Page:1898 NB Magazine.djvu/175

third daughter is not given in the census of 1671, nor is her age mentioned, but she was, no doubt, younger than either of her sisters and not married when the census was taken. François Girouard was in comfortable circumstances for an Acadian of that day, for he was the owner of 16 head of horned cattle and 12 sheep, and cultivated 8 arpents of land. The name of François Girouard is signed to the memorial of 1687 already referred to, as one of the "ancient inhabitants." He must have been married as early as 1647 so that he was a contemporary of Charnisay and Latour. His wife also was a member of one of the ancient families, the Aucoins, and he was a brother-in-law of Michael Boudrot, who also married an Aucoin.

The good social standing of the family of Girouard in Acadia is established by the fact that one of them married Marie, the oldest daughter of Alexander le Borgne de Belleisle, the seigneur of Port Royal, whose wife was a daughter of Charles LaTour. This fortunate youth was Louis, a younger son of Jacob Girouard whose marriage to Marie Gauterot has already been mentioned. Louis Girouard became the husband of Marie le Borgne in 1704, some time after the death of her father. Marie was at that time what would be regarded in Acadia as an old maid, for she was 29 years old. Of this marriage four children survived, two boys and two girls, Louis, Pierre, Mary Ann and Cecelia. The Girouards were settled at Mines as well as at Port Royal and Chignecto when the census of 1714 was taken, but it is evident that some of the name who had been born at Chignecto, children of Germain Girouard, went to live at Port Royal, for when the male inhabitants of that place signed the oath of allegiance in 1730 there were seven Girouards among them, Claude, Jacques, Alexander, Louis, Charles, William and François. Sad to say, every one of these men signed with