Chimougoui/Shemogue, New Brunswick History


First Settled in 1754, Shemogue is one of few places the Acadians settled before and after the Deportation years. It boasts of 246 years of history as of year 2000.

In addition to the marriages for Shemogue found under Births and Marriages at the sidebar, the following information has been found on the history of Shemogue.

Located at Cap-Pel?, New Brunswick, Shemogue's original name was Chimougoui


Shemogue is an Acadian village situated to the southwest of New Brunswick. It is loated 30 kilometers from Sh?diac and 14 kilometers from the village of Port-Elgin.

The word Shemogue is derived from the MiqMak "semogoig gisna meaning Shemogue River. According to Rand Anderson, the spelling is Oosomogwek which likely means forked river because of the two major branches of the river. The parish registers for Cap-Pel? are recorded as Chimougouy for the acts recorded form 1812-1839. It has known other spelling as have many colonies named by the MiqMaks. Some of them have been Choumougouit according to Parkamn for 1756; DesBarres wrote Shirmoguy while in 1812, Bishop Plessis spelled it Chimigoui. In general, the Acadians have spelled it Chimougoui from the very beginning.

What we might call "counties" in the United States are called "parishes" in New Brunswick. Shemogue is situated in the parish of Botsford. Botsford was the name of a Connecticut Loyalist who had settled in Sackville. He was the Orator of the Legislative Assembly of New Brunswick frm 1786-1812.

The year 2000 marks 516 years since the arrival of Jacques Cartier on what would be Canadian soil. It also is the 396th anniversary of the founding of Acadia by Sieur de Monts and Samuel de Champlain in 1604, as well as the 216th year since the foundation of New Brunswick as a province and the 116th anniversary of the 2nd Acadian National Convention that was held at Miscouche when the present Acadian Flag was officically adopted in 1884.

First Pioneers of Chimougoui - Shemogue

Shemogue is one of the few places where the Acadians lived both before and after the Deportation. In the Fall of 1754, about eight or nine months before the deporation, eight Acadian families lived at Chimougouik. A census by the French athorities at Fort Beaus?jour lists the names of the eight fahers of these families. Among them: Benonis Doucet, Vieux Douaron, Paul Douaron, John Douaron, John Bouch, Alexandre Forest. (Two are missing from the list.) The genealogy of these families tells us that they all pretty much came from the same region.

  • 1754


    • In the 1754 genealogy of these families - you will note where some of them were sent during the Deportation of 1755.

    Toussaint Doucet and his wife Marie Caissie were the parents of:

    Pierre Doucet who married Marie Richard about 1724. She was the widow of Jean Caissie.

    Marguerite Doucet, married abt 1725. She was at Au Lac 1752 - 3 daughters and 5 sons; Chimougoui 1754 - 2 daughters and 3 sons; South Carolina - 3 children.

    B?lonie Doucet married Marguerite Poirier 1746. She was the d/o of deceased Joseph and Anne Bernard. B?lonie and his wife were at Au Lac 1752 - 4 sons; Chimougoui 1754 - 4 sons.

    Paul Doiron married Rose Bourgeois 1747. There were at Au Lac 1752 - 1 daughter; Chimougoui 1754 - 1 daughter; South Carolina - 3 children; Santo Domingo 1779.

    Joseph Doiron born in 1732; married Unidentified spouse abt 1754. Iin Chimougoui 1754; South Carolina 1755.

    Jean Doiron and Marie Trahan were the parents of:

    View Paul Doiron.

    Jean Doiron and his first wife Marie-Anne Canol were the parents of:

    Jan Doiron who married Anne LeBlanc. Their son Jean Doiron married 1745. Anastasie Doiron married Michel David and they were in Santo Domingo (today Dominican Republic) in 1776. They had ben in Tintamarre 1752 - 4 daughters and 1 son; Chimougoui 1754 - 4 daughters and 1 son; South Carolina - 6 children.

    Jean-Baptiste Poirier and Marie Cormier were the parents of: Madeleine Poirier who married Joseph H?bert. They in turn were the parents of:

    Madeleine who married Joseph Comeau at Menoudie. . They had ben in Tintamarre 1752 - 4 daughters and 1 son; Chimougoui 1754 - 4 daughters and 1 son; South Carolina - 6 children.

    Joseph Poirier who married about 1732. He was at Au Lac 1752 - 1 daughter and 4 sons; Chimogoui 1754 - 1 daughters and 3 sons; Philadelphia 1755; B?cancour 1767.

  • 1802


    • The present Chimougoui/Shemogue was founded in 1802 by Acadian colonists who had come from Menoudie, Nova Scotia. The English did not settle here until after the 19th century when they named it Shemogue.

  • 1804


    • In the spring of 1804, the first Acadian settlers following the Deportation of 1755-1763 arrived at Shemogue. These settlers obtained land grants totalling 4,160 acres on 12 June 1806.

    The following 16 Acadians received land grants:

  • Jean Downing - he died 14 December 1812 and was buried at Memramcook - the name of Jean Donais was recorded in the register. He was married to Marguerite Hach?.

  • Joseph Bonnevie - born in 1773, he was married to Anastasie Babineau. He died 11 April 1835.

  • Louis Bonnevie - Born in 1766, he was married to Anne Bourque. He died 19 March 1813.

  • Francis Hubert Bourque dit "Fran?ois en Bas" - was born in 1778. He was married to Doroth?e Donelle. He died 22 October 1847.

  • Jean Bourque - born in 1767, he was married to Ad?laide Brun. He died 4 October 1847.

  • Joseph Bourque dit "Joseph in Bas" - was born 1770; he was married to Esther Bonnevie. He died 12 April 1833.

  • John Downing, Jr. - was born in 1781. He married Marie-Josephte Doiron. He was buried at Cap-Pel? on 27 September 1871. His wife died 29 December 1866 and was buried the next day at the age of 92. She was thus born in 1774.

  • Paul Duguay - Son of Michel and Marie Girouard. He was born abt 1770; married 1. Anne Bonnevie who died 28 December 1815. He married 2. Ursule Doiron on 12 October 1818. He died 24 August 1841.

  • Paul For?t - son of Charles and Marguerite Poirier. He was born 7 September 1746 and died 26 October 1836. He married 1. Anne Bourque and 2. Louise-Christine Bonnevie.

  • Charles L?ger - born in 1750. He married Marie Bourque nd died 17 May 1837.

  • Charles L?ger, Jr. - born in 1775. He married Appoline Bourque. He died 29 May 1841.

  • Simon L?ger - born in 1789. He married ?lisabeth LeBlanc. He died 7 Janaury 1827 at the age of 38.

  • Pierre Melanson - born in 1778. He married Rosalie For?t. He died 13 December 1825.

  • Jean-Fran?ois Poral - originated from France and was the son of Jean Porel, doctor, and Marie Desprez. He married Marie Noiles.

    (This information obtained from the Provincial Archives in a letter from Placide Gaudet to J. E. Ouellet, priest, 4 March 1918.

  • Early Chronology of Shemogue


    • - 1754 A few Acadians sette at Chimougoui/Shemogue

    - 1755 Deportation of 1755; the Acadians of Chimougoui/Shemogue are deported to the Carolinas as well as other American (then British) colonies.

    - 1804 The arrival of the first Acadian families from Menoudie, Nova Scotia since the Deporation of 1755 which lasted until 1763.

    - 1806 The first land grants are given to the Acadian settlers.

    (The rest of the chronology is omitted on this page because it is not pertinent to this presentation.)

  • Some Interesting Facts


    • - Rue LeBlanc - to honor Emile to Charles who owned this land and Bishop Camille-Andr? LeBlanc, pastor of Shemogue 1928-1938. He was the founder of the Fishermen's Association which was the first Cooperative of New Brunswick.

    - Rue des Canadiens - in honor of the French Canadian families of Jacob and Ouellette who came to Petit-Cap to settle among the Acadians.

    - Rue Bonnevie - in honor of Simon Bonnevie, one of the first landowners. The name of Bonnevie is not longer found in this area.

    - Rue Ouellet - for the first pastor, Emile Ouellet 1916-1928.

    - Rue Rapha?l Brun - in his honor as he once owned that land.

    - Chemin de la Pointe ? Comeau - to honor the first pioneers of this family who settled here.

    - Chemin des Duguay - to honor the first pioneers of this family who settled this land.

    - Rue Johnson/Pointe ? Johnson - same

    - Rue Donnelle - to honor Andr? Donnelle who owned this land.

    - Rue Odias - to honor Odias Ouellette who owned this land.

    - Rue Richard - to honor Dosith? Richard who owned this land.

    SOURCE: Parish Anniversary Book for Chimougoui aka Shemogue - 1984 Monographie paroissiale - 230 ann?es d'histoire. The facts here stated have been also researched by me and translated from french into english.


    ? Lucie LeBlanc Consentino
    Acadian & French Canadian Ancestral Home
    1998 - Present



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