Acadian Ancestry

Site Map

A lot of this info is verbatim from Ron Frazier's site

Fougere

Name Origin

This patronymic surname is derived from the Latin word "filicaris", which means "fern" (i.e. fougere in French). A man would be given this surname when the fern was a characteristic plant of his estate. With time and according to the interpretation of parish priests and notaries, the spelling of this surname was modified. The spellings "Fougere" and "Fugere" were used.

My Ancestor's Origin

The ancestor of the Fougere and Fugere families in Quebec and in the Maritimes was originally from Pourpay, in Beauce, France. The lineage of Jean Fougere is unknown. He married in France approximately in 1675 to Marie Barre, and the date and the circumstances of their arrival in Acadie are unknown. Their eldest son, Jean, born in 1685, and married Marie Bourg in 1713 in Port-Royal (today known as Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia). Marie Bourg was the daughter of Abraham Bourg and Marie Bru. Six children were born of whom two sons had descendants.

Acadian Origin

It is important to remember that at that time the Acadie included all of the Atlantic Coastal area: the neighboring islands; from New England to the Gaspe peninsula; the Baie-des-Chaleurs and its main outposts: Restigouche and Tracadieche (now Carleton in the Gaspe peninsula).
Fougeres could mostly be found in Port-Royal towards Ile Royale, Ile du Cap Breton.

Time Lines

Approximately in 1752, Joseph, who ran a coasting vessel,
and his wife Marguerite Coste were living on Ile Saint-Jean in Prince Edward Island. The Fougeres were fishermen who exploited the Atlantic banks.

Then, between 1750 and 1758, the Great Trouble occurred. The English invaded Acadie and it's inhabitants, refusing to pledge allegiance to the King, were deported. Families were separated and dispersed all over the world. Some could be found in New England, in Louisiana, in Europe, even as far as Australia. Many of these families found refuge in Quebec. The Fougeres fled mostly to Gaspe.

Fabien Fougere, grandson of Joseph, was the first inhabitant of that name in the Baie-des-Chaleurs. Nowadays, the spellings "Fougere" and "Fugere" are used indistinctly. These families are well established in Quebec as well as in the Maritimes and other parts of North America.

Misc: Fleur de Lys