Vincent  BREAU (BRAULT)

"Among the names in the census of 1671 is that of Vincent Brot, aged 40. His wife was Marie Bourc, and they had four children, two boys, Antoine and Pierre, and two girls. I have been unable to find any further mention of this name in any census or other Acadian document, and am therefore forced to the conclusion that Brot is not a name, but a misprint or an error of the copyist, and that it stands for some other name snch as Breau or Brou. This idea is strengthened by finding the name Breau both at Port Royal and Mines in 1714. In 1730 among those who signed the oath of allegiance at Port Royal were Jean Brou and Pierre Brou and Jean and Ambroise Breau. Among those deported from Mines in 1755 by Wins- low were Cherussim Braux and Francis Braux. We also find the name of Breau represented at Beausejour ifi 1752 by one family from Petitcodiac, two from Shepody and one from Mines. I think that it may be safely inferred that Brot is an error and that the name of Antoine Bourc's son-in-law was Vincent Breau. Brou and Braux appear to be different ways of spelling the same name, for among people like the Acadian peasants, most of whom could neither read or write, the spelling of names must have varied a good deal. In 1720 Peter Brou was named by Governor Philipps as a proper person to represent the inhabitants of Mines at a conference with him at Annapolis. Here we have another spelling of the name Breau. There are now a few families of this name in the Maritime Provinces, about 30 in all, who spell their name Breaux. They are all residents of Northumberland. Breans are quite numerous among the French, but whether this is a mis-spelling of Breau or not I am not prepared to say."


Source:
The New Brunswick Magazine
Published by W.K. Reynolds, 1899
Item notes: v.2 (1899)
Original from Harvard University
Digitized Sep 29, 2007