The Acadian families who eventually founded Tignish in 1799, originated from France and Acadia. These people, however, had lived on Prince Edward Island from 1720 onwards. Some of the Acadians remained in Prince Edward Island after the Deportation in 1758, but many of those who were forced to leave did return to the Island a few years later. Some Acadians were probably familiar with the Tignish area before there was any settlement there, due to their extensive fishing and hunting travels. The Acadians primarily hunted for seals and walrus. Others had schooners, and these people traded goods throughout Newfoundland. The founding families of present-day Tignish first landed in 1799 at Big Tignish River, the location of Tignish Run. These families arrived at "The Green" where it is believed that the first one to come on shore was young Pierre Chiasson. It is also believed that he was the first to fell a tree for Tignish. Pierre Chiasson was the teenaged grandson of the patriarch-founder Jacques Chiasson dit Moyen. His sister, Marguerite Chiasson, was the first girl to be born in Tignish; the first boy was Joseph Bernard, the son of Grégoire Bernard. These people were to be the foundations of the Acadian community in present-day Tignish. The names of the following families constitute the majority of "Tignishers" today. Back to People

Arsenault - Pierre Arsenault, born around 1750, married a Chiasson, and they had six children and two hundred grandchildren and great grandchildren. It is believed that the ancestors of Pierre came from France.

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Bernard - Gregoire Bernard was born around 1770, and he eventually married Judith who was born in 1771. There were seven children produced from this union. The name Bernard means "Strong as a bear". The ancestors of Gregoire are believed to come from Beauvoir-sur-Mer, in Vendéée France in 1620.

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Chiasson/Chaisson - Jacques Chiasson was born in 1729, the sixth in a family of thirteen. He married Judith Boudreault, and they had seven children. Jacques was the patriarch of the founders because four of his children married other founders of Tignish. He passed away in Tignish at the age of 93 and left behind him 275 grand children and great grandchildren. The ancestors of Jacques came from La Rochelle France.

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DesRoches, DesRochers, DesRoques, Roches - Joseph Desroches was born in Malpèque in 1750 and he married Anne Doucet. There were seven children produced from this union. The name Desroches is derived from the contraction of two French words: the indefinite article "des" meaning "the", and the word "roches", the plural form of "roche", taken directly from the Old French and Latin "rocca" meaning "rock". The ancestors of Joseph came from Paris, France.

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Doucette/Doucet - Joseph Doucet was born in 1760, and he married Rosalie Desroche. They had seven children, two of whom died at birth. His brother, Charles, married Isabelle Arsenault, and they had six children of their own. They both came to Tignish in 1800. The ancestors of the Doucet family came from France.

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Gaudette/Gaudet - Etienne Gaudet was born on May 25, 1767, in St-Pierre sur Miquelon. He married Madeleine Chiasson, and they had three children. Joseph, Étienne's brother, was born around 1765. He married François Chiasson, and they had ten children, one of whom died young. Joseph joined the other settlers in 1800. The ancestors of the Gaudets came from Martaizéé in Poitou, France.

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Poirier/Perry - Out of the eight founders of Tignish in 1799, three of them were Poirier brothers. Basile married Tharsile Bernard, and they had six children. Pierre, nicknamed "Grand Couette," married Marie Chiasson, and they had nine children. Germain married Esther Aucoin (Wedge), and they had twelve children. Although Basile and Pierre stayed in Tignish, Germain went on to Cascumpec and then Mont-Carmel in Prince Edward Island. The name Poirier means a "pear tree". The ancestors of the Poirier family came from France.

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Richard - Joseph Richard was born around 1750, and he married Rosalie Poirier. They had nine children. Michel Richard, nicknamed "Sansoucy", was the oldest known ancestor of Joseph. Michel was born in 1630 in Saintonge, France. He arrived in Acadia (Nova Scotia today) with the expedition of É.Émmanuel Leborgne on the "Gilbeault" in 1652, and he settled at Port Royal, Acadia.

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