The Cyber Home
of
Michele Doucette

I am proud to be able to say that I am able to trace my roots back to the original Acadian settlers of early Acadie. All individuals of Acadian and Cajun descent will find themselves able to retrace their roots back to this same earliest group of hardy men and women who were willing to brave a new world for themselves and their families. I, myself, am a direct descendant of Germain Doucet, also known as Sieur de LaVerdure. Being a current and upstanding member of Les Doucet du Monde, it is my hope that we will grow in phenomenal numbers as we rediscover lost cousins.

Old genealogists never die; they just haunt cemeteries and lose their census. Basically, this about sums up my genealogical undertakings. As a Special Education teacher, I know how important documentation is. Combined with my insatiable passion for history, you end up with an obsessive amateur genealogist.

My roots are quite an eclectic and inspirational mixture. We can start with my paternal Acadian connections which stem from the Quinan area around Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. We then move onto my maternal Acadian and French Canadian connections which take us further into the Canadian interior of northern New Brunswick and the Gaspé region of Québec. Throw in some maternal Irish connections to County Donegal and there you have it!

DNA testing is fast becoming associated with one's genealogical papertrail. To learn more about what Y-DNA and mtDNA Haplogroups are all about, check out the website of Lucie LeBlanc Consentino. This is where many of us, myself included, have willingly posted our DNA test results in keeping with unknown Acadian females. Other sites of interest include ...

Audio Interview with Bryan Sykes
Coast To Coast with Bryan Sykes
Family Tree mtDNA Migrations Map
Maternal DNA Clans
Mitosearch
Mitrochondrial DNA and the Peopling of the New World
mtDNA Haplogroup Descriptions and Information Links
Oxford Ancestors (Bryan Sykes) Scientific Papers
Paternal DNA Clans
The International Society of Genetic Genealogy
Y-DNA Haplogroup Descriptions and Information Links
Ysearch

It is now known that some surnames of French Acadian, French Canadian and Cajun origin may well be Jewish. According to history, the Sephardic Jews were forced to leave Spain and Portugal during the Spanish Inquisition. Many made their way to France, especially the southern part of France, known as Bayonne and Bordeaux. During the early 1600's some of the Anusim (Jews forced to convert to Catholocism) who fled to France, ended up immigrating to New France, now known as Canada, seeking a life without persecution. The objective of this project is to prove this theory. In doing so, they would like to link themselves through the Canadian Anusim surnames, places of origin and DNA to other Anusim and Jewish families, thereby re-establishing family ties that were lost in the Jewish diaspora.

There are also several other FamilyTree DNA projects worth looking into; namely, the French Heritage DNA Project and the Acadian Métis Mothers DNA Project. As I come across others, they, too, shall be posted here.

Being an Acadian enthusiast, I cannot stress enough the importance of a 1999 published resource by Stephen A. White, an Acadian genealogist, historian, researcher at the Université de Moncton, entitled Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes. There is also a site with regards to Dictionnaire corrections that persons should refer to.

Many of us also have to thank Father Clarence d'Entremont for his numerous works and sheer dedication to any and all things of an Acadian nature over the years. It was through this very man that I was able to make the leap backwards from my Quinan based roots to Germain Doucet, Sieur de LaVerdure. In addition, I have links to numerous Acadian Research websites of import to all researchers.

In keeping with today's historian and genealogist,
you will want to visit the POST 1901 Canadian Census Project Website.

Here are some personal and favorite links ...
Witchy Wisdom
(courtesy of cuzin Russell Doucette)

Appleton Chocolates Company
(Alan Huestis - Wentworth, Nova Scotia, Canada)

Santa Carvings
(Faron Young - Springhill, Nova Scotia, Canada)

Have you caught the GENEALOGY VIRUS yet?

MURPHY's LAW for GENEALOGISTS

THE BEATLES - My All Time Fab Four

Portals of Spirit (Michele's spirituality website)

Michele's Collection of Favorite Recipes and Recipe Finder Sites