The eldest of the Guidry family came to Acadia sometime in the 1670�s, perhaps in 1671.  The eldest of the clan that we have a name for, Claude, possibly settled at the capital city of Acadia, Port Royal.  His birthdate was about 1648 and it is  possible Claude was born in the village of Grivois, France.  His parents are unknown.  However, neither Claude, nor any other Guidry�s appear on the 1671 or 1678 (see further information below) Port Royal Census.  Many of the immigrants to Acadia were single men who often had to wait for an eligible woman to marry.  Claude married a Marguerite Petitpas, who was the daughter of Claude Petitpas and Catherine Burgaret in about 1681.  Marguerite had been previously married to a Abraham Dugas and had a son with him by the name of Abraham Dugas.

Claude also had a child, Jeanne, who was born on 2 Jun, 1681 to a Keskoua (not a literal translation) Indian.  No name is given for the mother of Jeanne.  She was born at Meagoneck, Acadia.

Claude was also known as �Laverdure.�   Other records also show that Claude was also called dit Labrador, and one of his sons, Pierre who was born in Jan of 1705 in Port Royal, was called dit Labine.  The Labine name was used by this branch of the family rather than the Guidry family name.  Another son, Paul, who was born in Jan 1701 in Port Royal, also used the dit name of Grivois.

Claude and his family lived with the Indians and Metis in the region of La Havre after his marriage to Marguerite.  On the 1686 Census of Acadia, no Guidry�s are listed.  However, there is �Laverdure� living in Mirliguaiche, Acadia, aged 35, with his wife age 25, and one child.  It is possible that this listing is for Claude and his young wife.  No Guidry�s are listed again on the 1693 census.  On the 1698 census, Claude is listed, age 50, with his wife, Marguerite Petitpas, age 40.  Also listed are their children:  Abraham (Dugas) 20; Claude 16; Jean-Baptiste 14; Charles 12; Alexis 10; Augustin 8; marie-Josephe 6; Claude 4; Joseph 3; Pierre 1/2.  He had 10 cattle, 2 sheep, 8 hogs, 8 arpents of land, and 1 gun. They lived in Port Royal according to this census. 

Again, on the 1700, and the 1701 census, no Guidry�s are listed.  In 1703, there is a Charles Gendry listed, however, it is unknown this is a misspelling of the Guedy name.  Charles would have been 17 years of age at the time of this census.  The census does not give an age for Charles Gendry, and only lists that he was an �arms bearer.�  He is listed as living in Cobequid, which is where Charles Guidry�s children were later born.  There are no other Guidry�s listed on this census.

On the 1707 and 1714 census, again, no Guidry�s are listed, however, there is a Laverdure and wife listed as living in Port Royal.  No ages are given in this census.  There is also a Abraham Dugas, his wife, and 1 son listed in Port Royal on this census.  There are no further Guidry�s listed on this census. 

The next census was not taken until 1752.  On this census, there again are no Guidry�s listed!  However, we do know that in 1755, the Guidry families were still living in Acadia.  They were deported along with thousands of other Acadians.  The Guidry branch of the family was deported to France, and eventually migrated to Louisiana, some of which settled in Ascension Parish.  It is from one of these families that our line descends.

The names of those who were deported to France and then in 1785 boarded ships to migrate to Louisiana can be found on the ships passenger lists of �The Seven Ships� which transported hundreds of Acadians to Louisiana.   Many of Claude�s children and grandchildren can be found on these listings.  Once they arrived in Louisiana, many of them can be located in the Diocese of Baton Rouge Sacremental records. 

An unbroken line of descendents from Claude and Marguerite Petitpas to Joseph who married Isabelle Comeaux in Ascension Parish, who is our ancestor, has not been found.     Much debate has been raised about who was the father of Joseph.  Some sources say that Claudes� son, Paul dit Grivois (le Jovial) who married Anne Mius D�Entremont dit Azit, was the father, however, there are no records show that Paul even had a son named Joseph.  However, a fellow researcher believes that Paul�s son, Thomas, is the �missing� Joseph.  

Another source indicates that Augustin, who married Jeanne �Anne�  Hebert was the father.  Augustin did have a son named Joseph who was born in 1735 in Cobequid, Acadia.  It is believed that this Joseph married first a Magdeleine Melancon prior to 1763 (with whom he had 3 children) and then on 24 May, 1773 he married an Anne Monique Dupuis (with whom he had one known child, Pierre) in Ascension Parish, LA.  This marriage record was found in the Baton Rouge Sacremental records.  So this could not possibly be the correct Joseph, as Joseph and Isabelle Comeaux had a child together according to the same records, in 1773 and had several children together after this time.   (Just as a note, Augustin and Anne Hebert also migrated to Ascension Parish, LA.)

On the record of the ships arriving in Louisiana in 1785, there is a record of Joseph Guedry, Calker, age 36, who is married to a Magdelaine Comeaux.  This would have made Joseph born in about 1737.  In the Baton Rogue Sacremental records, it indicates that this Joseph and Magdaline Comeaux also lived in Ascension Parish.  So this appears to account for one of the Joseph�s born to one of Claude�s children, however, I have been unable to determine who his father is either.

Joseph and Isabelle Comeaux were already in Ascension Parish by 1767, as there is a record of their marriage in Ascension Parish in 1767 listed in the Spanish marriage records for this time period.  Unfortunately, no parents are listed for either Joseph or Isabelle on these records, and the Baton Rouge records have yielded no records for their marriage.

As I continue research into the Guidry families, I hope that new information that will finally link Joseph to his father will come to light...until then, we must technically consider any link to Claude as a �tentative� undocumented link to the past.

The history of the Guidry family from Joseph and Isabelle Comeaux down through the link to the Morin family is well documented in the Baton Rouge Sacremental records. 

Last updated:  May 1999