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 Justin Bieber’s French-Canadian & Acadian Roots

Canadian superstar Justin Drew Bieber was born on 1 Mar 1994 in London, Ontario to parents Patricia “Pattie” Mallette and Jeremy Jack Bieber. Discovered by a talent manager at the age of 13, he was signed to a record label in 2008 and released his debut LP a year later. Having sold an estimated 150 million records, Justin Bieber is one of the world’s bestselling artists.

While he is a well-known Canadian celebrity, it may come as a surprise to learn that Bieber has deep French-Canadian and Acadian roots on his mother’s side of the family. His grandmother Diane Henry grew up in Hearst, Ontario, a largely Francophone community. Diane’s father (Bieber’s great-grandfather), was born in the town of Bonaventure, on the Gaspé peninsula of Québec. Bonaventure was founded in 1760 by Acadian refugees who escaped the 1755 deportations by the British (more on that later). The Henry family lived in Bonaventure for close to 150 years, first arriving around 1777.

Many of the Henry generations in Bonaventure had very large families, with mothers having children well past their forties. Daniel Henry and Léocadie Babin had at least 14 children, the last of whom was born when Léocadie was 43. Charles Henry and Angélique Babin had at least 10 children, the last of whom was born when Angélique was 58!

Prior to settling in Bonaventure, the Henry family had been living in Acadia for 3 generations (an area that covered present-day Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, as well as parts of Québec and Maine). Bieber’s 6th great-grandparents, Simon Henry and Marguerite Josèphe Brault (or Bro) were the last of the Henry couples to live in Acadia. They married in 1755 in Port-La-Joye, Île-St-Jean (present-day PEI). Unfortunately, times were quite turbulent in Acadia at that time. 1755 was the beginning of the Acadian Expulsion, also known as the Great Upheaval. This forced deportation of the French population by British soldiers lasted for 11 years (click here to learn more about the historical background and reasons for the deportation). Between 10,000 and 11,500 refugees fled to New France, Louisiana, the English colonies, Europe and the Caribbean. Thousands of Acadians died of starvation, disease, or drowning. Families were torn apart and many lost everything they owned.

Bieber’s 6th grandparents were forced to leave in 1758 aboard a British ship. On 23 Jan 1759, they arrived at St-Malo in Brittany, France. During the crossing, they tragically lost their 2-year old daughter Agathe. In 1764, British authorities allowed some Acadians to return home. They slowly returned, settling mainly in Nova Scotia. Simon Henry and his family moved to Bonaventure, Québec instead. About 3,000 Acadians chose to settle in Louisiana, where they maintained their language and culture, their descendants becoming known as “Cajuns” (an anglicization of the French “Acadiens”).

Bieber’s First Henry Ancestor to Settle in New France

Tracing Justin Bieber’s family back through the generations, we discover that his first Henry ancestor to come to the New World was Robert Henry, born circa 1643 in Rouen, Normandy. He likely arrived in 1666. The following year, he was listed as a domestique working for Quentin Moral in Trois-Rivières, Québec. Within the following decade, he made his way to Acadia, being recorded at Beaubassin in 1676 (modern-day Nova Scotia). Around 1678, Henry married Marie Madeleine Godin, and they had at least 3 children together.

Are you related to Justin Bieber? See if you can spot any relatives you may have in common. Bieber and yours truly, The French-Canadian Genealogist, are 10th cousins, once removed (click here for a handy family relationship chart).    

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