M. about 1651 in Port-Royal, Acadia
Wife: Catherine Lejeune
D. after 1671 in (probably) Port-Royal, Acadia
François Joseph Savoie has perhaps gained more notoriety centuries after his death than he had during his life because some family historians have tried to claim he was an Italian prince.
François had an interesting enough life without any connection to royalty. He was born in about 1621 and made his way to the colony of Acadia during the 1640s. Acadia, which is present-day Nova Scotia, had been seeking French people to engage in fishing and agriculture, and many signed up for it. François settled in Port-Royal, and in about 1651, he married Catherine Lejeune, who is believed to have been born in France in about 1633. They had nine children between about 1653 and 1669.
The entire family was listed in the 1671 Acadia census as living in Port-Royal, with François being a farmer. Despite the large number of people in his household, he only owned 4 cattle and no sheep. Oldest daughter Françoise was listed a second time in the household next door as the 18-year-old wife of Jean Corporan and mother of a newborn daughter.
1671 Acadia census listing for François and his family.
Those who lived in the French colony of Acadia were always on edge because of the English wanting to control the region. During François’ time, they did take charge in 1654, and ruled Acadia until 1670. This didn’t create a huge hardship, though, for the settlers; military confrontation with the English would come in the next couple generations. It's unknown when François and his wife Catherine died.
Like most early settlers of Acadia, François and Jeanne's descendants scattered to a number of places in America. After the expulsion of 1755, they were exiled temporarily to many places, including the British American colonies, the area around the St. Lawrence River in Canada, and France. A large number of Savoie descendants were said to have arrived in Louisiana in 1765 to settle permanently. Along with other Acadian refugees, they would evolve into the people of the bayou — the Cajuns.
Among some descendants, stories were said to be passed down claiming François was not a Frenchman — that he was actually the illegitimate son of an Italian nobleman named Tommaso Francesco Savoie, making him a “prince.” While this story hasn’t been disproven, there’s no documentation to back it up. Other research has shown there was a family named Savoie in the village of Martaizé, France, and other Acadian families appear to be from the same area. This seems a more likely place of origin for François. He was an ancestor of Tom Bergeron and Matt LeBlanc.
Tommaso Francesco Savoie
Children:
1. Marie-Françoise Savoie — B. about 1653, Port-Royal, Acadia; D. 27 Dec 1711, Port-Royal, Acadia; M. Jean-François Corporon (~1647-1713), 1668, Port-Royal, Acadia
2. Germain Savoie — B. about 1654, Port-Royal, Acadia; D. 24 Nov 1749, Port-Royal, Acadia; M. Marie Breau (1662-1749), 1678, Port-Royal, Acadia
3. Marie Savoie — B. about 1657, Port-Royal, Acadia; D. 10 Mar 1741, Louisbourg, Acadia; M. Jacques Triel (1646-?), about 1676, Acadia
4. Jeanne Savoie — B. about 1658, Port-Royal, Acadia; D. 3 Nov 1735, Port-Royal, Acadia; M. Étienne Pellerin (~1647-1722), 1675, Port-Royal, Acadia
5. Catherine Savoie — B. about 1662, Port-Royal, Acadia, D. about 1712, Port-Royal, Acadia; M. François Levron dit Nantois (~1651-1714), 1676, Port-Royal, Acadia
6. François Savoie — B. about 1663, Port-Royal, Acadia; D. 1685
7. Barnabé Savoie — B. about 1665, Port-Royal, Acadia, D. 1686
8. Andrée-Marguerite Savoie — B. about 1667, Port-Royal, Acadia; M. Jean Prejean (~1651-1733), 1683, Port-Royal, Acadia
9. Marie-France Savoie — B. about 1669, Port-Royal, Acadia; M. Gabriel Pierre Chiasson (1667-1741), 1688, Port-Royal, Acadia
Sources:
1671 Acadian Census
WikiTree
Acadians in Gray (website)
Martaizé (Wikipedia article)
