Afterword
This story presented in this paper is far from complete.
There are obvious questions without answers (yet): Where were the prisoners kept in 1695 and in 1704-
06? Where was Anne Dagault, Barthélémy’s mother, from? Who were Barthélémy’s grandparents? Who
were the “other” Bergerons, the ones listed in Father Adrien Bergeron’s genealogy? Where is Marie-Anne
Bergeron’s birth certificate hiding in Massachusetts? What, precisely, was the relationship between the
Blinns and the Bergeron d’Amboises? Was Michel Bergeron I actually a deep-sea sailor? Did he make trips
between Acadia and France, or did he only ply the waters of the Bay of Fundy? Precisely where was the
Bergeron d’Amboise home on Campobello? How much time did they spend there compared to their
residence in Port Royal? When and where did Barthélémy die? The same questions can be asked for
Geneviève. How close were Michel Bergeron II and Ambroise st. Aubin? Was Marguerite Bourg, Michel
II’s wife, truly a member of a Native Nation and which one? Where did Michel II learn his carpentry trade?
And these are just the questions that may stand some chance of eventually being answered.
It has been my privilege to have made contact with a number of individuals who did a great deal of
research and shared it with me. Now I would ask the readers of this paper to also help. If someone lives in
Boston, it sure would be wonderful if they could find Marie-Anne’s birth certificate. Etc., etc., etc., etc. And,
as you can see from this paper, any data shared with me will get proper credit.
In addition, there are also the oral histories. Families pass down stories. Guy Desilets illustrates that
with his story of the rosary during Michel II’s trek. I am a historian, but to me a real part of history is what
people believe and remember, the stories they hand down. Oral histories are history, of a different sort,
perhaps, but still history. If anyone is willing to share their family stories, I think they could truly bring this
story to life. We are all Bergerons and Damboises and Godins and Bourgs and Belliveaus and... we can go
on and on. But we are also all part of this story. As I work my way to writing a complete book, nothing
would thrill me more than turning this into “Three Acadian Generations: The Story of the Last Three
Generations Before the Expulsion” instead of limiting it to the Bergeron d’Amboises.
But that depends on you, dear readers. Can we create a true saga? A real Acadian national treasure? Our
undeniable story instead of just another history? To do this, I need your help.
Thank you, cousins.
Sincèrement,
Richard Bergeron
Minneapolis, 2004
[email protected]
This story presented in this paper is far from complete.
There are obvious questions without answers (yet): Where were the prisoners kept in 1695 and in 1704-
06? Where was Anne Dagault, Barthélémy’s mother, from? Who were Barthélémy’s grandparents? Who
were the “other” Bergerons, the ones listed in Father Adrien Bergeron’s genealogy? Where is Marie-Anne
Bergeron’s birth certificate hiding in Massachusetts? What, precisely, was the relationship between the
Blinns and the Bergeron d’Amboises? Was Michel Bergeron I actually a deep-sea sailor? Did he make trips
between Acadia and France, or did he only ply the waters of the Bay of Fundy? Precisely where was the
Bergeron d’Amboise home on Campobello? How much time did they spend there compared to their
residence in Port Royal? When and where did Barthélémy die? The same questions can be asked for
Geneviève. How close were Michel Bergeron II and Ambroise st. Aubin? Was Marguerite Bourg, Michel
II’s wife, truly a member of a Native Nation and which one? Where did Michel II learn his carpentry trade?
And these are just the questions that may stand some chance of eventually being answered.
It has been my privilege to have made contact with a number of individuals who did a great deal of
research and shared it with me. Now I would ask the readers of this paper to also help. If someone lives in
Boston, it sure would be wonderful if they could find Marie-Anne’s birth certificate. Etc., etc., etc., etc. And,
as you can see from this paper, any data shared with me will get proper credit.
In addition, there are also the oral histories. Families pass down stories. Guy Desilets illustrates that
with his story of the rosary during Michel II’s trek. I am a historian, but to me a real part of history is what
people believe and remember, the stories they hand down. Oral histories are history, of a different sort,
perhaps, but still history. If anyone is willing to share their family stories, I think they could truly bring this
story to life. We are all Bergerons and Damboises and Godins and Bourgs and Belliveaus and... we can go
on and on. But we are also all part of this story. As I work my way to writing a complete book, nothing
would thrill me more than turning this into “Three Acadian Generations: The Story of the Last Three
Generations Before the Expulsion” instead of limiting it to the Bergeron d’Amboises.
But that depends on you, dear readers. Can we create a true saga? A real Acadian national treasure? Our
undeniable story instead of just another history? To do this, I need your help.
Thank you, cousins.
Sincèrement,
Richard Bergeron
Minneapolis, 2004
[email protected]