As descendants of Marie Rose (Cormier) Gautreau, did you know Jean-Vincent d’Abbadie, Baron de Saint-Castin was one of our great grandfathers and the namesake of Castine, Maine? Did you know another of our great grandfathers was Madockawando, a great Abenaki Chief?

Here is just some of this fascinating story…

Jean-Vincent d’Abbadie, Baron de Saint-Castin, descended from an illustrious line of Frenchmen, knights, soldiers and nobles (therefore, so do we). In a nutshell, Jean-Vincent was a French baron, staunch Catholic, fur trader, soldier, warrior, military leader and mastermind, businessman, Abenaki Indian Chief and father of 12. His daughter, Ursule d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin, is our direct ancestor.

Jean-Vincent was born in Escout France in 1652, to the first Baron of Saint-Castin, Jean-Jacques D’Abbadie de Saint-Castin. Jean-Vincent Biography

His mother, Isabeau de Bearn-Bonasse, was the daughter of a Lord and said-to-be cousin of Henri d'Aramits - a real-life Musketeer in King Louis XIII’s elite regiment (the inspiration for Dumas’ Armaris in the novel, “The Three Musketeers”). Jean-Vincent was a French soldier at the age of thirteen. He joined the Carignan-Salières regiment, in Chambly’s company and sailed for Canada in 1665 to help eliminate threats to New France (English allies). Jean-Vincent was later entrusted with several missions in the most highly contested regions in North America and became known as the French Baron, who drove the English from Maine. In 1674, Jean-Vincent was captured by the Dutch. He is believed to have escaped the Dutch, made his way to Quebec and received the governor’s orders to urge the Abenakis to adopt the interests of France. Jean-Vincent befriended and was later adopted by the Abenaki Indians, lead and fought alongside them and married (two) daughters of the Abenaki Chief, Madockawando: Pidanske, who was given the Christian name, Marie Mathildd, and bore ten children and – after her death – her sister, Pidiwamiska, who had two children.

In 1701, 35 years after he left France for Canada, Jean-Vincent returned to France to defend himself against allegations of treason for trading with the English and to reclaim his inheritance. Jean-Vincent eventually cleared himself of the charges and regained the family castle in Bearn and the title of Baron. It is believed he never returned to America again as he died in France shortly thereafter.

In 1864, over 150 years after Jean-Vincent’s death, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a poem honoring Jean-Vincent, “The Baron of St. Castine,” part of Tales of a Wayside Inn.

Our direct line to Jean-Vincent d’Abbadie de Saint Castin is as follows: