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     Background MIDI music: "Reel de Sainte Anne" from THE GREAT CANADIAN TUNEBOOK, Sequenced by Barry Taylor, Victoria, BC, Canada
"Pour les Acadiens, la généalogie est une discipline importante pour leur histoire, donc plus qu'un passe-temps pour trouver la lignée de leurs ancêtres. Le drame de 1755 a causé l'éparpillement de ceux-ci à travers le monde occidental. À partir de là, leur histoire devient un peu celle des déplacements de familles et de leurs regroupements en différentes régions. La généalogie s'avère un moyen efficace pour retracer ces personnes et leur tragique épopée."

Père Anselme Chiasson, o.f.m, cap. dans la Préface du "Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes" par Stephen A. White. 

 "For the Acadians, genealogy is more than an activity to find one's ancestry but is a discipline that is important to their history. The drama of 1755 caused the dispersal of this people throughout the western world. From that point, their history became one of displaced families and their regrouping in different regions. Genealogy provides an effective means to retrace this people and their tragic epic."

Reverend Father Anselme Chiasson, o.f.m, cap. in the Preface to the "Dictionnaire Généalogique des Familles Acadiennes" by Stephen A. White. Translated by J.R.T.Thériault
In the period just prior to the Great Eviction, the population of Acadia was about 15,000[ref:18]. The Acadians had spread primarily east of Port Royal as shown in the first map below. In the time of the Great Eviction and just before, migration from Acadia took many different routes (shown in Maps 2 and 3) at many different times. Some migrated in the early 1700's while others did not move until the Great Eviction in 1755. Prior to the Great Eviction, migration was first mostly to the areas of present-day southern New Brunswick. Later migrations were to the northern Acadian areas and Quebec on the St-Lawrence River. With the Great Eviction, migration exploded to many parts of the Western Hemisphere and some back to Europe.

Distribution of Population in the Maritimes, 1750
(Map courtesy of Naomi E.S. Griffiths, "The Contexts of Acadian History, 1686-1785", Centre for Canadian Studies, Mount Allison University)

Map 2: The Deportation and Flight of Acadians, 1755- 1785 and
Map 3: Acadian Migration: 1758-1785
(Maps courtesy of Naomi E.S. Griffiths, "The Contexts of Acadian History, 1686-1785", Centre for Canadian Studies, Mount Allison University)

The map below shows the current concentrations of Acadian populations in the northeast. Other concentrations exist in areas of New England and Louisiana in the United States.

Map 4: Major Areas of Acadian Settlement, c. 1986
(Maps courtesy of Naomi E.S. Griffiths, "The Contexts of Acadian History, 1686-1785", Centre for Canadian Studies, Mount Allison University)


LEFT CLICK HERE TO OPEN THIS 'MIGRATION TABLE'... or you may RIGHT CLICK > SAVE TARGET AS, or RIGHT CLICK > PRINT TARGETMigration of our Great-Branches

In the MIGRATION TABLE on the right, we describe the routes that the nine generations of each branch took in their respective migrations away from their beloved Acadia. Click on the illustration at right to open the MIGRATION TABLE.

If your Great-Branch is not shown in this list, let us know. We will record your branch and its migration here.

Please note that we list the Great-Branches in the MIGRATION TABLE according to their migration route. So that all Great-Branches who took roughly the same migration route are grouped together.

You may download and/or print this table for your convenience.