Some tangled genealogy and a few narrative gaps are involved, but the true story of the Prejean sisters who were separated during the Acadian exile is every bit as tragic and compelling as Longfellow’s imaginary tale of Evangeline, and it has a happier ending.
The girls were the daughters of Charles Prejean (1706-1768), who married three times. The eldest girl, Cecile (b. 1730) was the daughter...