Germain DOUCET
Biography

Germain Doucet, sieur de La Verdure, of Couperans or Conflans en Brie, France, a minor nobleman and "captain at arms," born in the mid-1590s, came to Acadia with Isaac de Razilly and the sieur d'Aulnay in 1632. This makes him one of the first permanent settlers of Acadia. He was master at arms at Pentagouët, present-day Maine, in 1640 and testified in an inquiry against former governor Charles La Tour that year. Germain was mentioned in the will of the sieur d'Aulnay, written in 1649, the year before the governor died. In 1654, when the English seized Port-Royal, Germain commanded the post and was guardian of d'Aulnay's children. Germain is not listed in the first Acadian census of 1671 because he likely returned to France after the English seized the colony. According to Acadian genealogist Bona Arsenault, if Germain had been listed in the first census, he would have been 76 years old that year.

Germain married twice, but the names of both of his wives have been lost to history. According to Acadian genealogist Stephen A. White, Germain married his first wife in c1620, probably in France, a dozen years before he came to Acadia, probably without her. According to White, Germain and his first wife had four children, including two sons who created families of their own. Their daughters married into the Dugas and Lejeune dit Briard families. The capitulation papers that Germain presented to English officer Robert Sedgwick in 1654 said that Germain left his "brother-in-law" and lieutenant, Jacques Bourgeois, as hostage with the English to insure that he fulfilled the terms of surrender, so Germain's second wife, who, according to White, he married in c1654, may have been a sister of Jacques Bourgeois's wife Jeanne, daughter of Guillaume Trahan, but, again, her name has been lost to history. According to White, no children by his second wife have been recorded (but see below)...

Sieur Germain's younger son, Germain, fils, born in c1641, was, according to White, from Sieur Germain's first wife. (However, according to recent yDNA evidence garnered from nearly a dozen Doucet descendants, Germain, fils may not have been a son of Sieur Germain at all but rather a Mi'kmaq whom the captain at arms adopted, perhaps when he married the boy's mother in c1654.) Germain, fils married Marie, daughter of René Landry l'aîné, at Port-Royal in c1664. They had nine children. One of their daughters married into the Loppinot family. Germain, fils died at Port-Royal in the late 1690s, in his late 50s. Five of his seven sons, all born at Port-Royal, created families of their own. Most of Germain, fil's sons remained at Port-Royal, at least until Le Grand Dérangement:

Oldest son Charles, born in c1665, married Huguette, daughter of François Guérin, at Port-Royal in c1684. They had nine children, including six sons who married into the Poirier, Robichaud, Carret, Comeau, and Pitre families. Their only daughter married into the Lavigne family. Charles became a sailor and a carpenter. Soon after the British gained control of Acadia in 1714, Charles took his family to Port-Toulouse, Île Royale, today's Cape Breton Island, which remained in French hands. Charles died at Port-Royal in May 1739 in his early 70s.

Bernard dit Laverdure, born in c1667, married Madeleine, daughter of Jean Corporon, at Port-Royal in c1690. They had four children, including a son who married into the Bourget family. One of their daughters married into the Savary family. Bernard died at Port-Royal in August 1709. His wife remarried twice.

Laurent, born in c1669, married Jeanne, daughter of Antoine Babin, at Port-Royal in c1689. They had 12 children, including six sons who married into the Sylvestre dit Champagne, Pellerin, Doiron, Brun, Babineaux, and Martin families. Three of their daughters married into the Lord, Levron, and Garceau dit Boutin families. In 1714, soon after Britain gained control of Acadia, Laurent took the ship La Marie Joseph to Île Royale with other Port-Royal Acadians to look at land there. Evidently he did not like what he saw; he returned to Port-Royal, probably where he died by January 1728. His oldest son Pierre, meanwhile, left Nova Scotia, married at Pointe-aux-Trembles, near Montréal, in February 1716, and settled a "fief" at Chicot, Berthier Parish, in the 1720s; in other words, he and his family became Canadiennes.

Jacques dit Maillard, born in c1671, married Marie, daughter of Étienne Pellerin, at Port-Royal in c1695. They had 11 children, including three sons who married into the Bourg, Léger, and Dugas families. Three of their daughters married into the Lord, Simon dit Boucher, and Landry families.

Youngest son Claude dit Maître Jean, born in c1674, married Marie, daughter of Étienne Comeau, at Port-Royal in c1696. They had 11 children, including four sons who married into the Préjean, Surette, Robichaux, and Pellerin families. Five of their daughters married into the Gaudet, Préjean, Chiasson, Grosvalet, and Le Borgne dit Cotte families.

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