What does it mean to be Acadian?

Acadie was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire (1604-1714).

Deported (forcibly removed from their lands) between 1755 and 1764, many families were scattered unnecessarily, like ashes to the wind.

In 1847, American writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow published Evangeline, an epic poem loosely based on the events surrounding the 1755 deportation.

We are descendants of the original French settlers.

My maternal surnames consist of ......

Albert, Bajolet, Amireau, Arsenault, Aucoin, Basterache dit le Basque, Bernard, Blanchard, Boudrot, Bourg, Bourgeois, Bouthillier, Brault, Brun, Caissie, Canivet, Chiasson, Comeau, Cormier, Doiron, Doucet, Dugas, Duguay, de Forest, Gaudet, Gauterot, Gionet, Giraud dit St-Jean, Girouard, Guérin, Haché dit Gallant, Hébert, Landry, Lanteigne, Lavergne, LeBlanc, LeBreton dit Robert, Lefebvre, LeVicaire, Levron, Mallet, McLaughlin, Martin, Melanson, Michel, Michel dit St-Michel, Mius d'Entremont, Pellerin, Pelletret, Pesseley, Pitre, Poirier, Poulin (Paulin), Préjean dit LeBreton, Richard, Rousseau, Savoie, Thébeau, Thériot, Thibodeau, Trahan and Vincent.

My maternal grandmother: BREAU

My paternal surnames consist of ......

Amireau, Bajolet, Bernard, Boudrot, Bourg, Boutier, Brassaud, Brun, Chebrat, Clémenson, Comeau, Corporon, Deveau, Doucet, Dugas, Dulain, Duon, de Forest, duFosset, Frontain, Gaudet, Hébert, Housseau, Lafleur, Landry, LeBlanc, Lefebvre, Lejeune, Martin, Meunier, Mius d'Entremont, O'Bird, Pellerin, Pesseley, Pinet, Pitre, Poirier, Préjean, Roach, Robichaud, Savoie, Surette, Thériot, Thibodeau, Trahan and Viger.

My paternal grandfather: DOUCET My paternal grandmother: MUISE

As can be the case with persons of French Acadian ancestry, I also have aboriginal connections.

Maternal connections:

[1] native spouse of -------- Rousseau [2] native spouse of -------- Caplan,   [3] possible Montagnais female, mother of Michel Haché dit Gallant, son of Pierre Larché

Paternal connections:

[1] first native spouse, name unknown, of Philippe dit d'Azy Mius [2] Anne Marie -------, wife of -------- Pinet