Welcome
It began with one Basque fisherman
With only a very few exceptions, those who share the Goyetche surname in
North America trace their origins to Jean Goyetche, a Basque fisherman born in
1763 in the Bayonne region of France. He arrived in North America sometime
before 1793 and may have spent time on the islands of St. Pierre & Miquelon or
at Louisbourg before coming to Arichat on Isle Madame in Nova Scotia.
The Goyetche family in North America has grown to
include more than 1,900 members in the extended
family. Beginning with Jean Goyetche (1763 - 1844),
descendants now span nine generations and encompass
more than 600 family groups. The genealogy pages on
this site provide extensive information about family
members. This includes family group descendant trees
as well as all-inclusive trees.
Over the generations, the Goyetche family has included
its share of colourful characters. Among them was
Martin Goyetche, who travelled with the pirates Pierre
and Jean Laffite, and married one of the Laffite
daughters; Dominique Goyetche, who was sentenced to
prison on the island of New Caledonia in the South
Pacific; and Billy Goyetche, freight-hauler, undertaker and police constable in St.
Peter's, NS.
Historical profiles of the islands St. Pierre & Miquelon, off the coast of
Newfoundland, and of Isle Madame in Nova Scotia both include references to
Goyetche family members.
Basque origins
The Basque region, or Euskal
Herria as it is traditionally
called by the Basques,
straddles southern France and
northern Spain. It is located
where Spain and France
connect on the Bay of Biscay,
extending 8,056 square miles
(20,864 km2). It encompasses
the western end of the
Pyrenees Mountains on the
Iberian Peninsula, down to the
Bay of Biscay. The region is
made up of seven provinces
spanning both sides of the
Spanish/French border, and
has its own unique culture and
language.
While there continue to be imaginative theories about the origins of the Basque
people (everything from a lost tribe of Israel to refugees from Atlantis), there is
no evidence that the Basques of ancient times lived anywhere other than where
they are now, in France and Spain. The Basques are known to have had their
distinctive language as early as 7,000 BC, and they have the last remaining non
Indo-European language in the area. Their language, Euskara, is the oldest
surviving in all of Europe. Through history, the Basque people were renowned as
fishermen, traders and shepherds.
Family News...
PHOTO GALLERIES
Recent additions include Jean
(Goyetche) Richard of Petit de Grat, NS;
Wilfred Goyetche & Eddie Bouchie of
Gloucester, MA and Jimmy Goyetche of
Petit de Grat, NS; David Goyetche of
Arichat, NS; Craig, Brooke & Edwin
Goyetche of London, ON; Mark & Pam
(Goyetche) Fialli with Jennifer & Michael
of North Reading, MA.
Other vintage photos in the photo
galleries include Jacques & Gracieuse
Goyetche of Cape Auget, NS; Charlie &
Bridget Goyeche of Montreal, QC; Tom &
Emma Goyetche of Gloucester, MA;
Jimmy & Maria Goyetche of Petit de
Grat, NS and many more. Check back in
the weeks and months to come as more
photos are added to the collection.
FAMILY NEWS
Check out the Family News page,
featuring new additions to the family,
recent deaths as well as significant
achievements by family members.
Contributions are always welcome. If
you are aware of any news regarding
family members, please forward your
updates to djgoyetche@yahoo.ca.
GENEALOGY
Our genealogy pages include
information on more than 1,900 family
members and 601 family groups
spanning nine generations beginning in
1763. You may search or browse our
index of family members, view family
group descendant trees or all-inclusive
ancestor trees. Other reports include all
surnames, frequent surnames, U.S. and
European time/density maps as well as
name and age statistics.
