The Acadian Archives at the University of Maine at Fort Kent will host researcher and speaker Donlon Hurtubise for a free presentation on the region’s pioneering families on Oct. 30 at 6 p.m. The event is open to the public.
The presentation, part of the Archives’ genealogy workshop series, will trace the Thibodeau family line. The story follows the family from Port Royal in the 1650s, through the 1755 deportation to Pennsylvania, and migration to Quebec City in 1765, before their settlement in L’Acadie, Quebec, by 1787.
Hurtubise will focus on a recently uncovered aspect of the family’s history: their experiences in the St. John Valley. According to scattered records, this is where Olivier Thibodeau, born in 1755, met and married Marie Cyr, born in 1757, and started their family before they returned to Quebec.
Hurtubise is a Franco-American of Canadian and Acadian descent. After a 41-year career with Exxon Mobil Corporation, he retired five years ago to The Woodlands, Texas, and now researches his predominantly French-Canadian heritage. An active member of several genealogical societies, he has lectured on Acadian history in Houston and Beaumont, Texas, two communities with significant Acadian descendant populations.
“One of the joys of Acadian culture is the connection it offers to folks near and far, from the Valley to southern Quebec and from Pennsylvania to Texas,” said Acadian Archives director Patrick Lacroix. “Donlon will help us navigate through tangled Acadian lines, especially in places where few sources survive.”
For more information, contact the Archives at 207-834-7536 or by email at acadian@maine.edu.