Michel Boudrot (abt. 1600 - aft. 1688)

Born about 1600 in La Rochelle, Aunis, France [uncertain]

Husband of Michelle Aucoin — married about 1640 in France [uncertain]

Descendants

Died after 20 Oct 1688 after about age 88 in Port-Royal, Acadie, Nouvelle-France [uncertain]

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Michel Boudrot is an Acadian. Join: Acadians Project Discuss: ACADIA

Biography

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Michel Boudrot migrated from France to Acadia.

This profile is part of the Boudreau Name Study.

Michel Boudrot, who was the founder of one of the largest Acadian families, was born about 1600 in France (potentially at Cougnes in the diocese of La Rochelle) - but his parents and precise location of origin in France remain unknown. [See Research Notes regarding Parentage and Place of Origin]^[1][2][3]

Michel arrived in Acadia before 1639, when he was already mentioned as a 'syndic' trustee in Port Royal.^[3] He was listed as a farmer in the 1671 census and as the civil and criminal lieutenant general (magistrate) in the 1686 census.^[1]

Michel was probably recruited by Gov. Charles de Menou d'Aulnay since he was present at the baptism of the governor's daughter, Marie d'Aulnay, on Sept. 21, 1639, in his capacity as First Trustee of Port-Royal.^[4] He obviously arrived in Acadia before that date, probably with a group of colonists recruited by Charles de Menou d'Aulnay and Martin Le Godelier in LaChaussee, France, in 1632, and who departed from Saint-Martin-de-Ré on July 23, 1632. He was also one of the signatories of an attestation favorable to d'Aulnay's works on 5 October 1687.^[3][5]

Occupations
In 1639, Michel was a managing agent in Port Royal, Acadia, and although the census of 1671 shows him to be a farmer, he assumed the duties of a magistrate and the census of 1686 shows him to be the lieutenant general of the colony. The following year, on October 5, 1687, he was given a testimonial for services rendered by Charles de Menou and the colonists who arrived in Acadia before 1641.

Family
Around 1641, he married Michelle Aucoin.^[3] [Note that in-process corrections to the DGFA indicate that Michelle was the daughter of Martin Aucoin and perhaps Barbe Minguet.] ^[6]

Between about 1642 and 1666, the couple had 11 children: Françoise, Jeanne, Charles, Marguerite, Marie, JJean, Abraham, Michel, Olivier, Claude and François.^[3]

In 1654 Port-Royal was captured by Robert Sedgwick, who led 300 British soldiers and volunteers.^[7]:

"The [French] soldiers at Port-Royal, who numbered about 130 … put up a brief defense against Sedgwick. Setting up an ambush between the landing site of the English troops and the fort, the Frenchmen fired on the attackers but proved no match for the experienced Roundheads. The French soon "took their heels to ye Fort." On August 16 the fort surrendered... Sedgwick granted honorable terms, allowing the defenders to march out of the fort with flags flying, drums beating, and muskets at the ready. The soldiers and employees working at the fort were offered transportation back to France and given enough pelts to cover their wages."^[8]

Although the commander of Port Royal left for France, most Acadians, including the Boudrot family, remained in Acadia. They were permitted to retain their land and belongings and were guaranteed religious freedom.^[8] Dunn describes life in Acadia during the 16 years of nominal British rule:

"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."

By 1671 the British had ceded Acadia to France and French settlement resumed.^[9] Around 1671^[10], the family homestead had eight arpents under cultivation and they had 5 cattle and 12 sheep. The family homestead was probably west of the fort on the south bank of the Dauphin (Annapolis) River. "The arpent was a basic French unit of land measurement, both linear and areal, but its size at the time is uncertain. In length, 200 feet may be a rough equivalent for an arpent in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries; it was later standardized to 192 feet. An areal arpent may have been something less than an acre (the usual equivalent was .845 acres) although it has been given the equivalent of as much as an acre and a half in some twentieth century definitions."^[11] At the Port-Royal census of 1671, he was 71 years old and the father of a family of 11 children, three of whom were married.^[12]

The 1678 Port Royal Census shows that Michel and his wife are living with their 5 sons age 12 to 22 and they own 12 "arpents" of land, 10 heads of cattle and 3 guns.^[13]

In 1685, at the age of approximately 85, Michel received a letter from the King of France naming him Lieutenant-General for Civil and Criminal matters for the country and the Acadian coast, a position he occupied until 1688.^[14]

In 1686, at Port Royal, Michel BOUDROT, Lieut. General of the Jurisdiction of Port Royal, aged 85, was living with his wife, Michelle AUCOIN, aged 65, and their two sons: Michel, aged 26, and François, aged 20. They owned 3 guns and were living on 20 arpents of cultivable land with 16 cattle, 17 sheep, and 6 hogs.^[15]

Michel died at Port Royal between 1688 and 1693.^[3] In 1693 his widowed wife was living with her son François and his wife.^[16]

Research Notes

Parentage

No source has been found that names Michel's parents. Martin Boudrot and Pierre Boudreaux were both linked as Michel's father, and Jeanne Terriot was linked as his mother, and have been removed.

Place of Origin in France

Bona Arsenault believed that he was originally from Cougnes, diocese of La Rochelle in France.^[17]

However, as noted above, Michel's parents are considered unknown, and his birth record therefore remains unidentified.

DNA

The French Heritage DNA project is conducting ongoing research to verify their origins. Ongoing test results are also reported here. According to the descendants tested, Michel Boudrot has a haplogroup R, indicating European origins.

Timeline

c1600 birth in France (potentially at Cougnes, La Rochelle)

1632 Treaty Saint-Germain-en-Laye cedes Acadia to France; Razilly brings ~300 elite men^[18]

1636 Arrival of the first families to settle permanently^[2]

b1639 residence Port-Royal (trustee)

c1641 marriage to Michelle Aucoin

c1642 birth, daughter Françoise

c1645 birth, daughter Jeanne

c1646 birth, son Charles

c1648 birth, daughter Marguerite

c1650 birth, daughter Marie

1654 British capture Port-Royal; French settlement ceases^[7]

c1655 birth, son Jean

c1657 birth, son Abraham

c1659 birth, son Michel

c1661 birth, son Olivier

c1663 birth, son Claude

c1666 birth, son François

1667-70 Treaty of Breda cedes Acadia to the French; settlement resumes^[9]

b1671 residence Port-Royal

b1678 residence Port-Royal

b1671 residence Port-Royal

1687 War of the League of Augsburg (King William’s War) starts between England and France^[19]

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.^[20][21][22] Seaman from two ships later loot and burn between 28 and 35 homes/habitations including the parish church.^[8]”

b1693 death, in Port-Royal

Biographie

Michel Boudrot
Une des plus grandes familles acadiennes^[2]a commencé avec un pionnier, Michel Boudrot, qui est né vers 1601.^[3]

Père et mère: L'identité de ses parents est inconnue.

Naissance: Il naît vers 1600, probablement de la paroisse de Cougnes, du diocèse de La Rochelle, en France.

Migration en Acadie: Michel "serait arrivé en Acadie avant 1639, date où il est mentionné comme étant déjà syndic à Port-Royal. Il était laboureur lors du recensement de 1671 et lieutenant général civil et criminel (c'est-à-dire magistrat) lors de celui de 1686."^[1]

Mariage: Il épouse Michelle Aucoin vers 1641.^[3] Elle est née vers 1618, dans les environs de La Rochelle, et était fille du menuisier, Martin Aucoin et de Marie Sallé ou Salé. Elle est arrivée à Port-Royal, en compagnie de sa sœur Jeanne Aucoin et de sa belle-mère Marié Sallé. Entre vers 1642 et 1666, le couple a eu 11 enfants: Françoise, Jeanne, Charles, Marguerite, Marie, Jean, Abraham, Michel, Olivier, Claude et François.^[3]

Décès: Michel est mort entre 1688 et 1693.^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} "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). Boudreau, 37 Families
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Massignon, Geneviève. "Les parlers français d'Acadie, enquête linguistique", Librairie Klincksieck, Paris, 1962, 2 tomes, p. 43 (Boudreau); p.42-58 (other large families).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9} White, Stephen A., Patrice Gallant, and Hector-J Hébert. Dictionnaire Généalogique Des Familles Acadiennes. Moncton, N.-B.: Centre D'études Acadiennes, Université De Moncton, 1999, Print, p. 184-186.

   • 1639 one of the first syndics at Port-Royal citing Geneviève Massignon's article in Revue d'histoire de l'Amérique française, vol XVI, 1963, p. 484 article online
   • 5 Oct 1687 signed an attestation favorable to d'Aulnay's works. Original source: ANF (Archives nationales de France), Col, C11D, vol II, fol 85.

4. ↑ Geneviève Massignon, "La seigneurie de Charles de Menou d’Aulnay, gouverneur de l’Acadie, 1635-1650" Revue d'histoire de l'Amérique française Volume 16, Numéro 4, mars 1963, p. 483-484 accessed at https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/haf/1963-v16-n4-haf2041/302226ar/

   Transcript of baptism record - original source La généalogie manuscrite de la famille de Menou, (B.N. Ms fr. 31.871, f° 295), Généalogie des Motin ( f° 113, f° 90): contenant que Marie fille du sieur Charles de Menou escuier s.donay lieutenant general pour le Roy en Coste dacadie païs de la Nouvelle france fut baptisée sur les 4 heures du soir ledit jour qu'elle estoit née par la une heure après midy mercredy 21 septembre et que fut consacrée a la Ste Vierge par Claude Petitpas et M. Boudrot premiers sindics du port Royal, ont esté son parrain Pierre fils de Pierre Cachet, sa marraine Jeanne Traihan fille de Guillaume Traihan mareschal et de Françoise Charbonneau

5. ↑ "Certificat de Michel Baudot, lieutenant général en Acadie. Il déclare que M. d'Aulnay Charnisay a fait bâtir trois forts et deux moulins en Acadie." Library and Archives Canada, Fonds du secrétariat d'Etat à la Marine et aux Colonies. Source: Archives nationales d'outre-mer (France), Reference COL C11D 2/fol.85-86 CABAC_PIAF_127182_CABAC_PIAF_127182, Original Document
6. ↑ Dictionnaire généalogique des familles acadiennes - Ajouts et corrections - p 184 (sept 2003). Centre d'Études Acadiennes. Université de Moncton, New Brunswick. Available online at DGFA - Ajouts et corrections 09-02-2017 accessed 30 Nov 2021.

   MICHELLE AUCOIN. Au lieu de «(sœur de Jeanne Aucoin épse François Girouard)», lire «(Martin (1) & peut-être Barbe Minguet)».

7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} William I. Roberts, 3rd, “SEDGWICK, ROBERT,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed November 20, 2013
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1 8.2} Dunn, Brenda. A History of Port Royal / Annapolis Royal 1605-1800. Nimbus Publishing, p 23-24(1654 Capture of Port-Royal); p25-27;29 (the English period 1654-1670).
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} In collaboration, “MORILLON DU BOURG,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed November 20, 2013
10. ↑ Charles Trahan's translations adding land holdings to 1671 Census
11. ↑ Clark, Andrew Hill, Acadia: The Geography of Early Nova Scotia to 1760. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1968, p 87)
12. ↑ 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.

    Michel BOUDROT, 71, wife Michelle AUCOIN 53; Children (3 married): Francoise 29, Jeanne 25, Marguerite 20; (these not married): Charles 22, Marie 18, Jehan 16, Abraham 14, Michel 12, Olivier 10, Claude 8, Francois 5; cattle 5, sheep 12, 8 arpents of land.

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

    Michel Broudrot and Michelle Aucoin; 12 acres; 10 cattle; 3 guns; 5 boys: 22, 1656; 20, 1658; 18, 1660; 16, 1662; 12, 1666. Michel Boudrot at the brook of brother Joseph Tirat at the southeast at Maitre Abraham to the River Au Seigneur 2 Leagues

14. ↑ Michel Boudrot's arrival - version 2 Association des Boudreau
15. ↑ 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: Michel BOUDROT, Lieut. General of the Jurisdiction of Port Royal, 85; Michelle AUCOIN his wife age 65; children: Michel 26, Francois 20; 3 guns, 20 arpents, 16 cattle, 17 sheep, 6 hogs.

16. ↑ 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

    Michelle AUCOIN (widow of Michel BOUDROT) 78, Francois BOUDROT her son 28, Marguerite BELLINEAU/BELLIVEAU his wife 16; 20 cattle, 18 sheep, 12 hogs, 25 arpents, 1 gun.

17. ↑ Karen Theriot Reader Michel Boudrot citing Bona Arsenault, HISTOIRE ET GENEALOGIE DES ACADIENS; 1600-1800; Ottawa, Editions Lemeac, 1978, vols. 2-6; p. 441 (Port Royal);

    Michel was Councilor and Lieutenant-General of Acadia at Port Royal, and judge of that place. He was undoubtedly originally from Cougnes, diocese of La Rochelle and married Michelle AUCOIN before their departure from France. He arrived in Acadia around 1642. (A footnote cites Genevieve Massignon, LES PARLERS FRANCOIS; pp. 43 & 57.)

18. ↑ George MacBeath, Biography – RAZILLY, ISAAC DE – Volume I (1000-1700) – Dictionary of Canadian Biography Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed November 20
19. ↑ Griffiths, Naomi E.S., From migrant to Acadian : a North-American border people, 1604-1755, Montreal (Québec), McGill-Queen's University Press, 2005, p147-151 (King William’s War); p 267-268 (oaths of allegiance)
20. ↑ C.P.Stacey, “PHIPS, SIR WILLIAM,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003, accessed November 20, 2013
21. ↑ "William Phips." Wikipedia. Accessed July 28, 2019. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Phips#Port_Royal_expedition.
22. ↑ C.Bruce Fergusson,“LA TOURASSE, CHARLES,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003, accessed November 20, 2013

See also:

• The Genealogy of the Thirty-seven Host Families of Homecoming 94
• Savard, Denis. "Michel Boudrot (Boudreau)." Acadie Nouvelle, 19 April 2016, accessed at https://www.acadienouvelle.com/chroniques/2016/04/03/racines-acadiennes-michel-boudrot/
• Nos origines - Michel Boudreau
• http://www.genealogie-acadienne.net/?action=indiDetails&I=2588
• http://boudrotgenealogy.com/
• Dennis M. Boudreau, "FROM MICHEL TO MYSELF [380+ Years of Our BOUDREAU Family History]", Volume XXII, No. 3, July 1993, page 90