Daniel LeBlanc

The largest Acadian family began with one man, Daniel LeBlanc, who was born in France about 1626. Arriving in Acadia before 1650, sometime that year, he married Françoise Gaudet, widow of an unknown Mercier, daughter of Jean Gaudet and his first wife whose name is unknown. Of their six sons, five had large families. Among them, they had 35 sons among whom 31 married. Thus, the LeBlanc family grew very rapidly which explains its predominance among Acadian families.

According to Stephen White: The place of origin and the ancestors of Daniel LeBlanc are unknown. Some have wanted to believe that Daniel descended from a noble family of Dauphiné, based on research by d'Entremont (J. Alfred LeBlanc - the Origins of the LeBlanc Family, "Footprints of the Exiled: A LeBlanc Family Newsletter", vol I, 1986, p. 7), but the family proposed (to René to Alphonse to Pierre) is a Blanc or deBlanc family, rather than LeBlanc (see MM. de La Chenaye-Desbois & Badier, "Dictionnaire de la noblesse, 3e édition, Paris, 1863, vol. III, p. 314-317).

The jointly-owned land mentioned below, leads researchers to believe that there existed a bond of some kind between Antoine Gougeon and his son-in-law Guillaume Blanchard on one side of the family and with Daniel LeBlanc on the other. The nature of the connection is yet unknown.

Historical Notes:

Daniel LeBlanc settled on the north banks of the Port-Royal River (today called Annopolis River), to the northeast of the marsh lands of Bélisle, about nine miles further up than fort at Port-Royal, and a half mile further down than Saint-Laurent Chapel, where he died between the years of 1695-1698 (Placide Gaudet "Arbre généalogique de Mgr Edouard LeBlanc, évêque de Saint-Jean, N.B. (First Acadian Bishop), BRH vol XVIII, 1912, p. 357).

October 5, 1687: State of executed works in Acadia by Sir d'Aulnay; among those who made their mark: Daniel LeBlanc. Therefore, Daniel came to Acadia before the death of d'Aulnay in 1650 (ANF, Col, C11D, vo II, fol 85).

May 24, 1690: Daniel LeBlanc is one of six members of the Council demanded by Phipps and responsible for maintain the peace and to render justice (BRH vol SVIII, p. 357).

August 1695: Daniel LeBlanc promises fidelity to the king of England at Port-Royal; if made his mark (Massachusetts Archive, Vol II, fol 540).

1734: Schedule of the Seignorial Rents payable yearly by the Inhabitants of Annapolis Royal...

The names of the Several Plantations: 1. Paradis Terrestre 2. Do La Grave or Point LeChesne

The first Grantees: 1. Daniel LeBlanc & Guillaume Blanchard 2. Daniel LeBlanc and Antoine Goujon pay one Den par Arpent (per acre) The Present Possessors: 1. John Prince and Pierre Godet 2. Guillaume Blanchard, Joseph LeBlanc and his brethren. (GB, PRO, CO 217, vol VII, fol 90)