Françoise Gaudet (abt. 1623 - abt. 1699)

Born about 1623 in France [uncertain]

Daughter of Jean Gaudet and Unknown (Inconnu) Gaudet

Wife of Unknown Mercier — married about 1644 in Port-Royal, Acadie, Nouvelle-France [uncertain]

Wife of Daniel LeBlanc — married about 1650 in Port-Royal, Acadie, Nouvelle-France

Descendants

Died about 1699 at about age 76 in Port-Royal, Acadie, Nouvelle-France

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Acadians Project WikiTree [send private message], Liander Lavoie [send private message], Kim LeBlanc [send private message], Roland Arsenault [send private message], Charlotte Edwards [send private message], Annette Cormier [send private message], Noella Pitre [send private message], Sandy Gifford [send private message], and Liza Miller [send private message]

Françoise Gaudet is an Acadian. Join: Acadians Project Discuss: ACADIA

Biography

NOTICE: This profile is protected by the Acadian Project because of frequent duplication, variant name spelling, attempts to add unsourced parents, or is an historically important person in the Top 100 highly viewed Acadian profiles. Please contact the Acadian Project before making any substantive changes. Thanks for helping make WikiTree the best site for accurate information.

Françoise Gaudet migrated from France to Acadia.

Françoise Gaudet was born about 1623, possibly in France, daughter of Jean Gaudet (abt. 1575–bef. 1678) and Unknown (Inconnu) Gaudet (abt. 1600– ).^[1]

Françoise (20) married Unknown Mercier (19) (born about 1624 in France) in 1644 in Port-Royal, Acadie, Nouvelle-France. Their daughter was Marie Mercier (abt. 1645–aft. 1693).

Françoise (26) married Daniel LeBlanc (23) (born about 1626 in Martaizé, Poitou, France) in 1650 in Port-Royal, Acadie. At that time, she was the widow of an unknown Mercier. Their children were:

1. Jacques LeBlanc (abt. 1651–aft. 1731) .
2. Françoise LeBlanc (abt. 1653–bef. 1687) .
3. Étienne LeBlanc (abt. 1656–bef. 1686) .
4. René LeBlanc (abt. 1657–1734) .
5. André LeBlanc (abt. 1659–1743) .
6. Antoine LeBlanc (abt. 1662–bef. 1730) .
7. Pierre LeBlanc (abt. 1664–abt. 1717)

Between 1651 and 1670 Daniel and Françoise had seven children: Jacques, Marie Françoise, Étienne, René, André, Antoine and Pierre. They are all listed in the 1671 census of Port-Royal. Daniel, 45 years of age and Françoise, 48 posess 18 cattle, 26 sheep and 10 “arpents” of land.^[2]

The 1678 Census reported Daniel and Françoise with 12 cattle and 12 acres [sic], and 3 boys.^[3]

In 1686, at Port Royal, Francoise GODOT [sic], aged 60, was living with her husband, Daniel LEBLANC, aged 60. They owned 2 guns and were living on 6 arpents of cultivable land with 15 cattle, 20 sheep and 7 hogs. By this time, five of Daniel's and Françoise's sons were married and settled in Port-Royal.^[4] Étienne no longer lived there. Their daughter, Françoise, had died. Within four years, the family's relative peace would be shattered by King William's War (1689-1697) with France.

In 1693, an encounter between the vessel of French privateer Pierre Masisonnat dit Baptiste and an English frigate brought further misery. English investigations into the role of the Acadians' assistance of privateer Baptiste resulted in the burning of nearly a dozen homes and three barns of unthreshed grain. In that year, the only remaining LeBlancs in Port Royal were 66 year old Daniel and Françoise, their youngest son Pierre, and his family.^[5] Were their four sons convinced to move by the raids at Port Royal and the lure of available land in some of the newer villages?

Françoise was listed as a widow 80 living alone on the 1698 census.^[6]

She died between 1698 and 1700 in Port-Royal. Stephen White cites the Belle-Ile-en-Mer depositions for the death location.^[1][7]

Gaudet Coat of Arms
In the 15th century, only royalty and some in the bourgeois class had coats of arms. None of the Acadian pioneers had coats of arms. Today, anyone can apply to the Canadian Heraldic Authority in Ottawa for a coat of arms. It was agreed upon at one of the 1993 general meetings of the Gaudet Association in New Brunswick, that Monsieur Robert Pichette, Fellow de la Société héraldique du Canada, be approached and asked if he would design a coat of arms that would represent the Acadian Jean Gaudet from Martaizé, France and all of his descendants.

The coat of arms created for the 1994 reunion of the Gaudet families of Acadia at St-Joseph, New Brunswick, consists of the symbols which refer to the etymology of the name and the origins of our first ancestor, Jean (Jehan) Gaudet, who settled in Acadia about 1636.

According to Albert Dauzat from his Etymology Dictionary of Family names of France, Gaudet is known to derive from Gaudon, ancient German baptismal name of Waldo, from Waldon, governor. The spelling "Godet," means "a manufacturer of godets" (pots, bowls or glass). Two dictionaries describe the godet as a small drinking bowl with no stem or handle, of which the brim is lobed (rounded divisions). In botany, a godet refers to the shell or cap that holds the acorn from an oak tree.

To show the etymology of the Gaudet name, a "godet" is surmounted under the acorn in the shield. The color green, called sinople in heraldic language, reminds us that Jean Gaudet and his son, Denis, originating from Martaizé, near Loudun, Department of Vienne, France, had first settled as farmers on the north bank of the Port Royal river, opposite Prée Ronde.

The acorn is a symbol of strength and firmly rooted deep in the soil of Acadia. The acorn represents the Acadian roots of the Gaudet family and their loyalty to the land they had farmed.

Acadia is symbolized by the star; this symbol was adopted at Miscouche, P.E.I. in 1884 with the French tri-color for the Acadian national flag.

The Port Royal river is represented by the wavy bands, which is the method used in heraldry for water; and the division of the shield symbolizes a port.

The fleur de lis is an ancient emblem of France.

The motto "On parle de toi," translated into French from the Latin phrase "fabula narratur," expresses very well, the spirit and continuity of the Gaudet family in the history of Acadia.

The blazonment of the Gaudet family coat of arms is as follows: Chapé-ployé au 1 fascé-ondé d'argent et d'azur au godet d'or en pointe surmonté d'un gland de chêne aussi d'or, 2 de sinople à étoile à cinq rais d'or à dextre et à une fleur de lis du même à senestre. Sur un listel sous l'écu, la devise: "On parle de toi."^[8]

Research Notes

Parentage
It has not been proven that the first spouse of Françoise and father of Marie Mercier was named Jean. Stephen White records him as an unknown Mercier.^[1] Finding the Gaudet-Mercier marriage record or the baptismal record for Marie Mercier, would offer some enlightenment as would a ship's record showing whether the family came to New France together.

Place of birth
There is no documented proof that Jeanne was born in Martaizé, La Chaussée or in any other village in that region. This assumption is based on the information that her father was listed as a censitaire on the fief at Martaizé in 1634^[9] and on Genevieve Massignon’s writings. After having examined the parochial registers of La Chaussée which is located near the village of Aulnay in France, Geneviève Massignon wrote that: "more than half of the entries in the parochial registers from 1626 to 1650 involve the family names which we find among the 53 family names included in the census of 1671 in Acadia: Babin, Belliveau, Bertrand, Bour, Brault (Braude, in the feminine form), Brun, Dugast, Dupuy, Gaudet (Gaudette, in the feminine form) Giroire, Joffriau, Landry, LeBlanc, Morin, Poirier, Raimbaut, Savoite, Thibodeau. In addition, the family names of the wives of the settlers include Chevrat, Gautier, Guion (Dion), Lambert, and Mercier. The names of Blanchard, Bourg, Brault, Giroire, Godet, Guérin, Poirier, Terriot are among the names found in the censuses of the mother of Charles d’Aulnay for her Seigneurie."^[10]

The Belle-Isle-en-Mer declarations in 1767 indicated that Acadian descendents of Jean Gaudet's daughters Marie and Françoise came from France with their husbands. ^[7]

DNA Research
The Mothers of Acadia Maternal DNA project is conducting ongoing research to verify their origins. In 2010, Stephen White reported Francoise Gaudet had a J1b2 haplogroup. I don't know the details re how many of her descendants were tested to support this report. Ongoing test results are also reported here. As of May 2014, 10 descendants have consistently reported a J haplogroup, as have 9 descendants of her sister Marie Gaudet. J haplogroups indicate European origins.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Stephen A. White, Patrice Gallant, and Hector-J Hébert. Dictionnaire Généalogique Des Familles Acadiennes. Moncton, N.-B.: Centre D'études Acadiennes, Université De Moncton, 1999, Print, p. 666-667; 983-985; 1173
2. ↑ Tim Hebert; Transcription of the 1671 Acadian Census, at Port-Royal, Acadie. 1671 Census Transcribed. The original census can be found at Census microfilm C-2572 of the National Archives of Canada “Acadie Recensements 1671 – 1752,” Images 3-14;

   Daniel LeBLANC, farmer, 45, his wife Francoise GAUDET 48; their seven children: Married: Francoise 18; Unmarried: Jacques 20, Estienne 15, Rene 14, Andre 12, Antoine 9, Pierre 7; cattle 18, sheep 26, 10 arpents of land.

3. ↑ Tim Hebert; 1678 Port Royal Acadian Census noting that the correlations for this census were done by Rev. Clarence J. d'Entremont, Fairhaven, Massachusetts.1678 Census

   Daniel LeBlanc & Francoise Godet; 12 cattle & 12 acres; 3 boys: 20, 1658; 17, 1661; 15, 1663

4. ↑ Tim Hebert; Transcription of the 1686 Acadian Census, at Port-Royal, Acadie 1686 Census Transcribed. The original census can be found at Acadian Census microfilm C-2572 of the National Archives of Canada “Acadie Recensements 1671 – 1752,” Images 15-60;

   at Port Royal: Daniel LEBLANC 60, Francoise GODET 60; 2 guns, 6 arpents, 15 cattle, 20 sheep, 7 hogs. In the original 1686 census at Port Royal Gaudet was listed as Godet.

5. ↑ Tim Hebert; Transcription of the 1693 Acadian Census, at Port-Royal, Acadie 1693 Census Transcribed. The original census can be found at Acadian Census microfilm C-2572 of the National Archives of Canada “Acadie Recensements 1671 – 1752”, Images 62-108

   Daniel LEBLANC 66, Françoise GODET his wife 76, Pierre their son 28, son of Pierre: Pierre 7, Jean LAFORET servant 15, Marguerite LAPRINCESSE 12; 20 cattle, 35 sheep, 9 hogs, 18 arpents, 3 guns.

6. ↑ Tim Hebert; Transcription of the 1698 Acadian Census, at Port-Royal, Acadie1698 Census Transcribed. The original census can be found at Acadian Census microfilm C-2572 of the National Archives of Canada “Acadie Recensements 1671 – 1752,” Images 110-166;

   Francoise GOUDET widow 80.

7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Stephen A. White, Origins of the Pioneers of Acadia, According to the Depositions made by Their Descendants at Belle-Ile-en-Mer in 1767 English Translation, Publication: University of Moncton, Centre d'études acadiennes; Online
8. ↑ New France Geneology Jean Gaudet
9. ↑

   Jean Gaudet (Godet) was listed as a censitaire on the fief at Martaizé in 1634. Martaizé was part of the seigneury of Aulnay, the property of Nicole de Jousserand, who was the mother of Charles d'Aulnay, governor of Acadia from 1636 to 1650. The village of Martaizé and it's environs was called the "fief de Beaulieu" or sometimes "Rallette." The church of Saint-Maurice de Martaizé still exists to this day. The inventory document of Nicole de Jousserand's fief de Beaulieu in the parish of Martaizé, (Archives Départementales de l'Indre et Loire, Série C, Liasse 601, signed before the notaries Messieurs Aubri and Pasquier, at Loudun on the 21st October 1634) states the following: "Je em en la fresche des Godets desclares douze boisseaus froment mesure de Loudun et trois derniers de cens a rente feodalle deue par Jean Gendre, Jean Godet, René Godet le jeune, Francois Godet, la veufve Vincent Besard, Pierre Giroire et Renée Besard sa femme Jean Besard, Simon Joubert les heritiers Pierre Bourg de sauseau et les heritiers Francois Godet par raison d'une piece du terre et signer estant en terre et signer estant en terre est du Rondonay le tout contenant ensemble et tenant deux septiers six boisseaus..." (A "fresche" is an old French word for rent due to the seigneur from his or her fief). Source : New France Geneology Jean Gaudet

10. ↑ Massignon, Geneviève. "Les parlers français d'Acadie, enquête linguistique", Librairie Klincksieck, Paris, 1962, 2 tomes.

See also:

• Descendants of Daniel LeBlanc, PDF
• Note: there is unproven information in the Find A Grave page. Find A Grave, database and images (accessed 18 September 2019), memorial page for Françoise Gaudet (1623–1699), Find A Grave Memorial no. 136471274, citing Garrison Graveyard, Annapolis Royal, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada ; Maintained by AW (contributor 47829810) .Find A Grave: Memorial #136471274
• Source: S9 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Ancestry Family Tree Ancestry Family Tree https://www.ancestry.com/family-tree/tree/89229671/family Certainty: 0

DNA

• Savard, Denis, Administrator, Mothers of Acadia mtDNA Project reports mtDNA Test Results (Accessed 15 Dec 2023), Kits: tester1 N66807 tester2 MK12792. EKA: Unknown (Inconnu) Gaudet - Spouse of Jean Gaudet. Haplogroup: J1b2.
• Savard, Denis, Administrator, Mothers of Acadia mtDNA Project reports this diagram depicting matrilineal descent, from the Mothers of Acadia DNA Project for more information.
• mtDNA Tester Justin Russ is a grandchild of Marie Anne Elaine Cormier who is a 9x ggd of Unknown (Inconnu) Gaudet through daughter Francoise Gaudet (abt.1623-abt.1699).
• mtDNA Tester UNK is a great grandchild of Leontine Josephine Leboeuf, who is a 8x ggd of Unknown (Inconnu) Gaudet through daughter Marie Gaudet (abt.1633-abt.1710).
• Maternal relationship is confirmed through Mitochondrial DNA test results on Family Tree DNA. Justin Russ FTDNA kit # N66807, (a grandchild of Marie Anne Elaine Cormier) and his maternal line cousin UNK (a great grandchild of Leontine Josephine Leboeuf), FTDNA kit # MK12792, have an exact HVR1 and HVR2 match, thereby confirming their direct maternal lines back to their most-recent common ancestor who is Unknown (Inconnu) Gaudet the 11x great grandmother of Justin Russ and the 11x grandmother of UNK.