Acadian Church Records: Port LaJoye, Ile St. Jean, 1749-1758

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Acadian Church Records:
Port LaJoye, Ile St. Jean, 1749-1758

The only surviving Acadian records left have now been transcribed.

Most of the Acadian church records have been transcribed and published. Only one set of records has never before been published ... the church records of St. Jean the Evangelist of Port LaJoye, Ile St. Jean records. While the records go back to the 1720s, the 1750s are most important because of the great influx of Acadians escaping from the English.
This volume includes those records from 1749 to 1758 (I may do the earlier records at a later date). In addition to the records, I will include the story of the Acadians of Ile St. Jean and a map I created of the Ile St. Jean of the 1750s. Softcover.

Cost: $35(+$5 S/H)

The story behind these records ---

     Today's Prince Edward Island was first called Ile St. Jean in the 1500s. Except for a few fishing posts, no attempt to settle it was made until the 1720s. At that time, efforts were made to settle the French on the island. Most of the early settlers came from France, but there were a few Acadians who migrated there. The population grew gradually until 1749. The main entry point was Port LaJoye. The church parish of St. Jean the Evangelist was formed and the records began in 1721.
     At that time, the English founded Halifax and their colonization of Acadia became inevitable. Feeling the pressure, Acadians started moving to Ile St. Jean. This pressure not only came from the English, but from French missionaries and officials who wanted the Acadians on French soil. The small migration in 1749 turned into hundreds by 1750. The English stepped up their presence between the island and Acadia. Migration was negligible in 1752. Up to that point, the only priest on the island had been located at Port LaJoye ... in the parish of St. Jean the Evangelist. Four more priests came to the island in that year to serve Malpeque, St. Peters, Northeast River, and Point Prim.
     The flow of Acadians to the island soon resumed.   It turned into a flood of new arrivals once the English started the deportations in 1755. Approximately 2000 of them arrived from mid-1755 to 1756. When Ile Royale was lost in 1758, it meant deportation for Ile St. Jean as well. Those that did not escape to the mainland were sent to France. Although a few Acadians hid out on the island, this is where the Port LaJoye records end.
     Many of the Acadian church records from Ile St. Jean have been lost. Records from St. Pierre du Nord have survived, and were transcribed and included in Father Hebert's Acadians in Exile. The only other surviving church records from the island are those of St. Jean the Evangelist at Port LaJoie. The records exist in 3 groups: 1721-1744, 1749-1751, and 1752-1758. The first group are more French than Acadian. With the influx of Acadians beginning in 1749, the latter two groups are mostly Acadian records.
     In transcribing the records, I started with the latter two groups since they have the most Acadian material. The volume of Acadian church records being sold above contain the records from 1749 to 1758. The earlier records of 1721 to 1744 will be transcribed at a later date in another volume.

More on the story of Ile St. Jean can be found at the Ile St. Jean page.

Here is a sampling of the records from 1752 ...

B      Marie Magdelaine HENRY
          Baptized: August 6, 1752
          Parents: Baptiste Olivier HENRY & Suzanne PITRE of Riviere du Ouest
          Godparents: Pierre PITRE, Marie Magdelaine PITRE

B      Ignace DOUAIRON
          Baptized: August 19, 1752; Born: July 21, 1752
          Parents: Bononie DOUAIRON & Marguerite BLANDIN
          Godparents: Claude HEBERT, Marie DOUAIRON

B      Pierre Janvier GUIDRY
          Baptized: August 20, 1752; Born: July 18, 1752
          Parents: Claude GUIDRY & Anne LEJEUNE
          Godparents: Joseph LUCOS, Josephe BOUDROT

B      Pierre LANDRY
          Baptized: August 27, 1752; Born: 21 months before?
          Parents: Charles LANDRY & Marie Josephe GRANGER
          Godparents: Jean LANDRY, Isabelle GRANGER

B      Joseph BENOIST
          Baptized: September 4, 1752; Born: July 5, 1752
          Parents: Abraham BENOIST & Marie Josephe LEJEUNE
          Godparents: Jean BENOIST, Marguerite SERRIE

B      Marguerite LANDRY
          Baptized: September 4, 1752; Born: August 1, 1752
          Parents: Prosper LANDRY & Anne Josephe BOUDROT
          Godparents: Baptiste TRAHAN, Marie La Blanche LEBLANC

B      Marguerite BENOIST
          Baptized: September 4, 1752
          Parents: Claude BENOIST & ? TERRIOT
          Godparents: Charles BENOIST, Marie GOTTERAU

M     Emilien SEUGOLIANT & Blanche LAVACHE
          Married: September 4, 1752
          Groom's parents: (d.) Dominique SEUGOLIAUT & Etiennette DUCHARME
          Bride's parents: Francois LAVACHE & Marie VINCENT

B      Marguerite DOUCET
          Baptized: September 17, 1752
          Parents: Francois DOUCET & Marguerite JACQUEMIN of Riviere du Nord
          Godparents: Roberd ANGOT, Marguerite HACHE

D      Ignace DOUAIRON
          Buried: September 24, 1752, from Riviere du Nord
          Parents: Benonie DOUAIRON & Marguerite BOIXEAUX

B      Joseph DEVAU
          Baptized: September 24, 1752 at age 7 months
          Parents: Jacque DEVAU & Magdelaine ROBICHO
          Godparents: Joseph DEVAU, Suzanne ROBICHO

B      Louise Marguerite BOUDROT
          Baptized: September 24, 1752; Born: August 22, 1752
          Parents: Joseph BOUDROT & Marguerite CHIASSON of Tracadie
          Godparents: Pierre CHIASSON, Louise? HACHE

M     Felix BOUDROT & Jeanne BOISEAUX
          Married: September 25, 1752
          Groom's parents: Denis BOUDROT & Agnes VINCENT of Pleziguit, Acadia
          Bride's parents: Francois BOISEAUX & Marie SONNIER (d.)

M     Eustache BOURG & Marguerite DAIGRE
          Married: October 9, 1752
          Groom’s parents: Louis BOURG & Cecile MICHEL
          Bride’s parents: Abram? DAIGRE & Marie ?

When something is illegible or unclear, I've put a ? mark. See the example entry below (for the last entry above) to see how difficult the transcription process can be.


Here is the entry for the bride's mother. ----------------------> Any guesses as to her surname?