According to DNA tests, two Robichaud out of three in the Atlantic are, in fact, descendants of the family of Michel Richard said Sansoucy.

Marc Robichaud is a great lover of genealogy. He loves to find interesting stories about his ancestors, but the discovery he made in 2016, when he compared his DNA to that of a Richard, was way above his expectations.

The ancestors of Marc Robichaud participated in the founding of Port-Royal, in the 1600s. It is a little more than 100 years later that the story begins. In 1703, Charles Robichaud married Marie Bourg, her maiden name, as a second marriage. They have a first child, Joseph Robichaud. But current technologies have revealed that Joseph was actually a Richard. It is not known, however, whether the child was born from an unregistered first marriage or was born after the union of Marie Bourg and Charles Robichaud.

Charles Robichaud and Marie Bourg were residents of Port Royal, before and after their marriage. Their marriage is recorded in the parish register of the place June 18, 1703. Strangely, the baptism of Joseph Robichaud, probably born in early 1704, is not there. The absence of Joseph’s expected baptism and the results of the DNA analysis strongly suggest that it is Joseph Robichaud who would have been born of a conception outside marriage.

It took me a week or two to digest the information, says Marc Robichaud, who even wondered if he should tell his father.

The discovery created work for genealogist Stephen White, who had to add a branch to the Robichaud tree. If DNA gives us something that is not in line with what we already have, we must adjust the family trees accordingly. The Robichaud on the Acadian Peninsula and part of Kent County are particularly likely to be of Richard descent.

Sometimes the truth can be a little tricky, admits the genealogist.

Who is the father of Joseph “Robichaud” (2)

Among the descendants of Michel Richard dit Sansoucy, there are nine potential candidates of childbearing age (15 and over in 1703). Y-DNA does not make it possible to discern precisely who the father is.

Pierre to Michel: 42 years old, married;

Martin to Michel: 38 years old, married;

Alexandre to Michel: 35 years old, married;

Michel to René to Michel: 22 years old, single;

Antoine to René to Michel: 19 years old, single;

Michel to Michel: 19 years old, single;

Pierre to Rene to Michel: 17 years old, single;

Alexandre (II) to Michel: 17 years old, single;

René to René to Michel: 15 years old, single.

Since it is quite unlikely that a married man had a mistress in Port-Royal, the first three may be eliminated. As the widow was then 30 years old, the younger candidates also seem rather unlikely. There remains Michel to René (dit Beaupré) to Michel Richard Sansoucy, 22, as the most likely candidate, although we can not be sure.

Sources : (1) Radio-Canada ; (2) Denis Savard, Racines Acadiennes – Acadie Nouvelle