Association des Familles Daigle Acadiennes

Descendants de Olivier Daigre et Marie Gaudet

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Olivier Daigre – Our Acadian Ancestor

Based on extensive research, the Daigle family name in Acadia goes back to Olivier Daigre, born in France around 1643. He married Marie Gaudet, daughter of Denis Gaudet and Martine Gauthier, in Port-Royal around 1666.1  Olivier and Marie Gaudet built their home on the south side of the rivière Dauphin (Annapolis), across from the Village des Gaudets,  now known as Bridgetown.2  Like many other Acadians during the mid-1600’s, Olivier and Marie farmed the land and raised their growing family.

Olivier and Marie had seven sons and three daughters:3

  • Jean Daigre b. 1667
  • Jacques Daigre b. 1669
  • Bernard Daigre b. 1670
  • Infant girl Daigre b. 1671
  • Louis Daigre b. 1673
  • Olivier Daigre b. 1674
  • Jean Daigre b. 1676
  • Marie Daigre b. 1677
  • Anne Daigre  b. 1679
  • Pierre Daigre b. 1681

Only two of Oliver and Marie’s seven sons had descendants, Bernard and Olivier.  According to the geneologist Stephen White, Bernard settled in Pisiguit with his wife Marie-Claire Bourque,  while Olivier remained in Port-Royal with his wife, Jeanne Blanchard.4.  There descendants are now found in various parts of the world. Larger concentration of Daigle can be found in the Kent and Madawaska counties of New Brunswick, in Margaree, NS, Rollo-Bay, PEI, in Louisiana, the New England states, in Quebec and in France.

Bernard and Olivier’s daughters married into the Acadian families of Hébert, Thériot, Trahan, and Richard.3

Olivier died in either his late thirties or early forties, between 1681 to 1686, the period between when his last child was born and the 1686 census. In the 1686 census, Marie Gaudet was remarried to Jean Fardel.5  Marie died in 1734 at the age of 88 years old.6

To date, Olivier’s origins in France is still unknown.  Bernadette Daigle, author of L’Odysée des Familles Daigle, reports that several genealogists believe he is from Aigre, in the Poitou-Charentes area of France.  This theory is based on the research conducted by Genevieve Massignon in her publication on the linguistic origins of Acadians. She reports that the spelling of D’Aigre, was frequently found  in the old parish registers of Saintonge, attesting that one was  from the town of Aigre. 7

Photo 1: Village des Gaudet. Extract from www.mapannapolis.ca

The following picture, an extract from the website ‘Early Acadian Settlements’ at www.mappannapolis.com shows the location of some of the known establishments in 1707, including Olivier’s.2  The Village des Gaudets had been established surrounding the settlement of Denis Gaudet’s farm.8  Denis was Marie’s father.

The photo also shows Étienne Poitevin, on the south bank,  who married their daughter Anne (born in 1679).  Pierre Gaudet’s farm, Denis’ youngest son, is known to have been located in the village where is now Chipman Drive in Bridgetown, NS.

A poster recognizing the first Daigle to settle in Acadia is proudly displayed by the owners who now live on the same land where Olivier and Marie raised their family.

Photo 1: Former land of Olivier Daigre & Marie gaudet. Photo credit: P. LeClair

Notes:

  1. Brother Jerôme Lepré , S.C., Declarations de Belle-Ile-en-Mer, Acadian-Home.org.,
  2. https://www.mapannaopolis.ca>acadian-settlement
  3. Stephen A. White, Patrice Gallant, and Hector-J Hébert. Dictionnaire Généalogique Des Familles Acadiennes, (Moncton, N.-B.: Centre D’études Acadiennes, Université De Moncton, 1999) 446-7.
  4. Stephen A. La généalogie des trente-sept familles hôtesses des ‘Retrouvailles 94’. La société historique acadienne. Les cahiers avril-septembre 1994. Pages 115-119
  5. Donald Hébert, Acadians in Exile, Louisiana, 1980
  6. Microfilm Fonds Drouin, No 02-01-2142, Port-Royal, Acadie
  7. Bernadette Daigle, L’Odyssée des familles Daigle, 2003, p.
  8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bridgetown,_Nova_Scotia