The DNA factor

From the Archives – Mary Ducharme  (February 2012)

Our ancestors may not be who we thought they were. In the past few years, scientific advances have revealed that tissue samples from individuals contain DNA patterns as individual as fingerprints. Revealing familial links are genetic markers: the Y-DNA chromosome in the paternal line, and mtDNA in the maternal line. Autosomal DNA markers determine ethnic and geographical origin. Studies in family groupings sometimes uncover unsettling findings that contradict accepted records. While some experts contest the validity of DNA testing, evidence of reliability is mounting.

One among many controversial cases is that of Catherine Pillard, long known as a “King’s daughter.” She can be found in the ancestral charts of tens of thousands of Quebec people with the surnames such as Trudeau, Babeau, Charon/ Ducharme, Charbonneau, Denoyon and many others. From DNA samples of known descendents, it ap- pears that she may be an entirely a different person than long assumed.

Her birthdate is given as circa 1649-1651, depending on source consulted, born in La Rochelle, France — a fact that seems to be confirmed by a baptismal record. Sources of confusion in original documents have been the many different spellings of her surname, and a number of questionable dates. Records tell us she immigrated to Quebec around 1663 and married Pierre Charron in 1665. They had twelve children, all of whom survived and had their own children.

However, recent studies in a French Heritage DNA Project suggested that it was virtually impossible that she was of French ancestry –whether or not she was born in France. A group of participants in the study, all of whom have Catherine in their ancestry, have DNA markers for Quebec Amerindian ancestry, specifically Algonquian – Siberian origins!

So who was this Catherine? A whole new line of enquiry has opened in re-examining the records. As a young Algonquian woman, was she quietly assimilated into the population of white settlers in New France? The answers to questions like this may tell us a whole new story of who we are.