Project: Acadians

Categories: Pre-1700 Projects

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Welcome to the Acadians Project
Bienvenue
Acadie 1764

Contents

Mission

We aim to grow and source one family tree of French immigrants who settled in Acadia during the dates 1600-1763. Their descendants are concentrated in today's Canadian Atlantic Provinces, Québec, New England, and Louisiana (Cajuns).

Are you interested in the Acadians Project?acadia.gif
If you can help as a Project Coordinator , send a note to Cindy Bourque Cooper if you're interested. If you don't already have an area of focus, we have tasks you can help with.

How to join

Project Membership Requirements
Becoming a project member means you are ready to make additional contributions to the broader set of Acadian profiles beyond your own family.

  1. You have signed the Honor Code
  2. Have been a member for at least 30 days
  3. Have made at least 100 contributions, including some for Acadians
  4. Are Pre-1700 certified (many Acadians are pre-1700)
  5. Willing to improve profiles of Acadians - choose one of the areas in the We Need Help With in the section below

Please make sure you are willing to do the work before asking for the badge.

If you are willing to work on a We Need Help With area (see list below, or your own type of contributions), please answer our G2G welcome post and describe the improvements you'd like to make.

Requirements after Joining

  • Members are encouraged to join our Google Group, a place for information and updates about the project. When you get a badge, an invitation to join the group will be sent to you via email.
  • Respond to member check-ins with a project leader. A comment will be posted on your profile and/or an email sent. If we do not get a response or if you haven't been active on WikiTree for over a year, your badge will be removed, but can be given back when you are ready to participate in the project.

Communicating with the project:

  • Leave a comment on any individual profile page that has an Acadians Project template and the project leaders will see it and respond shortly
  • Anyone interested in project information and updates can join our Google Group. It is not necessary to be a member of the project
  • Acadia tag on G2G - For discussions involving the broader Acadian participants or the WikiTree community in general

Goals

The mission of the Acadians Project is to create, source, connect, and improve profiles and free-space pages related to Acadians in Acadie and in exile. The Project also aims to compile an extensive list of both on-line and off-line resources and research tools that people can use to find information on Acadian families.

  • Any improvements you can make to linking the profiles of the Acadians in your family or others are welcome, and here are some specific goals we're working towards for each profile:
    • Standardized surnames are used for LNAB and current last name through the period to 1763
    • Women use their LNAB not their married name
    • Multiple names go in first names (no middle names)
    • Project Protection added to highly viewed profiles, historically important people, frequently duplicated people, those with relationship confusion. Marking the profile as project protected (must be done by one of the Project_Leaders)
    • Acadian Project Account added as manager (wtacadians *at* googlegroups.com) Replace *at* with proper sign
    • Acadian template included on the top of the page {{Acadian}}
    • At least one location Category is added (type Acadie in the category dropdown and the list will come up)
    • Migrating ancestor sticker is under the Biography heading (if applicable)
    • Each Acadian census in which that person appears included in the biography
    • Parents are correct and marked confident when well documented
    • A simple child list (dates OK). Information about siblings go in the parents' and their own profiles - unless an historically important event includes them
    • Bio is cleaned up, free of any GEDCOM junk, and has an actual written bio

We Need Help With

  1. Fix up formatting for these profiles: Needs Formatting and Needs Biography plus a few more here. There are nice tools to make biographies for profiles that are empty like this Tool to Generate Simple Biographies and the WikiTree Browser Extension
  2. Add all the people from a parish or census to help round out the population using Reliable Sources
  3. Check and mark parents' status confident using reliable sources such as birth, marriage or death records or other documentation (not a family tree)
  4. Look for marriages - infant mortality was low for this population. An adult without a marriage would be unusual. Can you find spouses - in parish registers or censuses. (a leader can make a list for you)
  5. Find death information. With so many who fled or were forced to various parts of the world during the expulsion, review ship lists and in some places special Acadian censuses to fill in gaps and complete death dates and locations. See this subproject page here
  6. Make sure every profile has a location category
  7. Find sources for these Acadians: Unsourced
  8. Add the native sticker {{First Peoples Canada Sticker|nation=Mi'kmaq}} to generations below the first native ancestor, no matter how thin the blood goes down through descendants. Mi’kmaq would be changed for proper tribe or can be left blank if not known. Placed below the Biography heading
  9. Update profiles with research from the Bulletin du Centre d'etudes acadiennes Bulletins all in French.
  10. For writers: create short stories for Interesting People in Acadie

Editing Acadian Profiles

Anyone can edit Acadian profiles as they are all Open. If you see an improvement, please add it with a source if applicable. For questions or uncertain information, please leave comments on profiles and a project member or profile manager will respond. Collaboration is encouraged!

Project Protected Profiles require a much higher level of collaboration. Please comment first before adding or changing anything important like a name, date, location, or relationship. A source would be most helpful.

See the Reliable Sources page for many original sources with links and citations already made for you. Please contact Cindy Cooper if you feel inspired to work on one of these ideas.

See Biography Instructions and Checklist for guidelines.

Sample Profiles

Templates, Stickers and Project Management Guidelines

The Acadian flag.
... ... ... is an Acadian.
Join: Acadians Project
Discuss: ACADIA
The {{Acadian}} Template or Project Box identifies a profile as project-managed so that visitors can find out how to collaborate on the profile and related profiles. Should be placed above the Biography heading and below any categories for the following profiles:
  • Acadians who lived in Acadie prior to the end of 1763, and any children born to Acadian couples who were married in Acadia through 1763, regardless of where they were born.
  • Siblings and half-siblings of Acadie-born children even if born later or in a different place.
  • Acadians on the Louisiana Wall of Names (WON), regardless of above rules.
See Definition for Inclusion in Acadian Project for more parameters.

Flag of France
... ... ... migrated from France to Acadia.
Flag of Acadia
The Migrating Ancestor Sticker identifies profiles of people who migrated from France to Acadia. Should be next to the text describing a Sticker, but always below the Biography heading.
{{Migrating Ancestor | origin = France | origin-flag = French_Flags-26.png | destination = Acadia | destination-flag = Acadie-1.png }}

Acadian Flag
... ... ... is a descendant of an Acadian
After 1763, all other descendants of Acadians can have the {{Acadian Sticker}} as desired by the profile manager
(Placed below the Biography heading)

Acadian Flag
... ... ... is an Acadian
To indicate that a descendant or living person is an Acadian, you can use the {{Acadian Sticker|living=yes}}
(Placed below the Biography heading)

Acadian Categories

This page has the listings of all the Acadian categories for locations. Selecting a location will show all profiles in that category. When editing a profile, you can use the category symbol, type in Acadie and the location choices will come up. Please try to add location categories whenever possible.

Most frequently used locations in Acadie (from 1604 to 1763)
[[Category:Arichat, Île Royale, Acadie]]
[[Category:Beaubassin, Acadie]]
[[Category:Chipoudy, Acadie]] (1698 - 26 Aug 1755)
[[Category:Cobeguit, Acadie]]
[[Category: Grand-Pré, Acadie]]
[[Category: Isle Royale]]
[[Category:Isle Saint-Jean, Acadie]]
[[Category:Les Mines, Acadie]]
[[Category:Louisbourg, Île Royale, Acadie]]
[[Category:Pisiguit, Acadie]]
[[Category:Port-La-Joye, Acadie]]
[[Category:Port-Royal, Acadie]]
[[Category:Port-Toulouse, Île Royale, Acadie]]
[[Category:Rivière-Saint-Jean, Acadie]]

This page provides all the other categories currently set up for Acadian people. Some have drill downs to more subcategories. Use of these categories, including Maintenance tags, would be appreciated.

Most frequently used:
[[Category:Great_Upheaval]]
[[Category:Acadians_Born_in_Exile]]
[[Category:Acadians_Died_at_Sea_en_Route_to_Europe]]
Ships that carried the Acadian Diaspora List of ships

If there are any categories you would like added so you can see a particular population, please contact the Acadians Project Cindy (Bourque) Cooper.

Location Names

Acadie in 1755

Please use these and not the dropdowns that come up in the locations fields - those are from Family Search, not from WikiTree.

  • The historic province in France should be used in place location names for most events related to Acadians before 1790, instead of the modern department. See French Origins of Acadians.
  • A parish name may be used in the biography if available as that helps in identification of the location.
  • No county names were used during the Acadian period. The dates of county establishments can be found here.
  • Canada was not a country until 1867 so should not be used until then (unless part of Canada, Nouvelle-France which became Québec).
  • Note that not all the colonies changed names at the same time, so watch dates carefully.
  • Acadie is used in Nova Scotia after the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 because the Acadians still maintained their communities and called it Acadie[1] until the expulsions and deportations and France gave up the other Acadian areas with the Treaty of Paris in 1763. Acadie is accompanied by Colony of Nova Scotia to recognize the legal ownership by the British.
  • Most of these lands changed hands often during the early years, too many times to detail. Broad strokes of French inhabitation and general authority are used.

For Nova Scotia towns (no counties until 1759 see List)

Acadie, Nouvelle-France from 1604 to April 11, 1713 (town name, Acadie, Nouvelle-France)
Acadie, Colony of Nova Scotia from April 12, 1713 to Feb 10, 1763 (town name, Acadie, Colony of Nova Scotia)
Colony of Nova Scotia from February 11, 1763 to June 30, 1867 (town name, Colony of Nova Scotia)
Nova Scotia, Canada after July 1, 1867 (town name, Nova Scotia, Canada)
Port-Royal (with hyphen) the town from 1605 to Oct 12, 1710 became Annapolis Royal (no hyphen) Oct 13, 1710

For New Brunswick towns (no counties until 1785 see Archives). For more post Acadian period, see also New Brunswick page

Acadie, Nouvelle-France from 1604 to 10 February, 1763 (town name, Acadie, Nouvelle-France)
Nova Scotia Colony from February 11, 1763 to 1784 (town name, Nova Scotia Colony)
New Brunswick Colony from 1784 to June 30, 1867 (town name, New Brunswick Colony)
New Brunswick, Canada after July 1, 1867 (town name, New Brunswick, Canada)

For Ile Royale towns (no counties until 1835 see List)

Ile Royale, Acadie, Nouvelle-France from 1713 to 7 October, 1758 (town name, Ile Royale, Acadie, Nouvelle-France)
Colony of Nova Scotia from 7 October, 1758 to 1784 (town name, Colony of Nova Scotia)
Cape Breton Colony from 1784 to 1820 (town name, Cape Breton Colony)
Colony of Nova Scotia from 1820 to June 30, 1867 (town name, Colony of Nova Scltia)
Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada after July 1, 1867 (town name, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada)

For Ile Saint-Jean towns (no counties until 1764-5 see History). For post Acadian period, see also Prince Edward Island page

Ile Saint-Jean, Acadie, Nouvelle-France from 1604 to 11 February, 1763 (town name, Ile Saint-Jean, Acadie, Nouvelle-France). Note that Saint is written out and has a hyphen.
Colony of St. John's Island from February 11, 1763 to end of 1798 (written town name, Colony of St. John's Island). There was a short period between 1763 and 1769 where St John's Island was administered as part of Nova Scotia Colony, but we don't use that designation.
Colony of Prince Edward Island from 1799 to June 30, 1873 (town name, Colony of Prince Edward Island)
Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada after July 1, 1873 (town name, Province of Prince Edward Island, Canada) - do not use abbreviation PEI .

Which is the correct term for Ile Saint Jean and Ile Royale?

Isle is the old French word for Island, the way it was written at the time. Île is also sometimes seen.
We use Ile instead of Isle or Île.

Newfoundland (uses Districts instead of counties). For post Acadian period, see also Newfoundland page

Plaisance, Terre-Neuve, Nouvelle-France from 1620 to April 11, 1713 (town name, Plaisance, Terre-Neuve, Nouvelle-France) (For the French colony of Plaisance)
Newfoundland Colony from April 12, 1713 to 1907 (town name, Newfoundland Colony)
Dominion of Newfoundland from 1907 to March 30, 1949 (town name, Dominion of Newfoundland)
Province of Newfoundland, Canada from March 31, 1949 to February 15, 2001 (town name, Province of Newfoundland, Canada)
Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada after February 16, 2001 (town name, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada)

Saint Pierre et Miquelon

Nouvelle-France 1670 to 1713
Colony of St Peter's Island 1713-1763 (town name, Colony of St Peter's Island)
Colonie de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon 1763-1778 (town name, Colonie de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon
British 1778-1816 (research needed on British name)
Saint-Pierre et Miquelon 1816-1947 (town name, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, France)
Territoire de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon 1947 to 18 July 1976 (town name, Territoire de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, France)
Département de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon from 19 July 1976 to 10 June 1985 (town name, Département de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, France)
Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon after 11 June 1985 (town name, Collectivité territoriale de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, France)

Iles de la Madeleine

Nouvelle-France from 1713 to 1760 (town name, Iles de la Madeleine, Nouvelle-France)
from 1760-1763 it was a British possession
in 1763 became part of Newfoundland

The most southerly areas became Province of Maine.

Naming Conventions

Should married names be included for Acadian women?

Since no Acadian records name Acadian women using married names, we would be making an assumption about them to include them. Therefore, only the last name at birth should be used (the standard version - see below)

How do we know the "correct" spelling of a last name?

There is a lot of variance in how the early Acadians spelled their last names, so it's difficult to determine a "correct" spelling. Therefore, we have agreed upon standard spellings of these names, as used by Stephen White. These standards can be found here. The standard last name should be used in Last Name at birth if possible, and in Current Last name. All other various spellings go in Other last names, separated by commas.

Should dit names be part of the last name at birth?

No. It has been decided by this project that Acadians with dit names should not have the dit name as part of their LNABs. The dit name can go in the Other Last Names field or the Nickname field as appropriate.

How long does the standard last name apply?

All Acadians born in Acadie should receive the standard last name in both LNAB and current last name. Those born after deportation would receive the LNAB provided on baptism in their home country (if no record use father's spelling). Those who died in a new country and with new last name spelling would have this name put in current last name.

How do we handle the middle name?

The french did not use middle names at that time, so we don't use them either. Someone can have several, they are all still the first name.
  1. All names used on the baptism go in the Proper First Name.
  2. If other name uses are not known, the names from the Proper First Name are repeated in the Preferred Name.
  3. If they used just one name later, that can go in Preferred Name, i.e. if found on a document.
  4. If a different name (not from baptism) was used later then that can go in nicknames. Sometimes professional genealogists will give that additional name in ( )
  5. Dit names for identification go in nicknames (such as dit l'aine), where dit names for last names go in Current Last Name (such as Amireau dit Tourangeau.)

Frequently Asked Questions

How do we handle Last Name at Birth?

Name spelling changed frequently during the Acadian period. To facilitate family recognition and search functions, we use a standard set of names originally developed by Stephen A White. Please see the list here. Other name questions are answered here.

How do we handle uncertain parents?

if there is some evidence but just isn't certain, they may be attached and set to uncertain. These should not be a theory or a guess. With no evidence, or if Acadian genealogy experts indicate unknown parents, leave them in the research notes. Family trees, no matter how many, are not sources and not evidence. More than one set of possible parents: you may use the more likely (i.e. better quality) set of facts in the data fields. Collaboration is necessary when multiple parents are under consideration. For more information read how WikiTree defines Uncertain and suggests ways of handling Disagreements about Certainty.

What is the age of Majority?

When reviewing French marriage records, it’s common to find references to the bride and groom's legal age status, noting whether they were minors mineur(e) or had reached the age of majority majeur(e). During the French regime (Acadie and Québec), the minimum age for marriage was 12 years for girls and 14 years for boys, with parental consent. If the parents were unavailable to give their consent, a legal guardian or another family member could step in to provide approval. The legal age from which parental consent was no longer required was 25 years for girls and 30 years for boys. The civil age of majority was defined as 25 years. Under the English rule (after 1 Jan 1765 in Québec), the age of majority in the former French zone became 21 years. See Comparison table of marriage and civil ages of majority. [2]

Who gets the Acadian project box?

Any French who settled in Acadie, were born in Acadie lands through 1763, or who had siblings born in Acadie (keeping the families together in the project), or whose parents were married in Acadie through 1763. We do not normally use the project for paid military from France or Quebec unless they married and settled in Acadie. See Project Management Guidelines

How can I find out if I have Acadian and/or Native ancestors?

Build up your family on WikiTree so you can connect back to the oldest ancestors you can find. Once you start to connect to them, you don't need to make new profiles. Then use the various easy-to-use WikiTree tools to see your relatives and connections. (Details Here)

I have recently received my DNA test results and I think I have Acadian roots. What do I need to do?

If you have an account with WikiTree, you need to add your test details to your profile. (See How to Get Started with DNA). Then if you have built your tree in WikiTree and connected the branches, your test information will spread to your ancestor profiles. (Details Here)

Acadian Relationships

Who are you related to? Here are some interesting categories where you can find out. Discover your possible connections to the profiles there by clicking on any category. Select the My Connections box on the top right. If you are related, you'll get a list of ancestors and cousins as well as other connections and the degrees of separation for each.
Acadian First Families
Interesting People in Acadie
Mi'kmaq
Abenaki
Acadian Village Heritage Site / Village Historique Acadien
Company of Frenchmen
Great Upheaval: Acadians affected by "Le Grand Dérangement"
Passengers on the Pembroke 1755
Acadians on Winslow's List
Acadians Born in Exile
Acadian Immigrants to Louisiana
The Wall of Names at the Acadian Memorial

Resources

Great Tools

To get a citation made use Citation Machine

The easiest way to make the initial biography is get the facts into the profile data fields, then (using BWE) use the Auto Bio on the Biography dropdown. Another way to use the Bio Builder Tool. Cut and paste it into the profile. It will need some spacing, punctuation, and inline sources added but both of these tools greatly reduce time to get a biography in place.

To make a nicely formatted Ancestry citation with a link to the images for non-members, use this app

Where to Find Sources

Town information

History

Acadian Freespace Pages

See for complete list

Related Projects and Groups

The following projects and groups are likely to have some overlap with this one, so members of this project may be interested in them as well:

Sources

  1. http://odesi1.scholarsportal.info/documentation/CENSUS/1665-1871/census1665-1871.html
  2. Hélène Lamarche et Guy Desjardins, "Majorité matrimoniale et majorité civile", Mémoires de la Société généalogique canadienne-française, vol 56, no 1, cahier 243, printemps 2005, p. 31


This page was last modified 18:11, 7 October 2024. This page has been accessed 75,746 times.