Life in Acadia prior to the 1755 expulsion

"Acadian history provides Canada with one of her most rich and magnificently complicated heritages. It is a story of human passion . . . an affirmation of courage and beliefs, a statement of the rights of small settlements [and] a glorious compendium of exceptions to everybody's rules."
- Naomi E. S. Griffith, in The Acadians - The Creation of a People.
Recently I have had expressions of interest from a number of readers regarding Acadian history prior to their expulsion in 1755. Today's column is the first in a two-part series on this topic. The second, to appear on June 17, will concentrate on the later Acadian revival within the region.
There is also another important reason for turning the spotlight on Acadian history this summer. The fourth World Congress of Acadians/CongrÈs mondial acadien will be held in the province from August 7 to 23, 2009. Clearly this is a time for all New Brunswickers to commemorate the rich Acadian heritage that is so much a part of local history.
Understandably, in the interests of space, my emphasis will be upon the Acadian settlements on the Isthmus of Chignecto at the head of the Bay of Fundy. In the early 1670s, Jacques Bourgeois along with his family moved from Port Royal to this area. He was attracted by the potential of today's Tantramar region for the practice of dykeland agriculture.
Others followed and within five years several small settlements were well established. They included PrÉs de Bourque, near the present downtown area of Sackville, PrÉs de Richard and Tintamarre. Another settlement, Beaubassin, was located approximately on the site of the present community of Fort Lawrence. Historical geographer Andrew Hill Clark has made the claim that the most important development in Acadia between the late 1600s and the early 1700s was this out-migration to the territory surrounding the Minas Basin and on the Isthmus of Chignecto.
The treaty of Utrecht in 1713 saw the transfer of Nova Scotia to Great Britain. This meant that pressure was put upon the Acadians to swear an oath of allegiance to their new masters. On the other hand, the French urged them to migrate to Île-Saint-Jean (Prince Edward Island), or to Louisbourg on Île Royale (Cape Breton). Both areas were still under French rule. However, the Acadians resolutely refused to follow either suggestion. A pledge of neutrality was all that they were willing to make.
On July 25, 1755, the Nova Scotia Lieutenant Governor Governor Charles Lawrence (1709-1760), backed by the colonial council, made the decision to expel the Acadians and to disperse them among the English colonies on the Atlantic seaboard. A number of Acadians escaped this deportation by taking refuge among friendly Mi'kmaq or by moving to Île-Saint-Jean or to Île Royale.
Some Acadians made their way to QuÉbec where their distinctive family names are still to be found. Among those expelled were those who who settled in Louisiana where today they form a vibrant minority in the population of that state. Here a cultural transformation took place, the French word "Acadiens" gradually changed to "Cadiens." The same change occured in English: "Cadiens" became "Cajuns." Other Acadians resettled in today's northeastern New Brunswick and in parts of Nova Scotia.
Not everyone who reads this column will be interested in genealogy. However, the random sampling of prominent Acadian surnames that follows may cause some readers to ponder their family heritage.
Does your family tree contain surnames such as the following? Arsenault, Aucoin, Babineau, Belliveau, Chiasson, Comeau, d'Entremont, Doucet, Fougere, Fournier, Gallant, de Gannes, Gaudet, LeBlanc, Lafleur, Landry, Maillet, Melanson, Noel, Pellerin, Richard, Robichaud, Saulnier, Savoie, Thibeault, or Vautour?
If the answer is "yes" then there is every possibility that you may trace your ancestry back to the early days of Acadia. Apologies to the many other Acadian family names that are not listed -- my objective is to emphasize the many possibilities for genealogical research.
Fortunately, we have descriptions of the Acadian settlement at Beaubassin, dating from the early 1700s. The following account is taken from a diary kept by Robert Hale, a merchant from Beverly, Massachusetts: "There are about 15 or 20 houses in the village, besides two mass houses or churches." He found the people hospitable and describes in some detail a "supper in the home of Mr. Sears . . . We were regaled with Bonnyclabber [thick, soured milk eaten with cream and sugar, honey, or molasses], soup, salad, roast shad, along with bread and butter."
Hale noted that living conditions were spartan to say the least: "They have but one room in their houses, besides a cellar and sometimes a closet. Their bedrooms are made something in the manner of a sailor's cabin, boarded all around the bigness of the bed, except one hole on the foreside to crawl into."
An ironical twist of history accounted for the destruction of the Acadian villages in 1750. This time the guilty party was closer to home in the person of AbbÉ Jean-Louis Le Loutre (1709-1772). During the first half of the 18th century, the precise boundaries of Acadia were in perpetual dispute. In April of 1750, a British expeditionary force, under the command of Major Charles Lawrence, sailed into the Upper Bay of Fundy.
What happened next is told in the words of local historian Will R. Bird: "AbbÉ Le Loutre swung into quick action when he saw the British ship approaching. By the time that Lawrence had landed, the Mi'kmaq, under Le Loutre's orders, had fired every house, barn and outbuilding in the area."
Reduced to ashes were the homes of 500 Acadians, forcing them to cross the Missaguash River and fend for themselves. A major Beaubassin artifact, the bell from the Notre Dame d'Assumption Church, has survived. It may be seen today in the Fort BeausÉjour museum.
In the summer of 2004, Parks Canada acquired some 107 acres, on today's Fort Lawrence Ridge -- including part of the historic village of Beaubassin. On July 7, 2005, it was designated a National Historic Site.
Within this region, Fort BeausÉjour was later renamed Fort Cumberland. Readers with an interest in more detail on today's topic should consult: RÉgis Brun, The Acadians Before 1755. It's available in both of Canada's official languages.
Ideas for, or comments about Tantramar Flashbacks, may be addressed to Bill Hamilton in care of the Sackville Tribune Post, 80 Main Street, Sackville, NB, E4L 4A7, or via e-mail at tribune@nbnet.nb.ca A selection of previous Flashbacks may be found at www.billhamiltonflashback.ca.