Holy Smoke! Maybe Our Voyageur Ancestors Were Actually Vikings

Last fall (2020) ancestry(dot)com updated my DNA Ethnicity Estimate and suggested I was at least 47%, and perhaps as high as 61% Scottish.

Not only did that send me off on new family history quests, but it also left me feeling somewhat disappointed when ancestry(dot)com also advised me that my French Ethnicity only ranged from 3 to 7%. 

All of that was a big let down for a guy who has spent the past decade of his life researching and writing about his French Voyageur ancestors.

Now after several months of studying and adding hundreds of new found Scots ancestors I’ve learned some of those Scots were actually of ‘Norman’ descent.

In fact two of my more interesting — and famous — Scots ancestors were Robert the Bruce and Prince Henry Sinclair, both of which are descendants of Rollo the Viking.

The region of Normandy (France) had been part a Frankish Kingdom until it was raided by Rollo or Gaange Rolf a Viking chieftain (860-932), and my 32nd great-grandfather, who became its founder and first ruler.

All of that set me to thinking about our La Prairie Voyageur Ancestors, a great many of who were originally from Normandy, France.

My Norman immigrant ancestors to New France included the Leber, Testard, Godefroy, Cavelier, Cusson, Foubert, Godé, Gadois, Beauchamp, Cloutier, Côté, Masse-Gravelle, Tavernier, Crevet, Rondeau, Pallereau, Juin, Barette, Gagne, Lemieux and Diel families -- all had voyageurs in their family.

Holy Smoke! Maybe our voyageur ancestors were actually Vikings.

 

Far vel (Goodbye)