Geneviève Massignon (1921 - 1966)

Born 27 Apr 1921 in Paris, Seine, France

Died 9 Jun 1966 at age 45 in France

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Geneviève Massignon is a descendant of an Acadian

Biography

Publications

Les parlers français d'Acadie, enquête linguistique

• "Les parlers français d'Acadie, enquête linguistique", Librairie Klincksieck, Paris, 1962, 2 tomes.
  • Google Books entry (full text not available online, but can be searched)
  • Find in a local library using WorldCat
• To cite, use Massignon, Genevieve. "Les parlers français d'Acadie, enquete linguistique", Librairie Klincksieck, Paris, 1962, 2 tomes.

Notes regarding origins in France of the first Acadian settlers

"300 hommes d'élite"

On page 32, she mentions the following news item, published in La Gazette in 1632 (p.282), which mentions Razilly bringing 300 elite men to Port-Royal.

• http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k106359w/f290.image

She believes that few, if any of these 300 elite brought wives with them and that the families found in the 1671 census came to Port-Royal on a later voyage.

The statement "il n'est pas probable qu'il y eût plus de 12 à 15 familles en Acadie", from Rameau de Saint-Père in L'Acadie, colonie féodale, page 82, has been considered an affirmation that so many families where present in Acadia by 1632 by the likes of Placide Gaudet.

Many ships have been recorded having crossed back and forth between Acadia and La Rochelle, but only one passenger list has been found.

"Rolle de Saint-Jehan"

Passenger list for a ship that left for Acadia on April 1st, 1636, transporting settlers from Champagne, d'Anjou, Dijon and La Rochelle, as well as a few "Basques et Bretons". (more information)

Three from the list are found in the 1671 census:

• Pierre Martin, de Bourgueil
• Guillaume Trahan, de Bourgueil
• Isaac Pesselin, de Champagne

• Jeanne Motin, daughter of Louis Motin (Issac de Razilly's associate), who married Charles d'Aulnay.

Along with the settlers, were carpenters sent to build ships and "sauniers" (salt harvesters) to work the marshes.

Evidence that the Saint-Jehan may have transported the first Acadian families includes Mathieu Martin, first Acadian born on Acadian soil, who was 35 at the 1671 census, meaning he was born around 1636. Massignon agrees with Père Godbout that it seems hard to believe that no births have been recorded since 1632, the year the 300 elite men arrived, unless those men were soldiers and builders instead of settlers bringing families.

She also notes that in the Belle-Isle en mer declarations, it was always said that the ancestors left France to establish themselves in Port Royal. Governor Razilly was established at La Hève until his death in 1635, after which d'Aulnay moved the colony to Port Royal.

Seigneurie d'Aulnay

A few incorrect guesses, such as by Rameau de Saint-Pierre in L'Acadie, colonie féodale, page 93, where he believes the settlers where from d'Alnauy's father's seigneurie in Charnizay in Touraine, are noted by Massignon. Her belief is that the settler's came from land owned by his mother in the small village of d'Aulnay in Loudunais, Vienne.

In the parish registers of La Chaussée, she found that more than half the acts between 1626 and 1650 involved family names found in the 1671 census of Acadia:

• Babin
• Belliveau
• Bertrand
• Bour
• Brault (Braude, au féminin)
• Brin
• Dugast
• Dupuy
• Gaudet (Gaudette, au féminin)
• Giroire
• Joffriau
• Landry
• LeBlanc
• Morin
• Poirier
• Raimbaut
• Robichaud
• Savoie
• Thibodeau

Names of the wives of settlers were also found:

• Chebrat
• Gautier
• Guion
• Lambert
• Mercier

The following 2 acts from the parish registers of La Chaussée are shown to match families from 1671 census:

• "Le 25 janvier 1645, a été baptisée Madeleine, fille de Vincent Brin et de Vincende Braude, parrain, Vincent Brault"
• "Le 21 août 1646 à été baptisée Andrée, fille de Vincent Brin et de Renée Braude, demeurant à la Grand'Chaussée"

Comparing to the 1671 census, she remarks that the baptisms for the 3 youngest are not found in the registers of La Chaussée, suggesting they left between 1646 and 1650. She also suspects that the Vincent Brault, Madeleine's god-father is the one found in the 1671 census at the age of 40, married to Marie Bour, 26.

Other links according to the 1671 census:

• Baptism of "Janne Chebra" on February 5th, 1627 is linked to Jeanne Chebrat, 45, married to Anthoine Gougeon.
• Terriot linked to Dupuis by Perrine Terriot, wife of Martin Dupuis.
• Landry with Bour
• Aucoin with Girouard as well as with Boudreau
• Boudreau with Robichaud
• LeJeune with Savoie and Gauterot
• Doucet with Dugast and Bourgeois
• Gaudet with LeBlanc and Hébert

She also mentions a list of tenants of Nocole de Joussemand, Charles d'Aulnay's mother. Names in the list include Brault, Bourg, Godet, Giroire, Terriot, Blanchard and Poirier.

Many contracts were also found for workers going to Acadia for a few years, but none of them are listed in the 1671 census, except for Thomas Cormier, son of Robert Cormier and Marie Piraude.

Witchcraft in Beaubassin?

On page 40, she mentions a "Procès Campagna", which happened in 1685 in Québec regarding alleged witchcraft in Beaubassin. Apparently Campagne, the accused, had to leave since no trace of her can be found in following census.

After 1671

Not many new arrivals in Acadia, except for a few French soldiers from Québec. This is due to being under English control for much of the time. During this time, a distinct population grew from the original settlers, isolated from the mother land.

TODO: Compare with following recent analysis: http://activehistory.ca/2013/11/the-value-of-historical-maps-solving-at-least-part-of-the-mystery-of-the-origins-of-the-acadians/

Sources

• http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genevi%C3%A8ve_Massignon

• http://cyberacadie.com/index.php?/renaissance_biographie/Genevieve-Massignon.html

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