Vincent Family
Village Vincent once stood in what is now known as Mantua.
A man named Pierre Vincent was born in France in 1631 and arrived in Acadia in 1663. He married Anne Gaudet and had six children (three sons, three daughters) in Port-Royal. The children and grandchildren of Pierre intermarried with the neighboring Acadian settlements including the Landry’s, Bordeaux’s, and the Trahans to list a few.
The oldest son was named Michel, and he was born in 1668. He married Marie-Josèphe Richard in 1689 and the two moved to Sainte-Famille in Pisiguit before settling in Grand-Pré and having eight children (two sons, six daughters). In 1710, Michel remarried to Anne-Marie Doiron in Pisiguit. They had ten more children (three sons, seven daughters).
The middle son was born in 1669. He was named Pierre like his father, and was also sometimes called Étienne. He married Jeanne Trahan, the daughter of Guillaume Trahan and Madeleine Brun, in 1692. They moved to Grand-Pré and had ten children, which included two sons who married into the Granger and Babin families.
The youngest son, Clément, was born in 1674. He married Madeleine Levron in 1698. They stayed in Port-Royal and had twelve children (four sons, eight daughters). His sons found wives and moved to Île St.-Jean (PEI) by the early 1750s. They all adopted their father’s name as a dit, a nickname. Many of these son’s descendants called themselves Clément instead of Vincent as a result.
There are two other Vincents who came to Acadia, Gilles Vincent dit Desmarets and Pierre-Jean Vincent.
Gilles married Marguerite Durand in Newfoundland in 1683, and they settled at the Acadian communities of St.-Pierre and Plaisance, Newfoundland, now known as Placentia. They had nine children, six sons and three daughters. The family moved to the fishery on Île Scatary, off Île Royale (Cape Breton, NS), by 1716. Gilles died in Port-Orléans in 1722.
Pierre-Jean was born in 1691 in St.-Malo, France, and arrived at Île Royale on an unrecorded date. He died there in December 1751. It is unknown if he married and had children.
During the 1755 Acadian Expulsion, also known as le grand derangement, the Vincents faced the same tragic suffering as other Acadian families. The Vincents were some of the first Acadians who arrived in New Orleans both from the deportation.
The Vincents, like other Acadian families, were deported throughout the thirteen New England colonies. The great-grandson of Pierre Vincent, Joseph Vincent, was sent with his family to the colony of Massachusetts. Pierre Vincent IV was sent with his family to the colony of Pennsylvania. Vincents also ended up in the colonies of Maryland and in Virginia. Common to the tragic events of the Expulsion, a number of the deported Vincents passed away on the way to their destination. Charles and Joseph Vincent both died of smallpox on their way to England, Elisabeth Vincent and her eight children perished on the journey to France, and Marie and Agnes Vincent both passed away at sea on their way to France. The Vincent family's losses are only a small representation of the tragic events that affected all Acadian settlements along the Minas Basin.
A man named Pierre Vincent was born in France in 1631 and arrived in Acadia in 1663. He married Anne Gaudet and had six children (three sons, three daughters) in Port-Royal. The children and grandchildren of Pierre intermarried with the neighboring Acadian settlements including the Landry’s, Bordeaux’s, and the Trahans to list a few.
The oldest son was named Michel, and he was born in 1668. He married Marie-Josèphe Richard in 1689 and the two moved to Sainte-Famille in Pisiguit before settling in Grand-Pré and having eight children (two sons, six daughters). In 1710, Michel remarried to Anne-Marie Doiron in Pisiguit. They had ten more children (three sons, seven daughters).
The middle son was born in 1669. He was named Pierre like his father, and was also sometimes called Étienne. He married Jeanne Trahan, the daughter of Guillaume Trahan and Madeleine Brun, in 1692. They moved to Grand-Pré and had ten children, which included two sons who married into the Granger and Babin families.
The youngest son, Clément, was born in 1674. He married Madeleine Levron in 1698. They stayed in Port-Royal and had twelve children (four sons, eight daughters). His sons found wives and moved to Île St.-Jean (PEI) by the early 1750s. They all adopted their father’s name as a dit, a nickname. Many of these son’s descendants called themselves Clément instead of Vincent as a result.
There are two other Vincents who came to Acadia, Gilles Vincent dit Desmarets and Pierre-Jean Vincent.
Gilles married Marguerite Durand in Newfoundland in 1683, and they settled at the Acadian communities of St.-Pierre and Plaisance, Newfoundland, now known as Placentia. They had nine children, six sons and three daughters. The family moved to the fishery on Île Scatary, off Île Royale (Cape Breton, NS), by 1716. Gilles died in Port-Orléans in 1722.
Pierre-Jean was born in 1691 in St.-Malo, France, and arrived at Île Royale on an unrecorded date. He died there in December 1751. It is unknown if he married and had children.
During the 1755 Acadian Expulsion, also known as le grand derangement, the Vincents faced the same tragic suffering as other Acadian families. The Vincents were some of the first Acadians who arrived in New Orleans both from the deportation.
The Vincents, like other Acadian families, were deported throughout the thirteen New England colonies. The great-grandson of Pierre Vincent, Joseph Vincent, was sent with his family to the colony of Massachusetts. Pierre Vincent IV was sent with his family to the colony of Pennsylvania. Vincents also ended up in the colonies of Maryland and in Virginia. Common to the tragic events of the Expulsion, a number of the deported Vincents passed away on the way to their destination. Charles and Joseph Vincent both died of smallpox on their way to England, Elisabeth Vincent and her eight children perished on the journey to France, and Marie and Agnes Vincent both passed away at sea on their way to France. The Vincent family's losses are only a small representation of the tragic events that affected all Acadian settlements along the Minas Basin.
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.
