About us
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If you have an ACADIAN SURNAME in your family lines, as listed in the project profile, and you've had the Y DNA, mtDNA or Family Finder test, you are qualified to join this project.
- If you are a MALE with an ACADIAN SURNAME and you'd like to find out how to participate, please join this project by ordering a Y Chromosome 37 marker test.
- If you have a MATRILINEAL ANCESTRY (your mother’s mother’s mother’s line) that leads to a NATIVE and / or an ACADIAN grandmother, please join this project by ordering a full mitochondrial sequence mtDNA test.
- If you have Y DNA, mtDNA, or Family Finder matches with members of the Acadian Amerindian Ancestry project and are researching your ancestry, you are welcome to join this project.
- If you'd like to discover new leads for ancestry research and close, immediate and distant cousins, please join the project by ordering a Family Finder kit.
- It is not necessary to have a percentage of "Amerindian" ancestry (also reported as "Native American") in your Autosomal DNA test results, to belong to the Acadian Amerindian Ancestry project.
- Have questions? Contact the administrators of the project and we'll be glad to help you make the right decisions for your genetic genealogy goals.
- Please include the email addresses of all project administrators in your inquiries (i.e., together, in a single email message) so that whomever might happen to be able to answer first, or whomever has the most appropriate expertise, can do so.
About Marie Rundquist, Administrator:
Washington, D.C. area resident, University of Maryland College Park graduate Marie Rundquist applies her diverse experience -- as a DNA project manager, collaborative research community moderator, and president of an information systems consulting firm, in researching her North American family history. Interweaving DNA test results, history, and genealogy, Rundquist develops comprehensive historical narratives that are uniquely products of the present but which give voice to unheard ancestors, and truths, of the past.
Rundquist's published books and articles include Revisiting Anne Marie: How an Amerindian Woman of Seventeenth-Century Nova Scotia and a DNA Match Redefine American Heritage (2009), Cajun by Any Other Name: Recovering the Lost History of a Family and a People (2012), and "Finding Anne Marie: The Hidden History of our Acadian Ancestors (2006)." "Autosomal DNA Results Test Hundreds of Years of Genealogy Records in a Proof of Ancestry." Southern California Genealogical Society, Summer 2015, Vol. 52, Issue #3. A result of Rundquist's advocacy with the State of Maryland, a Maryland Historical Trust marker stands in Princess Anne, Maryland in testimony to Acadians who were expulsed from Nova Scotia by the British, and sent to Maryland in 1755. Marie Rundquist co-authored the award-winning "Acadians Were Here" website with Greg Wood and R. Martin (Marty) Guidry, about the experience of exiled Acadians in Maryland, and was among 55 authors of Acadie Then and Now: A People's History (2014), edited by Warren Perrin, Phil Comeau and Mary Perrin. The collective work that chronicles the past and present histories of Acadians worldwide was awarded the Prix France-Acadie 2015. Ms. Rundquist's primary Acadian - Native family includes "Anne Marie" b. ca 1625-1631 of Port Royal (Amerindian), Rimbault, Gautrot / Gautereaux, Hebert, David dit Saint Michel, Lejeune, and the Louisiana / German - Acadian "Oubre" (Huber) family lineages.
Ms. Rundquist divides her time between homes in the D.C. area and the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia and regularly presents to groups about her work with genealogy and DNA. Ms. Rundquist’s family, heritage, parakeets, friends, travels, clients, career, writing, and management of DNA projects are her life. Related training and memberships: Course Certificate: Genes and the Human Condition (From Behavior to Biotechnology) University of Maryland, Certificate of Completion: Learning from Knowledge Keepers of Mi'kma'ki, Cape Breton University, Unama'ki College of Nova Scotia, Canada (MIKM 2701 2016). Analyzing and Utilizing Data from Next-Generation Sequencers in the Forensic Genomics Era, ISHI Oct 12-15 2015 Texas. International Society of Genetic Genealogy.
About Roberta Estes, Co-Administrator:
Roberta Estes descends from several Acadian lines, including Lore/Lord, Girouard, Bonnevie, Muis, Garceau, Levron, Doucet, Broussard, Lafaille, deForest, Dugas, LePrince, Blanchard and others.
Roberta’s interest in genealogy reaches back nearly 40 years, although her Acadian brick wall only fell about 10 years ago. Genetic genealogy has helped confirm the relationships to other Acadian descendants, as well as confirmed Native heritage in various Acadian family lines.
Roberta authors two blogs, www.dna-explained.com and www.nativeheritageproject.com. Both of these endeavors seek to enhance understanding of genealogy and ancestral relationships, one primarily through genetic research and one through sifting through original records in search of Native history and heritage. I would invite you to subscribe to both.
Roberta and Marie Rundquist co-administer the following projects at Family Tree DNA which are relevant to Acadian ancestry:
- Acadian Amerindian Project (Deadra Doucet Bourke is also an administrator)
- American Indian Project (Dr. David Pike is also an administrator)
- Mitochondrial haplogroup A, A2, A4 and A10
- Mitochondrial haplogroup X2b4 (Tom Glad is also an administrator)
- Y DNA haplogroup C-P39 (Dr. David Pike is also an administrator)
- David dit St. Michel Y DNA Study (Earl David is the primary administrator)
Additionally, Roberta Estes and Marie Rundquist are affiliate researchers with the National Geographic Society’s Genographic Project. Resources Roberta and Marie both utilize, and would encourage other project members to utilize as well include:
• "4 Kinds of DNA for Genetic Genealogy: A Basics Primer" by Roberta Estes https://dna-explained.com/2012/10/01/4-kinds-of-dna-for-genetic-genealogy
• The tree contributed maintained by genealogist Karen Theriot Reader at this link: https://gw.geneanet.org/katheriot?lang=en&p=frederick%20joseph&n=theriot&oc=1
About Deadra Doucet Bourke, Co-Administrator
Deadra Doucet Bourke, A Louisiana resident and 25 year family historian / researcher who descends from the following Acadian and Native American lines: Allain, Amerindian, Apart, Aubois, Aucoin, Babin, Babineau, Barrieau, Bellard, Benoit, Beraud, Bernard, Blanchard, Boudreau, Bourg, Bourgeois, Boutin, Brasseux, Breau, Broussard, Brun, Carriere, Celestin, Chiasson, Comeau, Cormier, Corporon, Daigle, Darois, Doucet, Dufrene, Dugas, Dupre, Filteau, Galland, Gaudet, Gauthier, Girouard, Guidry, Guilbeau, Guyon, Hebert, Hugon, Janot, Jeansonne, Joseph, Lacasse, Lambert, Landry, Langlois, Lavergne, LeBlanc, LeBoeuf, Leger, LeJeune, Mailloux, Marchand, Martin, Matte, Melancon, Mikmaq, Native American, Pariseau, Pellerin, Peltret, Petitipas, Pinet, Pitre, Poirier, Prejean, Richard, Robin, Roy, Salle, Saulnier / Sonnier, Savoie, Simon, Thibodeau, Theriot, and Trahan.
From the beginning of Deadra’s genealogical quest she felt that a compiled family history would tell a much more complete family story. Deadra has reached out to other family researchers to help in this endeavor and has incorporated their works into her own data base. Using every available tool to tell the most complete family history possible, the latest being DNA testing, Deadra encourages others to test and helps recruit and qualifies participants to the projects that are dear to her heart. She manages two DNA & genealogical groups on Facebook and her primary focus is helping other family members understand their ancestry, their DNA results and how to apply them to their ancestry.
About Gordon J. Lavoie, Co-Administrator
Gordon Lavoie, who is also a member of the Acadian Amerindian Ancestry DNA Project, is a regular contributor to the dialog on the members-only "Activity Feed" where he frequently responds, in detail, to questions about DNA haplogroups and the genealogical connections among our project members -- with references!
After graduating from Tignish Regional High School, Gordon (who was raised in PEI) attended the University of Prince Edward Island. Gordon completed his studies at Laval University in 1982 where he earned an honours specialization in Linguistics. Back in PEI, Gordon embarked on a 33-year journey with the Federal Government in a variety of positions, retiring from Public Safety Canada in 2015. Gordon has, and continues to volunteer time on various community organizations and projects.
He is currently President of the "Conseil d'administration du Musée Acadien" in Miscouche. Gordon is an avid and experienced genealogist and hosts a database at the Acadian Museum Research Centre which helps 300,000 plus Acadian descendants to connect with their Acadian ancestors, who arrived in Acadia from France some 400 years ago.
Most important to new and long-time project members, Gordon is "one of us" and his knowledge of our Acadian - Amerindian lineages, the haplogroups that arise from Acadian Amerindian Ancestry DNA project data, and respect for the value of DNA analysis to genealogical research, are best expressed in his professional signature:
Gordon's DNA signature: mtDNA - U6a7a1a (Lejeune - Acadian) and Y-DNA - R-BY41645 (de la Voye - French-Canadian) - or simply, a person.
Signature ADN de Gordon : ADNmt - U6a7a1a (Lejeune - Acadien) et ADNy - R-BY41645 (de la Voye - Canadien-français) - ou tout simplement, une personne.
The Acadian Amerindian Ancestry Project announces a new project dimension: FAMILY!
With advances in Family Finder / Autosomal DNA matching capabilities and deep Y and mtDNA testing, our allied family connections are as important to our Acadian and Amerindian Ancestry
Acadian Amerindian Ancestry Revised Project Goals
(1) The Acadian Amerindian Ancestry Project builds upon the historic surnames and the mtDNA and Y DNA haplogroups of our Acadian and Amerindian ancestors of 17th-century Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, and adds a new dimension: Family.
(2) The Acadian Amerindian Ancestry researches the grand heritage of Acadia's earliest families from a whole relationship perspective including the DNA, the history, and the genealogies of the mothers, the fathers and their descendants and relates Y chromosome DNA, mitochondrial DNA, and autosomal DNA results with respective genealogies to provide a multi-dimensional picture of Acadian - Amerindian ancestry.
(3) The Acadian Amerindian Ancestry invites all current members to continue participating, thanks everyone for their help with establishing our ancestor database, is inclusive, and accepts new “legacy,” “allied,” and “collateral” members as defined below:
• Legacy Members: Legacy members have paternal-line (father-to-father) or maternal-line (mother-to-mother) ancestors who are of Acadian surnames (and/or) Amerindian family lines out of Nova Scotia and surrounding regions and contribute Y and/or mtDNA results to the project.
• Allied Members: Allied members have non-Acadian surnames with genealogies that include Acadian (and/or) Amerindian ancestors out of Nova Scotia and surrounding regions and contribute Y, mtDNA and/or Family Finder (autosomal) DNA results to the project. Typical example: A man carries an ancestral Acadian or Amerindian grandmother's mtDNA signature and the surname of his Scottish paternal ancestor along with his ancestor's Y DNA. His surname will be listed as "allied" in the Y DNA results -- and he will have "legacy" mtDNA results. Another example: A man may carry an Acadian surname and his mtDNA relates to an Irish grandmother. He will have a "legacy" Y DNA surname and "allied" mtDNA results.
• Collateral Members: Collateral members may not know of their precise Acadian - Amerindian ancestries but have DNA test results that align with (or match) the mtDNA, Y DNA, or Family Finder autosomal DNA test results in the Acadian Amerindian Ancestry project database and join to research possible connections.
Acadian Amerindian Ancestry Project Background
Our ancestors include AmerIndians and the intrepid settlers who arrived in Nova Scotia in the 16th and 17th centuries and intermarried with the AmerIndians of the area, whose families would become pioneers of the New World. Numbering among our project participants are those who possess European surnames, but have been found (through Y DNA testing) to be of Amerindian ancestries, through paternal family lines.
Our family lines have extended well-beyond the original boundaries of what was known to the French as Acadia, but to our AmerIndian ancestors, as our ancestors settled the outer-reaches of Nova Scotia, including Cape Breton, Newfoundland, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Quebec. Our family lines continue to extend, traversing the entire North American continent and beyond. Many who live in the United States trace their genealogies back to the first Acadian AmerIndian immigrants who arrived in Louisiana after being deported from Nova Scotia by the British in 1755 (in the "Grand Deportation') -- and belong to a "Cajun" community known worldwide for its food, flair, fun, and love of all things French.
Group participants are at once intrigued, mystified, and challenged by our AmerIndian heritage; some of us have completed our quest for our earliest AmerIndian ancestors; other searches are still in progress, with participant DNA testing helping us solve some of our greatest family riddles.
One participant describes how she employed her own Haplogroup A mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) test results in her quest for her earliest maternal AmerIndian ancestor in the story, "Finding Anne Marie". A companion article, "Confirmed C3b Y DNA Test Results Test the Heritage of Cajun Cousin Keith Doucet" details a participant's experience with Y DNA testing, with an outcome that leads him, and others, to re-assess the origins of his established Acadian surname.
The Acadian Amerindian Ancestry Family Tree DNA Surname Project assists participants in their search for their earliest AmerIndian ancestors, at times contributing to the purchase of DNA test kits for descendants whose maternal lines and paternal lines are recorded as having their earliest beginnings in Atlantic Canada and Gaspe and employing DNA test results to validate family lines.
Join the Acadian Amerindian Ancestry Project
By clicking the "Join" button at the top of the page, and entering your username and password, you add your results to the Acadian Amerindian Ancestry Project.
Please be advised of the following information:
1. By joining a project, your DNA results along with your kit number, surname and oldest ancestor will be shown on the project website (except for the full sequence coding region of mitochondrial DNA which is never displayed). Neither your name, e-mail, nor any other personally identifying information will be shown.
2. If someone contacts one of the project administrators and inquires about your kit number, your personal information will not be given to the requesting individual. Instead, their e-mail will be forwarded to you by the administrator and you can reply or not -- it is your choice.
3. On your personal page, at Family Tree DNA, you can see whom you match and you will be able to contact them. Conversely, they will also be able to contact you. This assumes you have previously authorized matching.
4. Please be aware that your information displayed on the project page, on the website, is available for anyone with internet access to see. This will, hopefully, encourage people with your surname or a common ancestor to either DNA test or to request contact with you. If you do not want your results to be displayed on the project page on the internet, do not join the project. You can see the project website here:
5. As project administrators, we adhere to the Group Administrator Guidelines.
6. As a project member, please read the Family Tree DNA Privacy Policy and Terms of Service.
7. Project administrators are volunteers and receive no compensation for our services. We will attempt to help you with questions and issues, but what we are providing is a personal opinion and we bear no liability or responsibility for anything with the DNA project or your DNA results. Your results and decisions surrounding your results are ultimately your responsibility.