André Bernard (abt. 1620)

Born about 1620 in Beauvais-sur-Mer, Poitou, France

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Biography

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André Bernard migrated from France to Acadia.

André Bernard was born around 1620 at Beauvais-sur-Mer, Poitou, France. No parents, spouse or children are listed for him by Stephen A. White. ^[1]

He came to Acadia in 1641 for a three years contract to work as a mason for Charles Saint-Étienne de La Tour.^{[1] [2][3]}

André was one of the lucky survivors of the sieur d'Aulnay's assault on La Tour's fort in 1645. He might even have been forced to serve as executioner for La Tour's men whom d'Aulnay ordered to be hanged after the fort was taken. ^[1]

“ While La Tour was in Boston, on Easter Sunday 13 April 1645, d'Aulnay sailed across the Bay of Fundy and arrived at La Tour's fort with a force of two hundred men. La Tour's soldiers were led by his wife, Françoise-Marie Jacquelin, who became known as the Lioness of LaTour for her valiant defence of the fort. After a five-day battle, on 18 April, d'Aulnay offered quarter to all if Françoise-Marie would surrender the fort. On that basis, knowing she was badly outnumbered, she capitulated, and d'Aulnay had captured La Tour's Fort Sainte-Marie. D'Aulnay then reneged on his pledge of safety for the defenders and treacherously hanged the La Tour garrison, forcing Madame de la Tour to watch with a rope around her neck. Three weeks later, while still in d'Aulnay's hands, she died.”^[4]

Stephen White believes that after the events that followed the surrender of Fort St-Jean, it is highly unlikely that André Bernard would have stayed in Acadia to lay down roots. ^[1]

Notes from Stephen White: ^[1]

1641: André Bernard, mason, native of Beaubais-sur-Mer, Poitous, agrees to serve in the house of Sieur Charles de La Tour (G. Massignon , Les Parlers français d'Acadie, vol I, p 55)

15 May 1645: Attestation signed by André Bernard regarding the surrender of Fort St. John; he was therefore spared from Aulnay (BN Nouv. acq. fr., Ms 9281, fol 110). It is assumed that Bernard had been the executioner of his comrades (A. Couillard Després, Charles de Saint-Etienne de La Tour and his time, Arthabaska, 1930, p 377-378).

Discussion

Often confused with "Unknown" aka André Bernard by some family trees, who married Andrée Guyon. According to Stephen White, they are not the same men. Note: recent research suggests that her husband's name was in fact Charles Bernard.

"Some authors have claimed that André Bernard is the father of Marie Bernard (abt.1645-1719) and Jeanne Bernard (abt.1646-bef.1683). We believe that, after the events that followed the surrender of Fort St-Jean, it is highly unlikely that André Bernard would have stayed in Acadia to lay down roots. "^{[1] [5]}

Stephen White also cites A. Godbout who said that René Bernard was not the related to Jeanne or Marie Bernard. ^[1] It is clear that none of them were fathered by André Bernard.

All of the following sources and marriages/children have been debunked by Stephen White:

From Steve Cormier, Acadians in Gray Steve says he follows White: "___, possibly André, Bernard married first to an Indian whose name has been lost (so says Bunnell, not White), and then to Andrée Guyon probably at Port-Royal in c1644. They had two daughters, both born at Port-Royal, who married into the Landry and Chiasson dit La Vallée families. __ died by c1651, when his wife Andrée remarried to fellow colonist Antoine Belliveau."^[6]

”The Acadian genealogist Bona Arsenault asserts that the progenitor of this family in Acadia was André Bernard, a mason from Beauvoir-sur-Mer, Poitou, France, who came to the colony in 1641, age 21, to work for Governor Charles La Tour at his fort on Rivière St.-Jean. Arsenault does not record the name of André's wife but says that he fathered two daughters, Jeanne and Marie, and two sons, Nicolas and René. Nicolas married an Indian and remained on Rivière St.-Jean. René moved to Chignecto, where he established a family of his own and from which the Acadian Bernards are descended.”^[6]

Bona Arseneault in his book "Histoire des Acadiens" places him as "most likely" father of René Bernard established in Beaubassin. ^[7]

Bona Arseneault dans son livre "Histoire des Acadiens"; il le place "vraisemblable" père de René Bernard qui s'est établi à Beaubassin. ^[7]

From Rootsweb:

Andre Bernard, b. 1620 in France - d. 1651 in Acadia - buried Fort Latour, Jemseg, Queens, New Brunswick.

Parents: Isaac Bernard & Francoise Moinet of Barthelemi, La Rochelle, Charente-Maritime, France.

Marriage 1: Mrs. Bernard (Micmac Indian) in 1641 at Canada.

1. Michel Nicolas Bernard, b. 1662 in St. Jean River area, Acadia

Marriage 2: Andree Marie Guyon on 1644 at Port Royal, Acadia

1. Rene Bernard, b. 1663 in Port Royal, Annapolis, Acadia - d. about 1702 ^[8]

• Both born after André's death...
• Also on this website, it is said that his parents were Isaac and Françoise Moisnet, but this is an error. Isaac and Françoise are the parents of another André Bernard, married to Marie Delezay and grandfather of André Bernard, married to Marie Gitton. ^[9]

Two articles that date back to 2002 by Jacques Nerrou and by Gérard Scavennec ^[10][11] suggest two possibilities for André Bernard's destiny. Either he returned to France where we lost track of him, or he could have stayed at Rivière Saint Jean and have descendants. He could have married a native woman who gave birth to Michel in 1662 and René in 1663.

The second hypothesis has been debunked by Stephen White.

Another article by Jacques Nerrou in 2008 in which he says he does not believe the hypothesis of the marriage to a native woman. "(...) cette dernière hypothèse, est sujette à réflexion car disparaissant après 1645 pour ne ré-apparaître qu’en 1662/1663, soit 18 ans plus tard. André Bernard aurait vécu avec une Indienne, sans avoir eu d’autres enfants durant cette longue absence, cela paraît alors peu probable. "^[12]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} 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) p. 124, 127

   Notes de S.A. White:

   • 1641: André Bernard, maçon, natif de Beauvais-sur-Mer, en Poitou, s'engage pour aller servir en l'habitation du Sieur Charles de La Tour (G. Massignon, Les Parlers français d'Acadie, vol I, p 55).
   • 15 mai 1645: Attestation signé par André Bernard concernant la reddition du fort St-Jean; il a donc été épargné par d'Aulnay (BN, Nouv. acq. fr., Ms 9281, fol 110). On suppose que Bernard avait été le bourreau de ses camarades (A. Couillard-Després, Charles de Saint-Etienne de La Tour et son temps, Arthabaska, 1930, p 377-378).
   • Certains auteurs ont prétendu qu'André Bernard serait le père de Marie et de Jeanne Bernard. Nous croyons bien qu'après les événements qui ont suivi la reddition du fort St.-Jean, il soit fort improbable qu'André Bernard soit resté en Acadie pour y faire souche.
2. ↑ Source: NAVIRES ET ENGAGES POUR ‘’LES TERRES NEUFVE DE LA NOUVELLE FRANCE ET DES COSTE DE LA CADIE ‘’, by Jacques Nerrou page, 16/26 Promesse d'engagement André Bernard à Guillaume Desjardins - Notaire Cherbonnier 2 mars 1641 La Rochelle:

   Personnellement establi André Bernard masson et tailleur de pierres, natif de Beauvoir sur Mer en poitou, lequel a volontairement promis [...] à Guillaume Desjardins Sieur de Saint Val [...] intendant des affaires de Monsieur Charles de Saint Etienne, chevalier seigneur de la Tour et Varco lieutenant pour le Roy en la Nouvelle France [...] acceptant d'aller au dit pays de Canada et habitations du dit seigneur de La Tour et de s'employer au mieux de son pouvoir et avec fidélité à travailler pour ledit seigneur de La Tour, soit en sa profession de masson et tailleur de pierres qu'à tout autre emploi quil plaira au dit seigneur de La Tour durant le temps et espace de trois années prochaines et consécutives et sans intervalle de temps qui commenceront a courir le jour de l'embarquement dudit Bernard [...] sera dans le premier navire que ledit sieur desjardins enverra aux dites habitations et à ces fins [...]

   faict à la Rochelle le deuxième mars mil six cent quarante et un.

   (Translation: Personally established André Bernard masson and stonemason, native of Beauvoir sur Mer in Poitou, who voluntarily promised [...] Guillaume Desjardins Sieur de Saint Val [...] steward of the affairs of Mr. Charles de Saint Etienne, knight lord of the Tower and Varco lieutenant for the king in New France [...] agreeing to go to the said country of Canada and the residences of the said lord of La Tour and to use himself to the best of his power and with fidelity to work for the said lord of La Tour, either in his profession of mason and stonemason than at any other employment that the said lord of La Tour will please during the time and space of the next three years and consecutive and without a time interval which will begin to run on the day of embarkation of said Bernard [...] will be in the first ship that said Sieur desjardins will send to said dwellings and for these purposes [...] made in La Rochelle on the second of March one thousand six hundred and forty-one)
3. ↑ Le Blogue de Guy Perron #355 Les engagés levés par Guillaume Desjardins pour le Canada en 1641 (note: the contract says for Canada, but it was for Acadie)
4. ↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Acadian Civil War," Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Acadian_Civil_War&oldid=986198486 (accessed November 1, 2020).
5. ↑ White, Stephen A. English Supplement to the Dictionnaire Généalogique Des Familles Acadiennes ,Part I 1636 to 1714; Moncton, N.-B.: Centre D'études Acadiennes, Université De Moncton, 2000, Print. P. 28
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Steven A. Cormier, Acadians Who Found Refuge in Louisiana, February 1764-early 1800s, Acadians in Gray, Appendices, BERNARD
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Histoire des Acadiens - Bona Arseneault - p. 64 - 65.
8. ↑ André Bernard on Rootsweb
9. ↑ Fichier Origine BERNARD, André
10. ↑ 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
11. ↑ 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
12. ↑ Nerrou, Jacques, «André Bernard était-il l'époux d'Andrée Guion? (II)», Racines & Rameaux Français d'Acadie, Lanester 56600, avril 2008, Bulletin n° 42, page 5 .(...) 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:

• A. Godbout, “Les Bernard d’Acadie”, MSGCF vol VII #2, avril 1956, p 123-125)

• (Note: the information in this book is unsourced and questionable) Lanctôt, Léopold, Familles acadiennes (Sainte-Julie, Québec : Editions du Libre-échange, 1994) p. 55 Archive.org