Since 1978, one of the persistent enigmas in our genealogy is that of the Kirouacs from Douglastown, Gaspé peninsula. Given the absence of archival documents establishing the filiation of Augustin Kirouac married to Sarah Holland in Percé in 1839, and following the establishment of Alexandre de Kervoach's genetic signature in 2022 by DNA triangulation, we undertook to verify whether the DNA of volunteers from the Douglastown branch corresponded to Alexandre’s DNA signature.

The DNA comparison, carried out using the results of two descendants of John Kirouac (son of Augustin), demonstrated the absence of filiation with Alexandre de Kervoach for their lineage. Nevertheless, and unexpectedly, the Québec DNA database established matches with the descendants of Jean Élie dit le Breton (1617-1699), a pioneer of New France who immigrated in 1668. How did Élie dit le Breton morph into Kervoach dit le Breton may have occurred has not yet been elucidated, although the influence of the nickname is strongly suspected, both being dit Le Breton, that is known as Le Breton!

With the results of the analyses obtained, it was noted that no SNP were detected in the Élie dit Breton. To verify this new lineage, new tests were carried out on the descendants of the three sons of Jean Élie present in the Québec DNA database. The latest result, obtained in the spring of 2024, did not identify a common ancestor between the Kirouacs of Douglastown and the Élie dit Breton. We have therefore returned to consulting baptism, marriage, and burial records.

François Kirouac, one of our genealogists, had initially identified Augustin Quirouet as the son of François Quirouet and Catherine Gagné, based on his marriage in 1839 in Percé. However, when replacing the surname "Quirouet" by "Breton," a new lead appeared: the marriage of Jean-Baptiste Élie (also known as François Breton) with Catherine Gagné in 1805 in Saint-Gervais-de-Bellechasse. The PRDH (Programme de recherche en démographie historique - Program of Research in Historical Demography) mentions a François Élie Breton among the children of Jean-Baptiste.

However, Jean-Baptiste's family record only mentions the birth of François in 1806, and no further mention, suggesting that he might have disappeared from the records. Could this son have changed his Christian name to Augustin to distinguish himself from his father also called François? This is a hypothesis that we wish to explore.

We are therefore looking for more Élie dit Breton candidates, descendants of Jean-Baptiste (François) Élie dit Breton and Catherine Gagné, married in 1805. A test on a descendant of this couple could confirm our hypothesis.

To find this candidate, we need to trace the lines of male descendants since 1806 and supplement them with death certificates. Some genealogists have already used this method successfully to solve genetic enigmas.

If you are a male descendant of this couple, you could be the key to solving this enigma. By contacting us you could make our task much easier and our association will cover all costs associated with the analyses.