Born about 1654 in Port-Royal, Acadie, Nouvelle-France [uncertain]

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas Cormier — married about 1668 in Port Royal, Acadie , Nouvelle-France [uncertain]

Descendants

Died after 1714 in Beaubassin, Acadie, Colony of Nova Scotia [uncertain]

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Marie Madeleine Girouard is an Acadian. Join: Acadians Project Discuss: ACADIA

Biography

NOTICE: this profile is protected by the Acadian Project because she is an historically important person as ancestral matriarch of numerous Acadian families. Please contact the Acadian Project before making any substantive changes. Thanks for helping make WikiTree the best site for accurate information

The ancestral matriarch of one of the largest Acadian families is Marie-Madeleine Girouard.^[1]. Marie-Madeleine was born around 1654 to parents François Girouard and Jeanne Aucoin^[2] likely in Acadia.^[3]

Around 1668, Marie-Madeleine married Thomas Cormier, a carpenter and son of Robert Cormier and Marie Péraud.^[2] In 1671 she and Thomas were living in Port-Royal. ^[4]

In the 1670's, the available farmland at Port-Royal was diminishing and some Acadians established new villages such as at Beaubassin (Amherst, Nova Scotia).^[5] Thomas and Marie-Madeleine were among the first settlers of Beaubassin. Around 1679 Thomas claimed the large marsh area in the second loop of the River of the Planks (Rivière des Planches), building a home on the southern flank, which was exposed to the north wind. Within the year, the family abandoned this site and started a new settlement on the reverse and southern side of the Ouescoque heights (Amherst Point, NS)^[6]

By 1686^[2], Marie-Madeleine had given birth to 10 children: Marie-Madeleine, François, Anne, Alexis, Germain, Pierre, Claire, twins Marie and Agnès, and Jeanne. ^[7] Their daughter Anne had married Michel Hache dit Gallant (an agent of the Sieur) and started her own family. The census indicated that Thomas and Madeleine had 40 arpents of cultivated land (about 34 acres), 30 cattle, 10 sheep, and 15 hogs. The family were among the most prosperous settlers ^[8]

Marie-Madeleine was widowed before 1693.^[9][10] She did not remarry, and raised her children on her own while managing a large farm. Two of her sons and a number of the younger children assisted.^{[11] [12]}

In 1714, she was living with her daughter Anne and son-in-law Michel Hache called Gallant. ^[13].

Her date of death is not known.

Marie-Madeleine left a profound legacy.^[1] Her 17 married grandsons and their offspring would generate one of the largest Acadian families. Her 6 daughters and 25 grandaughters married into other large Acadian families including the LeBlanc, Arsenau, Haché-Gallant, Boudrot, Richard, Doucet, Landry, Poirier, Comeau, Chiasson, Theriot, Bourg, Cyr, Hébert, Thibodeau, Bourgeois, Dupuis, and Babin.

Timeline

c1654 birth, in Acadia

1654 British capture Port-Royal; French settlement ceases^[14]

c1666 marriage to Thomas Cormier

1667-70 Treaty of Breda cedes Acadia to the French; settlement resumes.^[15] Available farmland decreases; some leave Port-Royal to establish new villages such as Beaubassin (1671) ^[5]

1670 birth, daughter Marie-Madeleine

1671 residence, in Port-Royal

c1672 birth, son François

c1674 birth, daughter Anne

c1676 birth, son Alexis

1676-78 Michel Leneuf des Vallières is awarded a large (1000 square miles) seigneury at Beaubassin. “The grant specified that he leave undisturbed any settlers there, together with their lands they used or had planned to use for themselves”. La Vallière builds his homestead on an island (Tonge’s Isand)^[16][17]

1679 residence, in Beaubassin

c1680 birth, son Germain

1682 birth, son Pierre, in Beaubassin

1684 birth, daughter Claire, in Beaubassin

1686 birth, twin daughter Marie, in Beaubassin

1686 birth, twin daughter Agnès, in Beaubassin

c1688 birth, daughter Jeanne

b1693 widowed

1714 residence, in Beaubassin

a1714 death

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Massignon, Geneviève. "Les parlers français d'Acadie, enquête linguistique", Librairie Klincksieck, Paris, 1962, 2 tomes, p43(Cormier);p42-58(other large families).
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} 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, 400,401, 718-719.
3. ↑ There is no birth record. Her father François arrived in Acadia for his marriage to Madeleine's mother. See father's timeline.
4. ↑ 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.

   at Port Royal: Thomas CORMIER, carpenter, 35, wife Madeline GIROUARD 17; Child: 1 daughter 2; cattle 7, sheep 7.

5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Les familles pionnières Pioneer Families, in 1755 l'Histoire et les Histoires, University of Moncton
6. ↑ Surette, Paul. Atlas of the Acadian Settlement of the Beaubassin 1660 to 1755. Tintamarre and Le Lac. Tantramar Heritage Trust. 2005, p5-6 (claiming the marsh at Ouescoque); p9(dispute with the Poiriers); p44,45(location of Ouescoque Amherst point).
7. ↑ 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 Beaubassin: Thomas CORMIER 55, Magdelaine GIROUARD 37; children: Magdeleine 18. Francois 16, Alexis 14, Marie 12, Germain 10, Pierre 8, Angelique 4, twins Marie and Jeanne 1; 4 guns, 40 arpents, 30 cattle, 10 sheep, 15 hogs.

8. ↑ Cormier, Stephen. Acadians in Grey, Cormier Appendix.
9. ↑ In the 1693 census, his wife is a widow.
10. ↑ 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

    at Beaubassin: Madeleine GIROUARD widow (of Thomas CORMIER) 39, Alexis 16, Germain 13, Pierre 11, Claire 9, Marie 7, Agnes 7, Jeanne 5; 16 cattle, 4 sheep, 12 hogs.

11. ↑ Tim Hebert; Transcription of the 1698 Acadian Census at Port-Royal, Acadie1698 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 110-150

    at Beaubassin: Marie-Madeleine GIROUARD (widow of Thomas CORMIER?) 45; Germain 18; Pierre 16; Claire 14; Marie and Agnes, twins, 12; Jeanne 10; 12 cattle, 4 sheep, 8 hogs.

12. ↑ Tim Hebert; Transcription of the 1700 Acadian Census at Port-Royal, Acadie 1700 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 151-173.

    at Beaubassin: Madelaine GIROUARD, widow of François CORMIER, 47; Germain 20; Piere 18; Claire 16; Marie and Agnes (twins) 12; Jeanne 12; 17 cattle, 12 sheep, 4 hogs, 24 arpents.

13. ↑ Tim Hebert; Transcription of the 1714 Acadian Census at Port-Royal, Acadie 1714 Census Transcription. The original census can be found at Acadian Census microfilm C-2572 of the National Archives of Canada “Acadie Recensements 1671 – 1752”, Images 239-261.

    at Beaubassin: Michel HACHE and Anne CORMIER his spouse; the widow Cormier; Children: Joseph, Marie, Jean-Baptiste, Charles, Pierre, Anne, Marguerite, Francois, Magdelaine, Jacques.

14. ↑ William I. Roberts, 3rd, “SEDGWICK, ROBERT,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed November 20, 2013
15. ↑ In collaboration, “MORILLON DU BOURG,” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 1, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed November 20, 2013
16. ↑ J.-Roger Comeau, “LENEUF DE LA VALLIÈRE DE BEAUBASSIN, MICHEL (d. 1705),” in Dictionary of Canadian Biography, vol. 2, University of Toronto/Université Laval, 2003–, accessed January 15, 2021, http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/leneuf_de_la_valliere_de_beaubassin_michel_1705_2E.html.
17. ↑ Clark, Andrew Hill, Acadia; the geography of early nova Scotia to 1760. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1968. p141 (Bourgeois founder); p141-142 (seigneury of Beaubassin).

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