Over the last decade, the main focus of my research has been the maternal line of Elizabeth Saunders who born about 1811 and married Thomas Hynes. She was of Fortune Bay & Bay d’Espoir as well as her mother Elizabeth (Unknown) Saunders, wife of John Saunders. Long-held family history and historical tidbits have stated that the Saunders siblings, the children of John & Elizabeth were known as Mi’kmaq. Their grandchildren even got into heated arguments that escalated into violence after being teased and discriminated against due to their ancestry. This occurrence we most prominently see in the case of their grandson Daniel McCarthy versus John Rideout in 1894. In recent years, DNA testing has made it possible to figure out maternal relatives of Elizabeth at least. We now know that she shares a direct maternal line with known Mi’kmaq women (1) Elizabeth (Joe) Blanchard b. abt 1780 d. Bay of Islands. (2) Mary (Unknown) Park Brooks b. abt 1758 Burin, d. Bay of Islands. (3) Charlotte (Jeddore) Cox b. abt 1820 Conne River d. Creston South. But who else were their relatives?

One thing that is for sure, they all seem to have originated out of the South Coast and have connections to the Burin area specifically. Mary (Unknown) Park Brooks is known to have originated at Burin and this is stated in the 1838 List of Inhabitants of the

Bay of Islands and that she was born about 1758. Furthermore, many of her children with her first husband Robert Park were born there. Recent transcriptions by the Newfoundland Court Record Transcribers have revealed that Robert Park was completing Jury Duty in 1786 in Burin Harbour. A huge find that had been undiscovered until now.

For the past few years I have heard from a number of Moulton descendants from Burin, where certain branches of the family have maintained that they are of Mi’kmaq descent. I originally thought it may be through the Haus/Hawes family of Woody Island who had married into the family. It is still possible there is native in those ancestors but it is to be further investigated. Recently, during the past year, I had noticed some of the closest Moulton descendants had been matching on known Saunders/Blanchard/Park DNA indicating a familial connection, but again I believed it to have originated from the Haus/Hawes’. This was until I read the Will of John Brooks from 1823, which was originally found by researcher John G. Edgar.

I had seen the Will some time ago but had forgotten the names mentioned within. John Brooks was the second husband of the aforementioned Mary (Unknown) Park Brooks, they did not have any children together. Within the will, John leaves various sums of money to several relatives and friends, including a son, Thomas, of Elizabeth (Joe) Blanchard. But the one that struck my eye the most was “To the daughter of Thomas and Hannah Goddard of Burin, Newfoundland, I give and bequeath the sum of twenty pounds.” This was a big surprise, as I had known from prior research that Hannah Goddard was a Moulton, the daughter of George Moulton (born 1753)

of Burin. George’s wife, Hannah’s mother is unknown. Going back to the court record from 1786 I bet you can guess who was on Jury Duty with Robert Park… George Moulton himself.

Combining circumstantial evidence, along with known DNA matches between descendants of the families on DNA segments known to have come from the maternal line, and lastly with the long-held Moulton family story of Mi’kmaq influence in the family, it gives further credence to a family connection between these groups of ancestors. I think the most probable connection is that George Moulton’s (1753-1836) wife was a sister of Mary (Unknown) Park Brooks, and probable Aunt of Elizabeth (Joe) Blanchard and Elizabeth (Unknown) Saunders. It also should be noted that in 1680 a French report out of Placentia, confirmed there was a Mi’kmaq community of approximately 200 residents. A fellow researcher remembers a seeing a French map depicting this community to be near Burin on the west side of the bay. This could be where the family originated and/or lived seasonally as many Mi’kmaq did.

An mtDNA test is planned to test the maternal line of George Moulton’s wife through their daughter to see if she matches the maternal line of the rest of the ancestral women. If she does, it gives strong evidence of the theory and helps to piece together a family tree for those whom lack church records. mtDNA tests are very expensive (over $300) so if anyone would like to support this research to get the line tested, please contact us at the top of this website.

Another piece of the puzzle comes together every day. Combining family history, DNA research, and historical evidence works well to create new discoveries in family research. Are you a Moulton descendant or have any information on these families, if so, sound off in the comments below!