Finding Agnès
Probably everyone with an interest in Cajun history knows something about the Cajun hero Joseph Broussard dit Beausoleil. And many who know who he was likely know that his exact burial location is unknown. Of course, that isn’t the only mystery surrounding the Broussard family.
When I asked attorney Warren Perrin – a descendant of Beausoleil’s, the Acadian Redemption author, and manager of the Acadian Museum of Erath – what might be his most intriguing genealogical mystery, he thought about it for a moment then said it could be the locations of death and burial for Beausoleil's wife, the former Agnès Thidobeau. Whereas we have a decent idea about where Beausoleil died and his place of internment, these facts are complete unknowns in the case of Agnès.
She isn't listed among those who came to Louisiana with Beausoleil after he spent about three months in Saint-Domingue, so it's a practical certainty that she died elsewhere. We know that the conditions on the island were harsh and that many exiled Acadians died there, so it's possible Agnès did as well.
However, a more popular theory seems to be that she met her demise at Camp Espérance in Miramichi along with about 400 other Acadians (out of about 1,400) who died during the winter of 1756 to 1757 due to hunger, disease, or other causes. As far as I can tell, this theory isn't much more than speculation. An analysis by Ronnie-Gilles LeBlanc doesn't include Agnès and Beausoleil among the 852 whom he concluded were likely inhabitants of the camp, but they could have been among the other 550 or so.
What are the odds that evidence of Agnès’s place of death will be forthcoming? It’s hard to say. My guess is that it’s unlikely that documentation of it will be found, and that if her remains are in Miramichi then the knowledge will be the result of archaeological work similar to the search for Beausoleil’s exact resting place.
Do you favor any competing theories or have reasons to believe Agnès isn’t interred at Miramichi? Send them to me at mchl@hbrt.cc!