“You know, I'm French-Canadian too», admitted Madonna, during the tour Who is she, at the Montreal Forum 1987.
This inclusive “also” had floored the crowd in attendance and forced the genealogists to search the archives to find out who this girl was who had come to claim her Quebec roots…
It's been two years of work for the fine sleuths of family secrets, as Michigan doesn't have marriage registries like Quebec does.
Fortin d'Amérique twice
Louise Veronica Ciccone was born on August 16, 1958 in Bay City, Michigan. She is the daughter of Sylvio-Anthony Ciccone and Madonna-Louise Fortin (1932–1963).
The latter was the daughter of Willard Fortin (1904-1959) and Elsie Fortin (1911-2011), which made Madonna say on French television that her great determination came from her inherited “Fortintude” – in short, his strength – from his two Fortin d 'Amérique roots.
The Queen of Pop was orphaned by her mother at the age of five and was close to her grandmother Elsie, who grew up in a French-speaking household and spoke the language of her ancestors.
His father, Henri Fortin (1867–1939), was the son of Henri Nazaire Fortin (1843–1900), born on the Île d'Orléans. His mother, Marie-Louise Demers (1875–1929), came from Chatham, Ontario.
Marie-Louise's great-grandfather, Jean-Baptiste Masse (1769–1841), was a patriot. As a successful blacksmith and merchant, he would have taken part in the Battle of Saint-Denis on November 23, 1837. Madonna is also descended from Marie-Rosalie Cherrier, Papineau's cousin.
The Queen of Pop may not know it, but she is a true patriot.
Elsie Fortin (left) and Madonna, 1985, during the “Like a Virgin” tour. Screenshot X /@Rhino Records
Saginaw
Willard Fortin was the son of Narcisse-Nelson (1860-1903), originally from Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski, and Rose Lajoie (1869-1921) from Belleville, Ontario.
The couple married in 1891 in Bay City, a small Michigan town on Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay, 110 miles north of Detroit. In the 19th and 20th centuries the city was an important center for wood processing. Many French Canadians worked there on construction sites in the winter and in sawmills in the summer.
Both Willard's family and Elsie's are descended from Charles Fortin (1656?-1735) of Château-Richer, son of Julien Fortin, known as Bellefontaine (1621-1689?), who was originally from Perche. Charles had married Xaintes Cloutier (1661–1725), daughter of Jean Cloutier and Marie Martin and granddaughter of Abraham Martin.
During her show on the Plains in 2012, did Madonna even know she was singing in the land of her famous ancestor?
The wedding of Narcisse Fortin and Félicité Rioux on February 9, 1847 in Saint-Simon-de-Rimouski. Narcisse was born in L'Islet and died in Bay City in 1896. The couple were Madonna's great-great-grandparents. Jacques Noël
Fortin paternal descent from Madonna Louise Ciccone
I. CICCONE, Sylvio Anthony
FORTIN, Madonna-Louise (1933-1963)
married July 2, 1955 in Bay City, Michigan
II. FORTIN, Willard-William (1904-1959)
FORTIN, Élise-Elsie (1911-2011)
Mister. November 29, 1929, Bay City, Michigan
III. FORTIN, Narcisse-Nelson (1860-1903)
LAJOIE, Rose (1869-1921)
Mister. January 7, 1891, Bay City, Michigan
IV. FORTIN, Narcisse (1815-1896)
RIOUX, Felicité (1819-1874)
Mister. February 9, 1847 Saint-Simon, Rimouski
V. FORTIN, Augustin (1790-?)
GAUDREAU, Marie Euprosine (1788-?)
Mister. July 29, 1806, Saint-Jean-Port-Joli
VI. FORTIN, Auguste Magloire (1739-1800)
THIBAULT, Judith (1755-1810)
Mister. November 17, 1783, L'Islet
VII. FORTIN, Louis (1690-1749)
LANGELIER, Madeleine (1707-1774)
Mister. November 21, 1735, Cap Saint Ignace
VIII. FORTIN, Charles (1656?-1735)
CLOUTIER, Xaintes (1661-1725)
Mister. November 11, 1681, Château-Richer
IX. FORTIN, Julien (1621-1689?)
GAMACHE, Genevieve (1636-1709)
Mister. November 11, 1652, ND of Quebec