charles Bernard at Famille Bernard-Guyon; Charles Bernard, l'Acadien oublié, accessed October 2020
13. ↑ Savard, Denis. "Racines acadiennes - Bernard: l'époux d'Andrée Guyon a-t-il été retrouvé?" Acadie Nouvelle, 13 décembre 2015. https://www.acadienouvelle.com/chroniques/2015/12/06/bernard-lepoux-dandree-guyon-a-t-il-ete-retrouve/
14. ↑ Nerrou, Jacques, «André Bernard était-il l'époux d'Andrée Guion? (II)», Racines & Rameaux Français d'Acadie, Lanester 56600, avril 2008, Bulletin n° 42, pages 15-17. (...).rrfa.fr/bull/42.pdf [Broken Link] Can be accessed here: https://docplayer.fr/18617738-Racines-rameaux-francais-d-acadie-recherche-genealogique-histoire-de-l-acadie.html

See also:

• Nerrou, Jacques, «André Bernard était-il l'époux d'Andrée Guion? (II)», Racines & Rameaux Français d'Acadie, Lanester 56600, 29 mars 2002, Bulletin n° 25, pages 9-12. Broken link archived by Wayback machine in March 2019 and available here: https://web.archive.org/web/20190310101718/http://www.rrfa.fr/bull/25.pdf
• Scavennec, Gérard, "Analyse et commentaire du texte signé par André Bernard."Racines & Rameaux Français d'Acadie, Lanester 56600, 29 mars 2002, Bulletin n° 25, pages 13-14 Broken link archived by Wayback machine in March 2019 and available here: https://web.archive.org/web/20190310101718/http://www.rrfa.fr/bull/25.pdf