La contribution des Acadiens au peuplement des régions du Québec1

Abstract

Les Acadiens sont des descendants d’immigrants français qui se sont établis principalement au xviie siècle en Nouvelle-Écosse et au Nouveau-Brunswick. En 1755, les autorités britanniques ont ordonné la déportation des Acadiens qui ont été dispersés dans les colonies anglaises d’Amérique, en France et en Angleterre. On estime que de 2 000 à 4 000 Acadiens se sont établis au Québec. L’objectif de cette étude est de mesurer et de caractériser l’impact de l’apport migratoire acadien sur le pool génique québécois contemporain. Les données utilisées proviennent d’un corpus généalogique comprenant 2 340 ascendances. Les lieux d’origine des ancêtres, la fréquence de leurs mentions dans les généalogies ainsi que leur contribution génétique aux différentes populations régionales du Québec ont été analysés. Les résultats révèlent que de 46 % à 100 % des ascendances, selon la région, comprennent au moins un ancêtre d’origine acadienne. La contribution des fondateurs acadiens est particulièrement élevée aux Îles-de-la-Madeleine, où 86 % du pool génique leur est attribuable. Les populations de la Gaspésie (27 %) et de la Côte-Nord (14 %), affichent aussi une importante contribution acadienne.The Acadians are descendants of French immigrants who settled mainly in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick during the xviith century. In 1755, the British authorities ordered the deportation of Acadians who were then dispersed in France, England and the English colonies of America. It is estimated that between 2 000 and 4 000 Acadians settled in Quebec. The purpose of this study was to measure and characterize the impact of Acadian migration on the contemporary Quebec gene pool. Data was obtained from a genealogical corpus consisting of 2 340 ascendances. Place of origin of founding ancestors, frequency of their mention in the genealogies and their genetic contribution to the various regional populations of Quebec were analysed. Results show that, depending on the region, 46 % to 100 % of ascendances contain at least one Acadian ancestor. The contribution of Acadian founders is particularly high in the Îles-de-la-Madeleine region, where 86 % of the gene pool is explained by Acadians. Gaspésie (27 %) and Côte-Nord (14 %) populations also display an important Acadian contribution

Admixed ancestry and stratification of Quebec regional populations

“…However, this study also puts in the balance arguments in favor of the heterogeneity of the pool of founders. Following the British Conquest, immigration diversified and had a variable impact on the regional populations (Bergeron et al, 2008; Tremblay et al, 2009). Moreover, French immigrants came from all regions of France (Vézina et al, 2005) and principally landed as single member of their family (Charbonneau et al, 1993; Guillemette and Légaré, 1989).…”

“…At the time of the British Conquest in 1760, the population, who numbered 70,000, inhabited mainly the shores of the Saint‐Lawrence River and its principal tributary rivers. Following the Conquest, between 2,000 and 4,000 Acadians, descendants of French pioneers from Acadia (located in sectors of present‐day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince‐Edward Island), settled in Quebec after the British deportation campaign (Dickinson, 1994; Bergeron et al, 2008). A group of American Loyalists also came to Quebec after the war of Independence of the United States.…”

Genome-wide patterns of identity-by-descent sharing in the French Canadian founder population

“…From 1755, Acadians, who were descendants of French pioneers who settled in Acadia (located in areas of present-day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince-Edward Island), started to move to several regions of Quebec, escaping the deportation led by the British. 16 In the last part of the 18th century, American Loyalists, who wanted to stay under the British rule, also moved to Quebec. Meanwhile, the French Canadian population expanded rapidly in relative isolation caused by linguistic, religious and geographic barriers, which amplified the founder effect.…”

Deep genealogical analysis of a large cohort of participants in the CARTaGENE project (Quebec, Canada)

“…The proportion of French ancestors ranges from 56% for the Montreal region to 84% for the Saguenay. The second most frequent contingent came from other parts of Canada; these Canadian immigrants came mainly from the former Acadian region (which was located in the present provinces of New-Brunswick and Nova Scotia) from which most of the inhabitants of French origin were expelled by British soldiers in 1755 (Bergeron et al, 2008).…”