Renée Breau (abt. 1616 - bef. 1678)

Born about 1616 in France

Wife of Vincent Brun — married about 1644 in France

Descendants

Died before 1678 before about age 62 in Port-Royal, Acadie, Nouvelle-France

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Biography

Full Sequence mtDNA Haplogroup H13a1a4 Earliest Known Ancestor

Renée Breau migrated from France to Acadia.

Parents and Precise Origin Unknown. Renée Breau's parents are unknown at this time. Exact location in France of her birth and marriage also not known. Some trees and Find A Grave name Renée Breau and Marie Renaulme, but there are no sources or citations and therefore her parents and precise origin in France are considered to be unknown (as reported in the sources cited below).

Renée Breau migrated from France to Acadia.

Renée Breau was born in France around 1616. She was said to have been 55 at the time of the Port-Royal census of 1671. No parents were given by White.^[1]

Around 1644 Renée Breau married Vincent Brun. Between 1645 and 1658, Renée gave birth to five children: Madeleine, Andrée, Françoise, Sébastien, and Marie (Sébastienne). The first two children were baptized in La Chausée, France.^[1]

The family likely arrived in Acadia after the baptism of their daughter Andrée in France, in August 1646, and before the birth of their third daughter, Françoise, estimated in 1653 in Acadie.^[2]

Recorded on the Port-Royal Census of 1671 are the following:

Vincent Brun, 60; femme, Renée Brode; enfants: Madeleine, 25, Andrée, 24, François, 18, Bastien, 15, Marie, 12.^[3][4]

In 1654 Port-Royal was captured by Robert Sedgwick, who led three hundred British soldiers and volunteers.^[5]

The [French] soldiers at Port-Royal, who numbered about 130 … put up a brief defence 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 honourable 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.^[6]

Although the commander of Port-Royal left for France, most Acadians, including the Brun family, remained in Acadia. They were permitted to retain their land and belongings and were guaranteed religious freedom.^[6] Dunn describes life in Acadia during the sixteen 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.^[6]

By 1671 the British had ceded Acadia to France, and French settlement resumed. ^[7] Around 1671^[8] the family homestead had five arpents^[9] under cultivation, and they had ten cattle and four sheep. Their farm was likely situated several miles from the fort on the north bank of the Dauphin (Annapolis River) to the east of the Belleisle Marsh.^[1][10]

Sometime before the 1678 Census, Renée died, likely at Port-Royal.^[11]

Timeline

c1616 Birth, in France

1632 Treaty Saint-Germain-en-Laye cedes Acadia to France; Razilly brings ~300 elite men. ^[12]

1636 D'Aulnay brings the first French families to settle permanently^[13][6]

c1644 Marriage to Vincent Brun

1645 Birth of daughter, Madeleine, in France

1646 Birth of daughter, Andrée, in France

c1653 Birth of daughter Françoise

1654 British capture Port-Royal; French settlement ceases. ^[5]

c1655 Birth of son Sébastien

c1658 Birth of daughter Marie (Sebastienne)

1667-70 Treaty of Breda cedes Acadia to the French; settlement resumes.^[7]

1671 Residence, Port-Royal

before 1678 Death, Port-Royal

DNA

The Mothers of Acadia Maternal DNA project is conducting ongoing research to verify their origins. Stephen White reports Renée Breau had a Haplogroup H13a1a4. Ongoing test results are also reported here. ^[14] All descendants have consistently reported an H haplogroup, indicating European origins.

A descendant of Marguerite Ciret, also tested Mt-DNA Haplogroup H13a1a4.^[15]

Research Notes

Some assertions by Massignon have been disproved: REMOVED FROM DATABASE BIRTH PLACE FIELD: (or 1609 or 1617 or 1619 or 18 Apr 1618 or 1626) Annapolis, Acadia, Canada or La Chausse, Martaize, Loudun, Vienne, Poitou-Charentes, France or Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine, Bretagne, France

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} 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) pp. 270-272.
2. ↑ Karen Theriot Reader, Vincent Brun, citing Bona Arsenault, Histoire et généalogie des Acadiens: 1625-1810, (Ottawa: Editions Lemeac, 1978) p. 474;

   (Port Royal) Vincent BRUN , born in 1616, originally from La Chaussée (reference to Genevieve Massignon, LES PARLERS FRANCAIS D'ACADIE, vol. 1, p. 53+ as well as the journal LA SOCIETE HISTORIQUE ACADIENNE). Vincent arrived in Acadia around 1648, having married around 1644 to Renée BROT; five children listed, born from 1645 to 1659.

3. ↑ Benjamin Sulte, Histoire des canadiens-français, 1608-1880: origine, histoire, religion, guerres, découvertes, colonisation, coutumes, vie domestique, sociale et politique, développement, avenir, 1882-1884, (Montréal: Wilson & cie, éditeurs) vol. 4. p. 151; Archive.org
4. ↑ Tim Hebert, Transcription of the 1671 Acadian Census, at Port-Royal, Acadie, 1671 Census Transcribed. The original census can be found at Acadian Census microfilm C-2572 of the National Archives of Canada “Acadie Recensements 1671 – 1752” Image 7;

   Vincent BRUN, 60, wife Renee BRODE 55; Children (married): Madeline 25, Andree 24, Francoise 18; (not married): Bastien 15, Marie 12; cattle 10, sheep 4.

5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} William I. Roberts, 3rd, “SEDGWICK, ROBERT,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, (University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003), accessed May 22, 2023, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/sedgwick_robert_1E.html
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3} Brenda Dunn, A History of Port Royal / Annapolis Royal 1605-1800, (Nimbus Publishing) pp. 23-24; (1654 Capture of Port-Royal); pp. 25-27; 29 (the English period 1654-1670)"
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} In collaboration, “MORILLON DU BOURG,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, (University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–) accessed May 22, 2023, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/morillon_du_bourg_1E.html.
8. ↑ Lucie LeBlanc Consentino, Acadian Ancestral Home, Charles Trahan's translations adding land holdings to 1671 Census,
9. ↑ Statistics Canada 1 arpent= 0.845 acres
10. ↑ 1707 homestead location of farms of Sebastien and Abraham Brun. In Au Coeur de l'Acadie Acadian Settlement on the Annapolis River 1707 Map Parks Canada.
11. ↑ Tim Hebert, 1678 Port Royal Acadian Census, (the correlations for this census were done by Rev. Clarence J. d'Entremont, Fairhaven, Massachusetts).1678 Census;

    Vincent Brun Widower, Bastien Brun & Huguette Bourg, 1 boy age 1 born 1677;1 girl age 2 born 1676, 6 acres 8 cattle.

12. ↑ George MacBeath, “RAZILLY (Rasilly), ISAAC DE,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, (University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–), accessed May 22, 2023, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/razilly_isaac_de_1E.html
13. ↑ Geneviève Massignon, Les parlers français d'Acadie, enquête linguistique, (Paris: Librairie Klincksieck, 1962), p. 32, first French families in Acadia; pp. 36-37, Brun family origins and departure for Acadia.
14. ↑ Denis Savard, Administrator, Acadie ADN / Acadian DNA (Mothers of Acadia) Signatures ADN Renée Breau, Accessed May 2023 (Click on name for more relationship information.)
15. ↑ Family Tree DNA: accessed 12 Jan 2019.

See also:

• NOTE: Find A Grave names René Breau and Marie Renaulme as the parents of Renée Breau but there are no sources to support this claim. Her parents are unknown.Find A Grave: Memorial #140083229