Acadian Genealogy & Notes by Placide Gaudet, 372 pages; 1905; Ottawa

Placide Gaudet, undoubtedly the first widely-accepted expert in Acadian genealogy, presented his first genealogical work for publication in 1905 in the Canadian Archives annual report. Employed by the Public Archives of Canada, Gaudet devoted much time to gathering information about the Acadians. Information in this book has been gathered from public and private sources in Canada, the United States, France, and Britain. Many church and notarial records were either not found, damaged or incomplete. Nevertheless Gaudet compiled genealogies for more than 100 Acadian families. He had all good intentions of publishing a comprehensive "Tanguay-like" dictionary for the Acadian race. This publication never saw the light of day. Like many Acadian genealogical compilations, they are subject to conjecture, supposition and much deductive reasoning. In this fine example of scholarship, Gaudet does whet our appetite with the genealogies of three families: Bourgeois, Lanoue and Belliveau. In addition, there are substantial sections devoted to Acadians both in Canada and in the deported areas of the world.