Ancestral journey
Washington man donates series of genealogical texts to local museum
It’s been a journey of selfdiscovery for Scott ArsenaultShane.
After six years, he’s finally closed the door, or the book, on researching his Island roots.
“I didn’t know I was an Arsenault until later in my life. When my grandfather moved to the States years ago, our family name was changed to Arnold,” said the Seattle, Wash., resident.
Recently, Arsenault-Shane donated five volumes, more than 4,000 pages, of his family history, to the Acadian Museum of P.E.I. in Miscouche, stemming from his Acadian connection in Emmanuel Hubert Arsenault, his grandfather.
The exploration into his roots started in 2011 when he visited the museum.
“I had no prior connection to my roots – no connection with my past.”
Eventually, Arsenault-Shane met distant relative, Claude Arsenault.
“It’s incredible what Scott has done. This is a huge day for Acadians on P.E.I.,” said Claude.
He added, “If you go back six generations in this book, it connects most of the Acadian families on P.E.I. It’s not just going to be about his family.”
After finishing his research, Arsenault-Shane had four collections of the volumes, two including colour photos and two with black and white photos.
“This is the best thing I’ve ever done. I’ve never felt this kind of inner satisfaction before,” he said.
Arsenault-Shane is proud of his name.
“I didn’t feel like I was part of anything before. This has given me brothers and sisters in a way.”
“This collection has brought my grandfather back to life for me. I did this for him.”
He said it’s a relief to see the project come to an end.
“You have no idea how many times I said ‘I’m never going to finish this,’ but I got my second wind and here we are.
“I’m comforted knowing that I’m leaving the books here in a safe place that will hopefully get future generations interested in the past.”
Rachel Lapointe, the director of the museum, said having the volumes in the facility means a lot to the community.
“It means anybody can come to find something in multiple fields of research. It’s not just about genealogy; there is information on history and societies of the time periods and areas. We’re really happy to have this here. The more information the better.”