| Notes |
- ANTOINE LANDRY — ACADIEN PIONEER
Co-Founder of the Settlement at 'La Rivière-des-Habitants'
Antoine was born about 1660 in Port-Royal, Acadie, the eldest son (and first child) of René Landry 'le jeune' and Marie (Bernard). In early Acadie, there were two unrelated (or distantly related) René Landrys who had emigrated from France; and Antoine's father, being 'the younger' of the two, is customarily referred to as 'le jeune' (or sometimes 'le cadet'). Antoine, a first-generation Acadien, was one of 15 children born to René and Marie; and like his many siblings, he grew up in Port-Royal (present-day Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia) which was then the main hub of the Acadien community.
» It should be noted that in 17th century America the region known as 'Acadie' (aka 'Nouvelle-Écosse' or 'Nova Scotia') was a political football — and control of the region fluctuated back and forth between France and England. At the time of Antoine's birth, Acadie was under British rule; but six years later, the 'Treaty of Breda' restored control of the colony to France. For clarification regarding Antoine's place of birth, it would be inaccurate (for a number of reasons) to select 'Port Royal, Annapolis County, Nova Scotia, Canada' from Find-A-Grave's drop-down list. That present-day location is actually the site of the original French habitation built in 1605 (on the north bank of the river); and in point of fact, there was no 'Annapolis County' in Antoine's era — and 'Canada' back then referred to the region along the Saint Lawrence River.
It was around 1681 (in Port-Royal, no doubt) when Antoine exchanged wedding vows with Marie Thibodeau, who was a year or so younger than he. Like her husband, Marie had also been born in Port-Royal — the first child (and eldest daughter) of Pièrre and Jeanne (Thériot) Thibodeau; but because she shared the same name with two younger sisters, this Marie is sometimes referred to as 'the elder Marie Thibodeau' — Marie l'ainée. A first-generation Acadienne and one of 16 children, Marie grew up on the family farm at Pré-Ronde (present-day Round Hill, Nova Scotia) — about five miles upriver from Port-Royal. Her parents were the progenitors of all American Thibodeaus whose roots trace back to 17th-century Acadie.
Soon after marrying (probably sometime in the spring of 1682), the Landrys left Port-Royal to establish themselves in an undeveloped area near the Bassin-des-Mines, about 60 miles northeast of their home village. Following the lead of Pièrre Thériot (their brother-in-law), Antoine and his brother Claude were among a handful of young men who pioneered a new settlement along the Rivière-Saint-Antoine near present-day New Minas, Nova Scotia. The region became known as 'Le Grand- Pré' (alternately labeled La Grand'Prée but commonly referred to as 'Les Mines'); and it was there in the fall of 1682 that Antoine's wife gave birth to the first of their 12 children. Eventually, the Saint-Antoine came to be called 'La-Rivière-des-Habitants' (many years later, the Cornwallis River); and by the close of the decade, a nominal census report shows that the population at Les Mines had grown to about 30 families (more than 160 people).
Antoine and Marie were last documented in the Acadien census of 1703 and their youngest child was born circa 1704; but church records indicate that by February of 1711 (when their daughter Françoise married) both were deceased. According to family depositions in the 'Declarations of Belle-Île-en-Mer', the Landrys died at Les Mines; and though it's logical to presume that both were buried in the ancient Acadien cemetery at St- Charles-des-Mines, no church records have been found to confirm this. We only know that they passed away 'sometime between 1704 and 1711' — Antoine, in his early 50s at most, and Marie, probably in her mid to late 40s.
The Landry children, all of whom married, eventually helped populate the region with more than 120 grandchildren; but nearly five decades after their parents' demise, at least 8 of the 12 siblings (along with most of those grandchildren) were deported by the Brits during 'Le Grand Dérangement'.
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1660 - 
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