Jacques Vigneau dit Jacob Maurice (1702-1772)

Jacques Vigneau, also known as Jacob Maurice after his father's first name, was born in Beaubassin in 1702. In 1755, he was put aboard the Prince Frederick and deported to Georgia along with his extended family. Convincing the local authorities of his loyalty to the British Crown, he was granted permission to return to Acadie. On route, he was apprehended many times but was always successful in getting himself and his family released and even in obtaining supplies for the trip. In Cape Cod, however, his group was arrested and then dispersed to different Massachusetts communities. In 1763, Vigneau organized a trip to Miquelon, bringing 116 Acadians. Faced with the arrival of so many deportees, France attempted to send them to Guiana, which he strongly opposed. Sent to Nantes in 1767, he succeeded the very next year in returning for good to Miquelon, where he died in 1772.
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