Encyclopedia of Acadian-Cajun Genealogy & History: Religion

	Acadian History \| Acadian Genealogy \| Cajun History \| Cajun Genealogy MAIN PAGE \| "How To" Book \| Article Index \| CMA \| Links \| Hébert Website

Encyclopedia of Acadian Life: Religion

The first Acadian parish was St. Jean the Baptiste in Port Royal. There was later a church (St. Laurent) about 10 miles upriver (near present-day Upper Granville). In the Minas area, there were parishes at Grand Pre (St. Charles) and Riviere aux Canards (St. Joseph). Pisiquid had two parishes: La Sainte Famille and L'Assomption.The parish around Cobequid was St. Pierre & St. Paul. On the isthmus in the Beaubassin area was the parish of Notre Dame du Bon Secour. There were also churches at Chipoudy (Notre Dame de la Visitation), Petitcoudiac, Memramcook, Tintamarre (Ste. Anne), and Pointe Beausejour (St. Louis).

Church records were kept in Acadia, and were probably in pretty good condition until the exile. The British purposely destroyed some of them. Some were lost in the travels (hopefully to be found someday). Some records have survived, however. These include the Port Royal records from 1702 to 1755, various Beaubassin records from 1712 (and some early one), and Grand Pre records from 1707 to 1748. According to Stephen White, "no registers survive at all for Cobequid, the two churches at Pisiguid, Riviere aux Canards, Chipody, ... or any of the lesser missions of Old Acadia." [Acadian Family Names] The surviving records are available in microfilm (check out the Church Records page of Acadian Genealogy for reel numbers) and in print. Winston DeVille and the Reiders produced 5 books contained the records of Port Royal and Beaubassin. The records from Grand Pre are in the first volume of the Baton Rouge (LA) Diocese Church Records set. The St. Pierre du Nord records are covered in Father Hebert's Acadians in Exile. I am working on transcribing the Port LaJoye records.

Here is a map showing the location (approximate for most) of the churches of Acadia. There were others (on the coast of Maine, Ile Royale, etc.) that are not in this picture. These are the primary Acadian parishes. For 3 (Memramcook, Petitcoudiac, Tatamagouche) in italics, the exact name of the church is not known.

Location/Town Parish Date Notes

Dauphine River
Port Royal St. Jean the Baptiste 1636 Records exist for 1702-1755
Port Royal St. Laurent

Cap Sable
Chebogue Ste. Anne
Pobomcoup Notre Dame c.1651 Present-day Pubnico

Minas Basin
   Riviere aux Canards St. Joseph               c.1688
   Grand Pre            St. Charles aux Mines    1687    Records exist for 1707-1748
   Pisiquid             Notre Dame L’Assomption 1722    West of the river
   Pisiquid             Ste. Famille             1698    East of the river; Cemetery found
   Cobequid             St. Pierre & St. Paul    c.1728

Isthmus of Chignecto
   Baie Verte/Tatamagouche - CEA notes there was a church was at Baie Verte, based on an old map; this may be the Tatamagouche church, which was on the land between the French and Waugh Rivers.
   Beaubassin           Notre Dame du Bon Secour 1679    Records exist for 1679-1686,1712-1723,
                                                             1732-1735,1740-1748
   Chipoudy             Notre Dame de la Visitation
   Memramcook
   Petitcoudiac                                          Records exist for 1753-1757
   Pointe de Beausejour St. Louis                c.1750
   Tintamarre           Ste. Anne                1723

Maine
Pentagouet Ste. Famille 1689

Ile St. Jean
   Malpeque             Ste. Famille             before 1745
   Pointe Prime         St. Paul                 1752
   Port LaJoye          St. Jean l’Evangliste    1720    Records exist for 1721-1744, 1749-1758
   St. Pierre du Nord   St. Pierre               c.1720 Records exist for 1724, 1728-1730,
                                                              1732-1747, 1751-1759
   Riviere du Nord Est St. Louis                1752

NOT ON MAP

Ile Royale
   La Baleine          Notre Dame du Bon Secours 1714
   Louisbourg           Notre Dame des Anges     1663
   Petit Degrat         Ste. Claire              c.1725
   Port aux Basques                              1740
   Port Dauphin         Ste. Anne                c.1721
   Port d’Orleans/Niganiche Notre Dame du Bon Secours c. 1721
   Port Toulouse        St. Pierre               1715
   Lorembec             Ste. Claire              1714
   St. Esprit           St. Esprit               1724
   Scatary                                       c.1722

Newfoundland
Ile St. Pierre St. Pierre 1687
Plaisance Notre Dame des Anges 1663

For a bit more info on the obscure churches, White's Dictionnaire has a few notes on them.

PRIESTS

Parish Pastor Dates

St. Charles
              Louis Geoffroy                   1687-1692
              Jean Francois de St. Cosme       1692-1698
              Abbe Guay                        1699-1702
              Bonaventure Masson               1702-1716
              Felix Pain                       1710-1713,1715-Sept.1724
              Isidore                          Sept. 1724-1724/25
              Antoine Gaulin                   1725-spring 1731
              Charles de la Goudalie           spring 1730-fall 1748
              Claude Jean Baptiste Chauvreulx 1748-Aug. 4, 1755
Pisiguit
              Isidore Colet                    Feb. 1724-Sept. 1724
              Jean Baptiste Breau              1728-early 1730
             Noel Alexandre de Noinville du Glefien         spring 1730-fall 1731
              Louis Maufils                    late fall 1732-1735/37
              Claude Jean Baptiste Chauvreulx spring 1737-fall 1748
              Daudin                           fall 1753-Oct. 11, 1754
St. Joseph
              Jean Baptiste Desenclaves        1740-summer 1742
              Miniac                           1742-1748
              Girard                           summer 1750-April 1751
              Le Maire                         fall 1753-Aug. 10, 1755
Port Royal
              Laurent Molins                   1664-1676
              Louis Petit                      1676-1694
              Abel Maudoux                     1694-1702
              Felix Pain                       1701-1710
              Patrice Rene                     1703-
              Justinien Durand                 1704-1720
              Charlemagne Cuvier               1720-1724
              Rene-Charles de Breslay          1724-1731
              Antoine Gaulin                   1731-1732
              Claude de Saint Poncy de la Vernede   1732-1739
              Jean Baptiste Guy Desenclaves    summer 1742-spring 1754
              Henri Daudin                     late fall 1754-summer 1755
Cobequit
              Pierre Verquaillie               1724-1725
              LeLoutre (Indian missionary)     fall 1737-1755
              De St. Poncy
              Girard                           1743-1750
Beaubassin
              Claude Trouve                    1686-1704
              Felix Pain                       1710-1717
              Vincent Cocuet                   1717-1722
              Charles de Breslay               1722-1723
              Jacques Lesclaches               1732-1742
              Charles Germain                  1745-1748

Check out Peter Landry's article on Father LeLoutre, the controversial French Priest.

	Origins \| Early Acadia \| The Exile \| Resettlement \| Canadian Acadians \| Cajun History History Timeline \| Maps \| Additional Resources \| Encyclopedia of Acadian Life