The term “Acadian” refers to the early French settlers of Canada whose descendants were expelled by the British between 1755 and 1758. Most Acadian immigrants were from western France, including the provinces of Poitou, Saintonge, and Aunis. From 1605 to 1755, the city of Port Royal in Nova Scotia was the center of Acadian life.
The Acadian deportation (Grand Dérangement), was a product of the 18th-century imperial wars between England, France, Spain, and others. Acadians were removed from the Bay of Fundy, Annapolis Royal, Île Royale and Île Saint-Jean, the St. John River, and even Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, where many Acadians had fled. Most Acadians re-settled elsewhere on the continent, including New England and notably Louisiana, where they contributed to “Cajun” culture. Others departed for France, Quebec (New France), and the Caribbean. In the 1780s, Britain allowed Acadians to return to Nova Scotia but not to their original farms. They eventually populated western Nova Scotia, Cape Breton Island, Prince Edward Island, the eastern shore of New Brunswick, and the Gaspé Peninsula. According to the 2001 Canadian census, about 40,000 persons of Acadian descent were living in the Maritime Provinces.
This newest installment in the Genealogy at a Glance series by noted authority Judy Nimer Muhn lays out all the basic elements of Acadian family history research in an easy-to-use format, allowing researchers to grasp the fundamentals of Acadian genealogy at a glance. Readers will discover an overview of Acadian history, descriptions of published and unpublished sources, the principal archives associated with Acadia and their holdings, cultural resources and podcasts, online sources, and more. In short, the perfect starting point for Acadian genealogists.
The At a Glance series is designed to cover the basic elements of genealogical research on selected topics in an 8 ½” x 11” 4-page laminated folder.
