Justin Bieber is known for his pop career, but he also has family ties to numerous French Canadian pioneers in both Quebec and Acadia. These connections not only tie him to the beginnings of these colonies but also to other celebrities and notable figures. If you’re a Bieber fan or a French Canadian curious about a possible family connection, join me as I explore Justin Bieber’s French Canadian roots.
The Mallette Family
Justin Bieber’s mother, Pattie Mallette, is the source of his French Canadian roots. While she was born and raised in Stratford, her parents, Michael Mallette and Diane Henry, were both of French Canadian descent. Her father was from London, Ontario, and died in Timmins, Ontario, while her mother was from Elkhorn, Walworth, Wisconsin.
On his mother’s side, his great-grandparents Frédéric Alfred Télesphore Malette, Vénant Eugène Henry, and Marie Estelle Germain were all from Quebec, while one of his great-grandmothers, Alida Lachance, was from La Passe, Ontario.
The Mallette family arrived in New France in the 1650s with Pierre Mallet, who settled in Montreal and married Marie Anne Hardy, a fille à marier. The Henry family is first documented in New France with Robert Henry, who was confirmed in 1666, suggesting that he was a Huguenot. He moved to Chignecto, Acadia, in 1676 and married Marie Madeleine Godin in 1678.
French Canadian Pioneer Roots
Through his mother’s family, Bieber connects to many other French-Canadian families, including several of Quebec’s founding families. These pioneers helped establish the colony in the 1600s, including:
| Louis Hébert and Marie Rollet | Among the first permanent settlers in New France. Arrived in Quebec in 1617 with their three children. |
| Guillaume Couillard | Settled in New France in 1613. Married Marie Guillemette Hébert in 1621. |
| Pierre Desportes and Françoise Langlois | Arrived between 1614 and 1620. |
| Marie Hélène Desportes | Born around 1620 in New France. First European child born in Canada. |
| Jean Nicolet | Arrived in 1618. Served as an interpreter for the Company of One Hundred Associates and was a friend of Champlain. |
| Abraham Martin dit l’Écossais and Marguerite Langlois | Arrived in 1620. The Plains of Abraham are believed to be named after him. |
| Robert Drouin | First appeared in Quebec records in 1633; however, the exact arrival date is unknown. |
| Robert Giffard de Moncel | Led the Percheron immigration; settled permanently in 1634. |
| Zacharie Cloutier and Xainte Dupont | Settled in Beauport in 1634 with five children. |
| Jean Guyon du Buisson and Mathurine Robin | Settled in Beauport in 1634 with their children. |
| Marin Boucher and Perrine Mallet | Arrived in New France in 1634 with their two children. |
| Philippe Amiot, Sieur de Villeneuve and Anne Couvent | Arrived in 1636 with two sons. Couvent descended from European royalty. |
Are you interested in the earliest settlers of New France? Check out New France’s Founding Families and Their Fascinating Stories.
Acadian Ancestry
Justin Bieber doesn’t just have French Canadian roots — he can also trace his ancestry back to the French settlers of Acadia. Some of his ancestors were founding members of this French colony. They include:
| Robert Cormier | Arrived in 1644 with his family and is the patriarch of the Acadian Cormier family in Canada. |
| René Landry the Elder | Settled in Acadia in the 1650s with his wife, Perrine Bourg, and his family. |
| René Landry the Younger | Established himself in Acadia in the 1660s-1670s, becoming the ancestral patriarch of the Landry family in the Maritime provinces. |
| Antoine Bourg | Came as early as 1636 and is considered one of the first settlers and the patriarch of the Bourg/Bourque family. |
| Jean Thériot | Arrived before 1650, becoming a pioneer of the Thériot family and one of the earliest permanent French settlers. |
| Daniel LeBlanc | Settled in Port-Royal with his wife Françoise Gaudet before 1650, becoming the patriarch of a major Acadian family. |
| Jean Gaudet | Arrived between 1633 and 1652, and is known as the Abraham of Acadia for his many descendants and his place among the earliest colonists. |
| Jacques Bourgeois | Settled in Port Royal in 1641, becoming the first Bourgeois ancestor in Acadia and the founder of the Beaubassin settlement. |
| Michel Boudrot | Came to Port-Royal before 1639, founding one of the largest Acadian families and serving as a civil and criminal lieutenant general. |
| Abraham Dugas | Settled in Port-Royal around 1640 and recognized as one of the pioneers of Acadia, as well as the founding ancestor of the Acadian Dugas line. |
Justin Bieber’s Celebrity Cousins
Justin Bieber has several celebrity and notable cousins, all of whom share multiple French Canadian ancestors. These cousins include:
Our Shared Connections
Justin Bieber and I share many common ancestors. Please note that this list is not comprehensive. We likely have even more common ancestors than those on this list.
Want to discover more celebrities with roots in New France’s founding families? Check out Celebrities You Didn’t Know Have French Canadian Pioneer Ancestors.
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