Page:1898 NB Magazine.djvu/177

himself, for he had a son, Jean, whose age was 28. He was not wealthy, being the owner of only six horned cattle and three sheep and he cultivated three arpents of Jand. In the first of these articles mention was made of the fact that some authorities give the name of Colleson or Colson as of Scotch origin, and I am inclined to consider this claim as well founded. Nicolle Colleson was probably Jean Gaudet's second wife, for Denis Gaudet, who was 46 years old in 1671, and whose name is just below that of Jean in the census, would seem to have been his son. Jean Gaudet was undoubtedly one of the most ancient settlers in Acadia, and the Gaudets may fairly claim a place among our first families, Jean Gaudet,, the son of the aged Jean, was not married in 1671, but Denis Gaudet had married young for his oldest child was 25 years old. His wife was Martine Gauthier, a name which does not appear again in any Acadian census. Denis Gaudet's children were Anne aged 25, Marie aged a1, and three younger children, two sons and one daughter. Both of Denis Gaudet's older daughters were married and the mothers of several children, Annie being the wife of Pierre Vincent and Marie of Oliver Daigré Besides these there was another woman of the name of Gaudet married in Acadia at that time, Françoise Gaudet, who was the wife of Daniel Lebland or Leblanc. She had. seven children, one of them being a son aged twenty. From this we may safely assume that she was probably a daughter of Jean Gaudet by his first marriage and a sister of Denis Gaudet.

The name Gaudet is to be found in the census of Port Royal taken in 1686 and at both Port Royal and Mines in 1714. In this last census, however, it is spelled Godet. There was a good deal of license allowed in spelling in those days. In 1720 Bernard Goudet and Piere Goudet, who appear to have been