François Joseph Daigle (1767 - 1849)

Born 1767 in France

Ancestors

Husband of Marie Claire Richard — married 23 Jan 1792 in Bonadventure, New Brunswick

Husband of Marie-Blanche Leger — married 5 Jul 1795 in Saint Basile, Madawaska, P. Q.

Descendants

Died 12 Jun 1849 at about age 82 in Saint Charles de Kent, Colony of New Brunswick

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Biography

François Daigle is a descendant of an Acadian

François Joseph Daigle was born about 1767 in France to parents Olivier Daigle and Blanche Robichaud. ^[1]

François married first Marie Claire Richard on 23 January 1792 in Quebec. ^[2] They had one child:

1. Marie Claire Daigle 1793-1805

François married second Marie Blanche Legerre 8 July 1795 at St-Basile, Acadie, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, New Brunswick. ^[3] They had twelve children:

1. Marie Nathalie (1796-1822)
2. Marguerite (1798-1887)
3. Francois Joseph (1800-1848)
4. Pierre Luc (1802-1884)
5. Jean Baptiste (1804-1880)
6. Marie Claire (1807-1810)
7. Marie Henriette (1809-1866)
8. Apolline (1812-1830)
9. Rose (1814-1832)
10. Seraphne (1817-1819)
11. Jean Jacob Daigle (1819-1914)
12. Oliver Urbain (1823-1886)

François passed away in 1849 in Kent, New Brunswick, Canada.

Acadie Research Note

From Lillian Rourke

For years I believed that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's peom Evangeline , a Love Tale of Acadie was the story of our family. It is the story of the "grand derangement" or the great deportation of the Acadians our ot Nova Scotia (Grand Pre) during the French and Indian War (1754-1763). However, we now know that our families from the St. John Valley were sent back to France or along the eastern seabord and many eventually found refuge in Louisianna bayous where theyfelt they could not be reached. Our line escaped to Prince Edward Island (Ile St. Jean) to Quebec and to the deep forests of New Brunswick. What follows is a short version of our family's two hundred year growth.

I want to introduce our forefathers so you will have an idea of how we came to live in Lille, Maine. I've gathered my information from various resources collected for the Daigle reunion in Madawaska in 1985. I particularly gathered from How the Acadians Came to Maine written by Lawrence Violette who was also my first superintendent in Madawaska and father of my best friend and college roomate, Laurette. My cousin, Father Robert Labrecque, S.M. did a geonology which was very helpful. Later I received the Daigle and Martin geneolgies by Albert Martin and used those extensively. I finally discovered Madawaska Heritage writtten for the bicentennial celebration of 1985 by Leo G. Cyr. Many hours of research would have been saved had I been aware of his work earlier.

The French started exploring the eastern seabord in the early 1500s and a settlement became more or less permanent about 1632. The came form Poitou and Normandy in France and settled in what is now New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia. A higher concentration arrived and Port Royal , named later at Grand Pre (Windsor) on the northwest shore of Nova Scotia and on the Bay of Fundy.

They quickly made friends with the Indian and mostly maintained that relationship throughout this period. The French had come for fur trading and fishing bur slowly became self-sufficient farmers raising large gardens and cattle. It is said of these settlers that they were a "happy, healthy , virtuous people attached to theri religion and traditions."

Arcadia was the name given by Verrazano in 1523. The "r" was later dropped. Acadie was then Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, New Brunswick and Maine. the French settlers of this area considered themselves Acadians so in a sense they felt no allegiance to France or England. A strong spirit of independence followed them wherever they settled.

The fate of our ancestors hinged on the international rivalry between France and England. They were the victims or pawns in the game being played for about a hundred years. It's a story of French rule and English domination between the years of 1630 and 1785 and expecially focusing ofn the final deportatio from Grand Pre in 1755. Over these years with many different administrators they repeatedly were asked to pledge their allegiance to an English King as French subjects. Also expected of them was a renunciation of their Catholic faith and adoption of English Protestantism. Frequently were offered a chance to emigrate but actually not being granted the passes to leave or the titles to the land, often a subordinate by overruled or ignored by a superior. They were often prisoners in their own land.

This was a period of great colonization by the European nations. It was also a period of continuous wars. The King William's War, The Queen Ann's War, the King George's War of England all had their repercussions in Acadie. The Seven Years War os 1756 - 63, the French and Indian War of 1754-63, and especially the American Revolution of 1776 all had serious impact. Loyalists upset over the American situation continued to find refuge in the lands settled by the Acadians.

Throughout this era many of our people maintained a spirit of neutrality, neither joining the French nor the English forces. But in the end the British had the last word. Troops from New England were in the area of Grand Pre and British Gov Lawrence decided that with the ships in the harbor it was time to forever settle the questionof allegiance, so in 1755 8000 Acadians were seized, deported to England and scattered throughout the eastern seabord all the way to the Carolinas and the Caribbean Islands intentionally separating the families.

Sources

1. ↑ Olivier Daigle was captured with his father, Charles Daigle, on Ile St Jean and deported to France never to see Acadie again. The family of Charles was born in Pisquit. Charles tried to escape to Ile St Jean but was later captured and deported to St. Servan in 1758 All of Olivier's children have birth dates after the deportation and he died in France. Francois's Baptism July 15, 1767 : St. Servan, Ile et Vilaine, France
2. ↑ Institut Généalogique Drouin; Montreal, Quebec, Canada; Author: Gabriel Drouin, comp. Citing Name: Francois Joseph Daigle Gender: masculin (Male) Event Type: Mariage (Marriage) Marriage Date: 23 Jan 1792 Marriage Place: Bonaventure, Québec (Quebec) Spouse: Marie Claire Richard
3. ↑ Gabriel Drouin, comp. Drouin Collection. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: Institut Généalogique Drouin; citing Name: Francois Joseph Daigle Event Year: 1795 Event: Marriage Religion: Catholique City: St-Basile Place or Church Name: St-Basile Province: Acadie (Nova Scotia and New Brunswick) (New Brunswick) Spouse: Marie Blanche Legerre