I'll post it here, hopefully it will fit.
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From: Telegraph-Journal, Friday, July 22, 1994; p. A6
The pioneer of the
Doiron family in Acadia was Jean
Doiron, married to Marie-Anne Canol.
Although born in France, the precise location of his birthplace is not known. In all probability, the
surname could have originated in the community of Oiron, in the Deux-Sevres Department, in the
Poitou-Charentes region of France. This community is noted for its castle built during the 16th
century. The surname is first mentioned in 1124 in connection with
Gauthier d'Orion.
Jean
Doiron is believed to have arrived in Acadia around 1660 but he appears to have settled
originally at Pentagouet (
Castine,
Maine). He later moved to Port-Royal where, according to the
1686 census, he seems to have been newly settled there.
After his second marriage, around 1692, he established himself with his family at Pisiguit (
Windsor, N.S.) where his presence is recorded in 1693. His family numbered nineteen children. They remained in their community with the exception of Pierre who removed to Beaubassin (possibly at Menoudie), and of
Noel who went to Cobequid.
Jean died around 1735 and, therefore, did not undergo the ordeal of the Deportation. However, the families of his children and grandchildren were dispersed in
America and in
Europe. Several were deported to New
England, notably to
Maryland and
South Carolina. Others fled to ÃŽle Saint-Jean (P.E.I.), to northern New
Brunswick and to Quebec. Descendants of his son Charles are found on
Prince Edward Island, in Quebec and in the Caraquet area.
The ancestor of the Doirons of Tracadie, Acadieville, Rogersville, Moncton, Cap-Pele, Barachois
and Amherst is Pierre
Doiron, grandson of Jean, married to Anne Forest. After the 1763 peace
treaty between
Britian and France, Pierre brought his family to Nappan, near Menoudie, in northern
Nova Scotia. Several of his descendants adopted the surname
Gould when dealing with
anglophones with the result that many
Gould families are in reality of Acadian stock. Tradition has it that Pierre
Doiron supplied food to the British garrison of
Fort Lawrence and that he boasted that he insisted on being paid in gold, hence the surname Gold later corrupted to
Gould.
One of Pierre's grandsons, called "
Gros Jean" became a legend in New
Brunswick because of his
exploits and his uncommon strength. Gros Jean lived at Saint-Anselme where he earned his living as a king's courier. According to tradition, he was brave, well built, strong and afraid of no one.
Contributed by Fidele
Theriault of Fredericton, New
Brunswick