Forest (De Forêt)
Michel Forest was the first Forest in Acadia. He was born around 1638 in France. He settled in Port-Royal, where he is believed to have served as a soldier under d’Aulnay, before eventually becoming a plowman near the Royal River, now known as Annapolis River, in a place called Centralea. He married Marie Hébert (born in 1651) in 1666. Marie died in Port-Royal around 1677, possibly after the birth of her fifth child, Jean-Baptiste. Michel Forest died around 1690.
Three generations of Forests lived in Port-Royal before the deportation in 1755, according to Port-Royal censuses.The descendents of Michel Forest are seen throughout the Maritimes pre-expulsion. Descendents of Michel Forest stretch from Port Royal up the Minas Basin to Cobequid, into New Brunswick as far as Memramcook, and into French Atlantic Canada (Ile St. Jean and Ile Royale). Michel’s descendents were able to establish Village Forest near what is now Upper Falmouth.
As a result of the 1755 Acadian Expulsion, the Forest’s were scattered all along the Eastern seaboard throughout the thirteen colonies ending up in Massachusetts, Virginia, South Caroline, Maryland, and Connecticut. Fleeing the British, descendants of Michel Forest left for French Maritimes (Ile Royale and New Brunswick) and for French Canada settling on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Some members of the Forest family were captured and sent back to England and France. The cross Atlantic voyage was brutal, and like other Acadian families, the Forests suffered tragic losses.
Three generations of Forests lived in Port-Royal before the deportation in 1755, according to Port-Royal censuses.The descendents of Michel Forest are seen throughout the Maritimes pre-expulsion. Descendents of Michel Forest stretch from Port Royal up the Minas Basin to Cobequid, into New Brunswick as far as Memramcook, and into French Atlantic Canada (Ile St. Jean and Ile Royale). Michel’s descendents were able to establish Village Forest near what is now Upper Falmouth.
As a result of the 1755 Acadian Expulsion, the Forest’s were scattered all along the Eastern seaboard throughout the thirteen colonies ending up in Massachusetts, Virginia, South Caroline, Maryland, and Connecticut. Fleeing the British, descendants of Michel Forest left for French Maritimes (Ile Royale and New Brunswick) and for French Canada settling on the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Some members of the Forest family were captured and sent back to England and France. The cross Atlantic voyage was brutal, and like other Acadian families, the Forests suffered tragic losses.
Mapping of Acadian Villages courtesy of the West Hants Historical Society. Location of Acadian Villages has been defined from numerous historical map sources and resources. You can also visit the West Hants Historical Society for detailed interpretive panels that discuss: Acadian Settlements in Present Day West Hants; Acadian Travel Routes; Development of Acadian Landscapes; and, Acadian Commerce.
