Music brings Acadians to mind

A recent trip to the Maine Center for the Arts at the University of Maine inspired me to take another look at Bona Arsenault’s “Histoire et Genealogie des Acadiens.”

I had been preparing for a concert of Cajun music by the Louisiana group BeauSoleil by listening to some of their albums, including “Cajunization,” which contains the wonderful song “Recherche d’Acadie” – “In Search of Acadie.”

Members of the band include lead singer and fiddler Michel Doucet and his brother, guitarist David Doucet, whose ancestors were among those deported from Acadia – now Nova Scotia – in Le Grand Derangement of 1755.

I don’t know their line, but according to Arsenault, the immigrant ancestor of the family was Germain Doucet dit Laverdure – called Laverdure – born in 1595, came to Acadia about 1632.

Doucet was an officer under Charles d’Aulnay, and thus one of the many who was forced to return to France after the English took Port Royal in 1654. He later came back to Canada. Some Acadians went to Quebec at various times, and, of course, thousands were sent to Louisiana and other parts of the south in the 18th century.

Part of the sixth volume of Arsenault is devoted to Louisiana, including families such as the Doucets, who went to St. Gabriel d’Iberville. A total of 100 surnames are represented in this section, and there also is information on families that went from Acadia to Bordeaux and Bretagne in France.

These books are in French, but those who have taken French may be able to read much of the information. Actually, knowing just a few words will get you through much of the genealogy – ne or nee, born; marie, married; decedee, died; veuve, widow; enfants, children; fille, daughter; fils, son.

According to URSUS – the on-line catalog of books in the University of Maine System and certain other libraries, “Histoire et Genealogie des Acadiens” is available at several locations:

. Acadian Archives, University of Maine, Fort Kent

. Fogler Library, University of Maine, Orono

. Maine State Library, Augusta

. University of Maine, Presque Isle, Special Collections

. University of Southern Maine, Portland.

I’m sure the books are available in the Lewiston area, as well.

To use URSUS, go to http://130.111.64.3.

For a good choice of sites on Acadian, Cajun and Creole genealogy, I would refer you to www.cyndislist.com.

Back to BeauSoleil for a moment. The band is named for Joseph Brossard or Broussard, also called Beausoleil, who led the Acadians to Attakappas in Lousiana. There’s even a town named Broussard in the parish of Lafayette, where the band BeauSoleil originated.

I went looking for Attakappas on the Internet, and found the 1820 census for the village on www.rootsweb.com.

One of the things that fascinates me about BeauSoleil is that they do old songs as well as current material. Some of their work reminds me of music I heard at Le Village Quebecois d’Antan last summer in Drummondville, Quebec – music that people from Franco-American communities in Maine tell me they used to hear around the kitchen table.

We know that Acadians came from Nova Scotia, and French-Canadians from Quebec, but what’s a Scandinavian?

I would have said – and have said in this newspaper – that Norwegians, Swedes and Finns are Scandinavians.

I was wrong. My friend Dean Ness from down on the coast explained patiently that Scandinavia describes Norway, Sweden, Denmark and a portion of northern Germany – but not Finland.

On a totally different subject, if you’re interested in doing oral history, you’ll be glad to know that the Mount Desert Island Historical Society will sponsor a workshop on preparing for and conducting oral history interviews as a volunteer for libraries. The speaker will be Pamela Dean from the Maine Folk Life Center at the University of Maine.

The workshop will he held 10-2:30 on Saturday, April 14, at the Sound Schoolhouse on Sound Drive in Mount Desert. The cost is $5, but the workshop is free to members of the society, and to those who volunteer to do interviews for the society. Register by April 9 by calling 236-9323.

3085. GRANT. Seeking contact with anyone who knew my grandmother, Winfred Grant, b. Aug. 2, 1881; d. Jan. 4, 1969, at a boarding home on State Street, Bangor. Possibly known as Minnie, she also had lived at boarding homes in Hampden and East Eddington, and is buried at Mount Hope Cemetery, Bangor. Would like to hear from individuals who worked at Emerson’s and the other boarding homes. Harold Badger, 109 Hughes Road, Sebec, ME 04481; telephone 564-7603.

3086. ESTES-WARD. Seeking any information on the family of David L. Estes and Emily Ward Estes. Only info I have is that possibly they were born in Vassalboro. Donna J. DeWitt, P.O. Box 553, Dover-Foxcroft, ME 04426; or e-mail djestes@kyndnet.

Send queries with Maine connections to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or send e-mail to familyti@bangordailynews.net. Full name and address of sender are required even if e-mail is used.