The contribution of Acadians to the peopling of Quebec regions

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 Iles-de-la-Madeleine region, where 86% of the gene pool is explained by Acadians. Gaspesie (27%) and Cote-Nord (14%) populations also display an important Acadian contribution.