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Perche, region of emigration
to Quebec in the 17th century
Perche, region of emigration to Quebec in the 17th century

Ancestry of Madonna


by Jean-François Loiseau
published on October 28, 2017, updated on February 11, 2024

When Madonna came to Quebec in 1987 for the «Who's That Girl Tour» , she revealed that her mother was French-American. Suddenly, genealogists started researches. "It took more than two years mainly because Michigan has no marriage registers like in Quebec" explains Rene Jette (1944-2003). This Canadian professor from Montreal University, author of a reference dictionary of the families of Quebec, teamed up with an American colleague Gail F. Moreau-DesHarnais. In 1994, they published the results of their research in the magazine Michigan's Habitant Heritage, Journal of the French-Canadian Heritage Society of Michigan.

French Canadian descent

Madonna talks about her French direct ancestor, Julien Fortin, in the French TV show "La chanson numero 1" broadcasted on France 2, June 8, 2003

Madonna Louise Ciccone (a.k.a. Madonna) was born on August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan, located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. She was the third of six children in a Catholic family.

Her father, Silvio Anthony Ciccone (a.k.a. Tony), was an Italian American design engineer for Chrysler/General Dynamics. He has his roots in L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region (Italy). He married a French Canadian descent, Madonna Louise Fortin, on July 2, 1955 in Bay City. The family lived in a small brick house in Pontiac, Michigan.

Madonna’s mother died of breast cancer in 1963 when Madonna was five years old. A few years later, her father married their housekeeper Joan Gustafson and had two more children.

Willard and Elsie Fortin, the maternal grandparents of Madonna, are direct descendants of Julien Fortin dit Bellefontaine, the first Fortin who settled in New France in 1650. He was from the parish Notre-Dame-de-Vair, today part of the village Saint-Cosme-en-Vairais (Sarthe, France). 90% of the American Fortin descend from Julien Fortin. The Fortins are today the ninth largest family in Quebec.

Ethnic breakdown of Madonna’s ancestry

infographics perche-quebec.com
The ethnic breakdown of Madonna’s ancestry is:
50% Italy on the father's side
50% France (through Quebec) on the mother's side

French-Canadian ancestry of Madonna

perche-quebec.com has explored the French-Canadian ancestry of Madonna. See details here.

Madonna
Genealogie de Madonna
Madonna Family Tree

From Perche (France) to Michigan…

Elsie Fortin, Madonna's grand-mother

Elsie Fortin (1911-2011)

Madonna’s grandmother, Elsie Fortin, has died on Wednesday, March 8, 2011. She was just three months away from turning 100 years old.

Fortin lived in on North Dean Street in Bay City where she passed away. She was born in Standish, Michigan. She married a distant cousin William Fortin in November of 1929. She had eight children, 36 grandchildren, 47 great grandchildren, and 6 great-great grandchildren. To read her full obituary, click here.

The single patronym FORTIN of Madonna's maternal grandparents covers two parallel adventures of French-Canadian immigrants to Michigan at the end of the 19th century. At that time, it was hard to find a job for the French-speaking Canadians and many tried their chance in the West.

Both branches of Fortin who settled in Michigan had the same origin in Quebec. In the early 18th century, Louis Fortin got married for the first time with Anne Bosse at Cap-Saint-Ignace in 1714. They gave birth to Claude Fortin, ancestor of the maternal grandmother of Madonna, Elsie Fortin.

In 1735, Louis Fortin got married for the second time with Madeleine Langelier; their son, Augustin Fortin, is the ancestor of Willard Fortin, the maternal grandfather of Madonna.

This Louis Fortin is the grandson of the first Fortin who arrived in 1650 in New France: Julien Fortin born in the parish Notre-Dame-de-Vair, part of the village Saint-Cosme-en-Vairais, (Sarthe, France) today.

Julien Fortin, the French maternal ancestor of Madonna

FORTIN N… (-)

FORTIN Simon (1575-1617)

FORTIN Julien (~1599-1679)
⚭ LAVYE Marie (1601-1628)

FORTIN Julien dit Bellefontaine (1621 Notre-Dame-de-Vair - ~1690)
⚭ GAMACHE Geneviève (1636 Saint-Illiers-la-Ville - 1709 L'Islet)





FORTIN Eustache ( ~1658-1736)
⚭ CLOUTIER Louise (1676-)

FORTIN Louis (1711-1788)
⚭ BLANCHET Marie Françoise (1709-1753)

FORTIN François (~1750-1780)
⚭ DANDURAND Marie Louise (1744-)
FORTIN Charles Thomas (1656-1735)
⚭ CLOUTIER Xainte (~1661-1725)

FORTIN Louis (1690-1749)
1er⚭ BOSSE Marie Anne (1693-1734)

FORTIN Claude Joseph (~ 1712-1799)
⚭ METHOT Marie Jeanne (1724-1789)

FORTIN Joseph Romain (~ 1750-)
⚭ DELISLE Marie Louise (~ 1755-)
2d⚭ LANGELIER Marie Madeleine (1707-)

FORTIN Augustin Magloire (1739-1800)
⚭ THIBAULT Marie Judith (1755-)

FORTIN Augustin (1786-)
⚭ GAUDREAU Marie-Euphrosine (1788-)

FORTIN Narcisse (1815-1896)
⚭ RIOUX Félécité (1819-1874)

FORTIN Narcisse (1860-1903)
⚭ LAJOIE rose (1869-1955)
FORTIN Geneviève (~1780-) FORTIN Joseph (1774-)







FORTIN François (1810-1852)
⚭ BLIER Marie Victoire (1814-)

FORTIN Henri Nazaire (1843-)
⚭ DANIEL Emilie (1845-1906)

FORTIN Henri Guillaume (1867-1939)
⚭ DEMERS Marie-Louise (1875-1929)
FORTIN Elsie Mae (1911-2011) FORTIN Willard (1903-1959)





FORTIN Madonna Louise (1932-1963)
⚭ CICCONE Silvio Anthony (1931-)

CICCONE Madonna Louise (1958 Bay City)
Madonna

FORTIN N… (-)
|
FORTIN Simon (1575-1617)
|
FORTIN Julien (~1599-1679)
⚭ LAVYE Marie (1601-1628)
|
FORTIN Julien dit Bellefontaine (1621 Notre-Dame-de-Vair - ~1690)
⚭ GAMACHE Geneviève (1636 Saint-Illiers-la-Ville - 1709 Notre-Dame-de-Bonsecours L'Islet)
|
FORTIN Charles Thomas (1656-1735)
⚭ CLOUTIER Xainte (~1661-1725)
|
FORTIN Louis (1690-1749)
⚭ LANGELIER Marie Madeleine (1707-)
|
FORTIN Augustin Magloire (1739-1800)
⚭ THIBAULT Marie Judith (1755-)
|
FORTIN Augustin (1786-)
⚭ GAUDREAU Marie-Euphrosine (1788-)
|
FORTIN Narcisse (1815-1896)
⚭ RIOUX Félécité (1819-1874)
|
FORTIN Narcisse (1860-1903)
⚭ LAJOIE Rose (1869-1955)
|
FORTIN Willard (1903-1959)
⚭ FORTIN Elsie Mae (1911-2011)
|
FORTIN Madonna Louise (1932-1963)
⚭ CICCONE Silvio Anthony (1931-)
|
CICCONE Madonna Louise (1958)
From Perche to Michigan



Madonna, a cousin of Celine Dion, Justin Bieber, Justin Trudeau, Hillary Clinton, Ryan Gosling, Angelina Jolie and Camilla, Queen of the United Kingdom…

Lady Gaga and Madonna cousins?

perche-quebec.com has discovered that Madonna has many family ties with other celebrities in music (Celine Dion, Justin Bieber), politics (Hillary Clinton, Justin Trudeau), the film industry (Ryan Gosling, Angelina Jolie) and royalty (Camilla, Queen of the United Kingdom)! All those celebrities have in common French-Canadian pioneers, and in particular Percheron pioneers.

For instance, the Percheron pioneer Zacharie Cloutier, an ancestor of most of the celebrities mentioned before, who was born in Mortagne-au-Perche.

As strange as it may seem, there is nothing exceptional about those family ties. As the Percheron pioneers were among the very first French settlers to arrive in what was then known as New France, most of North Americans with French-Canadian ancestry have Percheron blood and are more or less related.

Famous cousins of Madonna

Famous cousins of Madonna
source & infographics perche-quebec.com
The Material Girl has many family ties with the famous descendants of those Percheron pioneers.

perche-quebec.com has found out not less than:
• 395 links with Justin Bieber
• 292 links with Celine Dion
• 258 links with Xavier Dolan
• 208 links with Jack Kerouac
• 191 links with Ryan Gosling
• 155 links with Angelina Jolie
• 148 links with Jim Carrey
• 94 links with Justin Trudeau
• 46 links with Alanis Morissette
• 45 links with Hillary Clinton
• 30 links with Camilla, Queen of the United Kingdom

Cousin with Hillary Clinton

  • Hillary Clinton talks about her family links with Angelina Jolie and Madonna in The Ellen Degeneres Show (April 7, 2008).

The Percheron ancestors of Madonna

Besides Julien Fortin dit Bellefontaine, the direct ancestor of Madonna born in Saint-Cosme-en-Vairais, (Sarthe, France), Madonna has many ancestors whose the origin is Perche. All immigrated in the 17th century.

Emigrants Baptism year Baptism (or birth) place Emigration year Death year Death place
Aloignon Pierre Denis1621*Moussonvilliers16471690Quebec
Belanger François 1612*France16341687*Quebec
Bertrand Paul dit Saint-Arnaud 1661Verneuil-sur-Avre1693*1739Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan
Boucher Gaspard 1599*Mortagne-au-Perche1634*-Canada
Boucher Marie Marguerite 1631Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1666<>1669Quebec
Boucher Marin 1587*Mortagne-au-Perche16341671Chateau-Richer
Boulay Robert 1630*Perche16621707Montmagny
Chauvin Marin dit Lafortune 1625Saint-Mard-de-Reno1648-Canada
Chevalier Charlotte 1600*Feings / Saint-Mard de Reno (?)1653*-Canada
Cloutier Anne 1626Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1648Quebec
Cloutier Charles 1629Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1709Quebec
Cloutier Jean 1620Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1690Quebec
Cloutier Louise Marie 1632Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1709Quebec
Cloutier Zacharie 1590*Mortagne-au-Perche16341677Chateau-Richer
Cloutier Zacharie 1617Mortagne-au-Perche16341708Chateau-Richer
Cordeau Jean dit Deslauriers 1635*Dangeau1659*-Canada
Cote Jean[1] end 16th - early 17th-1635*1661Quebec
Drouin Robert 1607Le Pin-la-Garenne1634*1685Chateau-Richer
Dupont Xainte 1595*Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1680Chateau-Richer
Fortin Julien 1621Notre-Dame-de-Vair16501690*Canada
Fournier Guillaume 1620*Coulimer or Coulmer[2]1651*1699Montmagny
Gagné Louis 1612Igé1644*1661*Pays des Aganiers
Gagne Louis dit Bellavance 1643Saint-Cosme-de-Vair1653*1698Quebec
Gagne Pierre 1610Ige1653*1656Saint-Anne-de-Beaupre
Gagne Pierre 1645Saint-Cosme-de-Vair1653*1726La Prairie
Gagnon Mathurin 1606Tourouvre1640*1690Chateau-Richer
Gagnon Pierre 1612La Ventrouze1640*1699Chateau-Richer
Gagnon Robert 1628La Ventrouze1655*1703Sainte-Famille-de-l'Ile-d'Orleans
Gaudry Nicolas dit Bourbonniere 1620*Feings1653*1669Quebec
Giroux Toussaint 1633Reveillon1651*1715Beauport
Godeau Françoise 1632*Le Menil-Guyon1647*1696Chateau-Richer
Goulet Louise 1628La Poterie-au-Perche1669*1699L'Ange-Gardien
Guimond Louis 1st half 17thChamps16471661Canada
Guyon Barbe Marie 1617Mortagne-au-Perche1652*1700Saint-Pierre-de-l'Ile-d'Orleans
Guyon Jean 1592Tourouvre16341663Beauport
Jahan Jeanne 1604*La Ventrouze1647*1682Chateau-Richer
Langlois Noel 1606Saint-Leonard-des-Parcs1634*1684Beauport
Lehoux Françoise 1628La Ventrouze1647*1685Beaupre
Lehoux Jacques 1580*Perche1647*1680Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre
Lemaire Nicole 1595Mamers1635*-Trois-Rivieres
Letartre Rene 1626Charencey1669*1699L'Ange-Gardien
Loiseau Catherine 1603*Perche16461656Trois-Rivieres
Maheu Pierre, sieur des Hazards 1630Mortagne-au-Perche16511717Beauport
Mallet Perrine 1604*Courgeon or Courgeout16341687Chateau-Richer
Mesange Marie 1643La Ventrouze1661*1692Saint-Laurent-de-l'Ile-d'Orleans
Michel Marie 1619*Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême1644*1687Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
Robin Mathurine end 16thMortagne-au-Perche1636*1662Beauport
Roger Renee -La Ventrouze1640*-Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre
Rouleau Gabriel 1613*Perche1652*1673Sainte-Famille-de-l'Ile-d'Orleans
Roussin Françoise 1631Tourouvre16511691Quebec
Roussin Jean 1597Tourouvre16501682L'Ange-Gardien
Trottier Jules 1590*Perche16461655Trois-Rivieres
Trudel Jean 1629*Parfondeval1655*1699L'Ange-Gardien
Voyer Pierre 1632Marolles-les-Braults16581695Chateau-Richer
Emigrants Baptism year Baptism (or birth) place Emigration year Death year Death place
Aloignon Pierre Denis1621*Moussonvilliers16471690Quebec
Belanger François 1612*France16341687*Quebec
Bertrand Paul dit Saint-Arnaud 1661Verneuil-sur-Avre1693*1739Sainte-Geneviève-de-Batiscan
Boucher Gaspard 1599*Mortagne-au-Perche1634*-Canada
Boucher Marie Marguerite 1631Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1666<>1669Quebec
Boucher Marin 1587*Mortagne-au-Perche16341671Chateau-Richer
Boulay Robert 1630*Perche16621707Montmagny
Chauvin Marin dit Lafortune 1625Saint-Mard-de-Reno1648-Canada
Chevalier Charlotte 1600*Feings / Saint-Mard de Reno (?)1653*-Canada
Cloutier Anne 1626Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1648Quebec
Cloutier Charles 1629Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1709Quebec
Cloutier Jean 1620Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1690Quebec
Cloutier Louise Marie 1632Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1709Quebec
Cloutier Zacharie 1590*Mortagne-au-Perche16341677Chateau-Richer
Cloutier Zacharie 1617Mortagne-au-Perche16341708Chateau-Richer
Cordeau Jean dit Deslauriers 1635*Dangeau1659*-Canada
Cote Jean[1] end 16th - early 17th-1635*1661Quebec
Drouin Robert 1607Le Pin-la-Garenne1634*1685Chateau-Richer
Dupont Xainte 1595*Mortagne-au-Perche1635*1680Chateau-Richer
Fortin Julien 1621Notre-Dame-de-Vair16501690*Canada
Fournier Guillaume 1620*Coulimer or Coulmer[2]1651*1699Montmagny
Gagné Louis 1612Igé1644*1661*Pays des Aganiers
Gagne Louis dit Bellavance 1643Saint-Cosme-de-Vair1653*1698Quebec
Gagne Pierre 1610Ige1653*1656Saint-Anne-de-Beaupre
Gagne Pierre 1645Saint-Cosme-de-Vair1653*1726La Prairie
Gagnon Mathurin 1606Tourouvre1640*1690Chateau-Richer
Gagnon Pierre 1612La Ventrouze1640*1699Chateau-Richer
Gagnon Robert 1628La Ventrouze1655*1703Sainte-Famille-de-l'Ile-d'Orleans
Gaudry Nicolas dit Bourbonniere 1620*Feings1653*1669Quebec
Giroux Toussaint 1633Reveillon1651*1715Beauport
Godeau Françoise 1632*Le Menil-Guyon1647*1696Chateau-Richer
Goulet Louise 1628La Poterie-au-Perche1669*1699L'Ange-Gardien
Guimond Louis 1st half 17thChamps16471661Canada
Guyon Barbe Marie 1617Mortagne-au-Perche1652*1700Saint-Pierre-de-l'Ile-d'Orleans
Guyon Jean 1592Tourouvre16341663Beauport
Jahan Jeanne 1604*La Ventrouze1647*1682Chateau-Richer
Langlois Noel 1606Saint-Leonard-des-Parcs1634*1684Beauport
Lehoux Françoise 1628La Ventrouze1647*1685Beaupre
Lehoux Jacques 1580*Perche1647*1680Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre
Lemaire Nicole 1595Mamers1635*-Trois-Rivieres
Letartre Rene 1626Charencey1669*1699L'Ange-Gardien
Loiseau Catherine 1603*Perche16461656Trois-Rivieres
Maheu Pierre, sieur des Hazards 1630Mortagne-au-Perche16511717Beauport
Mallet Perrine 1604*Courgeon or Courgeout16341687Chateau-Richer
Mesange Marie 1643La Ventrouze1661*1692Saint-Laurent-de-l'Ile-d'Orleans
Michel Marie 1619*Saint-Martin-du-Vieux-Bellême1644*1687Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré
Robin Mathurine end 16thMortagne-au-Perche1636*1662Beauport
Roger Renee -La Ventrouze1640*-Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupre
Rouleau Gabriel 1613*Perche1652*1673Sainte-Famille-de-l'Ile-d'Orleans
Roussin Françoise 1631Tourouvre16511691Quebec
Roussin Jean 1597Tourouvre16501682L'Ange-Gardien
Trottier Jules 1590*Perche16461655Trois-Rivieres
Trudel Jean 1629*Parfondeval1655*1699L'Ange-Gardien
Voyer Pierre 1632Marolles-les-Braults16581695Chateau-Richer

notes
 [*]  Estimated year
 [1]  Jean Cote's place of birth is unknown. Some believe that he came from Mortagne-au-Perche (Orne , France) but no register has been found to confirm this hypothesis yet.
 [2]  Guillaume Fournier may be originated from Coulimer or Coulmer, both villages located in Orne (France). Coulimer is part of Perche but not Coulmer.
 [3]  There is no documented evidence that Eloi Tavernier moved to Canada. According to Mrs. Montagne, he attended the wedding of his daughter Marguerite on May 1, 1644 in Quebec, but he is not mentioned in the marriage record (PRDH - Programme de recherche en démographie historique. Généalogie canadienne-française du Québec, s. d.-c).
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