First found in Gascogne where they were anciently seated in the seigneurie of Garidech, and were a prestigious aristocratic family of south-west France who also held estates in neighbouring Languedoc to the east.

France was active as a cultural leader in the early 16th century. One particular area in which they lead was the exploration of the New World. The explorers, like Jacques Cartier in 1534, led the way to North America. Champlain, in 1608, made the first of twenty voyages to France to attract settlers and brought the first migrant in 1617. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec, and the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Gasco has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Gasco were Peter Gascoign who settled in the Barbados in 1679; Charles Gascoigne settled in Philadelphia Pa. in 1859; P. Gascoigne settled in Baltimore, Maryland in 1820.

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