Warren Perrin is on a quest to trace the footsteps of his ancestor, Joseph "Beausoleil" Broussard, who led the first Acadian settlers to ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥. He has enlisted the help of Dr. Mark Rees, head of the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Child and Family Studies at the University. Rees is an archaeologist and associate professor of anthropology.
Perrin is a co-founder of the nonprofit Acadian Heritage and Culture Foundation, owner of the Acadian Museum of Erath.
He and Rees share a common interest — finding the location where the Acadians settled — and a common heritage: Rees is a descendant of Alexandre Broussard, Joseph "Beausoleil" Broussard's brother.
In 1755, Acadian families were exiled from their native Acadie, or Nova Scotia, by British soldiers. Joseph "Beausoleil" Broussard led an armed resistance for decades, until he was captured and imprisoned in 1760.
When he was released four years later, he led a group of exiles, first to Haiti (then called Saint Domingue), then to ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥. When Broussard and 192 others arrived in New Orleans in April 1765, they were given land and cattle along the banks of the Bayou Teche, somewhere between New Iberia and St. Martinville.
Rees thinks the mostly likely area is Loreauville, a community in Iberia Parish. That's where he wants to search for the Acadians' first settlement — and Broussard's grave, as well. His death was recorded Oct. 20, 1765, by a Catholic missionary who noted that he was buried near the home sites.
"Although we don't know the exact site, we do know that the Acadians set up three sites along the Teche, and that they may have remained there for as long as three years. Initially, we'd be looking for high ground — areas that would likely have been chosen," Rees said.
"It's a long-term project that could create wonderful opportunities for cultural tourism. And it could tell us a great deal about the earliest Acadians in ÃÞ»¨ÌÇÖ±²¥ and how they lived."
Perrin is spearheading an effort to raise money for the research effort. For more information about the New Acadia Project, visit