THE ACADIAN STORY
Our Johnson ancestry has its roots in Acadia, located on the Bay of Fundy in what is now Nova Scotia. The area was colonized in 1604 by hardy French farmers and fishermen, industrious workers who knew how to develop their resources, till the soil and live heartily off the land, which yielded such a rich natural bounty in their hands that there was little need for currency. Goods and services were bartered, families and neighbors helped each other, and lived peaceably with the native Micmacs. Early Acadian settlers came to make their home in the new world and found such a peaceful, fruitful environment that they chose to give it a name derived from the Greek legend of the nearly Utopian province of Arcadia. The French colony became Acadia, and its people were called Acadians. They lived a simple life and developed strong ties between families and friends, with a distinct culture of customs and traditions.
When the rule of their land passed from the French to the British, eventually conflict arose. The British were uneasy with these French Acadians living in their midst. When the Acadians were asked to sign an oath of allegiance to the British Crown, most refused unless it contained provisions for them to continue in their Catholic religion and protect them from having to bear arms against the enemies of the British Empire. The term could have included not only their French countrymen, but their friends, the native Micmac Indians. The story is long, but as tensions grew, by 1755 the Acadians found their villages destroyed and themselves being herded aboard British ships to be dispersed throughout the colonies and other countries. They were deported from their homeland to various locations, often separated from their families and loved ones. Over 10,000 were deported between 1755 and 1763 alone, with more later. This movement of an entire population was unusual because so many people were sent not to their motherland or to another French colony, but to British possessions.
The first groups were dispersed among the American Colonies. However, they were not welcomed or accepted in many places. Maryland, largely Catholic at the time, accepted those who arrived, but in other ports they were not allowed to disembark, and many died in the cramped holds of the ships, which were most often designed for cargo and not people. Anti-Catholicism was prevalent, as was anti-French sentiment. Many Acadians died before reaching the colonies because of the overcrowding and unclean conditions, and make-shift accomodations in the seaports caused rampart disease. Families were often broken up during in the move, and children were even taken from their parents in some cases, bound out to members of the communities. At some ports, they were allowed ashore, only to be pressed into indentured servitude.
Due to these unhappy conditions, many Acadians began a determined quest to return to Nova Scotia or else find new and more suitable homelands. One incident involved about 250 Acadians who were issued passes in South Carolina and Georgia, which were anxious to see them leave. They set out in small vessels to make their way up the coast to Nova Scotia. Charles Lawrence, who had been appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia in 1754 and later Governor, had proposed the drastic removal of the Acadian people to take care of what he saw as a military issue, and what he called "the Acadian problem." When he heard of the Acadians' journey homeward, he urged fellow governors to prevent their return. Most were captured in New York and Massachusetts, but a few managed to reach the St. John River.
Another group sailed from Massachusetts to Qu*bec in 1766, joining forces with the Acadians who had escaped and fled there from Nova Scotia in 1755, and settled near Qu*bec City.
Acadian exiles in the middle and southern colonies gravitated towards the former French colony of Louisiana, whose new Spanish rulers were sympathetic to the Catholic religion. Many people were shipped to France, which made several unsuccessful efforts to establish colonies in Brittany, Bell-Isle-en-Mer, Poitou, Corsica, French Guiana, Santa Domingo, and the Falkland Islands. The Spanish government finally came to the rescue with an offer of land in Louisiana, and in 1783 nearly 1,600 Acadians left for the Spanish colony. There was much movement between various settlements as families tried to unite and find their lost relatives. The forced migrations were over by the early 1800s.
Although the great movement left the Acadians scattered around the Atlantic rim, their sense of their own identity remained intact, and their intense pride and determination to remain true to their culture and traditions prevails even to this day. The five main concentrations of Acadian descendants are found in the Maritime provinces, Qu*bec, Louisiana, New England, and France. The Acadians might well have been destroyed as a culture and people, considering the mistreatment, separation from loved ones, and suffering they endured. But they survived. In the new lands where they settled, their culture was preserved. They continued the same family spirit among neighbors and the same zest for living, undaunted by one of the most brutal ordeals in history.
OUR FAMILY ROOTS IN ACADIA
In 1710 William Johnson (c. 1686-1731) was a soldier in an English regiment under the command of Colonel Francis Nicholson, who was sent from the English colonies in America to England to promote an expedition for the conquest of Acadia from the French. William Johnson came to the fort at what is now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, and was listed as having served under David Pigeon's company sailing from Boston to Port Royal, Acadia on the New England transport Devonshire. He was part of an English
Regiment (North Regiment of Essex) sent to take the fort. The recruits from England, along with those from the New England colonies, reached the fort at Port Royal on September 24, 1710. After some minor skirmishes and firing of muskets and cannon, the French surrendered on October 6, 1710. After the capture of Port Royal, William "Billy" Johnson remained and became an officer in General Phillips' 40th Regiment on Foot, which was organized at Fort Anne, Annapolis Royal (formerly Port Royal), renamed in honor of Queen Anne.
While at the fort he met and married Elizabeth (Isabelle) Corporon, a local girl of French origin. References to William "Billy" Johnson list him as coming from Scotland. His family may have originally come from the area of Aberdeen, Scotland, but could have come via England or even Massachusetts. He is reported to have been a tall man with blue eyes and flaming red hair. The William Johnsons lived across the Annapolis River opposite the fort, at a place called Johnson's (now Granville) Ferry. The name could have come from the position William Johnson held with the garrison. He was listed as an English Protestant.
Elizabeth Corporan (c. 1680) appears to have been of the Catholic faith, but could have possibly had a French Huguenot background. Eventually the family would have become affiliated with the Catholic religion, since only Catholic
missionaries were available to minister to the people before Port Royal
fell to the English. Elizabeth (sometimes called Isabelle) Corporan was the daughter of Jehan Corporon and Francoise Savoye.
Jehan arrived in Acadia in 1668 and was listed as a plowman or farmer.
Francoise was the daughter of Francois Savoye and Catherine Lejeune, and
one of seventeen children. Francois Savoye, originally from Martaize, Department of La Vienne, France, was born in 1621, arrived in Acadia about 1643, and married Catherine Lejeune in 1652.
The marriage of William and Elizabeth took place in 1712. There were at least five children that we are aware of: Marie (9
Sep 1713-1761) m. John Davis about 1731; Jean-Baptiste (Joseph) (1 Nov 1715-1784)
m. Marie Josephe Laure (1718-1796) 11 Feb 1743; Thomas (15 Jun 1719-1797) m. (first)
Marie Josephe Girouard (1716) 8 Jan 1742 and after her death, m. (second) Marie-Josephe Granger (1714) 3 Oct 1768; William II (called Guillame "Billy") (Aug 1722-1806) m. Marie-Josephe (Josette) Aucoin (b. 1720) in 1743; and Charles (b. 10 Jul 1725) m. Marie Aucoin 1744.
Marie (9 Sep 1713-1761) married the local innkeeper and Englishman John Davis and cast her lot with the English. The sons chose to side with their Acadian background.
Jean-Baptiste and his wife Marie-Joseph Laure (1718-1796) had the following children: Jean-Baptiste Jr. (b. 14 Jan 1744-1804), Pierre Barthelemie (b. 23 Aug 1745), Marie-Josephe (b. 21 Nov 1747), Louis (b. 16 Dec 1749), Monique (b. 9 Aug 1751), Joseph (b. 23 Sep 1753), Germain-Marin (b. 1757), and Marguerite (Marie-Madeleine) (b. 1759).
Thomas (15 Jun 1719-1797) Johnson and his family were deported to Connecticut, but returned in 1746 and settled at St. Jacques de l'Achigan. He married (second wife) Marie-Josephe Granger 3 Oct 1768, and died there in 1797. He is the ancestor of the Johnsons (Jeansons) in L'Assomption County, Qu*bec. The second Marie-Josephe was from Belle Isle. Children of Thomas were: Anne (b. 17 Oct 1742), Eulalie (b. 5 Aug 1744), Basile (b. 13 Nov 1746), Marguerite (b. 21 Mar 1749), Charles (21 Apr 1751-1773), and Marie Osite (b. 20 Jan 1752).
William II (called Guillame or "Billy, Jr.") and wife Marie Aucoin Johnson lived at La Riviere for 11 years and farmed, as did many of the Acadians, who understood how to successfully produce crops. Records show William Johnson in the Beaubassin area in 1754. In 1755 the British captured the Fort of Beausejour. Billy Johnson and family escaped the deportation and fled to Isle St. Jean (Prince Edward Island), which was still under French jurisdiction and rule. Billy was later described as "the elusive Scotman who was active in Nova Scotia..." He continued to harrass the English with his undercover activities in order to help his countrymen. Marie-Josephe (Josette) Aucoin was from Canard River. Their children were: Marie-Francoise (1744-1826), Marguerite (b. 1748), Jean-Baptiste (b. 1752), Eusebe Michael (b. 1761), Michel (1764-1834), Jean-Paul (b. 1767), and Elizabeth (b. 14 May 1770). The descendants of Michel Johnson and Jean-Paul Johnson are spread throughout the province of Qu*bec.
In 1744 the youngest son, Charles (b. 10 Jul 1725), married Marie Aucoin, who was from Riviere-Aux-Canards near Grande Pre. Their children were: Jean (b. 1752), Charles II (b. 1754), Marie (c. 1760), and Paul (c. 1762). The children of Charles, as well as two of the sons of Jean-Baptiste and possibly one or more of the children of Thomas came to Louisiana during the Acadian deportation. Marie Aucoin (wife of Charles) was buried in Halifax. It is believed that Charles I, son of William and Elizabeth, died on the trip to Louisiana. His children continued on the journey, but did not arrive all together. The family settled first in the Opelousas area. [To be continued]
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If you think you have connections to the Acadian Johnson (Jeansonne) family, please contact us by e-mail and we will be happy to share data with you. Come back soon!
© 1997-2001 Ann Johnson Donovan.
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REFERENCES:
Floyd E. Johnson, Genealogy of the Johnsons and Related Families, 9th ed.
Columbia Johnson - Database, genealogy and history.
The Deportation of the Acadians. 1986, Publication of the Minister of Supply and Services, Canada.
Yves Blondin and Roland Bourneuf, Les Johnson de la Gasp*sie, Carleton, 1996.
ACADIAN JOHNSON ASSN. FRONT PAGE
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