Treasured Trees Genealogy Services by Nicole Gallant Nunes

02/03/2026

I wanted to give special thanks to ACGS President Jo Zurwell for hosting and sharing my research projects on the American-Canadian Genealogical Society website for their valued members www.acgs.org

My projects include:

"The Filles du Roi Informational and Statistical Project", published on September 7th, 2024, documents the lives of all 765 Filles du Roi (King’s Daughters) who arrived in New France between 1663 and 1673, contributing significantly to the colony’s rapid population growth. This project compiles comprehensive data for each woman, including place of origin; arrival date and ship; age at arrival or marriage; number of marriages and spouses’ names; marriage year(s); total number of children born; numbers of children who died before age 18 or after age 18 without marrying; age at death; noble ancestry; literacy; personal dowry and royal dowry amounts; parental status or widowhood prior to departure from France; residence at the Salpêtrière; mitochondrial DNA haplogroup (when known); and other notable biographical details.

"The Acadian Expulsion Memorial List Project", started in September 2024, seeks to identify and memorialize all Acadians who died as a result of the Acadian Expulsion. Part 1, published on December 13th, 2024, listed 2,408 individuals. Part 2, published on June 13th, 2025, expanded the total to 4,936 named individuals. Research for the final installment, Part 3, is ongoing and is planned for release in summer 2026. Each entry includes the individual’s name; birth year and location; last known place of residence in Acadia prior to deportation; death date and location; age at death; and an extensive notes section detailing related family losses and other relevant information for each person.

and

“The Possible Origins of the Acadian Michel Haché dit Gallant and the Ongoing DNA Analysis of Haché/Gallant Descendants Today,” published in April 2022, documents the verified facts of the life of Michel Haché dit Gallant, the progenitor of all known Haché–Gallant descendants. Because Michel’s origins remain unknown and have long been the subject of speculative and often unsupported theories, this research prioritizes original archival documents and reliable primary sources to accurately reconstruct his life in Acadia.
In addition to documentary research, the study explores Michel’s possible origins through the DNA analysis of hundreds of Haché/Gallant descendants, collected and evaluated by Nicole over several years. By combining traditional genealogical methods with genetic evidence, the project offers new insights while clearly distinguishing established facts from hypotheses.

I will be presenting my Filles du Roi Project and my Acadian Expulsion Memorial List project in a lecture to ACGS members later this year. (More info to come)

If you are not an ACGS member, no worries. I have made all projects available on my blog: https://progenealogistnicole.blogspot.com/

Discussing all aspects of genealogical research, documented family tree building and DNA results from various consumer companies.

01/22/2026

Hi everyone! Due to the immense interest in my recent lecture “The History of the Acadians: Through Tranquility, Turmoil and Tenacity”, I decided to record my presentation and upload it to YouTube for everyone to access. Thank you all so much for your interest in these amazing people, their stories and their history. Vive L’Acadie!

This is a presentation focused on the history of the Acadian people, beginning with the early settlement of Acadia in 1604 and touching upon their daily live...

01/08/2026

Last chance for anyone wanting to attend the lecture I'm giving next week. It's free and held on Zoom, hosted by the Orange Country Library System in Florida on Wednesday January 14th from 3:00-4:30 Eastern Time, titled "The History of the Acadians: Through Tranquility, Turmoil and Tenacity."

It is a presentation focused on the history of the Acadian people, beginning with the early settlement of Acadia in 1604 and touching upon their daily lives in these thriving communities leading up to the period of the Acadian Expulsion which began in 1755 in Nova Scotia. This presentation discusses the main events in the timeline of the Acadian Expulsion when the British forcibly removed over ten thousand people of the Acadian population from their homeland in what is now eastern Canada and thrust them into exile and despair that spanned for decades in different locations across the world. I will be noting the devastating impacts of this great upheaval upon the Acadian community and concluding with their persistent determination to rebuild their lives, remembering those lost and preserving a culture that still thrives to this very day.

To attend you just need to register and a link will be sent to you via email. The event was filled up with over 100 people registered, but they just made some more slots available. I hope to see you then!

Link to register for the free presentation:

Join our featured speaker Nicole Gallant Nunes as she shares her knowledge and experience in Acadian genealogy. Event starts at January 14, 2026 3:00 PM EST

12/25/2025

12/14/2025

Thank you to Dr. Gary Girod for welcoming me as a guest on an episode of The French History Podcast recently to discuss Acadian history. It was a pleasure and I hope you all enjoy it.

Link to listen to the podcast: https://www.thefrenchhistorypodcast.com/the-acadians-then-now-with-nicole-gallant-nunes/

Also for anyone interested, I’m presenting a free, virtual lecture coming up next month titled “The History of the Acadians: Through Tranquility, Turmoil and Tenacity”. This is presentation focused on the history of the Acadian people, beginning with the early settlement of Acadia in 1604 and touching upon their daily lives and current events in these thriving communities leading up to the period of the Acadian Expulsion beginning in 1755 in Nova Scotia. I discuss the main events in the timeline of the Acadian Expulsion when the British forcibly removed over ten thousand people of the Acadian population from their homeland in what is now eastern Canada and thrust them into exile and despair that spanned for decades in different locations across the world. I will be noting the devastating impacts of this great upheaval upon the Acadian community and concluding with their persistent determination to rebuild their lives, remembering those lost and preserving a culture that still thrives to this very day. The presentation is free and held online, hosted by the Orange County Library System in Florida, on Wednesday January 14th from 3:00-4:30 PM Eastern Time. To attend you just need to register and a link will be sent to you via email. Over 60 people have already signed up but there’s still plenty of spots left. I hope to see you then!

Link to register for the free presentation: https://attend.ocls.org/event/14905506

12/13/2025

Today, December 13th, is Acadian Remembrance Day!


One of the saddest weeks in a litany of devastating times for our Acadian ancestors was the few days surrounding December 13th, 1758. Over the course of a few days, three ships carrying nearly1,000 deported Acadians from PEI sunk in the Atlantic.


The ship Violet carrying about 300 souls sank with no survivors just about the same time as the ship Duke William also went down after a terrible storm with about 360 souls lost and only 4 survivors to tell the harrowing tale. The ship Ruby carrying over 300 souls was pushed off course in the storm and also sank with about 190 of its passengers off the coast of Portugal. Entire families spanning several generations were lost in these tragedies, not including the thousands of other Acadians who also died at sea, shortly after arriving in an exile location, or from sickness, exposure and starvation during this horrific time.


Acadian Remembrance Day is a solemn day to reflect on the hardships our ancestors faced. Those who survived these perilous years fought hard to carry on with broken hearts to keep their traditions, culture and memories of those lost alive. Many came back to Acadia, the lands they loved, and rebuilt what had been so mercilessly broken. For those of us here today, we are the embodiment of their strength and resilience. We remember and honor them today and always. Vive L'Acadie!


In an effort to name all of the Acadians who perished as a result of the Acadian Expulsion, I created the Acadian Expulsion Memorial List Project, which now contains over 4,900 names of our lost ancestors and cousins. The links to open the spreadsheet for this project are available for free on my blog. I am actively working on researching and adding more names for an eventual Part 3 which I hope to publish sometime before the summer of 2026. Link to blog: https://progenealogistnicole.blogspot.com/2024/12/the-acadian-expulsion-memorial-list.html

11/15/2025

Hi all! For anyone interested, my presentation “The History of the Acadians: Through Tranquility, Turmoil and Tenacity” is now available to register for through the Orange County Library in Florida. The date is Wednesday, January 14th, from 3:00pm – 4:00 pm Eastern Time U.S. with time allotted after for discussion and questions. It is a virtual event and free to attend, you just need to register. Hope to see you then!

Link to register:

Join our featured speaker Nicole Gallant Nunes as she shares her knowledge and experience in Acadian genealogy

10/09/2025

Ancestry has released their new ethnicity reports so be sure to check yours. I'm excited to see the "French" now defined specifically as Acadia and Quebec!

10/01/2025

Good morning everyone! 23 and Me has released their new ethnicity update so be sure to check yours if you have tested with them. 🧬

Below are my old and new results side by side.

One thing they clarified was where it previously noted northeast Asian (common admixture results for people with Native American ancestry), but it now correctly depicts entirely Native American. Of particular interest, it's now labeled 'Indigenous Arctic' just as Ancestry has done for the last few years.

Ancestry is also planning to release their new update soon!

09/03/2025

After the 1650 Battle of Dunbar, thousands of Scottish prisoners were marched to England and imprisoned in Durham Cathedral, where many died from starvation and disease. Approximately 350 surviving, healthier prisoners were sent to the Massachusetts Bay Colony in New England as indentured servants in 1650, transported on the ship Unity. These prisoners, many of whom were Presbyterians, were sold to landowners and forced to work, facing harsh conditions and contributing to the diverse cultural fabric of early colonial America.

My husband's ancestors Peter Grant, William Gowen and Andrew Rankin were sent to Maine (along with John Key and John Bean from the Battle of Worcester) to work as indentured servants yet were able to integrate into the primarily English colony, creating families and securing deep roots in this region for many more generations.

08/19/2025

On this day in 1692, my husband and our son's ancestor George Jacob's Sr. was hung for witchcraft on Gallow's Hill in Salem, MA.

"When 81-year-old George Jacobs Sr. was accused of witchcraft in Salem, MA in 1692, he told the judges “You tax me for a wizard. You may as well tax me for a buzzard! I have done no harm!” Both his servant and a neighbor testified that Jacobs had made a pact with the Devil. He was sentenced to hang at Proctor's Ledge. Jacobs' body, along with five others executed the same day, were cut down from the gallows and buried in a shallow grave beneath the hanging ledge– but it has long been believed that the Jacobs family covertly disinterred his body, slung it over a horse, and brought it home for burial on their own property.

When bones were discovered and disinterred on the Jacobs property in the 19th century, they matched Jacobs' height (tall), teeth (lack of), and bone deterioration (he walked with two canes). They re-buried the bones, but they were unearthed again by a bulldozer in the 1950s. For decades the remains were passed around to different local historical societies. In 1992, the remains were laid to rest here, at the Rebecca Nurse farm in Danvers, with a reproduction 17th century coffin and headstone. The headstone features a quote from the Jacobs' trial transcript: "Well burn me, or hang me, I will stand in the truth of Christ, I know nothing of it." (- thegooddeath on Instagram)

If you are interested in learning more about the Salem Witch Trials, be sure to check out my interview on the LoveVox podcast with psychotherapist Amynah Dharani from October 2024: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/f18f6bea-e400-4150-bcb8-60743aba6e6a/episodes/f77c5e2a-a34b-48ef-9c35-f8b2d5897fc9/the-love-vox-episode-4-unraveling-ancestral-threads---a-genealogist's-perspective-on-the-salem-witch-trials-of-1692

08/15/2025

Bonne fête l'Acadie! Happy Acadian Day to my cousins! We come from a tremendously hardy stock of people who endured unimaginable hardships only to come out stronger and more vibrant than ever. Vive l'Acadie!

It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that the wonderful Stephen A. White passed away on Aug 13th. This is a tremendously deep loss to his family, friends, colleagues and the entire Acadian community he devoted his life researching for. No doubt our ancestors are welcoming him with open arms ❤