When you were growing up did anyone in your family talk about that "Indian Princess" that was supposed to be among your ancestors?
If you are of Acadian or French-Canadian descent you most likely did.
My grandmother and then my mother talked about this connection quite often. Strange thing: when I researched my mother's Levesque side of the family I never found one Native connection. When I researched my father's side of the family I found one I had never expected to find.
A researcher by the name of Frank Binette at the American-Canadian Genealogical Society in Manchester, New Hampshire used to say "if they are there they will show up and you will find them". Everyone doesn't agree with that but I have always believed Frank. Frank stopped going to ACGS because of ill health when in his mid to late 80's. This year he passed away. Frank was taught how to do genealogical research by his mother starting him off when he was only nine or ten years old. You can see why I trust what he shared.
Anyhow it is true that today everyone hopes to find a Native connection. Often for ulterior motives which is quite unfortunate. I have always believed that if we are not after the truth/facts when we do our family research and history, then what is the sense? I want to know who I am through my heritage and not who I "might" be through want or desire. That just doesn't work for me.
Today some people read the very old records and give them their own twist and interpretation totally out of touch with what life was like back in the 1600-1700's. I call that "heritage by desire/want". Why not leave the interpretation of these very old documents to the experts. As a rule the experts are open to the truth and the facts and do not hide or fabricate or move away from what the facts tell them/us. To believe they do hide the facts and the truth from us is quite ludicrous.
The Acadian Ancestral Home contains my lineage to Marie Aubois who married Jean Roy dit Laliberte. Marie's mother was Native and believed to have been Mi'kmaq though that part cannot be proven for lack of records. Remember, the proof is in the pudding so I simply say she was "Native". The fact that her name was "Aubois" at the time of her marriage to Jean, one has to believe she was Métis meaning that her Native mother had married a European.
In addition to posting my lineage to Marie Aubois I also posted the following information regarding Native Americans:
Abenaki History, Acadian/Native Marriages, Maliseet History, Metis History, Mi'kmaq History, Mi'kmaq Marriages, Montagnais History (Michel Hache dit Gallant's mother is said to have been Montagnaise), My Native Am. Lineage, Native Languages and Native Spirituality.
Following the above you will find the "Jesuit Relations".
All of this information can be accessed at the Acadian Ancestral Home. Come on by...
All Rights Reserved
Lucie LeBlanc Consentino
Acadian & French-Canadian Ancestral Home
Blog and Website
2 comments:
Hi Lucie,
I heard that we probably had natives in the ancestry but not the "Indian Princess" story. I haven't found any by the records. I do find that is a very common theme when people contact me. Frank was a 3rd cousin once removed of mine from my Lambert line.I connected with him in late 2009 and he sent me a bunch of information. I wish i could have met him in his heyday. :)
Albert
Hello Albert,
Thank you for your message.
Frank Binette was truly a remarkable person. There was quite a write-up about him when he passed away. You would have thoroughly enjoyed him.
Lucie
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